First, there was Mario. Then came along Sonic the Hedgehog. This famously fast blue animal zoomed into his first game in 1991 as Sega's attempt to compete with Nintendo's famous Italian hero. In an interview with Polygon, Hirokazu Yasuhara, Sonic's game designer, said that they wanted a lovable character that would have enough skills and abilities to make the games interesting.
Sonic The Hedgehog arrived on the Sega Genesis console in 1991 and completely took off. The franchise became one of the best-selling in history. Since then, Sega has produced nearly 100 Sonic games, but not all of them were quite as successful as the original. Here are 5 Sonic games that deserve to be remade, and five that really don't.
10 DO: Sonic Rush Adventure
Sonic Rush Adventure, the 2007 sequel to 2005's Sonic Rush, follows Sonic and Tails as they teleport to another dimension and fight off robot pirates. Although this was one of Sega's later Sonic titles, it channeled older graphics with a classic side-scrolling platform, according to GamesRadar+.
This Nintendo DS platformer induced nostalgia by combining old-school gameplay with a riveting, new, and creative plot lines. Sonic Rush Adventure was the first Sonic game to be published by Nintendo. It could certainly stand to be updated for newer consoles.
9 DON'T: Sonic & The Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings was released on the Wii the same year as Sonic Rush Adventure, but it didn't see the same success. The game takes Sonic into the world of Arabian Nights, where he must battle an evil genie named Erazor Djinn and stop him from erasing the pages of the book.
While Sonic and the Secret Rings did introduce new and higher-definition graphics, some fans of the franchise were unhappy with the unusual change in setting and identities given to classic Sonic characters. In addition, many complained about difficult controls.
8 DO: Sonic Generations
Sega released Sonic Generations in celebration of 20 years of Sonic games. The game follows the beloved blue hedgehog as he discovers various time holes. Along the way, he finds old versions of himself and his friends, as well as his enemies, per GameRant.
This was definitely one of the most popular games in the franchise, as it combined classic versions of Sonic with more modern updates and graphics, giving fans the best of both worlds. The game was released on Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2011. Perhaps in 2021 they can celebrate 10 more years with another installment.
7 DON'T: Sonic the Hedgehog 2006
The 2006 version of Sonic the Hedgehog is notoriously the worst game in Sonic history. It was meant to be a reboot of the 1991 original with better graphics, but it failed in gameplay. There were numerous bugs and glitches that sometimes made the game unplayable.
Sonic '06 is actually so comically bad, that fans have actually attempted to recreate it with better graphics (even if the game doesn't deserve it). Utility Engine did release a trailer for a remake, and even launched a demo earlier this year, PCGamer reports.
6 DO: Sonic CD
Sonic CD, a Sega CD game released in 1993, followed our hedgehog friend in his attempts to save an alien named Little Planet from Doctor Robotnik. The game introduced Time Crystals, which allowed Sonic to travel between the past and future, ultimately affecting the continuation of the levels.
Sonic CD became the Sega CD's bestseller, even though the Sega CD did not have much success overall. It was moved to the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in 2006. Later, a remastered version arrived on mobile devices in 2011. Clearly, this is one game that has a long lifespan.
5 DON'T: Sonic The Fighters
Sonic The Fighters is another glitchy failure for the Sonic franchise. As the name suggests, it is an arcade-like boxing game that pits characters from the franchise against one another. While Fighters was praised for its playful animations, the gameplay was not executed well and lacked depth.
Sonic The Fighters started as an arcade game in 1996 before it joined GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game was rereleased on PlayStation 3 and Xbox in 2012, but still was not successful.
4 DO: Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed showed off Sonic the Hedgehog's wild side. In this 2008 platformer, players control two different versions of our speedy hero. During the day, Sonic is himself, but at night, he transforms into Werehog after coming into contact with a dark matter created by the evil Doctor Eggman. As Werehog, his speed slows down tremendously in exchange for super strength.
Sonic Team developed one version for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 before they collaborated with Dimps to release a Wii version. It was also unleashed on mobile devices. The game received praise for its unique plot line and beautiful graphics, and it would likely do well on today's consoles.
3 DON'T: Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was published by Sega for the Wii U in 2014. The action-filled adventure follows Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy as they come across an ancient temple during their pursuit of Eggman. Rise of Lyric is a spin-off of the original Sonic the Hedgehog series and joins the Sonic Boom franchise, along with a Sonic Boom Nintendo DS game.
Rise of Lyric received mostly negative reviews, as many criticized its camera work, glitches, control, dialogue, and, well... pretty much everything else about it. This is one adventure best left in the past.
2 DO: Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure is another one of those timeless classics. It was the first game in the franchise to feature 3D gameplay. Sonic Adventure follows Sonic in his quest to collect seven emeralds and stop Doctor Robotnik from unleashing an evil known as Chaos. Players can control six different characters, all with different abilities.
Sonic Adventure was originally developed for Sega's Dreamcast. It was later ported to Windows and GameCube. In 2010, a new, high-def version was introduced on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Rumors began swirling that another remake may actually be in the works back in October, when Sega released a remixed version of the game's theme music on YouTube, per Destructoid.
1 DON'T: Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was the fifth installment in the Mario and Sonic Olympic Games crossover series. The game included several Olympic mini games that featured popular characters from both the Mario and Sonic franchises.
The game was released on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in 2016. While the Wii U version did fairly well, Metacritic regarded the 3DS version as one of the worst Nintendo games of the decade. None of the mini games were particularly enjoyable.
A follow-up taking place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was released last month on Nintendo Switch. So far, it has received mixed reviews, with some critics saying the story mode is too slow to progress.