The video game industry was really just starting to settle into households when Sonic raced onto the scene. Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis). With this landmark release, Sonic had begun to make his mark in video game history.
What's Sonic the Hedgehog About?
The main story of the blue hedgehog is set on Earth, although contradicting information says the whole franchise is set on Planet Mobius. Nevertheless, the animals of Sonic's home are captured by Doctor 'Eggman' Robotnik, a super genius and one of the only humans in the series. He uses the little critters to build robots, sometimes called 'Badniks' to take over the world, but of course Sonic is always there to stop him.
The majority of Sonic games are within the platforming genre, with a heavy emphasize on speed. Simple controls, creative level designs and gorgeous animations made the original Mega Drive games instant classics - Sonic 2 is sometimes regarded as the best available.
The 3D games have usually been criticized for their slower gameplay and awkward camera angles. Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, the first game for the seventh generation, was critically panned and the worst rated of the series.
The Many Friends of Sonic
Sonic was alone in the beginning but future releases brought along new friends and enemies. Sonic 2 was the first appearance of Miles 'Tails' Prower, Sonic's two-tailed best friend, and Knuckles the Echidna was introduced as Sonic's enemy (and later friend) in Sonic 3 as well as being playable in Sonic and Knuckles.
More characters started to appear as the series developed, including Sonic's self-named girlfriend Amy Rose, the 'ultimate life form' Shadow the Hedgehog and Metal Sonic, a robotic incarnation of Sonic. In the latest run of games, there has been at least one new character introduced.
Clash of the Titans : Sonic and Mario
Sonic was Sega's answer to Nintendo's Mario, with the two franchises being almost opposite in gameplay. While Mario focused on rescuing princesses and squashing turtles, Sonic was fixated on speed. Mario had had a head start, being around since 1981 under the name 'Jumpman'. But with the birth of Sonic, the console wars between Sega and Nintendo had begun.
Nintendo and Sega competed against each other for nearly a decade, but when games started to become 3D, Sega started to struggle. Super Mario 64 was a brilliant change for the plumber, but Sonic wasn't so lucky. While Nintendo went from strength to strength, Sega had started to fall back, thanks to the commercial failure of the Dreamcast.
Sega soon pulled out and became a third party developer. When the Nintendo Gamecube was launched, it came as a shock to see a port of Sonic Adventure 2 being released - the rivalry between the two gaming giants had ended.
The Biggest Event in Video Game History
The new Nintendo and Sega relationship brought about ideas for the two mascots joining forces, but what was to come was not expected. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games was announced in 2007, many believing it to be an April Fools joke. This soon turned out to be far from the truth.
The two would meet once again with Sonic being included in the Super Smash Bros Brawl roster - being able to pit Mario and Sonic together in a fight is something gamers had been waiting for since the early 90's.
Sonic's new home on multiple gaming systems has opened up a lot of doors for the blue mascot. He still has to make an impact in the 3D world, but with so many possibilities now open to Sega, they can only do justice for the world's fastest hedgehog.
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