This infact took Sega's Genesis console to stardom, surpassing Nintendo in 1992, and it is considered to be the best game that was ever made in that time.
Plot. Sonic is a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog who lives in South Island with his animal friends. One day, he encounters an evil scientist named Dr. Robotnik (Eggman in Japan and later in future games in America) for the first time. Dr. Robotnik seeks to obtain the Chaos Emeralds for the purpose to create Robotnik Land and turn the innocent animals in robots, to serve his greedy purposes. Realizing his evil ambitions, Sonic sets out to stop him before it's too late.
Progression through the game is aided by lamp posts that act as checkpoints. When Sonic passes a lamp post, it will change from blue to red, thus allowing the player to continue from that checkpoint everytime he or she loses a life. If players lose all lives, the game is over, unless they have continues which are in the Special Stages. The Special Stages can be accessed when Sonic beats Zones 1 and 2 of any stage, except Scrap Brain, when the player passes them with 50 rings or more, in which a huge ring appears at the upper-right side of the goal, and players must jump into it. In the Special Stages, they have to go through a maze-like area with a beautiful background, and search for the Chaos Emerald, when they're all obtained, a better ending is achieved.
Concept. The purpose of the game is to guide Sonic through seven different levels, collecting rings, defeating bosses, and with luck obtaining all Chaos Emeralds in the special stages. When all Chaos Emeralds are obtained, there is a much better ending. But if they're not all obtained, then the ending will not be as good, as players are prompted to try again.
Design and Development. Hirokazu Yasuhara was the game's main designer. The development of the game began in April 1990, after Sega ordered it's AM-8 team to develop a game featuring a mascot for the company. After choosing a hedgehog as the main character, the group was then turned into Sonic Team and started working on Sonic The Hedgehog. Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Yasuhara where the main minds behind the game.
Music. Masato Nakamura, a member of the J-Pop band "Dreams Come True" was the composer of the game, and the themes of every stage were wonderfully composed. The most catchy music of the game in my opinion is the Star Light Zone, my personal favorite stage. Sonic the Hedgehog uses the on-board Yamaha YM2612 synthesizer sound chip to produce a variety of stereo sound effects and music.
Legacy. Sonic was immensely popular after making his debut in 1991, ten years after Mario made his debut. Since then, the blue hedgehog has become a worldwide phenomenon. Sonic the Hedgehog added the element of speed to the standard platform formula and introduced other unique elements as well, such as the loops, springboards, high-speed devices, and the rings now permanently associated with the series. While the speed greatly contributed to the mix, the excellent execution of the platforming element was what made the 2D games shine. Sonic has spawned various sequels, spinoffs, expanding into other genres and even games which involves him in sports, and crossovers with Mario. In other media, Sonic has appeared in cartoon shows, anime, manga, comic books, and toys.
Tips and Strategies. Sonic's main fear is going under the water. To avoid Sonic from drowning, you had to get a huge bubble from the water, giving Sonic more time to be under the water. The force field can help you keep your rings until it is broken when hit by either an enemy or a sharped spike. The Spring Yard Zone can be tricky at times, and you have to be careful with speed, because if you're reckless, you may either lose rings by getting hit, or lose a life if you fall from a precipice.
Memories. I played Sonic the Hedgehog when I was about five years old, when I had my NES, and before I had my Super Nintendo in my sixth birthday. I was playing Altered Beast all the time, and my brother had brought his Genesis. Then I used to play it with my cousins during my times when living in New York and the Dominican Republic. When I moved away to DR when I was 7, I did not play the game until the summer of 94 during a New York vacation. My cousin and his friend introduced me to Sonic 2, and we enjoyed playing it a lot. Sweet memories to remember.
Rantings. The Labyrinth Zone 3 was the stage I hated because, you had to go all the way up chasing Eggman while the water levels were rising. Because if Sonic was under the water too long, then there was a five second countdown, in which it was over, then Sonic would drown losing a life in the process. The third Scrap Brain Zone I also hated, which brought me some nightmares from the third Labyrinth Zone when I was a kid. And also, the game gets harder each time you progress.
Good Aspects. The designs, the music, and the storyline makes this game very unique and it has a million great qualities. The game has very high replay value, and it is a cult classic since it's release. My favorite stages have to be the Star Light Zone and the Spring Yard Zone, I like them because of their looks, the music, and the awesomeness it has. The Secret Stages were very well designed, and I really liked the beautiful looks of it's backgrounds, and even the music was so pretty.
Overall. This has to be one of my most favorite games at the times of my childhood. Those days were a golden age of video games, but now, what kids play today is nothing but first person shooters. Come on! Not everything can be about shooting people, and trying to act all soldiers. My advice to them: Real war is nothing compared to the ones you play in first person shooters. This game I highly recommend, it's 800 Wii Points, and my final score is a 9 out of 10