Sega’s Sonic games were the only real competition to Nintendo’s Super Mario franchise. Many tried to emulate what they were seeing elsewhere but the makers of Sonic constructed a game faster paced and more aesthetically pleasing than any other platform had produced. The spiky, blue hedgehog not only became a beloved game franchise but was the mascot for Sega. There was even a short time in which Sonic dethroned Mario, who at the time seemed untouchable. Why was he able to? Because Sonic games were the first to be a ridiculously speedy game that moved quickly and had high drops, slopes, loop-de-loops, running and jumping in each level. The levels had enemies scattered all over the place so you had to adopt the “be quick, but don’t be in a hurry” motto to prevail. We know the Sonic series was good because even when they brought in Tails’ obnoxious ass in Sonic The Hedgehog 2, the game was still brilliant. Tails was one of the worst sidekicks in existence. Or perhaps it was the fact that the game’s rival, Mario had one of the all time great sidekicks in Luigi, which set the bar higher than Tails could reach… Which is really unacceptable since Tails had flying abilities. Either way, the blue hedgehog in red sneakers changed the pace of video games as we knew them.
SIDENOTE: Anyone remember the music that played when Sonic was drowning? HOW THE HELL is a kid supposed to do anything with this panicky, alarming tune playing. Take a listen to the link below and ask yourself if there is any task you can accomplish with that type of jingle going on simultaneously.
