For 30 years, the blue hedgehog that can dash at the speed of light has been gracing screens all over the world. What better way to honor the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise than to name the best games out there. Some people think the Sonic series has hit a few bumps with some of the games that have come out in recent years, but it is still an admirable franchise.
The original Sonic the Hedgehog games are notorious for being fast-paced side-scrollers and the levels can be finished in just a couple of hours. For years I was obsessed with Sonic comics, television series, and of course the video games. They are classic platformers that I just enjoy and can never get sick of playing. Try and grab a Chili dog before Sonic takes it from you, sit back and read this list.
10. Sonic Spinball
This is a pinball game that came out in the nineties. I personally found it with The Sonic Mega Collections disc that came out for GameCube. The game features Sonic as a pinball and he rolls into a tiny ball which is something that Sonic is known for doing when he hits a spring in any game.
SEGA was really creative with the idea of using him like a pinball. The levels feature a series of different pinball machines and the objective is to use the flippers to get as many of the chaos emeralds as possible and defeat the boss at the top of the machine. It can get kind of annoying with the flippers since you can easily fall all the way down and you have to work your way back up. That is why this game gets the 10 spots, other than that it is a fun game.
9. Sonic Rush
Sonic Rush came out in 2005 for the Nintendo DS system, it is a 2D platformer featuring Sonic and Blaze the Cat. They are out to defeat Dr.Eggman and Eggman’s doppelganger Eggman Nega. The player can choose either Sonic or Blaze which offers two different attacks and gameplay experiences. If you play as Sonic you are fighting against Eggman Nega, in boss battles and if you play as Blaze you get the OG Eggman. It was an interesting mix-up getting to play as different characters. Also, a cool feature is playing two-player mode with the different levels as Blaze and Sonic with your buddy.
8. Sonic Heroes
This game hits close to home for me because I remember renting it at Blockbuster to play with my friends on the weekends. You get to select from a few different trios, each character in your trio has a different strength: one can fly or hover, one is tough as bricks and the last are the speediest. I also love the Sonic Heroes theme song very much.
The game is 3D and the levels are so different from one another. There is a really cool attack that you can get that wipes out everything in close proximity. The one thing that really gives this game mixed reviews is the poor camera angles and controls. I put the game on this list because of the variety of characters you can play throughout the entire game.
7. Sonic Generations
This is the best version of the 2D/3D Sonic games. You are able to play the classic Sonic the Hedgehog levels in the side scroller way that we grew up with or you can play in 3D mode and experience those same levels. It was pretty sick to play Chemical Plant Zone that way. The soundtracks are very catchy and easy to fall into as you are playing through the game. Although it was cool to play the levels in 3D, it is still the best in 2D. The classic side scroller Sonic will always be iconic.
6. Sonic Adventure 2
It is the second 3D Sonic game to come out. The graphics from the first Sonic Adventure were smoothed out. You can choose to play the Hero Story of the Dark Story. The interesting thing about this game is that you play these different characters in each. The Dark Story is a little more challenging compared to Hero Story. I loved that I got to play as Rouge the Bat for the treasure hunting levels. There is a Two-Player feature where you can select different stages and play as different characters based on abilities.
The thing that made this game incredible was Chao world, at the end of the stages you can collect keys and it will bring you the world of the adorable Chao. This is best to do once you finish playing the Hero Side or Dark Side as you can go through levels and collect different animals or power-ups for the Chao. You can purchase Chao eggs and make them good or evil, whichever you prefer.
5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
The second of the series that introduced Sonic’s trusty Sidekick Tails, the hovering orange fox. The game is even faster than the first one. There is one level where you finish at the spinning sign and the second is a boss level. Some of the iconic levels are the Chemical Plant Zone and Casino Night Zone.
It also has one of my favorite mini-games, the quick tubes, where you collect lots of coins and avoid the spike balls. Sonic 2 was created to have a 2 player feature where the second player is tails. However, if you go too fast, you lose Tails, and for some reason, I always lose control of Tails after a while. You are better off defeating Dr.Robotnik and his bots on your own.
4. Sonic the Hedgehog
Where would we be without the first 2D platformer of Sonic the Hedgehog? The classic tune when you start the game at Green Hill Zone is nostalgia at its best. Sonic starts out as this little pixelated 2D character. The game consists of attacking Dr.Robotnik’s many bosses and collecting as many rings as possible.
The idea behind the game is so that the levels were easy and quick to get through. I always loved timing myself to see how fast I can get through the levels. If you collect 100 rings you can play the minigames at the end of each level. There are two main levels where you finish at the spinning sign. Then the last level is a boss and after you defeat it, the animals are free. It was the game that put Genesis on the map.
3. Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed
A game that is often overlooked by many because of Mario Kart Wii, oh and it came out for WiiU too so it is quite understandable. The game features 20 characters of the SEGA franchises. What is cool about this game is that the vehicles transform from car to boat and then to airplane depending on different parts of maps. Pick from different courses from the games and race your friends, it gets just as competitive as Mario Kart. You may even have a tiff or two with your buddies over the game.
2. Sonic 3/ Sonic & Knuckles
These games both get to share a spot because the two games intersect with each other. Literally, when the games were in production they were meant to be separate, but at the time Sonic 3 was finishing, it was met with Sonic and Knuckles in development. In Sonic 3, Knuckles is trying to keep the emeralds away from you. He acts like a real punk and leaves traps for you throughout the game.
You can play time-challenged mini-games that come from either Sonic 3 or Sonic and knuckles Once you complete Sonic 3 you get to Sonic and Knuckles which is the best game of the earlier ones in my opinion. You get to play as Sonic or Knuckles in the game. Sonic of course has his speed abilities. But, I always played as Knuckles, because he was able to climb up walls and hover which made the gameplay much easier. I really enjoyed the first level of Sonic and Knuckles as well, the bouncy mushrooms were really fun.
1. Sonic Mania
Why is this game so popular? It is the best because it has the same nostalgic feel of the original sonic games but in a clearer more modern picture. That is what is separating these games from each other. It is Sonic Mega Collections mashed into one game with different levels from all of them. It feels so nostalgic and has the same face paced levels with a modern twist.
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