Is Sonic x Shadow Generations worth double dipping on Nintendo Switch 2? We decide
Switch 2 brought with it several launch titles like Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but one game that also launched with the console that flew under the radar was the Sonic x Shadow Generations. The game released for Nintendo Switch late last year and was generally well-received. As per our original review, however, one of the game’s biggest flaws was its performance. Both Sonic and Shadow Generations targeted 30 frames per second, and while the former often hit that target, the latter struggled to do so and also struggled with extremely poor resolution.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Sonic x Shadow Generations doesn’t include any new content – it’s strictly a performance upgrade for the game. With that in mind, we’re going to focus on the game’s graphics and frame rate for the purposes of this feature. If you’d like to read more about how the actual game holds up, check out our original review – which still holds up in full.
One thing you’ll immediately notice – if you’ve already purchased Sonic x Shadow Generations on Nintendo Switch, there is no upgrade path for Nintendo Switch 2. In other words, you need to buy the game again at full price, which is a terribly greedy and frankly unacceptable business practice. As we mentioned, the Switch 2 Edition only includes performance adjustments, so it isn’t even a major overhaul of the game. To add insult to injury, if you boot up the Switch 2 version after already playing the original, it will offer to transfer over your save data. It’s absolutely baffling that Sonic x Shadow Generations on Nintendo Switch 2 can transfer save data from the original but lack a cheaper upgrade path. This is by far and away the Switch 2 version biggest problem, and so regardless of the game’s improved performance, we would only recommend buying it if you don’t already have it on Nintendo Switch.
Starting with Sonic Generations itself, performance is a big improvement. On Nintendo Switch, the game targeted 30 frames per second. On Switch 2, some parts of the game still run at 30 frames per second, mainly cutscenes and the title screen – at least in handheld mode, that is. As for the gameplay, Sonic Generations now targets 60 frames per second, which makes it feel much smoother both in docked and handheld modes. It’s a definitive improvement over the Nintendo Switch version, though it’s certainly not worth double dipping.
Shadow Generations suffered from much worse performance on the original Nintendo Switch, and it’s somewhat fixed for the Nintendo Switch 2 version. There are two modes you can choose from: Quality Mode and Performance Mode. Quality mode locks Shadow Generations at 30 frames per second but increases the resolution from 720p to 1080p, whereas performance mode increases the frame rate to 60 frames per second but lowers the resolution to 720p. As someone who plays almost exclusively in handheld, I definitely prefer performance mode here. If you play docked and have a TV with frame interpolation, however, you could go with quality mode and have a generally smooth frame rate as well.
All of these performance upgrades are well and good, but they’re not worth another $50 by any means. If you don’t have Sonic x Shadow Generations, the Switch 2 version is technically the best way to play it on a Nintendo console. But if you already have the game on the original Nintendo Switch, the only thing you’re missing is smoothed frame rates and increased resolution. There’s a decent chance that the Nintendo Switch 2 version goes on sale at some point over the next few months or years, so keep an eye out for that in case you’re looking. But in the meantime, Sonic x Shadow Generations is far from an essential experience on Switch 2 – especially not for full price and a double dip.
Sonic x Shadow Generations copy provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.
