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Official website. www .sonicthehedgehog .com. Sonic the Hedgehog [a] is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist.
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- Overview
- History
- Common features
- Characters
- Music
- Notable games
- Spin-offs
- Reception and legacy
(ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku za Hejjihoggu?) is a Japanese video game franchise created and owned by Sega. The franchise was created mainly by the company's Japanese developers; Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima and Hirokazu Yasuhara, to compete in entertainment, specifically the video game market. The mainline Sonic the Hedgehog games are platformers mostly developed by Sonic Team; spin-off games, often outsourced to other studios, encompass a variety of other genres. The franchise also includes printed media, animations, films, and merchandise.
The series started in 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, to provide Sega with a mascot to compete with Nintendo's Mario. The success of the game was responsible for turning Sega into a leading video game company during the early 1990s. The next few mainline games were developed by Sega Technical Institute, and a number of spin-offs were released for the Sega Master System and Game Gear. Following a hiatus during the Sega Saturn era, the first major 3D Sonic game, Sonic Adventure, was released in 1998. In 2001, Sega exited the console market and shifted to third-party development, with the series being continued on Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
The Sonic the Hedgehog series tells the story of a heroic anthropomorphic blue hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgehog, who has his main ability to run super speeds, and perform his main maneuver of powerful spinning attacks, fights to stop his arch-enemy Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist, who often seeks out various methods to defeat Sonic, in order to achieve his goal to take over the world by creating a technology-overrun world in his image, most of which involving the Chaos Emeralds, seven gemstones of infinite power, but his plans were always foiled by Sonic, who defeats and thwarts him and his evil plans ongoingly. When all are obtained, the Chaos Emeralds can power living beings and allow them to attain a "Super transformation" which Sonic often utilizes to fight his adversaries. The Sonic series also features an extended cast of characters, including Sonic's best friend and sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, his rival Knuckles the Echidna, his self-proclaimed girlfriend Amy Rose, and his evil robotic copy Metal Sonic.
is Sega's flagship series and one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, with series sales and mobile game downloads totaling over 1.51 billion units by 2022. The original Sonic games continue to receive critical acclaim and are often listed as amongst the greatest of all time. Although later entries, notably the 2006 one, were met with poorer reviews, Sonic remains influential in the video game industry and is often referenced in popular culture.
Development
While several people have been involved in the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, the artist Naoto Ohshima, programmer Yuji Naka, and designer Hirokazu Yasuhara are generally credited with the creation of the character. In April 1990, Sega requested a game capable of selling more than 1,000,000 copies; a character who could compete against Nintendo's popular Super Mario, and a character to ultimately replace Alex Kidd as the company's mascot. Several character designs were submitted by its AM8 research and development department. These included an armadillo (who was later developed into Mighty the Armadillo), a dog, a mustached man in pajamas (who was later used as the basis of the design of the main antagonist Dr. Eggman) and a rabbit (who would use its extendable ears to collect objects, an idea that was later used for a separate Sega character, Ristar). Eventually, the mascot they selected was Naoto Ohshima's submission, a spiky teal hedgehog code-named "Mr. Hedgehog", later renamed Sonic. Sonic's color was based on the Sega logo, his shoe buckles based on Michael Jackson, his shoe color based on Santa Claus, and his personality was inspired by future-President Bill Clinton's "get it done" attitude, who Ohshima felt embodied a modern sensibility of wanting to get things done right away, righting wrongs as they presented themselves instead of letting them linger. According to Yuji Naka, Sonic's color also serves to symbolize peace, trust, and coolness (which are the attributes of Sonic's character). His trademark speed is based on Super Mario Bros. World 1-1, with Sonic creator Yuji Naka stating in issue 260 of Nintendo Power that he "always tried to get through the level as fast as [he] could," which inspired the initial concept for Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic was created without the ability to swim because of a mistaken assumption by Yuji Naka that all hedgehogs could not do so. A group of fifteen people started working on Sonic the Hedgehog and renamed themselves Sonic Team. The game's soundtrack was composed by Masato Nakamura of the band Dreams Come True. Sega sponsored the group's "Wonder 3" tour, painting Sonic on the tour bus, distributing pamphlets advertising the game, and having footage of the game broadcast above stage prior to its release. The original concepts from Naoto Ohshima gave Sonic fangs and presented him in a band with a human girlfriend named Madonna. The band couldn't be completed for the game due to time constraints and Yuji Naka had Madonna removed because he wanted to take Sonic in a different, less-silly direction than the Super Mario Bros. series. However, a team from Sega of America, led by Madeline Schroeder, redesigned Sonic the Hedgehog for an American audience by having Greg Martin "soften" his design. This sparked a heated issue with Sonic Team but Naka later admitted that it was probably for the best. 's precise age, weight, height and other physical characteristics vary depending on the continuity in which he appears and the style in which he is drawn. In the video games, Sonic's original design by Naoto Ohshima was with short spikes, a round body, and no visible irises. Artwork featuring this design and drawn by Akira Watanabe was displayed on the package artwork for Sonic the Hedgehog, and most subsequent Sonic video games featured similar designs. When Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Mega Drive appeared, Sonic's proportions changed. The original 1:2 head to height ratio changed to 1:2.5.
Games
, the launch title for what would become the Sonic series, was released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive to critical acclaim and far exceeding Sega's commercial expectations, becoming one of the best-selling games in history, and, at the time, giving a huge popularity boost for Sega, enough so that the company could directly compete with Nintendo, which soon released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in the same year as a way of counterattack, starting the infamous company rivalry that will last throughout the decade. The game was soon ported to Sega's 8-bit platforms: the Sega Master System and the handheld Game Gear; this version had similar Zone themes and regular enemies, but entirely different level layouts and bosses; this version notably omitted the use of the iconic shuttle loops, and was also well-received by critics, who cited it as a decent effort in porting the original game's complex engine into the less powerful Master System/Game Gear. After the first game's success, a sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, soon followed, introducing Sonic's then-new sidekick and best friend, Miles "Tails" Prower. Unlike the original Sonic the Hedgehog, it was developed by the Sega Technical Institute rather than Sonic Team. Released in November 1992, the gameplay and story remained largely the same as the previous game: having to rescue the animal friends and defeat Dr. Robotnik. The game also introduced a new ability for Sonic to use: the Spin Dash. While its Genesis/Mega Drive iteration is more widely known, the game was first released for the Master System and Game Gear, having little to no connection with its 16-bit counterpart aside the name. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was a commercial success, and was released to critical acclaim in all of its versions. It also introduced the super transformation ability, as due to the first game having only six Chaos Emeralds, a seventh was added. the Hedgehog CD was released the following year, and was developed by a different team in Japan that was instead headed by Naoto Ohshima. While this game was supposed to be the same as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, during development, it eventually became its own project. Sonic the Hedgehog CD was released for the Mega CD (called Sega CD in North America), a special add-on for the Genesis/Mega Drive; due to this, it featured higher-quality sprites and soundtrack in comparison to previous Sonic games; the latter differed between the American and European/Japanese versions of the game. It quickly became a commercial success, receiving acclaim from video game reviewers and magazines. It was later ported to Microsoft Windows in CD-ROM format in 1996, becoming the first Sonic title to be officially available on PC, with noticeable improvements over the original version. It introduced the soon-to-be recurring characters Amy Rose, Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend, and Metal Sonic, Sonic's deadly robotic doppelganger created by Dr. Robotnik and first true rival. This game also marked the debut of the Super Peel Out. Spinball, the first spin-off title in the series, was released in 1993 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System and the Game Gear. It largely followed the concept of Sonic bouncing around as the ball on a giant pinball table that had been used in both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. While it was commercially successful, the game received mixed reception from critics and fans alike. , the second spin-off game in the franchise, released in 1993 for the Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, and Game Gear, was one of the few entries in the series in which Sonic did not make any appearance, not even in a cameo. The game, however, was set in the universe of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, the first Sonic TV show, which was produced by DiC Entertainment and featured that cartoon's version of Dr. Eggman, alongside several of his lackeys such as Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts. The game branched the series into the puzzle genre for the first time, and was a port for Western regions of Japan's Puyo Puyo, receiving positive reception. , also released in 1993, was the first installment in the Sonic series to be released in arcade systems, and introduced new characters to the franchise: Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. It distinguished itself from other Sonic games at the time by presenting a isometric, pseudo-3D perspective in comparison to the traditional 2D fast-paced platforming the series was known for. It was well-received by video game magazines and got positive scores. 3, released in 1994, continued where Sonic the Hedgehog 2 left, and saw Sonic and Tails venture into Angel Island, after hearing unusual activity coming from the place. It introduced another character to the series: Knuckles the Echidna, who, while an enemy to Sonic and Tails in this game, would become one of their best friends later on. During development, the originally planned Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was split in half due to time constraints and manufacturing costs, having a direct sequel, Sonic & Knuckles, released later that year, which included the leftover content from the standalone Sonic the Hedgehog 3 release. The two were built on the same engine and sold well, receiving positive feedback from videogame critics. Sonic & Knuckles also included Lock-on technology, which allowed the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge to be connected to an older game to the cartridge's pass-through port to unlock bonuses: If connected to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the game becomes Sonic 3 & Knuckles (which is what the developers intended to achieve with the standalone Sonic the Hedgehog 3 cartridge), while if it is connected to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic 2 is unlocked, which allows players to select Knuckles as their character in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, although Sonic and Tails are removed in this version; connecting the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge to any other Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge, including the original Sonic the Hedgehog, unlocks a full version of the Blue Sphere Special Stages. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and the complete Sonic 3 & Knuckles would later be ported to Windows PCs in 1997 as a compilation titled Sonic & Knuckles Collection. , released in 1995 for the Sega 32X Genesis/Mega Drive add-on, saw Knuckles the Echidna in the role of protagonist instead of the titular character Sonic (who only makes a cameo in the good ending of the game alongside Tails), and introduced the team that would later be known as the Team Chaotix, including Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy Bee, alongside a returning Mighty the Armadillo. Similar to Sonic the Hedgehog CD years earlier, Knuckles' Chaotix featured higher-quality graphics and OST than preceding entries. While it led to be the best-selling title for the 32X, it is largely considered a commercial failure and received mixed reviews overall, with its presentation dividing critics. 3D, named Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island in Europe and Japan, and Sonic 3D Blast in North America, was released as a "swan-song" for the Genesis/Mega Drive in December 1996, and was the last Sonic game released for the 16-bit console. This game, similar to SegaSonic the Hedgehog, was also played from an isometric perspective. Although it shared elements with the 2D platform Sonic installments, it stood out by introducing a new gameplay mechanic, which was to collect Flickies (one of the many animal friends that are captured regularly to power Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army) after rescuing the birds from the robots and then, as a method of progress, the player had to warp them into Giant Rings to get through the stages. Sega Saturn and Microsoft Windows ports followed to cover the hole of the cancellation of Sonic X-treme. The Saturn/PC version featured enhanced graphics and a different soundtrack, composed by Richard Jacques. While it was a commercially prosperous, Sonic 3D Blast received mixed reception from critics and fans alike, with the Saturn/PC version getting slightly more positive scores. The game was developed by Traveller's Tales, although Sonic Team worked on the Special Stages in the Saturn/PC version. In 1997, a compilation entitled Sonic Jam was released for the Saturn and Game.com. In addition to containing Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, it also included a "Sonic World" mode. This allowed the player to control Sonic in a small 3D-world similar to Green Hill Zone from the original game; it contained no enemies and was mainly a means of accessing the disc's multimedia features such as BGM's, illustrations and commercials. While the original version of Sonic Jam was well-received by reviewers and performed decently in commercial terms, its Game.com counterpart was critically panned and sold extremely poorly. Alongside the 16-bit games, during this time there were also several 8-bit entries developed exclusively for the Game Gear and Master System, such as Sonic Chaos in 1993, Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble in 1994, and Sonic Blast in 1996/97, each with varying degrees of success and following a similar formula to their 16-bit counterparts. Unlike the Mega Drive games, these titles were developed by a different entity, Ancient, with Sega as the publisher. Beginning with Sonic Adventure in 1998, Sonic was redesigned by Yuji Uekawa as a fifteen-year-old character with longer legs, a less spherical body, longer spikes, and emerald green-colored eyes. Further changes to the character's design were made in subsequent games, namely in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Unleashed, adding visible fur, a more realistic design for a human world, and making him a bit lankier. Spin-off media such as comics and cartoons have featured variations on all these videogame designs, with restrictions set by the standardized model sheets. To create unique Sonic products in various markets, Sega initially developed two major regional backstories for the instruction booklets; the original Japanese version and a localized version for most other regions, which was the version built upon by the Archie Comics, the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, and other media. While sometimes the storyline would have minute differences, other times the storyline would be very different. With the launch of the Sega Dreamcast, the series' storyline took a unified approach and this practice diminished. being chased by a giant orca in Emerald Coast, as seen in Sonic Adventure. Although Sonic the Fighters and Sonic R were the first 3D graphic Sonic games, the true leap into 3D platforming was made with Sonic Adventure, a launch title for the Sega Dreamcast (Sega's last console), which resulted critical acclaim. On June 23 2001, the 10th anniversary of the US release of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Adventure 2 was launched. Both of the Adventure titles were later ported to the Nintendo GameCube (under the titles of Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle) when Sega ultimately dropped out of the hardware market. Sonic Adventure DX was also released on Microsoft Windows in 2003. The first Sonic game to release simultaneously on multiple consoles, Sonic Heroes, was released on the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox in December 2003 in Japan, with American and European releases in 2004 and a PC version during the following November. The platforming was largely similar to that of the Adventure titles, although the player now controlled the lead character in a team of three characters, with the other two following closely behind. The player could switch to a new leader at any time to make use of each character's unique skills. While it was a commercial success, opinions among both reviewers and fans of the Sonic series were mostly mixed. was released in the United States in November 2005. It was commercially successful, but as with Sonic Heroes, received mixed reviews from critics. Example sites such as IGN and GameSpot panned the game. Nintendo Power and GameTrailers, however, both rated it above 8 out of 10, praising the replay value. Controversies revolving around this game included the gun play and the over-use of minor profanity and the fact that Sega had decided to switch the characters' voices to the 4Kids Entertainment voice actors from the English version of Sonic X. A highly faithful two-part port of Sonic the Hedgehog made for mobile phones has been a huge hit in Europe, introducing the game to a new generation of pre-teen gamers, with respected handheld specialist Pocket Gamer awarding Sonic the Hedgehog Part Two a 9 out of 10 review score.
Other gameplay styles
The Sonic series has also seen installments in another genres and gameplay styles aside the standard platforming it is known for. The first of these was the already mentioned Sonic Spinball and its 8-bit counterpart, soon followed by Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, in 1993. Several racing games starring Sonic characters have been developed. In Sonic Drift and its sequel, characters drive go-karts around a flat course, reminiscent of Super Mario Kart. In Sonic R (1998), most characters ran on foot (though Eggman rides in his Egg Mobile and Amy drives a car), while in the Sonic Riders series (2006), they race on hoverboards known as "Extreme Gear." With games such as Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Sonic characters returned to racing in vehicles, alongside other Sega characters. Shuffle was a virtual board game/party game for the Dreamcast. Edutainment video games starring Sonic and Tails have also been released, such as Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld and Tails and the Music Maker for the Sega Pico, and the PC title Sonic's Schoolhouse. A fighting game, named Sonic the Fighters, was released in 1996 for arcade systems, and later a hybrid, called Sonic Battle, was released in 2003 in Japan and 2004 elsewhere for the Game Boy Advance. In 2005, Shadow the Hedgehog introduced nonlinear gameplay to the series while partly being a third-person-shooter, which was also incorporated in 2001's Sonic Adventure 2. The player's decisions while playing the game would affect the story's course. In 2008, Sonic Unleashed was released, which brought on a new to the series style of brawling-based combat mixed with platforming in the form of Night stages, played as Sonic the Werehog. Six months later, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood brought Sonic into the genre of role-playing games for the first time, mixing turn-based strategic combat and storytelling with the traditional Sonic elements. Frontiers ushered in open world gameplay in 2022, blending platforming elements into a series of "Open Zone" environments, offering players the freedom to traverse varied landscapes. Additionally, Sonic Frontiers featured an expanded combat system to enhance the overall gaming experience.
Rings Giant Rings
A variety of the normal Rings, the Giant Rings are hidden in the games' stages and designed to be jumped through, which would transport the character to a Special Stage, where the character could collect one of the Chaos Emeralds or, in certain circumstances, Super Emeralds. They were used for this purpose in Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog CD and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 used the Star Posts instead. In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, if all the Emeralds had already been found, these Rings would be collected as a normal one, granting 50 normal Rings each, allowing the characters to immediately tap into the power of the Chaos Emeralds (usually becoming Super, or Hyper in Sonic 3 & Knuckles if the player has collected all the Super Emeralds as well). Since Sonic Adventure 2, they have taken the place of the old Goal Plates as the end level marker and touching it would end the stage.
Shuttle loops
Shuttle loops are circular loop-de-loops of unknown origin that the player runs through as part of the main path during a stage. While the player will often be required to input quick acceleration to get through them in the 2D games, this is often not the case in 3D installments, as the character will usually be launched into them with a set speed once they get near the structure, generally not allowing to backtrack the level.
Chaos Emeralds
The Chaos Emeralds are seven emeralds with mystical powers which are a recurring feature in Sonic games. They are important in most of the games' plots, and the player is often required to collect them all to fully defeat Dr. Eggman, and achieve the games' "good endings", Super forms, or both. The method used to acquire the Emeralds varies from game to game in the series. Most early games require the player to find them in Special Stages. In some games, such as Sonic R and the 8-bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, they can be found in hidden locations within the main levels. In later installment games, the Chaos Emeralds are usually obtained by the characters throughout the games' story modes and do not need to be "found" by the player themselves. A counterpart to the Chaos Emeralds, known as the Sol Emeralds, appear in the Sonic Rush games. In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it is possible for the seven Chaos Emeralds to be enhanced and possess even greater power, which they will become the Super Emeralds.
Since Sonic's first appearance in the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game on 23 June 1991 (despite an earlier cameo in the arcade game Rad Mobile), many more characters have appeared and most of them have been added to the main cast. Many of these characters have garnered steady fanbases of their own since their inclusion into the franchise, while other long-time fans have criticized them for allegedly taking the gameplay focus off of Sonic:
Image Description
Sonic is the fastest thing alive and the eponymous protagonist of the series. He possesses incredible super speed and numerous other abilities that are known to be based on breakdancing. He uses these skills to save the world from Dr. Eggman. He is impatient, laid-back, confident, cool-headed, and always on the lookout for an adventure as well as to help anyone in need of rescuing.
Miles "Tails" Prower Sonic's best friend. He is a young two-tailed fox who can fly for a limited time by spinning his tails rapidly, and has most of Sonic's abilities, including his supersonic speed. He is a skilled mechanic and often takes care of Sonic's biplane, the Tornado.
Dr. Eggman Real name Dr. Ivo Robotnik, Eggman is Sonic's arch nemesis and the series' main villain. He is extremely intelligent, pompous, bad-tempered, egg-shaped, and has a giant red-brown mustache. Eggman is an expert in robotics with an IQ of 300 whose goal is to conquer the world and build the Eggman Empire. However, Sonic and his friends always stand in his way. In many cases, he is ironically outdone by his own plans.
Knuckles the Echidna The last living echidna and Sonic's hotheaded friend and rival. Knuckles resides on Angel Island, where he guards the Master Emerald, the source of the island's ability to float in the sky. Knuckles is very strong; his spiked fists are capable of smashing through boulders as well as allowing him to climb walls. The nature of his echidna dreadlocks allows him to glide in the air for periods of time.
The music of the Sonic series is considered one of the aspects that make the series popular. Sonic games have featured tunes composed by a variety of people; Masato Nakamura of J-pop band Dreams Come True was responsible for the music of the first two 16-bit games. Ys/Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro composed the music for the first 8-bit titl...
The success of the Sonic video game franchise has led to a large number of spin-offs and adaptations in other media, such as TV shows, films, and comic series, starring Sonic. Each spin-off incorporates aspects from the games to varying degrees. With few exceptions, each production takes place in their own fictional universe, independent of the vid...
The Sonic the Hedgehog series became an instant success, both commercially and critically, throughout the videogame industry. During its first decade of existence, it hit a mega-sensation and became one of the most popular media franchises worldwide, rivalling and drawing comparisons to Nintendo's Mario, which had made a similar impact in the 1980s. Sega, capitalizing on this success, also made Sonic venture outside video games and into other media, such as television shows, comic book series, films, and toys. Sale estimates for the Sonic series range from 80 to 100+ million copies sold through the span of its history; this figure amounts to a total of 350 million when counting mobile downloads and purchases, reaching the list of best-selling video game series. In 2020, Sega Sammy revealed in their annual investors report that the franchise has sold over 1.14 billion cumulative units, including physical sales and downloads.
The series has gained international recognition for its music, covering a wide variety of genres including rock, pop, metal, ska, hip hop, ambient and orchestral. The online publication Tom's Guide wrote that "from Sonic 2, to Secret Rings, to Zero Gravity, to Mania Plus, Sonic's always brought an S-Rank performance to his games' musical stylings". The music of Green Hill Zone has been described as one of the most memorable melodies in pop culture and one of the greatest of all time, with GamesRadar+ noting that remixes of the track are continuously released on YouTube to this day. The soundtrack of Star Light Zone was one of nineteen tracks from popular Japanese video game franchises to be used during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Through its history, the Sonic franchise has been nominated and won several awards as well. It won "Outstanding Contribution" by the Golden Joystick, the first ever to win that prize. The franchise also got onto the Walk of Game, and has had several graphic, gameplay, sound, and "game of the year" accolades per year. It was awarded seven records by the Guinness World Records in Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. The records include "Best Selling Game on Sega Systems", "Longest Running Comic Based on a Video Game" and "Best Selling Retro Game Compilation" (for Sonic Mega Collection). In the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2010, the Sonic the Hedgehog series was listed number 15 out of the top 50 videogame franchises. In December 2006, IGN ranked Sonic the Hedgehog as the 19th greatest series of all time, claiming that "although recent 3D entries in the series have been somewhat lacking, there is no denying the power of this franchise".
Besides this praise, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has attracted criticism, especially in recent years. A common complaint has been that the variant gameplay styles found in recent three-dimensional titles have strayed from the original formula of the series. Specifically, the series' jump to 3D has been noted as a declining point. A strong point of controversy also hits the Sonic fanbase, claimed to be particularly "annoying" by several people. In late 2010, Sega de-listed Sonic titles with "mixed" or "negative" scores in review aggregator Metacritic, such as the poorly received Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), in order to increase the value of the Sonic brand after positive reception for games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and Sonic Colors. Some video game magazines and critics have also been very critical of the franchise.[citation needed]
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Sonic Prime is an animated action-adventure series that follows Sonic and his friends in a multiverse of parallel realities. The series features voice actors from Sonic Underground and Sonic the Hedgehog, and is available on Netflix.
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- Sonic Underground (1999-2000) Sonic Underground is still a cult hit but perhaps wasn't received quite as well as shows since. With strange animation visual choices that felt very stylized and rounded at times, the series didn't look like the iconic Sonic that audiences would have gotten to know.
- Sonic X (2003-2006) Another instance of the classic Sonic series being crafted into something new, the famous character got the anime treatment with Sonic X and it was definitely a change of pace.
- Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog (1993-1996) It's important that the TV series feels like some of the best Sonic games and that's what the team attempted with Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog.
- Sonic The Hedgehog (1993-1994) Where Adventures failed, Sonic The Hedgehog seemed to succeed, even if it had a much more limited run. The animation was slightly improved, although the stylized characterizations of Sonic Underground made their debut here.
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