Sonic has been a household name for over three decades now. The world’s favorite hedgehog took the videogame world by storm in 1991, courtesy of Sega. For a while, Sonic games went from strength to strength, but soon after the franchise had some ups and downs, failing to adapt to modern generations. Nowadays, Sonic is back as a mainstay with critical hits such as Sonic Mania and successful ventures into movies and tv shows.
The Sonic franchise has had a long and storied history, so this list goes over exactly that, focusing on sonic gamers from the recent past that have aged the best, with 2006 acting as a cut-off date.
6 Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals wasn't a typical Sonic platformer, rather acting as a racing game with Sonic and the entire cast racing each other throughout the various story levels and arcade modes. The story mode was quite different too, considering players could go through the story whilst using four different characters with their own character arcs, including the relatively new addition Silver.
Different power-ups, abilities, and collectibles could be utilized to hinder the rival's progress or speed the player up. While Rivals originally had a mixed reception, many fans of the series have warmed up to it since. Citing the catchy music, exceptional presentation, and the variety the game has to offer. The game also featured the likes of Nega, Metal Sonic, and Rouge. While the gameplay can get repetitive at times, it is still a solid addition that holds up well today.
5 Sonic Advance 2
Sonic Advance 2 on the GameBoy featured much the same when it came to gameplay and the plot, which revolved around beating Eggman and collecting the Chaos Emeralds. The game went from strength to strength as it built up on everything good in its predecessor but featured a lot more replayability.
The stages were larger and harder, probably one of the toughest games in the franchise but it always felt fair. The art style still holds up to this day, and the game helps players feel fast, which is necessary for any successful Sonic game for sure.
4 Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis)
The game that started it all deserves a mention here. The original Sonic game was considered one of the best games of all time upon release, and with good reason. The music was energetic, the mechanics were slick, and the gameplay, while simple, was challenging and exceptionally enjoyable.
The original Sonic game was a revelation to the side-scrolling platformer genre. It was audacious, fast, and breathtaking. There’s beauty in the original Sonic game’s simplicity, and this simplicity is exactly why it's still an amazing game for newer fans of the series to try to this day. None of the controls feel clunky or outdated because they were years ahead of their time at release.
3 Sonic Rush
This 2005 release made its way to the Nintendo DS and introduced Blaze the Cat, a fan favorite of the series. The game utilizes both of the console’s screens, and boss fights and special cutscenes are given a 3D effect as well. While the game retains the series’ core gameplay beats, it does add tension beats as a nice incentive for players to add a little flair to their gameplay.
The story is centered around new characters blaze and cream, and of course, Eggman. As is common with most good sonic games, the sound design and music are on point, and the controls are slick, making it a solid entry for newcomers to the series.
2 Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 3 & Knuckles essentially acted as a sort of DLC for the third game in the series, featuring new missions and the introduction of fan-favorite Knuckles, who features heavily here. Both characters have their own storyline, with Knuckles protecting the Master Emerald.
The game follows the classic Sonic formula and features a variety of fun and challenging maps or ‘zones.’ There are a ton of unique mini-bosses as well, and there is some variety with the differences in Sonic and Knuckles’ move sets. Widely considered one of the best platformers to release to this day, Sonic 3 & Knuckles has aged amazingly, particularly, the lock-on feature and the added difficulty compared to most platformers.
1 Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Considered one of Sega’s best games and one of the best platformers ever made, period. The game went miles beyond the original release, with larger zones, more varied enemies and obstacles, and the welcome addition of Tails.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 features one of the best soundtracks in the series and a multiplayer mode considered ahead of its time. Finding the hidden pieces and puzzles of every zone and just the challenging and rewarding gameplay, in general, made this game quite a memorable addition to the collection. The unique visual style with polished sprites and intricate map design still holds up today and has aged like fine wine thirty years after its release.