Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis, 1991)

Back in the late 1980's, Nintendo had become a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut. No other company could compete, as the Atari 2600 dwindled in popularity, and couldn't produce a console as successful as the NES. Sega was new to the gaming scene with their Sega Master System, which, while popular in Europe and Brazil, couldn't gain prominence in the U.S. and Japanese markets. When the Genesis was first launched, it had the upper-hand in terms of graphical capability and processing power over the NES, and yet, Sega still failed to move Genesis units at a competitive rate. What was a failing game company to do?

SE~GAAAA

The answer was found in the form of a little blue hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog debuted in 1991 as Sega's new mascot, intended to compete with Nintendo's Mario. Although the Genesis was originally bundled with Altered Beast, Sega eventually decided to swap that to Sonic the Hedgehog. The plan paid off, big time. By bundling Sonic with the Genesis, Sega managed to grab almost 50% of the home console market from Nintendo.

The first of many successful titles for Sega.

So what made Sonic so great? Well, he was a mean-looking blue hedgehog who could move really, really fast. This was way cooler than a slow, fat plumber who hopped on things. Also, the game was characterized by lush, bright environments and a techno-driven soundtrack. This wasn't your average platformer. This was your platformer on speed.

Go faster!

Sonic popularized the anthropomorphic mascot in platforming. Originally named "Mr. Needlemouse", Sonic the Hedgehog revolves around Sonic as he frees his forest friends from Dr. Robotnik. Robotnik (later known as "Eggman") is turning the forest creatures into mindless robot slaves to help him obtain the six Chaos Emeralds. He'll use the Emeralds' powers to take over the world, that is, unless Sonic can stop him.

At the end of each level, you face Robotnik one-on-one.

As Sonic, you'll traverse through six levels, broken into three acts each, to stop Robotnik. Along the way, you'll find yourself traversing loop-de-loops, springs, and slopes, which if you use properly, will maximize your speed. The most satisfying thing about a Sonic game is when you get good at a level: basically, when you know where everything is and you can just blow through it like it's a piece of cake. This led to the ever-popular speed runs on YouTube that you see floating around.

Unlike other platformers at the time, Sonic did not follow the "three hits and you're dead" rule. In Sonic the Hedgehog, you can collect rings. If you are hit by an enemy, then your rings explode away from you, but grab 'em quick, because as long as you are holding at least one ring, it is impossible to die. Collect 100 rings, and you earn an extra life. Sonic also had checkpoints mid-level, and bonus stages where you could try to collect the Chaos Emeralds.

Bonus stage!

Finally, I know I mentioned it before, but I have to again: I absolutely love the soundtrack to this game, and really, most Sonic games. It's upbeat and really drives the action.

Sonic the Hedgehog is, to this day, one of my favorite franchises, even though it's had its ups and downs over the past decade. This first game led the groundwork to some very successful and much-improved on sequels, and if nothing else, deserves some accolades for being able to stand up to Mario in a time when he seemed invincible. 

Sonic the Hedgehog is available in numerous compilations, the most recent being Sonic Mega Collection, Sonic Mega Collection Plus, Sega Genesis Collection, Sonic Classic Collection and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. It is also available for download on Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, Steam, and Apple's App Store. Finally, if you want the old Genesis cartridge, it's available new and used at varying prices from Amazon.com.