Nintendo finally announced its plans for Mario's 35th anniversary Thursday, including the limited-time release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars: A collection of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy for the Switch with updated visuals. That announcement led many to wonder how Nintendo will handle The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary next year, but it also opens the door for other gaming icons. As some on social media have pointed out, Mario's long-time rival Sonic the Hedgehog will also be seeing a huge anniversary next year.
Sonic the Hedgehog released on the Sega Genesis in 1991, so it's likely the character will see fanfare for his 30th anniversary. Sega confirmed there are Sonic announcements to share despite COVID-19 delays, and the series had big releases for its previous two anniversaries. Sonic Generations and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 punctuated Sonic's 20th anniversary in 2011, while Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces celebrated his 25th anniversary in 2016. If Sega decides to pull its older games onto new hardware, there are a few 3D titles that would make for good candidates.
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic's history is trickier to parse than Mario's, as the character has evolved and taken on new styles of gameplay while finding something that works on 3D consoles. Sonic Generations embodied this idea by pulling levels from three different eras of Sonic: The Genesis games, the Dreamcast/GameCube games, and the "Modern" games. Both trilogies from the latter categories could serve an entire collection on their own, but Sonic Adventure 2 seems the best individual pick to represent the Dreamcast days.
While Sonic Adventure could be considered a better historical choice given it was the character's first major jump into 3D platforming, Sonic Adventure 2 is arguably better in how it streamlined much of its predecessor's quirks. Plus, it introduced the world to fan-favorite character Shadow the Hedgehog, making it a nostalgic seller for the collection.
Sonic Colors
The aforementioned "Modern" trilogy — Sonic 06, Sonic Unleashed, and Sonic Colors — has less of an obvious choice for a game to bring back. However, having only been released on the Wii and DS, Sonic Colors is the least accessible game of the three and isn't considered a dumpster fire like Sonic 06, so it could stand to be brought back.
One advantage that Sonic Colors also has over Sonic Unleashed is that it utilizes the "Boost" formula without cutting it for slower, action-focused Werehog sections reminiscent of the original God of War games. Instead, it offers variety in the form of Wisps that give Sonic short-term special powers for unique platforming sections. Those alien creatures have become staples of the series, so it would be good to give more players access to their origin.
Sonic Generations
Perhaps it's tacky to include a "greatest hits" game in a new collection of Sonic the Hedgehog titles, but Sonic Generations is a true love letter to the series. It stands out for blending modern 3D Sonic and classic 2D Sonic gameplay, with levels featuring remixes to fit both styles. Even simple graphical updates would do this game wonders in the current and next generation of consoles, offering more players the chance to understand why the hit-or-miss series became so beloved.
That being said, Sega has been more forthcoming in making its games accessible than Nintendo, so titles like Sonic Generations are already available on PC. Many would argue this Sonic the Hedgehog game doesn't need to be put out on newer consoles, as updates and mods ensure it can remain modern for PC-based players. But some fans don't play games on PC, and Sonic Generations is a bigger "get" than more lackluster titles like Sonic Lost World, even if that could also round out the 3D collection with more unique gameplay.