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Sonic 3D Blast (also released on the Saturn as a last-second and a comparatively pathetic replacement for the doomed Sonic Xtreme) was the proverbial black sheep of the 16 bit Sonic games. Most gamers view it with downright negativity or, at best, casual indifference. But why? Just look at it… Showy isometric graphics that are full of color and detail, cool stereo tunes and sound effects, and a groundbreaking pre-rendered 3D opening movie! What could be wrong with it?
Sonic & Knuckles represents Sega at its absolute peak, at a time when they defined cool. Sonic was largely responsible for that, wrestling half the video game market away from Nintendo and spawning an unending stream of mascot games. And like any rock star, the time came for the big, epic statement; that definitive work that captures all the themes and summarizes its era, its Sgt. Pepper.
Taking the famous hedgehog out of the side-scrolling world and tossing him into a pinball environment, Sonic Spinball was a decidedly western spin (ha!) on Sega’s flagship franchise. Sonic fans still debate its quality today, and it remains one of the most controversial 16-bit games in the series.
In 1991 Sega released a game that they hoped would be the anti-Mario. The game was Sonic The Hedgehog and it did everything Sega dreamed it would and a whole lot more. Sonic is a game based on the blue hedgehog you have undoubtedly heard of before or seen in one of his many games.
After the successful Sonic The Hedgehog, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that a sequel was coming and that it would be just as great as the original or better. In my opinion, Sonic 2 improves on all of that game’s faults and in most cases, surpasses it.