My Favorite Classic Sonic Games

If you owned a Sega Genesis in the early 90s, chances are you were exposed to Sonic the Hedgehog at some point. For me, it was the original Sonic the Hedgehog. This was the first Sega game I’ve played that made me forget I was playing on a Sega Genesis! The graphics were bright and colorful, it had blazing fast gameplay and a soundtrack which didn’t have that typical Genesis twang, haunting other games. Sonic was in a league of its own. Of course, our blue hero moved on and created different spin-offs such as Sonic Spinball, Sonic 3D Blast, and Sonic R. Eventually he crossed into full 3D, where he lost me for a while. Though Sonic Generations was a pretty good game, both the classic and 3D parts. However, the original 5 titles are the ones I resonate with the most, so my list is based on the games that kickstarted him into gaming history.

5. Sonic The Hedgehog

It’s not a surprise the OG is at the ‘bottom’. I quote ‘bottom’ because on its own, it’s still an amazing game. What makes this one so good? Green Hill Zone, of course! It’s the quintessential zone for Sonic the Hedgehog. Don’t believe me? Look at how many times Green Hill Zone has been replicated in the later Sonic games (hell the most recent one!). The music, the number of power-ups, speeding through the loops into high-speed tunnels, different paths to complete the stage, it gives a great introduction to what you’ll be facing. Everything is all good...until you hit the Marble Zone, where everything is slowed down to a halt. While it had good platforming areas, it greatly slows down the pacing. I believe if the stage had some fast areas to balance out the platforming, it would be a much better transition from Green Hill.

Also, you can’t forget the zone that is hated by all, Labyrinth Zone. It’s a bit easier for me to go through now, but when I was still a kid, I hated this stage. I felt it was a privilege to see the next zone, Star Light Zone, which was much easier and reminded you of Green Hill with the loops. Scrap Brain Zone sucked. That’s all I have to say about that place. Death traps everywhere, and in Act 3 it's nothing but a Labyrinth Zone recolor! If you hated the drowning mechanic, then you’ll hate it even more here. Overall, although zone transition wasn't the smoothest, the original Sonic had more challenging zones than the rest of the games on the list and was a great intro the hedgehog’s future.

4. Sonic The Hedgehog 3

At number 4 comes Sonic the Hedgehog 3. I honestly didn’t think we were going to get a second sequel, so it was a nice surprise to see it at my local Blockbuster one day. A couple things I liked. Sonic 3 introduced our favorite rival Knuckles the Echidna. The ability to save your game to play later is a nice touch. It also has one of my favorite zones, Hydrocity Zone. Yes, this is a water level, but done right! With plenty of speed zones, loops and tunnels, zooming across the water has never been fun. Ice Cap Zone had a cool snowboarding section if you played as Sonic.

While the overall flow of the game is much better than the Sonic 1, there are a couple things that hold it back for me. First of all, his model change. Why did they have to mess with perfection? His model was fine just how it was! It didn’t detract from the awesomeness the game presented, but still. Another major thing that keeps this game at number 4. Carnival Night Zone. Never have I hate such a stage more than Labyrinth Zone. Why does a zone take upward of 9 minutes to complete? Was I doing something wrong? Is there another path I was supposed to take or something, because this song dragged on, like, forever. After I finally passed it, I lost the desire to play the rest of the game. Of course, I beat it, but that zone, no matter how catchy the music, is one of my least favorite.

3. Sonic CD

“Sonic boooom, sonic boooom, sonic booooom” That’s the first thing I remember when I think of Sonic CD. Who doesn’t like the FMV at the beginning with that catchy-ass tune? My whole Sonic CD experience could be summarized in that intro alone.What makes this game so special? The music, of course. This has to be the best soundtrack out of the 5 games. My favorite two are the Plam Tree Panic and Tidal Tempest zones. The first has a nice island rock groove, and the third zone is just lovely with the background singers and overall vibe. It feels like you're in an underwater zone. It helps that the game was originally for the Sega CD, and while the some of the games were crap, their music always had that CD quality sound.

A cool thing is the main game mechanics. In Sonic CD, you can travel from past, present and future. How does it work? You need to run through past/future signs. After that, you need to maintain a fast speed for a certain period of time until you zoom into the time of your choice. The cool thing is if you go to the past and destroy a certain machine, the future is going to change drastically. Of course, getting a good future for all zones is part of getting the ‘true’ ending. Level design wise, it almost reminds me of Sonic 1. Yes there are speedy parts, but the levels overall feel more platform heavy. This game introduces a new move, the super peel out. It was activated by holding the up button and pressing jump. It's pretty much like the spin out, but much faster. The overall graphics feels more akin to Sonic 1 as well. They’re great, but for some reason, they seem more colorful on the original.

2. Sonic and Knuckles

I’m aware that Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles were supposed to be one game via backward compatibility, but since I didn’t own Sonic 3, I had to play them as separate games. Even though Sonic and Knuckles was supposed to be a continuation of Sonic 3, I enjoyed this version much better. I finally got to play Knuckles, something I wish I could've done in Sonic 3. Floating through the zones, punching blocks and climbing walls, things I was unable to do as Sonic. I don't know why, but I really like the game's first zone, Mushroom Hill Zone. It was just so different than what you usually get as the first zone in a Sonic game. Prior games always started with some sunny, tropical backdrop. I enjoyed the zones more than the previous games, and the game seems a tad bit more challenging, especially in the Sandopolis Zone Act 2. That zone was a test of patience.

In this zone you had to be on point with keeping the room lit up, or ghosts will show up on the screen. The darker the room gets, the scarier the ghost become, until it’s completely dark. Littered throughout the zones are switches that you must pull in order to keep the room as bright as possible. Failure to do so will bring the wrath of the ghosts upon you, and they’re annoying as hell. Sand slides, switches that stay open for a limited time, and raising sand makes this zone one of the harder stages in the Sonic Series. Overall this is a fantastic game in its own right, and you when you connect it to Sonic 3, you get the full Sonic 3 and Knuckles experience, which is the most optimal way to play. Even by itself, however, you can't go wrong with Sonic and Knuckles.

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

I’ll never get tired of this game. To me, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 represents the very best of the Sonic series. Excellent level design, lots of speedy sections and much more loops than the first game. The pacing, although a tad shorter, gave me enough of a level before getting tired of it. The music isn’t Sonic CD quality but very memorable. I can still remember Chemical Plant Zone music to this day. Sonic 2 was a true sequel to the original in every way and it showed. I love the bonus stages, my favorite out of the other games’ special stages. It had this pseudo-3D look while Sonic is running down a half-pipe, collecting rings and dodging spikes. It’s choppy as hell by today’s standards, but man, it was a big deal back then. Also, you can't forget about Super Sonic! Easily one of the best part of Sonic 2. You only get Super Sonic if you collected all the Chaos Emeralds. That made completing every bonus stage more desirable. Who didn't want to zoom across the game in an invincible, overpowered form? Working for it and then unleashing his power felt very rewarding.

Sonic 2 also introduced 2 player co-op stages. This was accomplished via a horizontal split-screen. I liked the fact that I and another person could complete stages together, or against each other. Unfortunately, you only had a limited selection of stages, but hey, it’s better than not having it there at all! While it didn’t blow anyone minds, it was a welcome addition to the game. My favorite stages are Chemical Plant and Oil Ocean. Chemical Plant is, to me, the standard of a Sonic the Hedgehog stage. Plenty of platforming, lots of speedy sections, and even a brief underwater section. It has everything you would expect from a Sonic stage. Oil Ocean, I think, is a just a cool ass stage to play through. Sliding under oil slicks, platforms that pop up from heating, and just the overall navigation makes the stage a little disorienting, but very fun. The music is cool too. My least favorite zone is Metropolitan Zone. It’s just long for no reason. And those damn Mantis mobs. They were the most annoying enemy in the game. Even the final boss is a little memorable. I can’t tell you how many times I attempted to beat his first phase, and never had enough continues to keep going.

And that's all folks. Hope you enjoyed that little trip down memory lane. Do you agree with my list, or you have another favorite? What's your top 5? Let me know in the comments!