Best and Worst: Sonic the Hedgehog

It’s difficult to imagine how gamers born after the year 2000 can really understand why people still care about Sonic. After all, he’s been the butt of so many jokes in the past 10 years that it can be hard for some to remember that Sonic used to be one of the coolest games around. The 16 bit console wars were legendary in part because of how successful Sonic was as an alternate to the more mild mannered Mario. However, it’s also easy to see how Sonic really isn’t running at the same speed he was on the Genesis, so which of Sonic’s games was his best and which was his absolute worst? Let’s find out.

The Best: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sky Chase Zone was one of the best stages in the game.

Sonic 2 is easy to recommend to anyone who wants precision platforming, breakneck speed, and challenging bonus stages. The game expanded upon the design of the original title’s focus on speed by adding the Spin Dash to Sonic's repertoire. This is an ability so integral to what Sonic is that it’s almost impossible to imagine a time when he didn't have it, and it may not have happened if not for Sonic 2. Additionally, Sonic 2 still boasts some of the strongest 2D level design in just about any sidescroller (16 bit era or otherwise), including hidden areas and shortcuts that were only accessible with the Sonic and Knuckles lock-on cartridge. The special stages added another area of improvement, providing a (mostly) fair challenge. The music is also some of the best the Genesis ever produced. The follow-up Sonic 3 and Knuckles added some interesting new mechanics, but was ultimately held back by being cut in half and released as 2 separate games. When the series ventured into full 3D, it still managed to produce some very solid games in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and the excellent Sonic Generations, but these never achieved the same heights as the series in its Genesis heyday.

Special Stages in the game were some of the most challenging in the series.

Boss battles were just as creative.

The Worst: Sonic the Hedgehog (’06)

The game's opening stage is so promising.

Oh, where to begin? Sonic the Hedgehog (or Sonic ’06) is one of the most baffling games in existence. It borders on downright irresponsibility for Sega to have launched the first HD installment such an important franchise in the state in which it was released. The game essentially followed the structure of Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast with the player performing RPG-light tasks (talking to townspeople, finding lost items, etc.) in order to advance to the next action stage. However, the game seemed to actively punish anyone who tried to perform these actions. Minutes long loading screens were followed by one line of dialogue only to be followed another loading screen that was even longer. The camera was a major issue as well, with incomprehensible angles, that required memorization over skill. On top of these technical issues as well as a many others, the story had Sonic falling in love with a human woman. Just to remind anyone who may be forgetting, that’s Sonic, the oversized, blue HEDGEHOG falling in love with a fairly normal looking human female. The problems that other games in the series may have don’t come anywhere near the technical and thematic issues in Sonic ’06. This is a game that made just about everyone lose faith in Sonic as a legitimate franchise, and Sega has been struggling ever since to make their mascot relevant again.

I don't even remember the psychic hedgehog's name anymore.

This is certainly weird.

Uuuuum...what's happening here?

MY EYES!!!!! 

There’s still some hope left for Sonic fans. Sonic Generations was an outstanding bit of fan service, and Sonic Lost World was met with a fair amount of praise. However, the malice of Sonic ’06 lies heavy in the air, and it’s impossible to recommend the game for anything other than the oddity of a company that should have known better. Sonic 2, on the other hand, is not only the best Sonic game; it’s one of the best games of all time.