So some of you may have noticed, I'm a bit of a Sonic fan. And after watching a lot of YouTube vids of "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" and "Sonic Colors" over the weekend, I thought I'd put together a little list detailing my personal favorite Sonic Games. So here ya go. :D The criteria here, by the way, is simple: No Game Collections like "Sonic Jam" and if you can play as Sonic, it counts as a Sonic game. With that explained, let's get down to business! :D


10.) Sonic Chronicles (Nintendo DS): The idea of a Sonic RPG has long been a perculiar favorite amongst certain circles of Sonic fans, but when SEGA announced they would actually go through with it a couple years back, attitudes were understandably mixed. A character best known for speedy platforming antics did not seem a natural fit for a genre predicated on more deliberately-paced strategy, after all. Thankfully, SEGA teamed up with RPG superstar BioWare to develop "Chronicles", and while it falls far short of the standard set by BioWare's console RPGs, it's nonetheless a highly enjoyable treat overall. With a story and aesthetic pleasantly drawn from all corners of the franchise (SWATBots are one of the enemies you encounter, for example), the game pits Sonic and friends against a new and mysterious enemy called the Dark Brotherhood, who have stolen the Master Emerald from Angel Island and seek to add the seven Chaos Emeralds to their collection. This crisis forces them to join forces with the recently-deposed Dr. Eggman, and takes them on a journey across Space. I think the thing I like most about "Chronicles" is that it shares the spirit of the SatAM cartoon, exploring depths of the Game Universe traditionally left alone and not being afraid to run with concepts the series would normally shy from, without violating the core spirit of the franchise. The stylus-based gameplay is also sharp and inventive, with some particualrly satisfying battles to be found along the way. It's far from the best RPG out there, but it is good fun, and considering how bad it could've been, that's impressive enough on its own.

9.) Sonic Unleashed (Nintendo Wii): When this title was announced, it was the first major Sonic Console release since the dreadful "Sonic the Hedgehog 2006" from two years prior. Given the universal loathing that game received, many fans looked to "Unleashed" as being the make-it-or-break-it moment of the Franchise. Ironically enough, SEGA managed to make it both at once. On the plus side, they do manage to rein in the Story this time around: Eggman's latest scheme at global conquest splits the planet apart, unleashing a monstrous beast called Dark Gaia and accidentally imbuing Sonic with evil energy that causes him to turn into a Werewolf at night. Sonic and his new friend Chip must thus set out to retrieve the Seven Chaos Emeralds, stop Eggman and Dark Gaia, and restore the world before it's too late! "Unleashed" is a beast of two masters: on the one hand, there are the Night Time stages, which SUCK. They force you to play through some excruciatingly dull platforming with limp and uninteresting Fighting thrown in every so often. On the other hand, though, there are the Day Time stages, and they ROCK. Speeding through a variety of locales, Day Time is how 3D Sonic should be, as far as I'm concerned. No camera issues, fewer cheap-fall-off-the-stage deaths, and an overall design scheme that beautifully merges Platforming with Racing Game elements all set the stage wonderfully, allowing you to speed through a variety of locales in a variety of ways. The fact that each stage has a variety of routes you can take through them adds to the fun, allowing oodles of replay value in the form of hidden shortcuts and Special Items. Add to that some eye-popping visuals and some of the best music the series has had in years, and you've got a real winner. If you could play through "Unleashed" WITHOUT slogging through the Night Time stages, it would be much higher on this list.

8.) Sonic Spinball (SEGA Genesis): The conventional wisdom has it that only with the release of the Dreamcast and the drastic redesign that occurred with "Sonic Adventure" did the Sonic series begin to experience its decline. The truth, however, is that even as far back as the development of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", there were trouble signs. Internal problems at SEGA caused the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" to be delayed (and eventually split it into two games, but we'll get to that a little higher on the list), and as a result, a new title needed to be rushed to release in order to fill the gap. With such an inauspicious origin, "Sonic Spinball" might seem destined to suck. In actuality, though, it's a highly-enjoyable title, and easily the best Spin-Off Game of the franchise. Plus, as a bonus for SatAM fans like me, it's actually explicitly set in the American "Mobius" continuity, allowing for cameos from Princess Sally, Bunnie Rabbot, and even Scratch and Cluck. The all-but-nonexistent plot is nothing new, with Mt. Mobius having been taken over by Robotnik and converted into a Pinball-based security system. Why? Because making crazy unnecessarily-complex machinery is what evil scientists do with their free time. Duh. As Sonic, you must brave four stages and three mini-games to reclaim Mt. Mobius and send Robotnik packing. Sounds easy? Well it's not. Holy moly is it not. "Spinball" gets credit for being one of the most genuinely challenging Games I've ever played. Its stages are excellently designed to push your Pinball Prowess to its very limit, and the ability to influence the direction of your "Ball" (Sonic, tucked up into a Sonic Spin, hence the name) by using the D-Pad adds an extra layer of strategy to it. The Game's also filled with catchy, memorable music that helps make the tension feel all the thicker, with some great sound touches to boot (a recurring scare chord when Sonic brushes up with Death during the Game is particularly effective). Visually, it's a bit...odd, with its design aesthetic drawn more from the SatAM pilot than the original games, resulting in some...unpleasant...badniks, but some very unique stages. All in all, though, the key to "Spinball" is that it's just a blast to play. If you ever get a chance, be sure to give it a Spin.


7.) Sonic Rush (Nintendo DS): When the Nintendo DS first came out a few years back, the reaction from developers and gamers alike was one of confusion. How exactly could you make a Game that utilizes two screens? SEGA, for their part, decided to go old-school. The result is "Sonic Rush", a title that delivers beautiful platforming from the original games with some unique twists of its own, chief among them taking the action and spreading it out across both the DS's dual screens. Unsurprisingly, it's a lot of fast, furious fun, and easily a lot more enjoyable than the Console Sonic title of the same year, "Shadow the Hedgehog". It also has the distinct honor of having one of the better storylines of the latter-day Sonic series. This time around, a traveller from another dimension, has come to Sonic's world seeking the Seven Sol Emeralds. They have been lost in Sonic's dimension, and if they are not recovered soon, Blaze's world is doomed. Alas, Blaze's lifelong foe, Eggman Nega, has followed her across dimensions. Naturally, this puts them into conflict with Sonic and HIS Eggman, and soon a four-way race for the seven Chaos Emeralds and the seven Sol Emeralds begins. "Rush" is a strong serving of speedy platforming, adding some welcome additions to the formula. Most notably, the addition of a Boost Meter that, when drained, shoots your character along at extra speed adds a new layer to the gameplay, forcing you to strategize when and where to use it for its best effect, particularly since you also need it to get into the Special Zones. Speaking of, those are fun too: Basically, they're the Special Zones from "Sonic 2", but controlled via Stylus, and it works very well. Blaze too is distinctly more aggressive than Sonic, but less agile, and is one of the only really worthwhile new characters in the franchise, IMO. On the whole, "Rush" lives up to its name, and is a blast to play.

6.) Sonic Adventure (SEGA Dreamcast): There are a great deal of controversies within Sonic fandom. Is SatAM "official"? Who should Sonic go out with? What is the best version of Sonic? But perhaps the single biggest controversey in the fandom is the divide between the New Age of Sonic, and the Old Age. As a result, "Sonic Adventure" is probably the single most controversial entry of the franchise, because it's the title that marked the end of the Old, and the beginning of the New. 3-D environments, a cluster of characters to play as, a more involved story presented through Final Fantasy style cinematics, Voice Acting, and complete redesigns of the entire cast and general aesthetic...that all started with "Sonic Adventure". For some, it's the Beginning of the End for Sonic. For others, it's the last truly good Sonic game out there. I don't fall into either extreme, but I do believe "Adventure" is a solid, highly enjoyable title that still has some important lessons to teach the franchise. Once again, Robotnik (who starting here would take on his Japanese name "Eggman") is plotting something evil, in this case freeing a powerful deity trapped within the Master Emerald named Chaos. This plot sends Sonic, Tails, and Amy Rose on a race to get the Chaos Emeralds before Robotnik can steal them to power Chaos, while Knuckles seeks to restore the broke Master Emerald. Country bumpkin Big the Cat just wants his missing Froggy back, while Robotnik's latest, greatest machine, E-102 Gamma slowly awakens to its own dormant freedom. It's an intricate plot spread out over six playable characters, and while some aspects of it really don't work (Big's presence in the story is particularly shoehorned, and his gameplay is dreadful), for the most part it's a surprisingly gripping story. "Adventure" also features some solid Gameplay and Game Design, with the six characters sharing the same basic control scheme but with specific abilities and Mission Types to differentiate them. It's an effective method that allows each character to be close enough that the Game never feels uneven, but distinct enough that it never feels repetitive either. Gameplay and Stage Design are also solid, with some highly catchy music in there as well, particularly a variety of Pop Rock anthems given as themes for each of the main characters. "Adventure" was ahead of its time in a lot of ways, and while most of its successors were unable to follow up its success, on its own, it remains a sterling example of superb Sonic.

5.) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo Wii): I did say at the beginning that, if you can play as Sonic, it counts as a Sonic game, didn't I? Sonic's appearance in the third entry of Nintendo's mascot-mash-up "Super Smash Bros." series was one nobody really saw coming, but which pretty much everybody wanted. Even as far back as "Melee", there were photoshop pics of Sonic duking it out with Fox, Link, and (most importantly) Mario running rampant all over the place. Further back than that, though, there was the Great Rivalry which Sonic's joining the cast of "Brawl" at long last allowed to come to fruition. If you, like me, were a child of the early 90's, you know that the world of Video Games was keenly split in half: either you were a Mario kid, or you were a Sonic kid. Now, I had the good fortune of getting an old-school NES donated to me by my Grandma and a Genesis bought for me as a Birthday gift, so I got to be a bit of both, at least in terms of games. But in terms of characters? Again, I did like Mario a lot, but I loved Sonic. And if you remember what it was like to grow up as a child of the early 90's, you also probably remember that, when you thought something was Cool and there was something else in direct competition to it, that something else had to die. So while I could enjoy Mario whilst playing Mario games, outside of that time period, it was Sonic running laps around the little plumber. I was hardly the only one in on the Great Mascot Clash, either; not only were other Gaming fans part of it, but SEGA themselves made it a central part of their ad campaign for Sonic and the Genesis, and Nintendo made more than a few jabs at Sonic and SEGA. So with all that history behind it, getting to see Sonic and Mario finally go fist-to-fist in "Brawl" was a dream come true. Sonic himself is a fantastic addition to the cast, as well. His fighting stlye is uniquely more based on swift, strategic striking than most others in the Game, and while his move list might seem repetitive, it is surprisingly adaptable. Plus, there's nothing quite as satisfying as going Super Sonic with your Final Smash. The fact that Sonic brought Green Hill Zone, a variety of classic Stage Tunes from the old games, and just about every major Rock Antem theme from the newer titles, makes his presence in "Brawl" all the cooler, and it makes "Brawl" more than worthy of being called a great Sonic game.

4.) Sonic CD (SEGA CD): The SEGA CD is not what one would call a successful system. Despite being one of the first disc-based gaming machines on the market, it floundered due to its high price tag and sparse software library. Indeed, the CD might be considered a complete failure if not for one particular title. As you might've guessed, that title would be "Sonic CD", one of the most unusual entries in the Sonic franchise but also one of its most compelling. Right off the bat, it starts things off right, with a gorgeously animated opening set to the equally catchy "Sonic Boom" (or "Toot Toot Sonic Warrior" in the Japanese version; I prefer "Boom" personally, but "Toot Toot" is also a pretty cool song) that sets the mood and gives you the basic plot. Once more, Robotnik is evilling it up, this time by trying to steal Little Planet, a small planet that appears once every century and which houses the legendary Time Stones, the use of which will enable Time Travel. Helping Robotnik along on his mission is the deadly Metal Sonic, who kidnaps innocent young Amy Rose as part of the Evil Doctor's villainous plan. Naturally, it's Sonic to the rescue, as he speeds through not only the terrain of Little Planet but also the Space Time continuum, travelling through Past, Present, and Future to win the day. Basically, "CD" is what happens when you take the original "Sonic the Hedgehog", change the Special Stages, add the Spin Dash, and top it all off with multi-layered stage design that encourages exploration and a studious eye more than any other title in the series. The Time Travelling feature is the key aspect: you'll start in the Present, but can warp to the Past or Future at certain points, and what the areas you travel to are like varies depending on the actions you perform in the present. That does mean you have to be ready for a slightly more cautious approach to the traditional Sonic formula, but the added sense of depth and deeper sense of achievement at getting the "perfect" Future makes it a more-than-worthwhile addition. The off-beat but memorable visual style applied to the stages and new Badniks is likewise welcome: expanding on the odd flora and fauna found in the original Genesis games, "CD" presents some truly awe-inspiring sights throughout, and watching them shift and change as Time alters their appearance is a memorable experience indeed. As well, the Game deserves credit for what it adds to the Sonic mythos: Amy as depicted here is simply adorable, and after a test run in "Sonic 2", Metal Sonic is at last canonized here, granting the franchise one of its most memorable recurring villains. Top it all off with the usual excellence in sound tracks and stage designs, and it becomes all the easier to understand how "CD" has managed to so completely transcend the lackluster console it debuted on.

3.) Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA Genesis): It was pretty much inevitable that the top 3 Games of this list would be comprised of the original Genesis Trilogy that got the franchise started. The only question was, what exact order would they be in? The very first "Sonic the Hedgehog" may be at the bottom of that particular sub-section, but that is hardly a slight against it. I can still remember the first time I played it as a young'un, seeing it at a Genesis Demo booth in the Mall. It was a magical experience that would have a pretty serious impact on my life, inspiring me to become the artist I am today and strive to be in the future. I was hardly the only one it struck a chord with, either. This IS the game that effectively launched what may well be the single biggest Video Game franchise of the 90's, after all, and it isn't hard to see why. With its elegant graphics, beautiful soundtrack, and most importantly, a character with real flair and personality at its center, "Sonic the Hedgehog" really is a bona fide classic. For the first of what would prove to be many times, the villainous Dr. Robotnik has set his sights on global conquest, and his method of choice is to kidnap all the innocent woodland critters, placing them inside evil machines called Badniks, and reaking havoc all over the globe. Thankfully, bold, blue, brash Sonic the Hedgehog is here to help and bop Robotnik down to size! As the first step taken by this new character, "Sonic the Hedgehog" does show its age in some ways: the lack of a Spin Dash attack meant a deeper reliance on self-created momentum, which could lead to some frustrating spots, and the frequency with which one falls off the stage or is crushed to death is far more frequent here than in the game's immediate successors. These are ultimately minor flaws, though, and easily forgiveable given that this was the first Sonic, and thus had no prior games to look to for guidance. The strengths here more than outweigh those minor weaknesses anyway. Stage Design is varied and clever, with lots of loop-de-loops, hidden pathways, and challenging obstacles to make your head (and Sonic's body) spin, pushed along with colorful and creative designs and some truly fantastic music. The original even has some uniquely challenging stages all its own, like "Marble Hill Zone" and "Labyrinth Zone" that require diligence and determination to defeat, often repeated but never quite replicated in later titles. It's even got the trippiest Special Zones of the franchise. It may not be THE best, but the first Sonic game is more than worthy of the massive franchise it would build in its wake.

2.) Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (SEGA Genesis): This Game is really and truly legendary. Not just in terms of its actual content, though that certainly earns such a descriptive: it's easily the biggest of the original Trilogy, with twice as many stages as the original or "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". No, this Game is also legendary in its actual creation. As previously said in the "Sonic Spinball" entry of the list, this game was delayed from its original release date back in 1994. Why? Because it was just THAT huge. Meanwhile, no less a luminary than MICHAEL FUKKING JACKSON was involved with its soundtrack at one point. Ultimately, this Legendary game had to be split into two games due to time constraints and the cost of making a cartridge capable of handling it, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and "Sonic and Knuckles", the latter of which was able to link up with the former to create the intended full experience. It is that full experience, rather than the individual games that comprise it, that earns its place here, because that is the game "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" was originally intended to be. And WHAT a Game it is. Robotnik's grandest device yet, the devilish Death Egg, is in need of a Power Source. Luckily for Robotnik, he knows just where to get it: Angel Island, a floating island held in the sky by the all-powerful Master Emerald. With Sonic in hot pursuit, Robotnik tricks the island's Guardian, Knuckles the Echidna, into believing the Hedgehog is his enemy. Knuckles thus steals the seven Chaos Emeralds from Sonic, stranding him and Tails on the island. Now Sonic must blast his way through Angel Island's many locales to recover the Emeralds, save Angel Island, and stop Robotnik once and for all. It's a suitably Epic story for such an Epic Game, and unlike future stabs at more complex plot in "Sonic" games, it works very well with understated in-game cutscenes and small touches throughout. The Game's many stages are all a blast to play, with clever conceits and tricks to figure out in order to succeed (except "Carnival Night Zone"; "Carnival Night Zone" can just go die, and I think any "Sonic" fan who's beaten it knows why >3>), and the three playable characters of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails each add their own unique flairs to the Gameplay, creating some nice replay value in wanting to explore the Game's wide terrain with each one. Graphically, the game's gorgeous, with some nice bits of 3D thrown in such as the spherical Special Stages, and a soundtrack that has some of the absolute best music in the series (Michael Jackson notwithstanding). This truly is the penultimate 2D "Sonic" game, and a legend that will live through the ages.

"Penultimate" isn't quite the same as "Best", though. So what IS the "Best" Sonic game, in my opinion? The one...the only...

1.) Sonic the Hedgehog 2: This, to me, really is just the perfect "Sonic" game. I realize, of course, that might be hard to believe for some. It's significantly smaller than "Sonic 3 and Knuckles", and lacks a lot of the gameplay touches its successor would introduce, like multiple types of Power Shields, character interaction in multiplayer (allowing Tails to carry Sonic), and a Save Feature. Yet despite all that, this Game just plain rocks. A lot of the Gameplay improvements "Sonic 3 and Knuckles" had, like the Spin Dash and Super Sonic as a reward for collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds, were introduced here. Multiplayer too first entered the "Sonic" series with this title, and the Racing Mode in this game is significantly stronger than that found in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", at least in my humble opinion. In many ways, I think this is the best "Sonic" game because it was the game that truly marked the "Sonic" franchise coming into its own. The storyline acts as a direct set-up for the events of "Sonic 3 and Knuckles": Robotnik has returned to recreate his Robot Ranks, and Sonic must once again set out to stop him. This time, though, he is joined by a young new friend, a two-tailed fox named Miles "Tails" Prower. Together, they must take down Robotnik's airborne ultimate weapon, a Space Station called the Death Egg, while collecting the seven mysterious Chaos Emeralds along the way to help in their mission. Everything good about the original "Sonic" returned here, stronger than ever before: fantastic stage design, each level filled to the brim with secret rooms and hidden paths to explore that will have you pouring over every nook and cranny to find them. Music that is easy-listening and drives the action strongly, accentuating the beauty of the stages perfectly and imbuing each with its own unique character. Gameplay solid as a rock, with hopping and bopping allowing you to pull off all sorts of crazy physics-based feats. It's all an excellent experience, with some of the best-built and coolest-looking stages, enemies, Bosses, and effects in the franchise. Add to that this was a crucial entry in terms of building the mythos of the Sonic story: the Seven Chaos Emeralds instead of the original game's six, adding up to create Super Sonic...a story element that has become pretty much the cornerstone of the entire series' continuity. To top it all off, Co-Op Multiplayer, while lacking the interactive element of "Sonic 3 and Knuckles", is equally as strategic and compelling as its successor, with the added element of being EXTREMELY helpful in this Game's Special Zones, which themselves are spectacularly enjoyable. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" really is the Game that solidified Sonic's status as a Super Star, and it remains my personal pick for the proudest moment of the Blue Blur's long, storied history.