Sonic 2: 20 Years On

I did a similar post two years ago which was much more detailed, and oddly enough, it is the most viewed entry on this entire blog by a LONG shot. I suggest you go read that first. I'll wait.

Good. Now you know that today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Megadrive. (Or "Genesis", if you will.) As this landmark game reaches the double-decade, let's dust off our ROM emulator and take another retrospective look.




Sonic 2 introduced several elements to the series. A new character, Tails the fox, or Miles, as his creator Yasushi Yamaguchi wanted him to be called. A new move, the Spin Dash, for taking off at speed from a stationary position. The ability to become the gold, invincible and permanently sped-up Super Sonic after collecting all the Chaos Emeralds (collecting them all in Sonic 1 did nothing apart from a slightly different animation in the ending sequence). And finally, a split n' squished-screen two-player mode, with three playable levels plus the Special Stage.

The excellent British gaming magazine Mean Machines Sega rated Sonic 2 at 96%, their third-highest rating for a Megadrive game, right behind Ecco The Dolphin (97%) and Street Fighter II (98%). According to Sonic Retro, Sonic 2 has been re-released 25 times so far, on such platforms as Saturn, Gamecube, PS2/3, Xbox/360, Wii, iPhone and more. Yes, the Nintendo Gamecube. If you'd told me in 1992 that Sega's flagship character would one day appear on Nintendo, I'd have told you to cut back on the LSD. But enough about that –

"Watch me, Sonic!" Tails didn't come into his own until 1994's Sonic 3, with his ability to swim, tail attack and airlift Sonic, but the little fella is still useful to have during normal play. When controlled by the CPU he can still get the occasional hit on the bosses...

...but during the Special Stage, get someone to control him as the ring tally requirements are ridiculously tight. (These pseudo-3D stages are crazy, by the way. I'm still no better at them than I was when I was 14.)

I received this game for Christmas in 1992 along with several million others (you know who you are), and the cartridge (left) was used at length. Especially as the game was very long, with 11 levels. So, how does the game measure up in 2012?

Well, it's still challenging. Thanks to the magic of emulation software, I've been able to keep playing it long after my actual console went kaput, so my Sonic skills haven't gone to ruin. In fact, a couple of years ago I was still able to whip some cocky kid at it in the ACMI's Games Lab, thanks to extended sections of this game – the terrain and enemy placement – being permanently ingrained in my memory. I'm sure the same is true for most gamers (with whatever game).




Even now I find some levels quite tough. The Casino Night Zone boss is still frustrating beyond belief, and two decades have not made that seahorse enemy in Oil Ocean Zone any less of a pain in the ass. Ditto the crab that punches you. I hate that thing. And it's even harder controlling it with a battered Mac keyboard instead of a joypad.

I always found Sonic 2 the most difficult of the original Megadrive 'trilogy'. I couldn't even get Super Sonic without a cheat. After 20 years I still struggle to get past some parts. In a way, I guess that qualifies the game's continued success.

All artwork in the screenshots © SEGA/Sonic team, but the cart photo is mine!