Gotta go fast (in the best Sonic game)
[Everyone welcomeTimothy Monbleauto Destructoid! As you may have noticed, we put out a call for freelancers recently, and Timothy answered that call. Amazingly,they’ve even graced the front page before! –Chris Carter.]
Sonic The Hedgehog. One of the most iconic video game characters ever created. He runs at the speed of sound, saves animals from robots, and best of all, he’s colored blue and has been in legitimately fantastic games. Though the blue blur is nowadays pretty synonymous with surreal internet memes, it’s important to remember the classic titles that made him the icon he is today.
For example, consider our list of the top 5Sonic The Hedgehoggames ever released.
5 –Sonic Adventure 2(2001)
3DSonicgames are often polarizing, butSonic Adventure 2edges out the firstAdventuregame for me. At its best, it features fantastic level design that emphasizes Sonic’s famous sense of speed. At its worst, it tells a cheesy story with bizarre audio mixing that somehow makes the gamemorememorable. And one thing no one can deny is the quality of the soundtrack. “City Escape” and “Live and Learn” are jams for the ages!
It’s also impossible to talk aboutSonic Adventure 2without paying homage tothe surprisingly in-depth Chao Garden minigame. I will never forget buying a strategy guide just because I wanted a Dark Chaos Chaothat bad.
4 –Sonic the Hedgehog 2(1992)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2is your bread and butter, meat and potatoesSonicgame. Between the tight controls, iconic levels, and blistering speed,Sonic 2solidifies what makes te series great. It’s hard to imagine that Sonic didn’t have his sidekick Tails and the spin dash ability until this title.
My only complaint withSonic 2is the lack of rings you get in the last stage. Fighting the game’s final boss as a kid was how I figured out that stress exists.
3 –Sonic Generations(2011)
If there was ever a game that bridged the fans of 2D and 3DSonictitles, it’sSonic Generations. On paper, a greatest-hits collection of pastSonicstages should be a cheap gimmick. In execution, the level design is so fine-tuned thatSonic Generationsearns its own identity. The game goes so hard that even the level fromSonic the Hedgehog(2006) is fun to play — even if it is a stark reminder thatSonic ’06exists.
As a fan firmly on the side of 2DSonic, I was surprised by how much I loved the 3D stages inGenerations. Even if the fanservice on display means nothing to you,Sonic Generationsis still a quality title.
2 –Sonic Mania(2017)
IfSonic Generationsis a celebration of the franchise,Sonic Maniais a full-on holiday. It’s impossible to mentionSonic Maniawithout referencing its team of developers rooted in creatingSonicfan games, but it drives home just how incredible it is thatSonic Maniaeven exists. This game could have been a remaster of classicSoniclevels and still earned its place in history. YetSonic Maniagoes above and beyond with wildly inventive gimmicks and new stages that showcase developer Headcannon’s overflowing creativity.
Sonic Maniais the most consistently fun Sonic game ever created. Even its minor hiccups are often the result of trying ambitious ideas. It’s a game so good that I thought about crowning it the bestSonic The Hedgehoggame. However, by the margin of a razor-thin edge, I must give the nod to…
1 –Sonic 3 and Knuckles (1994)
Much ofSonic Mania’s success is owed to the foundationSonic 3 and Knuckleslaid on the Sega Genesis. Just asSonic 2pushed the series forward with a slew of new mechanics,Sonic 3 and Knucklesintroduces inventive power-ups, new bonus stages, and Knuckles as a playable character.
Yet it’s the little things that makeSonic 3 and Knucklesso special. It’s the way stages transform between acts with new music and set pieces, like Act 2 of Angel Island. It’s the story told without dialogue that ties all the levels together. Even if theAdventureseries was still a full four years away,Sonic 3 and Knuckleswas the first Sonic game to feel like anadventure.
Sonic 3 and Knucklesis, arguably, less consistent thanSonic Mania(perhaps because it was split into two games). Yet with all-time series highs likeSky Sanctuary, it’s easy to see why this is considered by many the bestSonic The Hedgehoggame. My only grievance is that I can’t use the patented Lock-On technology ofSonic & Knucklesto recruitKnucklesinShining Force II.
