Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Usually, sequels are pretty 50/50 in terms of whether or not they may outshine their predecessor. Though, after the success of Sonic 1, it was as clear as day as to what to do to make the sequel a big improvement: make Sonic...well, Sonic. The first game, while still a very good introduction and a very good 2D platformer, did an admittedly poor job at balancing speed and great level design, as there was not a lot of speed in it. Aside from a few stages, it felt as if it could've been any 2D platformer. Thankfully, this game solves that basically perfectly.

This is possibly the most well balanced Sonic game ever made, and, because of this, makes for one hell of a leap forward in the series, and while it's not quite my all time personal favorite, there's damn good reason as to why it is for many. The levels have that balance that raises the bar for Sonic levels forever, as they're both fast and fun (with the only exception being Metropolis Zone-still a good, albeit rage-inducing level), the controls are perfect and the introduction of the spin dash would prove to be essential in every game moving forward, the boss battles, while simple, are fun to take down, the music is bumpin' and just fantastic, the visuals are detailed, colorful, and full of life, and the introduction of Tails is awesome. This smart and adorable 2-tailed fox may have been originally been in here for multiplayer, but he'd end up being one of the best characters in the series, and one of my favorites.

All of this makes for a damn near perfect game, and honestly, I wouldn't blame you if you thought so. The only thing I have a major gripe with is the difficulty spike of the 3D half pipe special stages. While they're very impressive (especially for it's time) as well as fun to play through, they get very hard to fully get a grasp on without multiple play throughs of each. I'm at least happy there's an ability to try again with each checkpoint when you have 50 rings (which is better than hoping you have enough when you beat a stage), but the kicker is that you lose them when you lose a special stage (which is guaranteed to happen a few times), so even that is difficult in some cases. I feel like this makes the completion process a bit unfair, because the game can get difficult on its own, which is not a bad thing, of course, but keeping 50 rings on you at all times, especially during a hard level, is difficult without mastering each level with multiple full game play throughs.

However, the reward for collecting the chaos emeralds via completing each of them is pretty damn awesome (won't say it just in case anyone hasn't played the game-which if you haven't, please fix that). Also, to be fair, despite how I feel with how the special stages were handled, the game is so close to perfection otherwise, that mastering the game anyway from many replays is inevitable, because everything else about it not only improves upon everything from the original, but also makes Sonic live up to his name. It's not just fun and well designed. It's Sonic. The first game may have introduced the Blue Blur, but this game perfects him.

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most famous video games of all time! The characters, the jumping, the power-ups, and the sure thrill of adventure makes this entire series a fun non-stop playing time! Below is a brief look how I think the game is!

Game Play: The game play is very good. There is really basic controls here and is easy to perform. Novice gamers should have a good time here!

Graphics: The graphics are wonderful. The backgrounds are really beautiful!

Difficulty: The game is easy but as it goes on you''s find out that it will become more difficult!

Music: Just fantastic catchy tunes through out the game! In My opinion its some of the best music ever in a video game!

Sound: The sound is great. Nuff said!

Overall: I have always loved Sonic the Hedgehog! If you like excellent adventure games then I strongly recommend you play this game!

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It was an incredibly innovative game and has held onto a cult status for a reason. This game was what really kicked off the competitiveness between Sega and Nintendo -- Sega had Sonic the Hedgehog, and Nintendo had their Italian plumber Mario.

Whether or not you're a big fan of platformers, this entry is a must-play for any gamer. Bucket-list game.

For every successful game, there is a sequel. But it is rare to see a sequel live up to the original. Sonic 2 accomplishes this. Like the original, you play Sonic the Hedgehog and journey through many stages and fight numerous robots. Things are different, however. Sonic now has a new move (the spin dash) and fights newer bad guys. Also, he gets a side kick: Tails, the fox with two tails. You can alternate between the two during the game. You also search out the Chaos Emeralds, but they serve a greater in this game. The graphics for this game were better than the original, but outdated by today's standards. This is an excellent game. Thumbs up.

Robotnik returns with new tech, enslaving more cute widdle animals(never any of the naturally scary ones, for some reason, I guess they don't want to complicate the matter of whether we should save these or not) and forcing our hero to once again stop him. I base this on the version that comes on the Sonic Plus Mega Collection released for the PS2, which enables saving at any point, rendering it a lot easier to complete. With that said, it already got to be a lot less challenging(especially outside of the numerous boss battles(where it does get to be downright abusive at times), which are various cool robots) than the original, perhaps in response to a negative reception. There are more different environments in this(partially because they opted for less "acts" to them), they're far more imaginative and memorable(Casino Night Zone is like being the ball in a pinball machine, there's a freaking spaceship, an oil platform, and we again move through forest and other natural places), and it's also a longer game, making it feel more worth the money or at least(if you get this as part of a package, like my girlfriend did) time that you invest in it. This offers a Vs. mode for two players, where you go up against each other, competing for quickest completion of levels or greatest amassing of points. The second person will take on the role of Tails, the helicopter(and airplane piloting(!))-flying fox, and can actually help out during the regular ones by someone grabbing that second joystick(they're especially useful, not to say utterly, literally invaluable, in what I will describe in the following sentence). That adds replayability(something really missing before; it is worth noting that there's still only one difficulty setting and that you can't get through this unless at least one person is going at it as the titular hedgehog), in addition to the possibility of collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds(I'm told they're also in the first one, I sure didn't find any bonus areas in that one...) and you really have to earn those(you make your way through nicely animated 3D sections(bent pipes, where you can go up on the walls and even move upside down briefly, dodging bombs and making sure to be in the right place to gather, well, read on) with a lot of sharp turns, making sure to collect Power Rings(the ones that also grant extra lives when you get 100 in the regular segments, and that all come out of you when you get hit, and that protect you from dying when you are damaged) to get to a set amount that you are informed of, so you can unlock the following bit, and after completing a few in a row, you are granted one of the aforementioned gems), and as a reward for getting them all, you can change into the awesome Super Sonic form(resembling Son-Goku), allowing you to move faster, and hop further and higher(...actually potentially harmful to you, if you aren't careful, you might miss where you're going), in addition to being nearly invincible. This is more fun, entertaining and colorful, and this time, it lives up to the franchise's reputation of high speed(albeit still only a single bounce to the jump, and you can still accidentally leave the "round" form at the wrong time, getting hit on account of it), partially because of the buzzsaw you can use to send yourself rushing to either side, by holding Down and pressing Action. The simplistic puzzles are essentially gone, if it can now be more difficult to find your way, especially later on in this. Game-play is fairly addictive and you're left wanting more upon completion of this. You're bounding around, avoiding baddies(or landin' yo ass on top of them, to take them out... entirely unlike Super Mario... well, this time around, at least you can get some of them by thrusting yourself at them, unique to this series and making it more "offensive"(as opposed to defensive or nearly passive)) and the dangers of the surroundings(far drops, drowning(this time sans emotionally scarring visual!), in a platformer. With this one, it sticks out and is memorable, especially distancing itself from the equally iconic little Italian plumber(that is slower, and enjoyable in a different way) and also being sufficiently compelling to offer a rival to the second Commander Keen Trilogy, Goodbye Galaxy(also a lesser pace, and once again still a great piece). This has incredibly epic in-engine cut-scenes(the majority of the storytelling is handled like this, thankfully since the alternative appears to be still frames... well, at least the artwork remains good) and you really feel like you're making a considerable impact, and like your foe is dangerous. The regular enemies tend to be more interestingly designed(all mechanical, you can really tell they came straight out of the lab of that big, red, moustached maniac that is behind all of this, and they feel more like they're meant to be guards to stop you in this) this time around, and are less frustrating(that goes for this in general). This again has a childish(it isn't obnoxious to anyone with two digits to their age, however, at least not most of the time, if it can require a period of adjustment), not only kid-friendly, tone, and it comes across in the vivid color scheme and the relatively catchy music. The graphics are well-done, not too "shiny" though they are bright, smooth(vital to something that is as hyper as this at times) and clearly defined, nothing blends together(if the argument could be made that there is hardly any quality(from a technical standpoint, not as far as the artwork goes, which absolutely has taken a leap upwards) evolution since the first one in this, and that is obviously lamentable... yes, I have a vocabulary, sue me). I recommend this to any fan of this game-play, and anyone who tried the original should without a doubt go for this one afterwards(it's better in every spot that it's different). 8/10