Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis)

Source: http://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2017/04/06/sonic-the-hedgehog-sega-genesis/

During the Sega Master System era and the early days of the Sega Genesis, Sega didn’t really have a mascot to speak of. Certainly not one as widely recognized as Nintendo’s Mario. That all changed with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis in 1991.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2D side-scrolling platform game similar to the Super Mario games but different in style in a number of ways. Sonic came out around the same time as Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo. It’s pretty clear that Sega was trying to create a character and game that would be seen as more edgy and up to date. Where Mario was an Italian plumber, Sonic was a sassy blue hedgehog. Where Mario could walk or run or occasionally even fly, Sonic to character speed to the next level (see pics above). Mario’s fastest speed was plodding by comparison.

Sega was probably as successful as they could have hoped to be with Sonic. It was bundled with the Genesis, received good reviews, and spawned a number of sequel and spin-off games over the years in addition to inspiring a variety of other video game characters and games. However, despite being the “cooler” game, it really didn’t match the depth of Super Mario World.

Sonic was also released on the Sega Master System (the last release for that system in North America) and the Sega Game Gear. In addition, unlike the Mario games, it has been re-released on a number of systems including the Game Boy Advance in 2006, iOS and Android in 2013, part of Sonic Jam for the Sega Saturn in 1997, as part of several different collections for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, as part of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009, as part of the Sonic Classic Collection for the Nintendo DS in 2010 and as part of Oculus Arcade for the Oculus Rift. It was also available in downloadable for computers and various consoles. This is in direct contrast to most Mario games which are only available on Nintendo systems. Though to be fair, Sega no longer makes hardware.