The Backlog: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

I chose Sonic the Hedgehog 2 from my backlog because it was the only Sonic game available through the Nintendo Switch’s Sega Genesis’s online catalog of games. Sonic the Hedgehog is a platformer where you play as the blue blur, Sonic, zipping through loop-de-loops and various hazards in different biomes, each lasting two levels or acts as the game calls them. At the end of each second act you have to defeat Dr. Robotnik in a boss battle where he pilots various pieces of machinery. After defeating him, there is a capsule where you release various animals that Robotnik has supposedly captured (there's basically no storyline, maybe there was in the manual back in the day, but nothing here). Players start with three lives but can earn more either through collecting one-hundred rings or finding a life-up box in the level. Players can also get game over continues if their lives drop below one, by getting ten-thousand points by the end of each level.  As long as Sonic has one ring, even if he gets hit by an enemy, he will not die. However when he does get hit,  he will drop his rings, but be able to collect them in a small time limit as they bounce around the stage. If he gets hit with no rings, he will lose a life and start at the last checkpoint he came by. . 

My experience with Sonic began with Sonic Spinball, as it was the first time I had seen Sonic in a game, or played a Sega Genesis. Both the game and system were at a friend’s house. I got most into Sonic when I played Sonic Adventure 2 Battle for my Nintendo Gamecube. I lost part of my childhood to the chao garden for sure. 

I had high hopes for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as I had heard it's the best of the three mainline Sonic games for the Sega Genesis. And to a point I did enjoy it, but after playing it for two hours I realized that I enjoy 3D Sonic games more than his 2D counterparts. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has a look, sound, and vibe all its own. Seeing Sonic blaze from one end of the screen to the other made me question if the Super Nintendo would even have been able to run it even with F-Zero in its catalog. The ring collectable as a sort of health bar was unique and enjoyable, as it had me wanting to collect them not just for points, but as a way to stay alive.

Because of Sonic’s rivalry with Mario, I couldn't help but compare this game with Super Mario World. Compared to Mario, Sonic just does not provide great platforming. Even if Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is technically a platformer, it feels more like if a hotwheels car had legs, and was in an ice level as Sonic feels a little slippery when he starts speeding up. Because of the way he feels when being controlled, the platforming isn’t exactly a great feeling. I died so many times in act two of the chemical plant zone because Sonic was a few pixels from a platform. 

In today’s landscape, I’ve heard various reviewers and players complain when Sonic isn’t running, for example he might be going fast but an obstacle is placed in his path that intentionally stops or damages him. I had thought this critique was only true for modern Sonic games, but surprisingly this critique originated here. I wondered why people don’t talk about the problem here in this game as well. Is it nostalgia? Probably yes. 

There were so many times when I was going fast, only to have a robot or enemy block my path and hit me, destroying the momentum. And I knew it wasn’t just me playing bad because where I needed to go was plainly where the enemy had been planted. It just isn’t fun to be running fast and be stopped purposefully, destroying my potentially high ring count. 

The Sonic the Hedgehog series is still relevant today because I think Sonic still sells. Whether his games are great, or not, just like Mario, there is a huge fan base and nostalgia for the series. So much so that Sonic is now on his third live action movie, and has games come out every so often for him and his friends. His relevance continues to exist also because of his comic books, being one of the few older video game characters with a better than average lore assigned to him. Unless Sega stops making games and other media featuring the titular hedgehog, I don’t see him going away anytime soon.