My Top 5: Sonic the Hedgehog (Games) Edition
Sonic the Hedgehog is a peculiar and amazing character from the 90’s whose charisma and attitude pulled at the heart strings of gamers and the general public. An edgy design paired with a rebellious personality became the perfect formula for a successful franchise.
What began as corporate rivalry, soon evolved into a legacy that made artists approach character design in a different manner. It generated a creative thirst, blooming into fandoms that wanted to immerse themselves into that virtual world through their art.
As a proud member of the 90’s Sonic fandom, I’m celebrating my new Sonic the Hedgehog Sticker launch through this blog article. Yes, I’ve already written about the blue blur in a previous blog post (you should check it out), but this time it’s different.
Allow me to present my top 5 Sonic the Hedgehog games, in no particular order. Let me know which Sonic games you like in the comments!
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Heroes is somewhat difficult for me to gauge in terms of how much I liked it. In one hand, I played the hell out of this game. On the other hand, I played the hell out of this game. It had fun mechanics, such as switching your party leader to tackle obstacles in the most appropriate manner. However, after replaying this game so much, I got bored, but never enough for me to drop the game.
The stages in Sonic Heroes were cool and filled with life, and the fact that I could discover new routes with a party leader meant that each stage had something new to offer. The levels also changed in focus depending on the team you chose (Team Sonic, Team Rose, Team Dark, and Team Chaotix).
While I was intrigued by Team Chaotix, due to not knowing anything about them, I didn’t care much for their characters. The villain, however, Metal Sonic, did leave an impression.
2. Sonic Adventure
When Sonic Adventure came out for the Sega Dreamcast (R.I.P), my child brain was blown out. Never before had I seen Sonic so fleshed out. The graphics, his attitude, and that sweet opening with the apocalyptic chaos drew me in like a moth to a flame.
Adventure Field made the world of Sonic the Hedgehog a great opportunity for exploration. The overworld also offered key items that let you (and the characters) grow with each upgrade. Times Square was awesome, but the Mystic Ruins offered a deeper experience within the world of Sonic the Hedgehog. Its music, along with the introduction to the ancient Echidna culture, provided a realm that invited me to learn more about the blue blur’s universe.
Last but not least, Sonic Adventure gave me the Chao Garden, a charming minigame where you could raise chao like a tamagotchi. Fusing chao with cute animals to raise their stats and make them compete was worth the time. It also provided a respite from the action (yes, I’m excluding Big’s fishing missions).
3. Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2 took everything that was right from its predecessor, and enhanced it. While I did miss Adventure Field, this game more than made up for it with its action-packed stages. The game’s story was awesome, mostly because it introduced one of the franchise’s more iconic characters: Shadow the Hedgehog.
I was never an emo, but Shadow the Hedgehog did something to me. The moment that dark hedgehog appeared, I wanted to paint my nails black and wear a My Chemical Romance T-Shirt while listening to Breaking the Habit. Shadow’s suave voice acting, along with the fact that he had chaos powers, made him my favorite character then.
4. Sonic Frontiers
Sonic Frontiers, in my humble opinion, is the direction Sonic games had to go. It brought polished voice acting, a more mature Sonic, and fantastic gameplay elements. A blend between sandbox and linear progression let me have fun at my own leisure without much limitations.
Sonic’s mature demeanor, which doesn’t betray his cocky attitude, along with his skill repertoire, is a testament to the character’s growth throughout the years. I like this version of him, still bold, but somewhat tempered. The decision to have him level up is a wise one, and it only made me want to keep playing to max out his true speed.
To be honest, the soundtrack is the main course in this game. Each track is sublime and fits the tone perfectly. It only added to my craving, and it truly brought out the best of the world and the characters. Without a doubt, Sonic Frontiers has set a new standard, and I won’t settle for less from now on.
5. Sonic & Knuckles
I may be dating myself, but I remember playing Sonic & Knuckles on my cousin’s Sega Genesis when I was about 8 years old. It was a fun game, it was Sonic after all, that didn’t bring anything new to me, or so I thought.
Enter Knuckles the Echidna. This red anthropomorphic creature weirded me out, I had never seen anything like it (I never played Sonic the Hedgehog 3). I had the option to choose between him and Sonic. Obviously, I chose Sonic first, since he was the blue blur of speed; I wasn’t fond of change either. However, when I finished playing with blue, I had no choice but to turn to Knuckles.
Knuckles became my favorite character that day. Not only did he glide, but he could also damage enemies while doing so. His hand spikes also allowed him to climb on surfaces, while Sonic had to rely on Tails. On the nerdier side (as if this list wasn’t nerdy enough already), his running animation seemed more dynamic than Sonic’s, giving the illusion that Knuckles ran faster. I’m happy I had to choose Knuckles. It allowed me to give a chance to new characters, and to never fear change.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it as amusing as it was for me to write it. If you like Sonic the Hedgehog, or hate it, let me know in the comments!
