I think one of the funnier details about the beginning cutscene of Shadow Generations is that when they cut to Rouge at the party, it’s in the Hedgehog 1 engine.
Y'know, I recall Ted saying in the Forces commentary that he didn't want nostalgia anymore, but he'd probably change his mind if they brought back Final Rush. And then Sonic Team made THIS game.
@@shinyocelot04archive During the Sonic portion of the LP, Ted accidentally confused the names of Rail Canyon and Sky Rail, and it became a recurring gag for a bit.
@@reginlief1 gun didnt even know about iirc and all eggman knew about it was "fake emerald that would somehow destory the arc if used" its very likely bro just thought it was a fancy bomb
@@Kingdom850 the genius with an iq of 300 and a reputation in and out of universe for going "welp that shits done not touching somert like that again" Sides I feel like he would be too prideful to use something tails made when he can and has made them himself
They did kinda explain how Black Doom returned, albeit more implied. In Shadow Generations, Black Doom said that the Black Arms are a Hive Mind. Any thoughts and actions they have are all tied to him. Now recall in the Dark Beginnings Prologue, we saw a lone Black Arms larvae in a pod that Maria and Shadow took a look at. And thanks to the full video of all 3 animations put together, they added a bonus scene at the end where we see Black Doom in the ARK, with the scene implying that the same larvae is what Black Doom used to grow back to his form and come back. Surprised that G.U.N. left that larvae alone for that long. Then again, they kept the Artificial Chaos and the Biolizard around despite the dangers they possess. So this is really all on G.U.N. lol
11:18 I wholeheartedly agree that the 2D in Shadow Gens is a huge step up from the typical console boost games. The flow state in this game reminds me of Sonic Rush in the best possible way. Kingdom Valley Act 2 especially might be my favorite 2D level in the game. It's so damn good.
It is implied by Rouge and Gerald in White Space dialogue that the reason Black Doom is back is that its because the Black Arms are a hivemind. The game basically states that even when Black Doom's body dies, as long as a single Black Arms alien is still alive his mind will survive and take over a surviving alien to regrow himself. In Shadow Generations, the Black Arms alien Black Doom regrew himself from was the Larvae that was hiding on the Ark in the Dark Beginnings animations. Spoilers: Because Shadow has free will unlike the other Black Arms aliens, he's on the fringes of the Black Arms hivemind rather than being a full blown part of it. Black Doom can mess with his mind, but as shown in Shadow 05 if Shadow is determined enough he can resist his control. This is where the Doom Powers come in, and why Black Doom is so eager for Shadow to obtain them. Every Doom Power Shadow unlocks deepens his connection to the Black Arms hivemind, and makes him more vulnerable to being controlled or possessed by Black Doom. Instead of simply demanding subservience as he did in Shadow 05, Black Doom puts Shadow in the position where he will either fall under Black Doom's control or kill Black Doom and get his body taken over by him. The main reason why Black Doom's plot fails in Shadow Generations is that Maria's speech to Shadow near the end of the game keeps him anchored to himself and reality. Their connection is why Shadow is able to triumph over Black Doom this time around, despite his deeper connection to the Black Arms hivemind. However, this might not be the last we see of Black Doom. In White Space dialogue, Rouge ponders if Black Doom left some Black Arms aliens hidden in a safe place just in case he faces defeat for a second time. Such caution makes sense for an ancient alien warlord, and with the critical, financial, and fan reception of Shadow Generations it is likely we'll see him again.
I hate that in order to do all this they had to retcon that the black comet is apparently no longer the homeworld of the black arms. Now they just...randomly exist out there with no explanation. Why and how was there a larvae on the ark when the black comet was destroyed by the eclipse cannon?
@@Kingdom850 That Larvae was given to Gerald to study when making Shadow... Moreso as insurance for Black Doom. The Black Comet was their home, but Black Doom also likely left Black Arms aliens behind on worlds he conquered just in case things went south for him.
@@somedude3820 What worlds did he conquer? Shadow 2005 always said the comet was their home and they traveled every 50 years on it to get to Earth. They even tried tethering the comet to the planet as a form of sustenance. What could be special about Earth that he ignores conquering it during his first visit but then tries to during his second visit, only to suddenly always have been able to take over planets?
@@Kingdom850 Black Doom is mentioned to be an alien warlord, and Shadow 05 mentions that they consume worlds. Considering the Black Arms didn't know what Lightning was in Sky Troops, it's safe to assume the comet cannot enter the Earth's atmosphere without Chaos Control.
In Dark Beginnings' second part, Shadow is seeing the black arms larvae in that glass tube. At the end of the full episode, Black Doom is revealed to be on the Ark before the Time Eater appears, implying he was reborn from that creature many years later. So it's safe to assume the Black Arms operate under a hivemind mentality and share memories like the Spider-Man Symbiotes. He was able to tap into Time Eater's power and expedite his plans while messing with Shadow to try and make him his ultimate warrior of destruction. Also, the reason Black Doom uses Radical Highway is to make Shadow relive his darkest moments.
Glad someone brought Radical Highway up preemptively. I do enjoy how people have embraced the Black Doom Radical Highway jokes, and on a meta level it was definitely picked because it's Shadow's Green Hill Zone equivalent. But honestly I was willing to handwave Doom using Radical Highway due to it being Shadow at his most naturally antagonistic. Dude literally enters the level with the line, "I promised you... revenge!" So trying to subconsciously invoke his early hatred for humanity was enough of a justification for me.
Heck in the comics the other black arms that are still in space were made immediately aware that Black doom was killed. So there’s at least a precedent that there was a hive mind of some kind
Ryan, you timed that transition so well! 5:09 Abraham Tower: Shadow, can you _stop_ destroying our units? Shadow: Sorry, force of habit. 16:42 Great minds think alike. You know what would have been funny: If the Shadow Generations equivalent to Classic Sonic was Maria with jet skates.
I mean he's hardly a fan when the only game he gushes over and sings the praises of the most is SA2. Everything else he never really cared. Why else do you think he bellyached so much in the 3rd mania playthrough?
@@supergenesisstation1991 Yeah Ted isn't a Sonic fan. Do you blame him? If you don't like the newer games and the entire conversation around the franchise is ceaseless toxicity why would you wanna engage with it.
@@Aisubun I mean ted literally stokes the toxicity himself just as much if not more so than the very fandom that is divided as is. Dude literally bellyaches when SA2 isn't at the center when it comes to sonic even though there is more to sonic than just that one game. Also it's not entirely the fandom's fault sega keeps changing up gameplay formulas once it's been perfected or is ruined forever due to their stupidity. I don't blame him for branching out, it's good to broaden the horizons but ted needs to understand that SA2 isn't the only sonic game that is good.
He's barely a fan to begin with, whenever he talks positively it's only about SA2, every other time he complains about the franchise and its fans like he's any better.
@@elae4051 yeah I hate when people do that. Like I get it the sonic series and it's fandom have lots of problems and the games aren't always flawless but I hate the smug arrogance that come from people that think that they're better just because they don't heavily engage in the series.
You guys are talking about White Space in this game not having landmarks and not filling with color as you complete more stages… but it does. Each of the main bosses has their own massive castle attacked with it, and when you complete the challenge stages the areas fill with color and are designed like the stage they represent. The only real issue with the white space is the rocket parts, but I think exploring around and doing the various challenges and stuff are way more interesting and fun than any of the Frontiers open zones personally. Also the unspoken reason Doom brings you back to Radical Highway a lot is because he is actively trying to use Shadow’s anger to take over his body, so taking him back to the stage where he was vowing revenge against humanity is to get him in that mindset. That’s how I always saw it.
The New Content. Maria's design is probably my favourite, the Doom powers are utilized really well. All Act 1 levels are full 3D and Act 2 Full 2D Except for the last stage which is Both 3D.
I will say, I’ve never really been a fan of Kirk Thornton’s Shadow, especially coming after Jason Griffith who IMO just nailed the character, Thornton was a massive downgrade. However, Shadow Gens is by far & away his best performance, he does a great job in this.
So if you actually sit through the Shadow's Story segment and you're using a controller (I played on PS5 and this happened) then your controller will vibrate when the GUN Soldier fires the gun at Maria. I couldn't believe that they did that, surprised me.
Thinking about it, the rocket parts were probably meant to function as Korok seeds, in that they're just supposed to give you something to do after you've finished the majority of the content in the game.
Still, the end reward could've been much better. It's kind of nice that each 20 bolts you give to Orbot and Cubot unlock more concept art, but I think some customization options would've been cooler.
Who's ready for tubular freeways? Anyway, To defend gareth's nitpicking, the dark beginnings short pretty explicitly has shadow outright blowing up gun property and going on a solo mission with last minute authorization because the alternative was blowing up a rocket with him in it and commander towers needing to personally get involved. only for this intro to suggest he's here on a G.U.N. endorsed mission like he wasn't within seconds of getting his rocket blown up
@@Mojo1356 it's not really a PROBLEM because of that, but I enjoy exploring the hub. Personally I don't enjoy warping to every level unless it's a bit annoying to get to, like Mephiles. I think the hub is fun to run around in and collect things in, but by the end of the game it was becoming more difficult for me to even remember which chests I'd collected
I think this game has the best version of having a zone split into 2 acts in Sonic. One’s is (finally) fully 3D and all about speed and spectacle, and then the other is the 2D platform heavy intricate stuff. Both enjoyable in different ways without changing the controls or overlapping
This expansion is incredible. I really expected another Episode Shadow situation, but this is practically a new game in itself that doubles as a Generations and Shadow sequel. The control also is straight up the best the series has felt since SA2, it fixes most of the little issues Frontiers had (which wasn’t a lot admittedly but it’s great to see them improve it). If this is what was in store for a side game expansion, I can’t wait to see the next mainline game. Also I *LOVE* that Shadow’s homing attack is a teleport that can go through go certain obstacles like bars or laser beams.
There's another disconnection between the game and the animated short. The moon is still blown in half in Dark Beginnings, but the moon is whole in Shadow Generations, best showing when Shadow first gets the Doom Wing.
@@dprototype6431 That "unbroken side" nonsense is just BS Iizuke made up on the spot. Don't listen to that. They just forgot the moon should be broken in half, and finally remembered 20 years later when people kept pointing it out.
Shadow Gens for as short as it is, might be my favorite 3D Sonic experience from start to finish. Frontiers was a big step forward but this feels like they actually learned and improved upon the boost formula in meaningful ways that includes more varied levels that offer more player choice And while the story is simple, the characterization is PERFECT. For years Sega pushed Shadow as a Vegeta knockoff but here he is once again the Shadow we knew and loved, able to have feelings outside of pride and anger, have friends, and not be swayed by B.S. Black Doom nonsense. Shadow gens alone is worth the price tag for me, and I would gladly buy more DLC of this game. I hope that they take what made this game so fantastic and make it a full thing in the next game and it will be Peak.
There's a simple explanation for how the cannon worked in Shadow's game despite being blown up in SA2's hero story: GUN repaired it in between games. They're shown being on the ARK in Shadow, so it can be assumed that they began using it again after SA2.
That or the Chaos Control that Sonic and Shadow did reverted it to an earlier point in time - something which is kind of feasible, given that parts of the Ark that fell off when it was crashing through the atmosphere were restored after the Chaos Control.
It can easily just be explained that the Fake Emerald turned off the Cannon cause Sonic has to win the fight against Shadow since A.) It fits the best thematically with the 3 encounters Sonic Vs Shadow take place in SA2, and B.) Sonic would be dead if Shadow won that fight
I forgot to comment on this for the final Sonic part, but Blaze did have two voice actresses in the current cast. 2011 was Laura Bailey, 2024 is Erica Lindbeck. Shadow Generations definitely is showing off the increased budget Frontiers and the movies gave Sonic Team, for sure. I honestly wish Black Comet was the second to last level rather than Chaos Island though, would’ve fit way better.
I JUST got Sonic X Shadow generations for myself on switch yesterday but I think I’ll spoil some Shadow campaign stuff for myself a little bit just to hear the BSC Sonic conversation. (Also, Hi Stephanie Sheh as Maria. She actually gets to voice a Sonic character people actually remember, but I will give Zeena The Zeti some credit that she was a distinctive for her. If only Sheh got to voice her in the IDW comics Lol)
Believe it or not, one thing I found out about the Artificial Chaos, when I started streaming this about 2 days ago, one of my most recent Twitch followers told me that Gerald created the artificial Chaos to "be used for search and rescue missions".
16:33 it was implied if not straight up stated that the little larva that was left on the space colony from Dark Beginnings is what helped black doom regenerate
So to bring up Doom coming back I think its either implied or said that a Black Arms parasite that was left aboard the ARK regrew into him Hence why he didn't immediately go on the attack But I don't know if that's fully correct I do think that's the most likely theory is that Black Doom being the leader of the Black Arms can essentially regrow from a Black Arms. Which also explains a plot point later.
The reason why there wasn't a Westopolis stage was because all the levels featured in Generations are from the mainline games, Shadow 05 was a spinoff.
It's not a spin-off. Shadow 05 plays like your typical 3D Sonic game if it had the structure of Team Chaotix's campaign from Sonic Heroes. It's a mainline title.
@@smashmaster521 It really doesn't. It's a mission structured 3D platformer with collectathon elements and slippery controls. If you were to play it like a traditional 3D Sonic game you'll get the worst ending. Calling Shadow 05 a mainline game is the same as calling the Wario Land series mainline Mario games just because you play as a fat plumber who can jump on enemies and collects coins.
@@Kingdom850 Sonic isn't playable in it, the story focuses on shadow. Call me old fashioned, but I think a Sonic game needs to have it's flagship character playable in order to be considered a main entry.
@Just_a_teddy_bear Hate to disappoint you. But they did confirm Shadow 05 is part of an mainline Sonic game. It is not a spin-off. It would be a spin-off if they just say it. But they didn't. Despite the mission structure & guns, everything else Shadow 05 plays is like your typical 3D Sonic game. You got rings to protect you, you got all of Sonic's movements ( only with Chaos Powers ), you reach the goal, has all the storyline connected to Adventure 1, 2 & Heroes, etc. The fact they stated it is part of a mainline Sonic game is a big drawback.
16:33 "Somehow, Black Doom returned" memes aside, Ian confirmed twice on the Bumblekast that BD regrew himself out of that larva featured in Dark Beginnings, it was a literal chekhov's gun. Yeah, that little sh*t was up there in the Ark for 50 years and ended up as a failsafe unbeknownst to everyone. Imagine how many times our cast in SA2 must've just walked past by it and they never knew it was there. (And yes, that should've been in the game, it's one of my few criticisms I have towards Shadow Gens)
13:30 IS THAT A FRIGGING ADVENT OF EQUINOX REFERENCE!? SHADOW GETS WINGS! TARANEA, YOU CALLED IT! (Context: Advent of Equinox was a Sonadow fanfiction story where it was like well, if Sonic is light and gets transformed into a Werehog by Dark Gaia energy, what'd happen if Shadow is darkness and gets transformed by Light Gaia energy? Basically, he becomes a phoenix... Also, if I recall correctly, most of Taranea's story's focused on Sonic and Shadow merely being companions with the possibility of becoming romantically involved, but not in a smutty way. Big case in point was the discontinued story she co-wrote where Shadow and Sonic explore Sonic's home of Christmas Island, which is basically the Underworld from the OVA.)
2:02 So I think there were licence issues with music because shadows ark level final chase but they instead remix final rush. Which I love final rush but I feel like they had trouble getting any vocalists back or wavemaster composed music done for shadow at all
@@Sonicfalcon16 Well, you can always swap in Final Chase's music during Act 2...Hey, it's got those janky cylinders, and Act 1's music is too good to replace.
I figured that the Doom’s Eye fled with Black Doom’s consciousness after Shadow dealt the killing blow to Devil Doom. Realizing that Shadow was going to destroy the Black Comet, the eye chose to simply flee into space with what little power it had left, and it’s been plotting and recovering from the beating it took ever since. Maybe there was another Black Comet or a planet of Black Arms it could flee to?
Space Colony Ark is more or less the _Shadow the Hedgehog_ stage for the game. While the layout of the stage as a whole is a combination of both SA2 and Shadow 05, most of it comes from the latter than it does the former. I am a little surprised that Shadow's level progression in this game isn't similar to Sonic's, in that Shadow's stages aren't going in order of release or even going backwards of release (since Radical Highway is Shadow's final stage instead of his first). Thinking about it, though, the 3D hub world might be why they went in the direction they did. With Sonic's hub, it's 2D, going left to right, past (Green Hill) to future (Planet Wisp). Since Shadow's hub is 3D, allowing his to go anywhere he pleases for the most part, the stages are more scattered, allowing Shadow to go to any stage regardless of when they originally happened in the timeline, including the two stages from events that technically hadn't happened yet.
Oh man, these first two levels... _this_ was my Sonic fan nostalgia trip. From the little Eternal Engine hallways, to the Cosmic Wall-style rail grinding areas, finally seeing the Flying Egg Pawns (almost every variety at that!) in Generations' style, the little nods to Rail Canyon's level design like the tunnels before the goal ring, even the *freakin'* "whoop whoop whoop" rings... ...yeah, I pretty much had silent fan squeeing on standby the whole time. After Forces' asset-flip terrain and Frontiers' decent-looking, yet rather trend-basic environments, it felt great to see so much variety in the level themes again ^_^
The Egg Flappers were in the 3DS version's Water Palace, but I get what you mean. This game is a love letter to Shadow in the best possible way...Minus a stage from his first game. Still waiting on that.
@@smashmaster521 Ah yeah, that's true about Water Palace, totally forgot about that; still, getting them in proper HD was a welcome treat ^_^ Speaking of Shadow the Hedgehog, though, what stage would you have picked? Swapping the Radical Highway segments for Westopolis is a common choice, but if you had to choose a Shadow stage to get the full, two-act-plus-side-missions upgrade, which would you choose?
Here we go! I haven't played a new 3D Sonic game since Colors, so jumping into this game after completing the Sonic campaign was truly incredible! I love playing as Shadow so much! Easily some of the best gameplay of any Sonic game! I also really like how much this game respects Shadow's lore and brings back aspects from the older games he was a part of(more on that later)!
Yeah both endings in SA2 are canon. Eggman puts the emerald in the control room thingy at the same time Sonic puts the fake emerald into the cannon. Only having Dark Side be canon makes literally no logical sense, especially since you see Eggman grab the emerald at the end of Hero Story too. I think the thing about the cannon blowing up as well is that, it's not like the thing blew up into pieces. It's not like it blew up beyond repair. What's stopping the Black Arms in Shadow, or GUN themselves (because of their own hubris, and because they are actively trying to guard the Eclipse Cannon from Shadow in that game), from repairing it between the events of SA2 and Shadow? It's not blatantly stated by the game of course, but I really don't think it's a leap in logic to come to that conclusion.
@13:04 chaos spears are also super busted for speedrunning the levels in this game -- if you spam it after getting momentum in any way you carry your momentum way farther than usual
Man this game mode was so good... Like the story is one thing I cannot deny it is good... but god the gameplay is so smooth and enjoyable, the sandbox stuff is a lil lackluster but everything else is as airtight or as loose as you desire. First playthrough i did without chaos spear airtime then the second I did and lemme tell you _it feels so good to move in air without the air physics dying on a whim_ Combine that with the doom wings you get before radical highway you can break _so much level design_ and not give a care, someone figured two separate black doom section skips, a blessing considering they are oddly unskippable. My only real criticism, has to be the challenge keys. Now that they are all required *outside of hard mode's* They are padding, plain and simple.
Black Doom came back via the Black Arms larva- shown at the end of Dark Beginnings. But now he’s used that up and he died again- disconnected from time no less- so his spirit is trapped in white space and even if it wasn’t, he has no other vessels to use.
@@reginlief1 He doesn't need a real Emerald for that. He's done it without any on him at all in the past, and the first time Sonic did it was with the very same fake.
Chaos Spear, Chaos Control, and Chaos Snap are *supposed* to be powers that can only be done with the emerald for lore purposes. The games rarely bothered making a point of this until now but I expect it to be more relevant with Ian Flynn as the writer
@@Aisubun chaos spear and short range teleportation with chaos snap are shown to be possible without an emerald in the reboot era of the archie comics (the shadow fall arc of sonic universe, to be specific), so he’s consistent with his own writing at least chaos control though, the only guess i can hazard is that the fake emerald has some limitations and only allows for teleportation, not controlling time? since sonic is only ever shown teleporting with it and never outright stops/slows time like shadow does, it’s the only thing i can figure
He needs at least one for any power past the spears, it's the reason he's able to do Chaos Control this entire campaign, and partly why he basically tells Sonic to wait his goddamn turn with his emerald
Rouge did make him agree to go in exchange for getting him the rocket he used to reach the ARK. Besides, he does end up going at the end of Sonic's campaign.
TO be fair for Rail Canyon, most of the stage choices for Shadow Generations do correlate to his story in the franchise outside of Chaos Island. The Ark/Final Rush+Chase is the obvious endpoint in SA2 Rail Canyon being where the Shadow Androids are brought up which question Shadow's identity at that point Kingdom Valley being where he first encounters Mephilis and starts his arc in 06 And Sunset Heights being where he returns and takes out his lookalike mirage from Infinite Chaos Island? eh gotta reuse Frontiers assets somewhere And finally Radical Highway being where Shadow's quest for vengeance started, in which Black Doom is trying to get Shadow to regress to that point in time for his own gain That said, They *ABSOLUTELY* should've had the Doom interferences with the stages be callbacks to other stages aside from Radical Highway to make the final stage so much sweeter.
17:15 BEHOLD! DOOM SPEARS! now shadow can shoot multiple chaos spears at once!..........wait a minute he could already do that in sa2, and they even did damage there, iizuka stop downplaying the spears! also to bring up a point from earlier in the playthrough again, all ark levels are technically city levels, it's just a really cool upside down city if you look closely, especially in final rush and final chase i wanna say.
16:41 I'm conflicted by how much I fucking hate that movie and how hilariously in sync Ryan and Gareth were with that reference. They didn't miss a beat lmao xD
I forgot to watch Dark Beginnings before playing Shadow Generations but honestly it might've been better for giving me the possible explanation to why Black Doom was back. My only guess is that the BLack Arm larvae that Gerald was studying on the ark alongside Shadow was shown extremely briefly and I believe the bonus ending of the compilation shows Black Doom in the same capsule as that larvae leading me to believe that he revived due to that larvae. Now this presumes that GUN missed that larvae when raiding the ark 50 years ago but its like the only explanation I have for that. Also I love Shadow's hub and I wish OG gen coulda gotten a 3d one like Shadow's.
I like how there's 4 people who completed the game here...but not a single one of them even tried to mention that the White Space around the levels does fill up with color more as you complete the challenges through the game when Lewis mentioned it. And to be honest...it doesn't help them stand out much due to everything in the middle. That stuff can really clutter your view of things opposite the map.
Maybe the fake chaos emerald was left on the ark as a fail-safe for if anyone tried to use the eclipse cannon again? The whole purpose of it was to override the cannon's functions, so maybe it's best to just have it on hand (although it would be a lot more believable for GUN or Tails to just... take it, y'know). No plot is airtight, so I usually ignore holes to focus on the themes of a story. Also, it was my interpretation from Dark Beginnings that the reason Black Doom is back was the larva they kept aboard the ark was able to grow into a new body for him. That may not be true though. Sonic lore was already wild and now they're actually trying to embrace it for the first time in years.
Ahh the real meat of the game. Honestly to jump the gun a tiny bit, Shadow Gens is that good it was genuinely hard to go back to Sonic Gens on both a gameplay & absolutely a story level, kinda wish I did the Sonic Gens replay first in retrospect but I've waited since 2006 for Shadow to get any narrative importance again and goddamn was it well worth the wait. They've got him back on track, I feel like he's gotten proper closure and his reputation is definitely saved among the general fanbase. This was a much needed game both for the series & the character, and I am very happy the franchise isn't ashamed of itself anymore and we're getting villains like Black Doom back.
Some of the levels in shadow generations do have call backs to Shadow the hedgehog in it. Like how the one part when you are dragged into radical highway you are falling down like in the opening of westopolis and a later radical highway bit has a spiral are that is supposed to be like the black comet. And I am pretty sure the Ark level has call backs to some of the ark levels in Shadow not just the SA2 version. Also I always assumed the dark ending was the canon version since Eggman puts in the last emerald in that ending and the screen gets a warning message.
I am ashamed to admit that when I did my first run through of Space Colony Ark, I legit lost my shit from the sight of... The door from the Eternal Engine and Lost Colony levels when you enter the ark proper.
This game was amazing, but I also wanted to know why they didn't give us any Shadow the Hedgehog stages here. I would've loved that the real final zone here was Black Comet, but unfortunately Radical Highway is Shadow's Green Hill Zone, so it would've felt strange not to have in the game. As for the major lack of plot point on how did Black Doom was able to return I had this crazy idea once: Eggman after discovering the Time Eater's abilities decided to do some tests, based on his experiences, and one time he opened a time portal to the Black Arms invasion. Black Doom after being defeated by Super Shadow was never found, and we only know that he fell down towards Westopolis - what if the Time Eater opened a time portal right below him and after slightly recovering from his injuries was able to travel to before the events of this game's opening, via his Chaos Control?
I think one of the funnier details about the beginning cutscene of Shadow Generations is that when they cut to Rouge at the party, it’s in the Hedgehog 1 engine.
Makes sense. They didn't want to potentially have to rebuild all those assets just for a quick cutaway.
Y'know, I recall Ted saying in the Forces commentary that he didn't want nostalgia anymore, but he'd probably change his mind if they brought back Final Rush.
And then Sonic Team made THIS game.
Let's be real, the first stage here is literally Final Rush in everything but name
Dark Beginnings really got me hyped to see what Shadow Generations was gonna do and i was not disappointed
Ted’s gonna love his favorite stage in SA2, Rail Canyon lol.
Which is such a sandopolis clone.
I thought Rail Canyon was from Heroes?
@@shinyocelot04archive During the Sonic portion of the LP, Ted accidentally confused the names of Rail Canyon and Sky Rail, and it became a recurring gag for a bit.
I was making a joke because Ted misnamed Sky Rail as Rail Canyon during the Sonic Playthrough.
@@ThePurpleCheeseManTo be fair to Ted, I watched like 20 people play this game and like half of them thought it was the SA2 level lol
I like to think Sonic left the fake emerald there as a tribute to Shadow, the (not so) deceased "Faker."
I think this is fair but it’s still a source of power. Eggman and gun just ignoring it is… a stretch.
@@reginlief1 gun didnt even know about iirc and all eggman knew about it was "fake emerald that would somehow destory the arc if used" its very likely bro just thought it was a fancy bomb
@@lostgem8225 And you think the genius with an IQ of 300 wouldn't think of a way to make use of it?
@@Kingdom850 the genius with an iq of 300 and a reputation in and out of universe for going "welp that shits done not touching somert like that again"
Sides I feel like he would be too prideful to use something tails made when he can and has made them himself
...why though?
He could have just put his inhibitor rings there instead, he took them off to stop the ark
I still can't get over how good these animations are
They did kinda explain how Black Doom returned, albeit more implied. In Shadow Generations, Black Doom said that the Black Arms are a Hive Mind. Any thoughts and actions they have are all tied to him. Now recall in the Dark Beginnings Prologue, we saw a lone Black Arms larvae in a pod that Maria and Shadow took a look at. And thanks to the full video of all 3 animations put together, they added a bonus scene at the end where we see Black Doom in the ARK, with the scene implying that the same larvae is what Black Doom used to grow back to his form and come back. Surprised that G.U.N. left that larvae alone for that long. Then again, they kept the Artificial Chaos and the Biolizard around despite the dangers they possess. So this is really all on G.U.N. lol
11:18 I wholeheartedly agree that the 2D in Shadow Gens is a huge step up from the typical console boost games. The flow state in this game reminds me of Sonic Rush in the best possible way. Kingdom Valley Act 2 especially might be my favorite 2D level in the game. It's so damn good.
It is implied by Rouge and Gerald in White Space dialogue that the reason Black Doom is back is that its because the Black Arms are a hivemind. The game basically states that even when Black Doom's body dies, as long as a single Black Arms alien is still alive his mind will survive and take over a surviving alien to regrow himself. In Shadow Generations, the Black Arms alien Black Doom regrew himself from was the Larvae that was hiding on the Ark in the Dark Beginnings animations.
Spoilers:
Because Shadow has free will unlike the other Black Arms aliens, he's on the fringes of the Black Arms hivemind rather than being a full blown part of it. Black Doom can mess with his mind, but as shown in Shadow 05 if Shadow is determined enough he can resist his control. This is where the Doom Powers come in, and why Black Doom is so eager for Shadow to obtain them.
Every Doom Power Shadow unlocks deepens his connection to the Black Arms hivemind, and makes him more vulnerable to being controlled or possessed by Black Doom. Instead of simply demanding subservience as he did in Shadow 05, Black Doom puts Shadow in the position where he will either fall under Black Doom's control or kill Black Doom and get his body taken over by him.
The main reason why Black Doom's plot fails in Shadow Generations is that Maria's speech to Shadow near the end of the game keeps him anchored to himself and reality. Their connection is why Shadow is able to triumph over Black Doom this time around, despite his deeper connection to the Black Arms hivemind.
However, this might not be the last we see of Black Doom. In White Space dialogue, Rouge ponders if Black Doom left some Black Arms aliens hidden in a safe place just in case he faces defeat for a second time. Such caution makes sense for an ancient alien warlord, and with the critical, financial, and fan reception of Shadow Generations it is likely we'll see him again.
I hate that in order to do all this they had to retcon that the black comet is apparently no longer the homeworld of the black arms. Now they just...randomly exist out there with no explanation. Why and how was there a larvae on the ark when the black comet was destroyed by the eclipse cannon?
@@Kingdom850 That Larvae was given to Gerald to study when making Shadow... Moreso as insurance for Black Doom. The Black Comet was their home, but Black Doom also likely left Black Arms aliens behind on worlds he conquered just in case things went south for him.
It also means the developers can bring Black Doom back if they want to.
@@somedude3820 What worlds did he conquer? Shadow 2005 always said the comet was their home and they traveled every 50 years on it to get to Earth. They even tried tethering the comet to the planet as a form of sustenance. What could be special about Earth that he ignores conquering it during his first visit but then tries to during his second visit, only to suddenly always have been able to take over planets?
@@Kingdom850 Black Doom is mentioned to be an alien warlord, and Shadow 05 mentions that they consume worlds. Considering the Black Arms didn't know what Lightning was in Sky Troops, it's safe to assume the comet cannot enter the Earth's atmosphere without Chaos Control.
In Dark Beginnings' second part, Shadow is seeing the black arms larvae in that glass tube. At the end of the full episode, Black Doom is revealed to be on the Ark before the Time Eater appears, implying he was reborn from that creature many years later. So it's safe to assume the Black Arms operate under a hivemind mentality and share memories like the Spider-Man Symbiotes. He was able to tap into Time Eater's power and expedite his plans while messing with Shadow to try and make him his ultimate warrior of destruction.
Also, the reason Black Doom uses Radical Highway is to make Shadow relive his darkest moments.
Glad someone brought Radical Highway up preemptively. I do enjoy how people have embraced the Black Doom Radical Highway jokes, and on a meta level it was definitely picked because it's Shadow's Green Hill Zone equivalent. But honestly I was willing to handwave Doom using Radical Highway due to it being Shadow at his most naturally antagonistic. Dude literally enters the level with the line, "I promised you... revenge!" So trying to subconsciously invoke his early hatred for humanity was enough of a justification for me.
That explains why Radical Highway shows up as a frequent set piece throughout this game.
He's very sneaky. Who knew Black Doom had a back up body after SHadow destoryed him the first time.
It's not even an assumption. Professor Gerald says as much later in the story that the Black Arms are a hive mind.
Heck in the comics the other black arms that are still in space were made immediately aware that Black doom was killed. So there’s at least a precedent that there was a hive mind of some kind
Ryan, you timed that transition so well!
5:09
Abraham Tower: Shadow, can you _stop_ destroying our units?
Shadow: Sorry, force of habit.
16:42 Great minds think alike.
You know what would have been funny: If the Shadow Generations equivalent to Classic Sonic was Maria with jet skates.
The fact that Ryan missed doing a homing attack on Doom’s Eye in Rail Canyon causes a pain within me of which I cannot properly articulate.
I've been feeling pain from the whole LP's gameplay
@@mobianaxglad it's not just me
Good, so I'm not the only one.
I get the impression that this was also Ryan's first playthrough of the game.
Looking forward to Chaos Island and Radical Highway
Agreed, though I still question why that's a thing in the first place
What Shadow picked up was the logo for the Black Arms lol. It's just also used for the logo for Shadow's game because lol alien connection and stuff.
I just love how Ted has moved on from this franchise and suddenly we get consistently good games.
I mean he's hardly a fan when the only game he gushes over and sings the praises of the most is SA2. Everything else he never really cared. Why else do you think he bellyached so much in the 3rd mania playthrough?
@@supergenesisstation1991 Yeah Ted isn't a Sonic fan. Do you blame him? If you don't like the newer games and the entire conversation around the franchise is ceaseless toxicity why would you wanna engage with it.
@@Aisubun I mean ted literally stokes the toxicity himself just as much if not more so than the very fandom that is divided as is. Dude literally bellyaches when SA2 isn't at the center when it comes to sonic even though there is more to sonic than just that one game. Also it's not entirely the fandom's fault sega keeps changing up gameplay formulas once it's been perfected or is ruined forever due to their stupidity. I don't blame him for branching out, it's good to broaden the horizons but ted needs to understand that SA2 isn't the only sonic game that is good.
He's barely a fan to begin with, whenever he talks positively it's only about SA2, every other time he complains about the franchise and its fans like he's any better.
@@elae4051 yeah I hate when people do that. Like I get it the sonic series and it's fandom have lots of problems and the games aren't always flawless but I hate the smug arrogance that come from people that think that they're better just because they don't heavily engage in the series.
I'm glad that we start dunking on Ted five minutes into the commentary.
You guys are talking about White Space in this game not having landmarks and not filling with color as you complete more stages… but it does. Each of the main bosses has their own massive castle attacked with it, and when you complete the challenge stages the areas fill with color and are designed like the stage they represent. The only real issue with the white space is the rocket parts, but I think exploring around and doing the various challenges and stuff are way more interesting and fun than any of the Frontiers open zones personally.
Also the unspoken reason Doom brings you back to Radical Highway a lot is because he is actively trying to use Shadow’s anger to take over his body, so taking him back to the stage where he was vowing revenge against humanity is to get him in that mindset. That’s how I always saw it.
The New Content.
Maria's design is probably my favourite, the Doom powers are utilized really well.
All Act 1 levels are full 3D and Act 2 Full 2D
Except for the last stage which is Both 3D.
Wish they picked egg fleet but fixing rail canyon to be fun is an accomplishment
I will say, I’ve never really been a fan of Kirk Thornton’s Shadow, especially coming after Jason Griffith who IMO just nailed the character, Thornton was a massive downgrade.
However, Shadow Gens is by far & away his best performance, he does a great job in this.
Yeah he’s came a long way since “you’ve got this Sanic”
@@BH-98 I have hated his Shadow voice for like 10 years. However his perfomance in this game changed my mind. Kirk Thorton did a great job here.
He mentioned at the panel for Dark Beginnings that hearing Shadow's origin for the first time gave him a new perspective on the character.
Okay but the Doom Wings are the coolest in level Super form we've had in a Sonic game so I don't mind the tease baiting you LOL
So if you actually sit through the Shadow's Story segment and you're using a controller (I played on PS5 and this happened) then your controller will vibrate when the GUN Soldier fires the gun at Maria. I couldn't believe that they did that, surprised me.
Thinking about it, the rocket parts were probably meant to function as Korok seeds, in that they're just supposed to give you something to do after you've finished the majority of the content in the game.
Still, the end reward could've been much better. It's kind of nice that each 20 bolts you give to Orbot and Cubot unlock more concept art, but I think some customization options would've been cooler.
@@Flamestar320 What, you don't want the Forces remix of Supporting Me?
WHO WOULD WANT THAT.
I prefer koko thank you
Ted: "You went through a grated wall."
Gareth: "Yeah, it's great."
Pun intentional or not?
Who's ready for tubular freeways?
Anyway, To defend gareth's nitpicking, the dark beginnings short pretty explicitly has shadow outright blowing up gun property and going on a solo mission with last minute authorization because the alternative was blowing up a rocket with him in it and commander towers needing to personally get involved. only for this intro to suggest he's here on a G.U.N. endorsed mission like he wasn't within seconds of getting his rocket blown up
I’m gonna disagree with Johnny on the hub. I agree with him on the bolts, but I don’t think that’s enough to knock down the fun in finding the chests.
It gave him sunshine flashbacks.
He should do a round 2 of Shadow Generations as drunk John just to get it out of his system
I do get the point about the lack of landmarks, though. By the time the whole map is filled out it's kinda tough to figure out which level is where
@ you can literally warp to any level you’ve completed. I don’t see the problem.
@@Mojo1356 it's not really a PROBLEM because of that, but I enjoy exploring the hub. Personally I don't enjoy warping to every level unless it's a bit annoying to get to, like Mephiles. I think the hub is fun to run around in and collect things in, but by the end of the game it was becoming more difficult for me to even remember which chests I'd collected
@ good thing the map on the pause screen keeps tracks of that for you then.
This game was a very pleasant surprise. It's like the getting DLC for generations, but 13 years later.
Radical Highway is Shadow's Green Hill.
I think this game has the best version of having a zone split into 2 acts in Sonic. One’s is (finally) fully 3D and all about speed and spectacle, and then the other is the 2D platform heavy intricate stuff. Both enjoyable in different ways without changing the controls or overlapping
7:26 YES! MY MEME IS SPREADING!!! THANK YOU, RYAN!!
This expansion is incredible. I really expected another Episode Shadow situation, but this is practically a new game in itself that doubles as a Generations and Shadow sequel. The control also is straight up the best the series has felt since SA2, it fixes most of the little issues Frontiers had (which wasn’t a lot admittedly but it’s great to see them improve it). If this is what was in store for a side game expansion, I can’t wait to see the next mainline game.
Also I *LOVE* that Shadow’s homing attack is a teleport that can go through go certain obstacles like bars or laser beams.
I'm looking forward to how they feel about how frequently Shadow says "Something calls to me" in White Space.
There's another disconnection between the game and the animated short. The moon is still blown in half in Dark Beginnings, but the moon is whole in Shadow Generations, best showing when Shadow first gets the Doom Wing.
I hope they keep the blown up moon because it just looks awesome.
Wasn’t the ARK near the unbroken side of the moon in Dark Beginnings?
@@dprototype6431 That "unbroken side" nonsense is just BS Iizuke made up on the spot. Don't listen to that. They just forgot the moon should be broken in half, and finally remembered 20 years later when people kept pointing it out.
Shadow Gens for as short as it is, might be my favorite 3D Sonic experience from start to finish. Frontiers was a big step forward but this feels like they actually learned and improved upon the boost formula in meaningful ways that includes more varied levels that offer more player choice
And while the story is simple, the characterization is PERFECT. For years Sega pushed Shadow as a Vegeta knockoff but here he is once again the Shadow we knew and loved, able to have feelings outside of pride and anger, have friends, and not be swayed by B.S. Black Doom nonsense.
Shadow gens alone is worth the price tag for me, and I would gladly buy more DLC of this game. I hope that they take what made this game so fantastic and make it a full thing in the next game and it will be Peak.
There's a simple explanation for how the cannon worked in Shadow's game despite being blown up in SA2's hero story: GUN repaired it in between games. They're shown being on the ARK in Shadow, so it can be assumed that they began using it again after SA2.
That or the Chaos Control that Sonic and Shadow did reverted it to an earlier point in time - something which is kind of feasible, given that parts of the Ark that fell off when it was crashing through the atmosphere were restored after the Chaos Control.
Alternatively, what Sonic did was merely disrupt the Eclipse Cannon's charge.
It can easily just be explained that the Fake Emerald turned off the Cannon cause Sonic has to win the fight against Shadow since A.) It fits the best thematically with the 3 encounters Sonic Vs Shadow take place in SA2, and B.) Sonic would be dead if Shadow won that fight
I forgot to comment on this for the final Sonic part, but Blaze did have two voice actresses in the current cast. 2011 was Laura Bailey, 2024 is Erica Lindbeck.
Shadow Generations definitely is showing off the increased budget Frontiers and the movies gave Sonic Team, for sure. I honestly wish Black Comet was the second to last level rather than Chaos Island though, would’ve fit way better.
I JUST got Sonic X Shadow generations for myself on switch yesterday but I think I’ll spoil some Shadow campaign stuff for myself a little bit just to hear the BSC Sonic conversation.
(Also, Hi Stephanie Sheh as Maria. She actually gets to voice a Sonic character people actually remember, but I will give Zeena The Zeti some credit that she was a distinctive for her. If only Sheh got to voice her in the IDW comics Lol)
IGN gave Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury a 7/10 while they gave Shadow Generations a 9/10, so it seems they agree with you, Gareth.
Believe it or not, one thing I found out about the Artificial Chaos, when I started streaming this about 2 days ago, one of my most recent Twitch followers told me that Gerald created the artificial Chaos to "be used for search and rescue missions".
16:33 it was implied if not straight up stated that the little larva that was left on the space colony from Dark Beginnings is what helped black doom regenerate
So to bring up Doom coming back
I think its either implied or said that a Black Arms parasite that was left aboard the ARK regrew into him
Hence why he didn't immediately go on the attack
But I don't know if that's fully correct
I do think that's the most likely theory is that Black Doom being the leader of the Black Arms can essentially regrow from a Black Arms. Which also explains a plot point later.
Ian did confirm in a recent episode of the bumblekast that yes, the parasite in dark beginnings did grew up to be black doom.
15:38 there was a theory Iann Flynn used to have that The Time Eater was Mephiles. i'm conflicted on the fact they don't go with that plot
The reason why there wasn't a Westopolis stage was because all the levels featured in Generations are from the mainline games, Shadow 05 was a spinoff.
It's not a spin-off. Shadow 05 plays like your typical 3D Sonic game if it had the structure of Team Chaotix's campaign from Sonic Heroes. It's a mainline title.
How in the hell is it a spinoff when it's a direct follow up to Adventure 2 and Heroes. Weirdest logic.
@@smashmaster521 It really doesn't. It's a mission structured 3D platformer with collectathon elements and slippery controls. If you were to play it like a traditional 3D Sonic game you'll get the worst ending.
Calling Shadow 05 a mainline game is the same as calling the Wario Land series mainline Mario games just because you play as a fat plumber who can jump on enemies and collects coins.
@@Kingdom850 Sonic isn't playable in it, the story focuses on shadow. Call me old fashioned, but I think a Sonic game needs to have it's flagship character playable in order to be considered a main entry.
@Just_a_teddy_bear Hate to disappoint you. But they did confirm Shadow 05 is part of an mainline Sonic game. It is not a spin-off. It would be a spin-off if they just say it. But they didn't. Despite the mission structure & guns, everything else Shadow 05 plays is like your typical 3D Sonic game. You got rings to protect you, you got all of Sonic's movements ( only with Chaos Powers ), you reach the goal, has all the storyline connected to Adventure 1, 2 & Heroes, etc. The fact they stated it is part of a mainline Sonic game is a big drawback.
16:33 "Somehow, Black Doom returned" memes aside, Ian confirmed twice on the Bumblekast that BD regrew himself out of that larva featured in Dark Beginnings, it was a literal chekhov's gun.
Yeah, that little sh*t was up there in the Ark for 50 years and ended up as a failsafe unbeknownst to everyone. Imagine how many times our cast in SA2 must've just walked past by it and they never knew it was there.
(And yes, that should've been in the game, it's one of my few criticisms I have towards Shadow Gens)
Perfect time to break out the Phelous "Great Continuity!" clip every time Gareth complains about sonic lore.
13:30
IS THAT A FRIGGING ADVENT OF EQUINOX REFERENCE!?
SHADOW GETS WINGS!
TARANEA, YOU CALLED IT!
(Context: Advent of Equinox was a Sonadow fanfiction story where it was like well, if Sonic is light and gets transformed into a Werehog by Dark Gaia energy, what'd happen if Shadow is darkness and gets transformed by Light Gaia energy? Basically, he becomes a phoenix... Also, if I recall correctly, most of Taranea's story's focused on Sonic and Shadow merely being companions with the possibility of becoming romantically involved, but not in a smutty way. Big case in point was the discontinued story she co-wrote where Shadow and Sonic explore Sonic's home of Christmas Island, which is basically the Underworld from the OVA.)
2:02 So I think there were licence issues with music because shadows ark level final chase but they instead remix final rush. Which I love final rush but I feel like they had trouble getting any vocalists back or wavemaster composed music done for shadow at all
No, that's not it. Final Chase is one of the unlockable songs in Shadow Generations, so licensing isn't an issue there.
@smashmaster521 that's even weirder because they have the level design and everything.
@@Sonicfalcon16 Well, you can always swap in Final Chase's music during Act 2...Hey, it's got those janky cylinders, and Act 1's music is too good to replace.
@@smashmaster521 yeah but, its weird right? The level design is final chase, the opening section, the gravity tubes but remix final rush. Weird right?
i’m almost certain city escape was meant to be in central city. so i think idw just got it wrong
I figured that the Doom’s Eye fled with Black Doom’s consciousness after Shadow dealt the killing blow to Devil Doom. Realizing that Shadow was going to destroy the Black Comet, the eye chose to simply flee into space with what little power it had left, and it’s been plotting and recovering from the beating it took ever since. Maybe there was another Black Comet or a planet of Black Arms it could flee to?
Space Colony Ark is more or less the _Shadow the Hedgehog_ stage for the game. While the layout of the stage as a whole is a combination of both SA2 and Shadow 05, most of it comes from the latter than it does the former.
I am a little surprised that Shadow's level progression in this game isn't similar to Sonic's, in that Shadow's stages aren't going in order of release or even going backwards of release (since Radical Highway is Shadow's final stage instead of his first). Thinking about it, though, the 3D hub world might be why they went in the direction they did. With Sonic's hub, it's 2D, going left to right, past (Green Hill) to future (Planet Wisp). Since Shadow's hub is 3D, allowing his to go anywhere he pleases for the most part, the stages are more scattered, allowing Shadow to go to any stage regardless of when they originally happened in the timeline, including the two stages from events that technically hadn't happened yet.
My guess is that Eggman had the Ark cannon modified to work with the fake emerald when he saw Sonic and crew had brought it on board the station.
Oh man, these first two levels... _this_ was my Sonic fan nostalgia trip. From the little Eternal Engine hallways, to the Cosmic Wall-style rail grinding areas, finally seeing the Flying Egg Pawns (almost every variety at that!) in Generations' style, the little nods to Rail Canyon's level design like the tunnels before the goal ring, even the *freakin'* "whoop whoop whoop" rings...
...yeah, I pretty much had silent fan squeeing on standby the whole time. After Forces' asset-flip terrain and Frontiers' decent-looking, yet rather trend-basic environments, it felt great to see so much variety in the level themes again ^_^
The Egg Flappers were in the 3DS version's Water Palace, but I get what you mean. This game is a love letter to Shadow in the best possible way...Minus a stage from his first game. Still waiting on that.
@@smashmaster521 Ah yeah, that's true about Water Palace, totally forgot about that; still, getting them in proper HD was a welcome treat ^_^
Speaking of Shadow the Hedgehog, though, what stage would you have picked? Swapping the Radical Highway segments for Westopolis is a common choice, but if you had to choose a Shadow stage to get the full, two-act-plus-side-missions upgrade, which would you choose?
@@MasterSquirrel993 Cryptic Castle. It's one of Shadow 05's most memorable levels and we haven't gotten a Haunted House level since that one.
14:40 the explanation for black Doom survival is that he's a hive mind and as long as one of his spawn still lives he can back up his mind into it
There wasn’t a single thing they showed off for Shadow Generations that had me worried. It’s like they made it just for me
And so, it begins. *Gets coffee and Popcorn ready*
*_Roasted Coffee_ beans
Here we go! I haven't played a new 3D Sonic game since Colors, so jumping into this game after completing the Sonic campaign was truly incredible! I love playing as Shadow so much! Easily some of the best gameplay of any Sonic game! I also really like how much this game respects Shadow's lore and brings back aspects from the older games he was a part of(more on that later)!
Wait you skipped out on Generations the first time in 2011?
I wouldn't mind more games in the future that show what other characters were doing during previous games.
OMG! Maria doesn't have those stupid eyes she had in Shadow 05!
14:37 i love how shadow is just chilling at an angle here
Does anyone know how to get the storyboard animatics for shadow generations on ps5?
In Dark Beginnings at the Main Menu they should be in there.
24:57 Hang Castle and Mystic Mansion
The latter having the infamous pumpkin ghost homing attack challenge that Johnny despises
Man, that prequel series was great, and I’m interested in seeing where the game goes with it.
Ted there are whole ass SA2 levels in Cyberspace.
Yeah both endings in SA2 are canon. Eggman puts the emerald in the control room thingy at the same time Sonic puts the fake emerald into the cannon. Only having Dark Side be canon makes literally no logical sense, especially since you see Eggman grab the emerald at the end of Hero Story too.
I think the thing about the cannon blowing up as well is that, it's not like the thing blew up into pieces. It's not like it blew up beyond repair. What's stopping the Black Arms in Shadow, or GUN themselves (because of their own hubris, and because they are actively trying to guard the Eclipse Cannon from Shadow in that game), from repairing it between the events of SA2 and Shadow? It's not blatantly stated by the game of course, but I really don't think it's a leap in logic to come to that conclusion.
The Doom Morph ability is supposed to be Sonic Colors Frenzy I'm pretty sure
18:13 The Blaze in Sonic Generations is the one from Sonic Rush. The one in Shadow Generations is the one from Sonic 06. XD
Talking about Shadow in SA2? I haven't played Sonic Advance 2 but it's cool to know he's in it
Not to be THAT guy, but Shadow is actually using chaos snap when he's tageting enemies. That's what he's always used for those short teleportations
@13:04 chaos spears are also super busted for speedrunning the levels in this game -- if you spam it after getting momentum in any way you carry your momentum way farther than usual
Oh hey it’s that Shadow game back in 2005, only good this time
Man this game mode was so good...
Like the story is one thing I cannot deny it is good... but god the gameplay is so smooth and enjoyable, the sandbox stuff is a lil lackluster but everything else is as airtight or as loose as you desire.
First playthrough i did without chaos spear airtime then the second I did and lemme tell you _it feels so good to move in air without the air physics dying on a whim_
Combine that with the doom wings you get before radical highway you can break _so much level design_ and not give a care, someone figured two separate black doom section skips, a blessing considering they are oddly unskippable.
My only real criticism, has to be the challenge keys. Now that they are all required *outside of hard mode's*
They are padding, plain and simple.
Black Doom came back via the Black Arms larva- shown at the end of Dark Beginnings.
But now he’s used that up and he died again- disconnected from time no less- so his spirit is trapped in white space and even if it wasn’t, he has no other vessels to use.
The funniest thing about the Fake Emeralds is that Shadow at no point in time has any use for the real Emerald in the game itself.
Chaos control?
@@reginlief1 He doesn't need a real Emerald for that. He's done it without any on him at all in the past, and the first time Sonic did it was with the very same fake.
Chaos Spear, Chaos Control, and Chaos Snap are *supposed* to be powers that can only be done with the emerald for lore purposes. The games rarely bothered making a point of this until now but I expect it to be more relevant with Ian Flynn as the writer
@@Aisubun chaos spear and short range teleportation with chaos snap are shown to be possible without an emerald in the reboot era of the archie comics (the shadow fall arc of sonic universe, to be specific), so he’s consistent with his own writing at least
chaos control though, the only guess i can hazard is that the fake emerald has some limitations and only allows for teleportation, not controlling time? since sonic is only ever shown teleporting with it and never outright stops/slows time like shadow does, it’s the only thing i can figure
He needs at least one for any power past the spears, it's the reason he's able to do Chaos Control this entire campaign, and partly why he basically tells Sonic to wait his goddamn turn with his emerald
Shadow literally couldn't be bother going to Sonic birthday party. Also, Black Doom is back: Shadow the black arms have returned again!
Rouge did make him agree to go in exchange for getting him the rocket he used to reach the ARK. Besides, he does end up going at the end of Sonic's campaign.
TO be fair for Rail Canyon, most of the stage choices for Shadow Generations do correlate to his story in the franchise outside of Chaos Island.
The Ark/Final Rush+Chase is the obvious endpoint in SA2
Rail Canyon being where the Shadow Androids are brought up which question Shadow's identity at that point
Kingdom Valley being where he first encounters Mephilis and starts his arc in 06
And Sunset Heights being where he returns and takes out his lookalike mirage from Infinite
Chaos Island? eh gotta reuse Frontiers assets somewhere
And finally Radical Highway being where Shadow's quest for vengeance started, in which Black Doom is trying to get Shadow to regress to that point in time for his own gain
That said, They *ABSOLUTELY* should've had the Doom interferences with the stages be callbacks to other stages aside from Radical Highway to make the final stage so much sweeter.
I like to imagine that on the way back from the Ark at the end of SA2, Tails suddenly realized that he forgot to take the fake emerald back with him
17:15 BEHOLD! DOOM SPEARS! now shadow can shoot multiple chaos spears at once!..........wait a minute he could already do that in sa2, and they even did damage there, iizuka stop downplaying the spears!
also to bring up a point from earlier in the playthrough again, all ark levels are technically city levels, it's just a really cool upside down city if you look closely, especially in final rush and final chase i wanna say.
Shadow Generations is one of the best modern Sonic games.
2024, the year of Shadow apparently
Even though it's Knuckles' 30th Anniversary
@ oof
@@ssj4jason737 2022 was the year of Knuckles (completely overshadowing Tails’ 30th anniversary)
25:20 Cryptic Castle is what Lewis was manifesting here
I've been looking forward to this just to see Ted's reactions after years of not caring (understandably)
15:09 Yes, see Doom Morph.
He's a kid, he's a squid, he's a kid, he's a squid...
Oh yeah- this is what I was waiting for.
4:30 That callback is going on for so long, you'd have to hang up to make it stop.
16:30 black doom used the death leech from dark beginnings episode 2 to regrew his body
Are we ready for 18-inches of Shadow?
18 INCHES OF WHAT?!
22:54 What do you mean Each Doom's Eye Warp couldn't have been a Different STH Level?
0:30 SEGA showing commitment to the franchise? ‘Bout damn time.
16:41 I'm conflicted by how much I fucking hate that movie and how hilariously in sync Ryan and Gareth were with that reference. They didn't miss a beat lmao xD
I forgot to watch Dark Beginnings before playing Shadow Generations but honestly it might've been better for giving me the possible explanation to why Black Doom was back. My only guess is that the BLack Arm larvae that Gerald was studying on the ark alongside Shadow was shown extremely briefly and I believe the bonus ending of the compilation shows Black Doom in the same capsule as that larvae leading me to believe that he revived due to that larvae. Now this presumes that GUN missed that larvae when raiding the ark 50 years ago but its like the only explanation I have for that. Also I love Shadow's hub and I wish OG gen coulda gotten a 3d one like Shadow's.
I like how there's 4 people who completed the game here...but not a single one of them even tried to mention that the White Space around the levels does fill up with color more as you complete the challenges through the game when Lewis mentioned it.
And to be honest...it doesn't help them stand out much due to everything in the middle. That stuff can really clutter your view of things opposite the map.
23:53 Did Ryan just miss the Doom Token?
Things Ryan Did Wrong # I lost friggin' count.
Maybe the fake chaos emerald was left on the ark as a fail-safe for if anyone tried to use the eclipse cannon again? The whole purpose of it was to override the cannon's functions, so maybe it's best to just have it on hand (although it would be a lot more believable for GUN or Tails to just... take it, y'know). No plot is airtight, so I usually ignore holes to focus on the themes of a story.
Also, it was my interpretation from Dark Beginnings that the reason Black Doom is back was the larva they kept aboard the ark was able to grow into a new body for him. That may not be true though. Sonic lore was already wild and now they're actually trying to embrace it for the first time in years.
Ahh the real meat of the game. Honestly to jump the gun a tiny bit, Shadow Gens is that good it was genuinely hard to go back to Sonic Gens on both a gameplay & absolutely a story level, kinda wish I did the Sonic Gens replay first in retrospect but I've waited since 2006 for Shadow to get any narrative importance again and goddamn was it well worth the wait. They've got him back on track, I feel like he's gotten proper closure and his reputation is definitely saved among the general fanbase. This was a much needed game both for the series & the character, and I am very happy the franchise isn't ashamed of itself anymore and we're getting villains like Black Doom back.
Can someone tell me why there’s still hostile G.U.N. robots on the Ark when Shadow works for them now?
Some of the levels in shadow generations do have call backs to Shadow the hedgehog in it. Like how the one part when you are dragged into radical highway you are falling down like in the opening of westopolis and a later radical highway bit has a spiral are that is supposed to be like the black comet. And I am pretty sure the Ark level has call backs to some of the ark levels in Shadow not just the SA2 version.
Also I always assumed the dark ending was the canon version since Eggman puts in the last emerald in that ending and the screen gets a warning message.
There is a mission where you have to kill artificial levels on the ark, just like in shadow.
I am ashamed to admit that when I did my first run through of Space Colony Ark, I legit lost my shit from the sight of...
The door from the Eternal Engine and Lost Colony levels when you enter the ark proper.
The weird thing to me about this game not having any levels from Shadow is that the Ark level has elements from the ARK levels from that game!
Oh boy, it's time for the Shadow Generations commenta-
*(30 fps)*
...
What about hang castle/mystic mansion? 😭😭😭
This game was amazing, but I also wanted to know why they didn't give us any Shadow the Hedgehog stages here. I would've loved that the real final zone here was Black Comet, but unfortunately Radical Highway is Shadow's Green Hill Zone, so it would've felt strange not to have in the game.
As for the major lack of plot point on how did Black Doom was able to return I had this crazy idea once: Eggman after discovering the Time Eater's abilities decided to do some tests, based on his experiences, and one time he opened a time portal to the Black Arms invasion. Black Doom after being defeated by Super Shadow was never found, and we only know that he fell down towards Westopolis - what if the Time Eater opened a time portal right below him and after slightly recovering from his injuries was able to travel to before the events of this game's opening, via his Chaos Control?