Sonic The Hedgehog 2 featured new gameplay, new techniques, new worlds, a new storyline, and also it was the debut of Sonic's best friend, an anthropomorphic two-tailed fox named "Miles Prower" also known as Tails. Sonic's quest remains the same, to save the world from the evil Dr. Robotnik (Dr. Eggman), and prevent him from taking the Chaos Emeralds to power up his machines, and conquer the world by building his own empire.
The game also had a two-player competition, in which players would compete either against family members or friends from the block or school as well.
For years, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 lived in my mind, I still remember the days playing this game with my cousin when we were 8 years old, and beating the game with either Sonic or Tails, and getting all emeralds, oh the memories.
Plot. Last time, Sonic has defeated the evil Dr. Robotnik, and his Scrap Brain base was completely destroyed, however, the evil scientist narrowly escaped. Sonic takes a vacation to West Side Island, and meets a two-tailed fox-like boy named Miles Prower, also known as "Tails". The two become fast friends, and that is until Dr. Robotnik returns once again to wreak havoc. Sonic and Tails must stop him, and also they must obtain the seven Chaos Emeralds, to prevent Robotnik from powering up his new base which is in space, the Death Egg.
Though there are more stages, there are two acts instead of three, which was in the first game, but the exception is that the only stage that has three acts, is the Metropolis Zone. When players gather 50 rings or over, they hit a Star Post, and they can enter the Special Stage, which looks like a race. In Special Stages, players must run through two checkpoints, and a certain number of rings are required to cross through all two, in order to obtain the Chaos Emerald. There are seven Special Stages, if all of them are completed, then all seven Chaos Emeralds will allow Sonic to change into Super Sonic, going from blue, to gold colored, which is something out of Dragon Ball Z.
Concept. Players take the role of either Sonic or Tails, depending on their choice. They must go through twenty zones, which is eleven levels of course. As said in the gameplay, players gain access to Special Stages when hitting Star Points with 50 rings or over. Players obtain Chaos Emeralds when completing Special Stages, and when they have all seven, they can turn Sonic into Super Sonic. When Tails is the partner, because Sonic is so fast, Tails will automatically come to Sonic by gliding with his two tails.
Design. Judy Toyota was the character designer, while Yuji Naka was the lead programmer. The graphics are rendered in 16-bit, and characters are sprite rendered in 2D. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has the most impressive designs that I have seen in a Sonic game. Most of the stages like the Chemical Plant, Aquatic Ruin, Casino Night, Hill Top, Mystic Cave, Metropolis, Sky Chase, and Wing Fortress left me in awe. Super Sonic looks almost like Vegeta when he transforms, which is completely awesome. Sonic 2 was designed and developed in Japan by Sonic Team, but in the United States, the development duties was handed to Sega Technical Institute. Yuji Naka and Hirokazu Yasuhara were brought to work with American developers. The Secret Stage gameplay had 3D elements, and was awesome.
Memories. In the Spring of 1995 when I was 8 years old, I played this game whenever I went to my cousin's house for a sleepover. We spend so much hours of fun and excitement. But the first time I really saw the game was three years earlier in 1992, when I was 6. Sonic 2 is one of those games that I never forget, and gamers of the older generation relive their memories, while the ones of this generation is a different story. Sometimes before playing Sonic 2, my cousin and I would have a competition in Sega Genesis NBA Action 95, the memories. In the summer of 1995 in New York, me and my cousins would also play X-Men, NBA Action, 3 Ninjas Kick Back, and Sonic 2, I feel so nostalgic.
Rantings. Now, in the Secret Stages, what got me on my nerves were the bombs, especially in the last two, because they would be unexpecting, and bothersome as well. Doing it with Sonic alone is much better than doing it with Tails together. The arrows in the Aquatic Ruin pissed me off at times. And the Sky Chase, as cool as the stage looks, sometimes jumping to kill enemies can not be a wise decision as Tails will be slow to catch you in time, and Sonic will fall.
Good Aspects. The game has very high replay value, the 2P Vs. system was excellent, and a great addition for Sonic fans who want to play with friends and family for the challenge of a lifetime. This game can be downloaded on the Wii Virtual Console for 800 Wii Points, and it can also be downloaded on the Xbox 360's, Xbox Live.
Overall. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 resides in the hearts of old school Sonic fans, and it has left a legacy of great times of playing this magnificent game. This great game gets a big fat 10 out of 10.