With 30 years under its belt, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has an incredible number and variety of games in its catalogue. Platformers are still the franchise's bread and butter, but it has taken brief detours into fighting games, racing games and even a JRPG.
The further back the games are from the present day, the more they begin to look a little outdated. Games released in the 90s especially feel like they could do with a modern coat of paint, to emphasize the impactful experiences they were when they first launched. With a remaster of Sonic Colors on the horizon, fans have cast their minds to what other games could get the remaster treatment.
10 Sonic Heroes – Everyone Is Here!
One of the first games that attempted to pull characters from all of Sonic canon, Sonic Heroes was initially released for the GameCube, PS2 & original Xbox in 2003. It saw players take control of four teams of three over the course of four adventures around Sonic's world.
As far as Sonic level design goes, it is regarded as one of the better 3D games. However, it received criticism for getting repetitive into the later stages. A remaster would be a great opportunity to clean this up by varying the level layouts for each team. Additionally, in the years since, plenty of new characters have been added to the world of Sonic. There's plenty of potential for new teams.
9 Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood – Sonic RPG
Released in 2008 and developed by Bioware, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a narrative-driven RPG made for the Nintendo DS. It made great use of the DS' touch screen mechanics, and told a solid story in a franchise that is traditionally known for sub-par narratives in its games.
The Nintendo Switch has made a remaster for this game extremely viable. The touch screen mechanics may have to be reworked for docked play. Still, an upgrade to Sonic Chronicles that turns the 2D environments into 3D ones and expands on the narrative slightly would undoubtedly be a hit among Sonic fans & RPG fans alike.
8 Sonic The Hedgehog 4 – Bringing Back 2D
When Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 & 2 were released in 2010 & 2012, respectively, the general reception wasn't brilliant. While a return to 2D was something the fans had wanted for a while, Sonic 4 failed to provide the same quality of experience as the original trilogy.
Getting a new 2D Sonic game that was as good as the originals seemed like an impossible ask for many years. Eventually though, Sonic Mania proved everyone wrong. With people on the development teams at SEGA now understanding what makes a good 2D Sonic game, a master of Sonic 4 may turn out quite well.
7 Knuckles' Chaotix - Rubber Banding
Released in 1995 exclusively for the SEGA 32X, Knuckles' Chaotix is one of the stranger spin-off Sonic games. It is a 2D platformer like the regular Sonic games; however, its main mechanic centers around a tether system. The two characters pthat layers use for each level are bound together by an elastic cable, which they can use to gain momentum.
Receiving mixed reviews upon launch, the game has become somewhat of a forgotten classic, with a cult following among Sonic fans. It is also notable for introducing the characters that would later become known as Team Chaotix, and the last playable appearance of Might the Armadillo before Sonic Mania Plus. This oddity of a game would be a joy to experience in a remastered form to pluck it out of obscurity.
6 Sonic Unleashed – Another Chance For the Werehog
When critics slate the modern iterations of Sonic games, the inclusion of the Werehog is often one of the first examples. Sonic Unleashed is a clear example of the franchise's lackluster narratives, and the Werehog gameplay was the worst part of the game, often unresponsive and laggy.
However, Unleashed had its fair share of upsides too. It was the first game in the franchise to use the Hedgehog engine, which allowed developers to make a lot of 3D terrain very quickly. The result was the series' first foray into the fun, and fast-paced 3D platforming that games like Sonic Colors would receive praise for.
5 Sonic R – Everybody's Super Sonic Racing
While Sonic R is perhaps known for its iconically 90s soundtrack more than anything else, it was an interesting twist on the racing game genre. For one thing, foot races were unconventional for the genre, but made sense for a Sonic game.
Additionally, the levels often focused on more than just racing. They encouraged players to explore corners of the environment to find collectables, rings & Chaos Emeralds. As fun as it is, the game was very short and looks very graphically outdated. A remaster could be a perfect opportunity to expand on this concept.
4 Sonic Adventure – A Fresh Coat Of Paint
Released in 1998, Sonic Adventure was the first Sonic game to truly realize the potential of 3D platforming in the franchise. The modern style of 3D Sonic level design has its beginning here, and the ability to play as so many different characters is a beloved feature.
Unfortunately, it has aged horribly. This title helped lay the groundwork for the franchise in 3D; however, it lacks a clear layer of polish in things like animation, camera controls, and even controlling the characters themselves. If SEGA were to go back and apply their current experience to the original Sonic Adventure game, it could be one of the best.
3 Sonic Generations – A New Celebration Of Past And Present
Released in 2011 for Sonic's 20th anniversary, Sonic Generations remains one of the best modern Sonic games. It introduced Classic Sonic to the Modern Sonic canon, and allowed the development team to play around with classic 2D levels and modern 3D ones in an environment that made both work well.
Now on its 30th anniversary, the Sonic franchise has even more games. Generations can take levels from these and make them in 2D & 3D. Sonic Lost World & Sonic Forces both deserve that treatment. A potential remaster could even pull in from more games in Sonic's history, such as the handheld titles.
2 Sonic Rush – Handhelds For The Modern Era
Sonic Rush and its sequel, Sonic Rush Adventure, released in 2005 & 2007 for the Nintendo DS and are some of the best 2D Sonic games of the modern era. They integrated the 'Boost' mechanic from the modern games in a way that made sense for a 2D platformer. Additionally, they took new strides in 2D Sonic level design, rather than constantly looking backwards to the original titles.
With the Nintendo Switch bridging the gap between handheld and traditional consoles, a remake would be ideal. The camera would have to be tweaked slightly to cope with the lack of a second screen, but plenty of DS titles have done that before. A remaster would be a fantastic chance to show a new audience the inventiveness of these often forgotten titles.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog 2006 - A Victim Of Circumstance
One of the most infamously terrible games of all time, Sonic The Hedgehog 2006 (also known as Sonic '06) may be the perfect candidate for a remaster. Many remasters focus on updating a beloved game; however, using it as an opportunity to fix a terrible one may be an even better use of developers' times.
Some problems will be difficult to fix without completely changing the games (like the entire story). Still, the fundamentals of the gameplay could be easily made far more solid with some time and effort; a few fan projects have already done just that. Updating a beloved game may be more profitable; however, turning one of the worst games of all time into an enjoyable experience would be an amazing gift to Sonic on his 30th birthday.