Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis)

Every console needs a good mascot. Nintendo has relied primarily on Mario for this task, whereas Sega at first gave the position on their consoles to Alex Kidd. Obviously it was a bad decision, and with the Genesis console Sega made a quick switch-up in an attempt to forget all about their hero with massive sideburns. This new mascot came in the form of Sonic the Hedgehog, and not only was he edgier than Alex Kidd and even Mario, but he boasted comparably good gameplay. Is Sonic's original foray into the world of video games still worth a look? Read on to find out.

I grew up with the Super Nintendo, and so my exposure to Sonic the Hedgehog didn't come until later on. While this means that I'm not as familiar with the games as most diehard fans, it also means that my opinion isn't ruled by bias. Plain and simple; Sonic the Hedgehog is a quality side scroller. It is, and always will be considered one of the best of it's time. It's painful to go back to the original game in all it's glory, only to realize how badly Sonic's name is being drug in the mud by Sega with it's more recent releases.

Sonic the Hedgehog

The game's story is never clearly outlined in the game, but it involves the egg shaped Dr. Robotnik kidnapping innocent animals to add to his arsenal of drones. Of course, it's completely up to Sonic to rescue them from the doctor's evil clutches. You won't find any echidnas, dark hedgehogs, or weird flying squirrel things with two tails; it's all about the blue blur here.

In the fashion of other side scrollers from it's era, progression in Sonic the Hedgehog occurs in the form of stages and then levels. The only real requirement here is to race from the beginning of a level to it's end while avoiding cliffs, enemies, and other obstacles with the occasional boss fight at the end of each zone. Sound simple? Of course it does, and first impressions are pretty much on spot. The game is, for the most part, based off of speed. This means that you'll often find yourself simply running with no strategy, only to have elements from the levels guide you in a rather flashy fashion. This leads to the game's first fault; sometimes it feels like you're not really playing because you're being guided so thoroughly.

Actually, this is part of the game's charm. These flashy sequences help to reinforce the feeling of speed in the game, and usually a level which presents a lot of these will be a bit longer, so as to give you more opportunities to do the typical platformer style manuevers. Another drawback is that the level designs aren't very complex, especially when you compare them to games such as Super Mario Bros. 3, or Super Mario World which both came out relatively close to Sonic the Hedgehog. While there's nothing that really makes up for this, you've just got to realize that it's a part of the series' nature. Plus it's not actually very noticeable while you're playing, and plus, many levels will force you to slow down to solve puzzles later on.

One of the unique elements to this game involve the game's currency; rings. Nearly ever side scrolling game features something similar, for Mario it's coins, Donkey Kong collects bananas, etc, but the rings are more interactive with the game's design than in other titles. Basically, a hit from an enemy will cause Sonic to drop all of his rings. You can collect the dropped rings, but if Sonic is touched by an enemy while he has none, he'll die. This often makes for a mad scramble to reclaim lost rings while enemies are about, and it's one of the more interesting innovations this series has brought to the fold.

It almost feels like I'm picking on poor defenseless Sonic, or that I don't like it. That's definitely not the case, but I do have one more small issue with the design. The power-ups are just uninteresting. This isn't a big problem, but when compared to the arsenal in your early Mario titles, it's a bit weak. You've got a shield which blocks one hit, shoes which speed Sonic up, and even one that makes him invincible temporarily. While I'm not asking that they hook Sonic up with fireballs or raccoon tails, it seems like they could have been more interesting than what he's given.

Even despite these flaws that I've outlined, the gameplay is fantastic. It was kept simple, and this is one of the game's strong points strangely enough. All three of the Genesis controller's face buttons are designated for jump, and to begin running you need only hold down either left or right for a short while. Despite how bare it sounds, the formula works with fantastic results. Of course, levels will have Sonic doing other things, such as swimming or moving blocks, but in general the design focuses on speed and platforming.

The graphics in this game are very pleasing, especially when you compare them to what was released alongside Sonic. The game's characters and enemies have a bit of a soft look to them, while the backgrounds scroll smoothly and are highly detailed. The game doesn't even stutter when you're running full speed, although the same can't be said for when you're lost rings are cluttering up the screen. The only drawback imaginable (besides slight slowdown after losing rings) to the presentation is that it's not terribly colorful, but that's just nitpicking.

The music quality isn't all that great, but this is mainly due to the Genesis' limited audio capabilities. Still, the musical pieces are well composed and I can't think of a single one that isn't at least a little catchy. Sound effects are average, although they sometimes sound a bit muddled. Again, this is really and truly no big deal, rather it's just me nitpicking again.

Control is pretty good, although not perfect. Sonic moves slightly awkwardly at times while you're jumping around, but you'll get used to it in no time at all. One of the really cool elements to the game is in the realistic based physics. Sonic's momentum won't instantly disappear if you suddenly decide to switch directions, and this will require you to plan accordingly. It does feel a bit odd that all three face buttons are used for jumping, but I guess this gives you the option of using whichever is most comfortable for you.

Final Recommendation
If you're a fan of 16-bit gaming, especially side-scrollers than you no doubt have come into contact with this game. Until Super Mario World came out, Sonic was the definitive 16-bit side scroller, and even after, it is still widely considered to be one of the best. If you haven't already, than you must waste no more time getting your hands on this game.