Sixteen Bit

What do we really think of Sonic?

Sonic the Hedgehog, is a series I grew up on. While most kids I knew had Super Nintendos, playing Mario, Donkey Kong and  Super Metroid. I had a Sega Genesis and Sonic was the man, Tails, I always thought was a little queer. Knuckles was straight up bad ass. Last March Playstation Network released Sonic the Hedgehog in all its original glory. You can even choose to make it less pixelated. Then just last Tuesday, they released Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Hoping in a while we will see Sonic and Knuckles.

Lets give you some background on this speedy little blue bastard.  Sonic is, of course, some sort of hedgehog wearing red shoes and lives out on South Island. Then this evil scientist asshole name Doctor Ivo Robotnik comes along and transforms the cute little animals of South Island into his robotic minions. Sonic, I guess steps up to the hero position. And to top it off, for no apparent reason collecting Chaos Emeralds will help Sonic in his quest. Actually if you  collect all the Chaos Emeralds in the game they make plants grow on South Island, which seems to surprise the dumb blue fucker. The game is a 2D side scroller platformer, which you run through a level collecting rings that is sort of a life system and adds to the score and jumping on evil robots.

HaHa, 16-Bit

Sonic 2 came out in a year later in 1992, and was far better. Add the spin move, better bonus levels and the introduction of Sonic’s yellow two tailed fox sidekick, Miles Power (classy name) aka Tails. The plot is pretty similar. Robotnik secretly follows Sonic’s biplane, the Tornado, to Westside (really…) Island, sonic’s vacation spot. There is some legend about an ancient civilzation once abused seven powerful “stones” that strangely sound like the  Chaos Emeralds. On this Island Sonic meets Tails just before Dr. Robotnik launches an all out assault on Westside Island and turns all the animals into robots, which are called Badniks, again. Sonic and Tails head out to find the Chaos Emeralds before Dr. Robotnik can use them to fuel his new Death Egg warship. Same shit different game but greatly improved from the first one and two players is always an added plus. If you do collect all the Chaos Emeralds there is a cool ending where Sonic goes all Dragonball Z and turn Super Sonic.

This time it took two years for Sonic to be back at it again and in 1994 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 debuts. Completely following the ending of Sonic 2.  After the epic space battle at the end of Sonic 2, Dr. Robotnik and his Death Egg fall toward earth. The Death Egg and Robotnik lands on a floating island called Angel Island. Dr. Robotnik meets Knuckles the Echidna while working on his ship. Knuckles is the last of the Echidnas, a ancient civilization that once lived in the ruins of the island. He is also the guardian of the Master Emerald, which levitates the island. Robotnik convinces Knuckles that Sonic is trying to steal the Master Emerald and to steal the emerald for himself. Super Sonic and Tails get ambushed in the Tornado and Sonic loses the Chaos Emeralds and the power to be Super Sonic. Again solid platform gaming, through more “Zones” or levels.

Sonic and Knuckles is the fourth instalment (actually fifth but never mind that) in the series and I think the coolest. It came out very shortly after Sonic 3, October 1994. That’s because the two games were designed to be one but because of timelines and cartridge memory problems, they came out as two. Instead Sonic and Knuckles’ cartridge was a dock you could insert Sonic 3, even Sonic 2 into the top and use Sonic and Knuckles as a expansion pack. Ok the Story keeps going but I will save you with the details because it just variations of the first three with a little more. Sonic and Knuckles’ game has to separate story modes and along the lines Robotnik double crossed Knuckles and he realizes Sonic is on his side.

 

The Saga is greatly improved from the “expansion pack” which tons of extras. I suggest you all rummage through your storage and dust of the old Sega Genesis and play all four, and enjoy it. Because in 1999 after some name changes and tweaks, Sonic Adventure came out for Sega Dreamcast. It’s the first in the Sonic series to feature free roaming 3D gameplay. It sucks ass, large, and in my eyes it doesn’t get better. The story gets deeper and stupider and more and more characters are introduced. Just in Sonic Adventure alone, the new characters include Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog who is obsessed with Sonic, Big the Cat and E-102 Gamma some gundam wing looking motherfucker. The series continues with Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Unleashed, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, and Sonic Colors.

This blows ur mind, on shrooms

The series as amazing when it was a 2D side scroller, the first one is a little weak compared to the next three titles. Once they threw in 3D, it fucked everything up, Sonic Adventures sucks, Sonic Heroes sucks, Sonic 2K6 suck and even with high praise for going partially back to 2D Sonic Unleashed still tanked. Playstation Network and X Box Live Arcade released Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 which did quite well, mainly in my opinion, because going back to only side scrolling 2D with amazing graphics. They were plenty of complaints about the length of the game and the simplexes of the puzzles and bosses. Sonic Colors did so-so, but they should of expanded on Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2or something. There is some Sonic Racing games and Sonic characters in other Sega games. Sonic is a mascot for Sega and like many other game mascots and series, he started out strong, only to crash and burn. Only to be remembered as a classic to us kids that played zone after zone on our Sega Genesis any time we weren’t asleep or at school.

Looks pretty cool but Sonic Adventures lacks gameplay

Maybe its time to put the ol’ guy down. How long do hedgehogs live for? Sonic is like 20 now, wow times flies. A 20th anniversary box set would be pretty cool to come out, but other then that, let sonic rest on peace now.