- Blog #39: It's that time again! It's time for another "Opposites Attract" list! About a month ago, I made an "Opposites Attract" list for the best and worst Mario games in existence. I figure it would best to do the same thing for one of Nintendo's greatest rivals. Once again, this is not plagiarism. It's one man's opinion over a love of video-gaming phenomenons. Known for being Sega's money-maker, Sonic the Hedgehog has starred in some of the fastest-paced games in the world. Sonic is considered the greatest opposition to that of Super Mario. Let's start this off right with the best of the best games! Here's what I believe to be the greatest Sonic games ever made. They all have to have one thing in common. Speed, speed, and more speed!
Best Sonic Games
1. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis) - At the top of the list, Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis is a game that should be featured on everyone's "Best Sonic Games" list. It goes without saying that this was the first game that started it all for Sonic. Both the gameplay and the music are fantastic. It centers around Sonic's ability to run fast, breezing through the courses at a high velocity. This game was released in 1991, back when video-gaming was fun, simple, and made you pick up the controller to play the game all over again. Of course, this was also when Sonic was at his prime. Before there were Tails and all those other characters in the Sonic series, it was just a fight between a hedgehog and an evil scientist. Dr. Robotnik/Eggman made his debut here and becomes the main enemy of Sonic the Hedgehog. He captures all of Sonic's friends and is on a quest to obtain all the Chaos Emeralds. These emeralds give ultimate power to whomever wields them. Eggman seeks world domination. Sonic seeks to stop Eggman's plot. In this game, there's only six Chaos Emeralds. However, every game following Sonic the Hedgehog has seven Chaos Emeralds. I've never figured out why that was. Collecting all of the emeralds only reveals the true ending of the game. Nothing more. A brilliant game to kick off an amazing series.
2. Sonic Rush - Sonic Rush was released in 2005 for the Nintendo DS and it was very enjoyable. It was right near 2005 where Sonic was beginning to make his descent in great gaming. Sonic games were not improving and fans were becoming less attached to the Sonic games. Sega was driving Sonic away from his initial roots. What was great about Sonic Rush was that it stuck to the basics of 2D plat-forming, combining it with some graphic improvements and 3D designed aspects of the game. Being for the Nintendo DS, Sonic Rush also utilizes both screens in the gameplay. That's pretty cool, seeing as how the idea of using two screens was unique at the time. The storyline idea for Sonic Rush is similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, as most Sonic games are. Sonic has to collect all of the Chaos Emeralds before Dr. Eggman does. However, the story goes even deeper, as two colliding universes cause Sonic to meet a new friend. Blaze the Cat. Dr. Eggman Nega, Eggman's alternate counterpart, and Blaze somehow end up in Sonic's universe. Blaze must collect seven Sol Emeralds, which are the equivalent to the Chaos Emeralds, before Eggman Nega gets to them. This collision of two worlds unites Sonic and Blaze for an epic battle to the finish. Most Sonic games are known for their music. Sonic Rush is one of those games, as it has one of the most memorable soundtracks in the Sonic series. It includes an epic final boss theme for the final level. Speaking of the final boss (Spoiler Alert!), the final battle reminds you of the Sonic & Knuckles level named "Doomsday Zone." The details of the Sonic Rush storyline were made much more clear than that of its sequel, Sonic Rush: Adventure, which was boring and a little bit on the weak side. Plus, this game is handheld. You can play Sonic on the go-go!
3. Sonic CD - While the Sega CD console was considered one of the biggest flops in the video-gaming industry, Sonic CD was anything but a flop. This may have been called the best video game in the entire Sega CD library. It has all the speed that previous Sonic games had, impressive visual displays, and an incredible soundtrack from the system's CD-ROM usage. Not just a great soundtrack, but an INCREDIBLE soundtrack! I'll even include the video of the opening intro and ending to the game. It's an animated Sonic movie that features the main theme song of the game, which is called "Sonic Boom." It's so awesome! As for the gameplay, it remains ever-so diligent. Instead of collecting Chaos Emeralds, Sonic must collect seven Time Stones, as well as save your new friend. These Time Stones only reveal the true ending to the game, just like most 2D Sonic games. Amy the Hedgehog made her debut in Sonic CD, where she has been captured by Dr. Robotnik/Eggman. Sonic must travel through different levels and different times in order to save her. The time-traveling is great, because it's like having the ability to play four different versions of one zone, all at the same time. Also, making his debut in Sonic CD was Metal Sonic, a metallic version of Sonic the Hedgehog. Gamers are even saying that Sonic CD was the greatest Sonic game ever made. I'm just going to say that Sonic CD was the greatest Sonic game on the Sega CD, which I know doesn't sound like a whole lot. It truly was, and still is, awe-inspiring to any Sonic-lover.
4. Sonic Adventure - Released in 1999 on the Sega Dreamcast, Sonic Advenure was spectacular when it came to moving Sonic from 2D to 3D. It was the first, real success in 3D Sonic games. Over 2.5 million copies have been sold, which makes Sonic Adventure the best-selling Sega Dreamcast game. This game has six different characters you can chose from. You can play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big the Cat, or E-102 Gamma. Each character has their own story and their own unique gameplay style. When all stories are complete, a final story is available with Super Sonic. Sonic's stages involve high-speed gameplay, where you have to reach the end of the stage as quickly as possible. Tails' stages require reaching the end of a level before Sonic or Dr. Robotnik/Eggman does. Knuckles' stages involve searching the level for shards of the Master Emerald (the source of the Chaos Emerald power). Amy's stages require her to escape from the E-100 Zero robot that is chasing after her. Big's stages involve fishing for his lost friend, Froggy. Finally, Gamma's stages involve shooting your way through levels to reach a specific target. The debut of the Chaos creature and Tikal the Echidna was also a nice touch to the story. Rehashes of the game have been made for the Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, and the Playstation. You're better to stick with the Dreamcast version, if you own one. Nothing has been majorly changed or improved, even with some extra material.
5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - It's the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog. What more needed to be said? Since the first game was such a hit, you already knew that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega Genesis was going to have a large fan-base in the waiting. The addition of the high-flying Miles "Tails" Prower launched a partnership with Sonic that would last forever in video-gaming history. It's a partnering that rivals Mario and Luigi. There are so many new, colorful levels that the player can play through. Dr. Robotnik/Eggman still seeks the Chaos Emeralds to conquer the world, with the new additional task of using those emeralds as a source of fuel for the "Death Egg" (which is a reference to Star Wars). This game would also allow you to play as Knuckles, if you attached this game through the pass-through cartridge of Sonic & Knuckles. Once again, the soundtrack is great! So many memorable tunes are brought to life through Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Here's another great game that was filled with speed, puzzles, and fun! The perfect sequel to "the one that started it all!"
- Before I get on with the usual "to be continued..." message, I would also like to recommended two other Sonic games. If you own a Nintendo GameCube or a Wii, then you should definitely purchase both Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Gems Collection. Both games feature a wide variety of Sonic games that were both classic and memorable. Sonic Mega Collection features: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, the minigame Blue Sphere, Flicky, Ristar, The Ooze, and Comix Zone. Sonic Gems Collection features: Sonic CD, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear version), Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble, Sonic R, Sonic the Fighters, Sonic Spinball, Tails' Skypatrol, Tails Adventure, and bonus games (VECTORMAN and VECTORMAN 2). Both titles have many unlock-able items, as well.
- Alright! That was nice. All good things must come to an end, though. There is a substantial amount of Sonic games that are not good by any means. There are a BUNCH of horrible games for Sonic and I will reveal what the worst games are on the next part of this "Opposites Attract" list. So, keep on reading!
- Done (for now).
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