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Sonic the Hedgehog 2
US cover art by Greg Martin
Developer(s)	Sega Technical Institute
Publisher(s)	Sega
Director(s)	Masaharu Yoshii
Designer(s)	Hirokazu Yasuhara Yutaka Sugano
Programmer(s)	Yuji Naka
Artist(s)	Yasushi Yamaguchi
Composer(s)	Masato Nakamura
Series	Sonic the Hedgehog
Platform(s)	Sega Genesis Arcade Android iOS Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch
Release	November 21, 1992 Sega Genesis JP: November 21, 1992 WW: November 24, 1992 Arcade WW: 1993 Android, iOS WW: December 12, 2013 Nintendo 3DS JP: July 22, 2015 WW: October 8, 2015 Nintendo Switch JP: February 13, 2020 WW: February 20, 2020
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Sonic the Hedgehog 2^[a] is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. It follows Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station. Like the first Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), players traverse side-scrolling levels at high speeds while collecting rings, defeating enemies, and fighting bosses. Sonic 2 introduces Sonic’s sidekick Miles «Tails» Prower and features faster gameplay, larger levels, a multiplayer mode, and special stages featuring pre-rendered 3D graphics.

After Sonic the Hedgehog greatly increased the popularity of the Genesis in North America, Sega directed STI founder Mark Cerny to start Sonic 2 in November 1991. Members of the original development team—including programmer Yuji Naka and designer Hirokazu Yasuhara—moved from Japan to California to join the project. Sonic 2 was intended to be faster and more ambitious than the first game. The development suffered setbacks, including language and cultural differences between the Japanese and American staff, and numerous levels were cut due to time constraints and quality concerns. As with the first game, Dreams Come True member Masato Nakamura composed the soundtrack.

Sonic 2 was widely anticipated, and Sega backed it with an aggressive $10 million marketing campaign. It was released in November 1992 to acclaim and received numerous year-end accolades. Critics considered Sonic 2 an improvement over the first game and praised the visuals, level design, gameplay, and music, though the low difficulty level and similarity to its predecessor were criticized. Sonic 2 broke video game sales records and became the bestselling game of 1992 in North America and Europe, grossing over $450 million. With six million copies sold worldwide, it is the second-bestselling Genesis game behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic 2 solidified Sonic as a major franchise and played a major role in keeping Sega competitive during the console wars of the fourth generation of video game consoles in the early 1990s. It continues to receive acclaim and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles followed in 1994. Sonic 2 has been rereleased on various platforms via compilations and emulation, and a remake for iOS and Android devices, developed using the Retro Engine, was released in December 2013. A number of Sonic 2 prototypes have leaked since the release; the first, discovered in 1999, played a significant role in the development of the archaeogaming scene.

Gameplay[edit]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a side-scrolling platform game.^[1] It features a story similar to the first Sonic the Hedgehog‘s (1991):^[2] Doctor Robotnik, a mad scientist, seeks the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station, the Death Egg,^[3] and traps the animal inhabitants of West Island in aggressive robots.^[4] As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to collect the Chaos Emeralds and stop Robotnik.^[4] The player character can run, jump, crouch, and attack by curling into a ball.^[5] Sonic 2 introduces the spin dash, which allows the player to curl while stationary for a speed boost,^[1] and Miles «Tails» Prower, a fox with two tails who acts as Sonic’s sidekick. By default, the single-player controls both Sonic and Tails simultaneously; a second player can join in at any time and control Tails separately.^[3] The player can also choose to play as Sonic or Tails individually.^[1][6]

The game takes place across 11 zones with 20 levels («acts»).^[7] The acts are larger than the first game’s,^[8] and the player navigates them at high speeds while jumping between platforms, defeating robot enemies, and avoiding obstacles.^[9] Springs, slopes, bottomless pits, and vertical loops populate acts, as do hazards like water and spikes. The player passes checkpoints to save progress. The last act of each zone ends with a boss battle against Robotnik.^[10] Sonic 2 features twice as many unique level tropes compared to the first game,^[11] and most levels end after two acts rather than three.^[3]

The player collects rings as a form of health: if they have at least one ring when they collide with an enemy or obstacle, they will survive, but their rings will scatter and blink before disappearing.^[2] The player starts with three lives, which they lose if they are hit without a ring, fall down a pit, get crushed, drown, or reach the 10-minute time limit; they receive a game over if they run out.^[12] Power-ups like shields and invincibility provide additional layers of protection, and lives are replenished by collecting 100 rings or a 1-up.^[13]

If the player passes a checkpoint with 50 or more rings, they can warp to a special stage for an opportunity to collect one of the seven Chaos Emeralds.^[3] The player runs through a half-pipe course, collecting rings and dodging bombs. A set amount of rings must be collected to obtain the emerald.^[2][14] If the player collides with a bomb, they lose ten rings and are immobilized momentarily. The stages rise in difficulty and the player cannot enter any stage without passing the previous one. After finishing, the player is transported back to the star post they used to enter, with their ring count reset.^[15] When all the Chaos Emeralds have been collected, Sonic can transform into Super Sonic by collecting 50 rings. Super Sonic is nearly invincible, runs faster, and jumps farther, but loses one ring per second and reverts to normal when his rings are depleted.^[3]

Sonic 2 introduces a multiplayer game mode where two players compete against each other in a split-screen race across three levels.^[3][9] After one player finishes a level, the other player must finish within a minute. Players are ranked in five areas (score, time, rings held at the end of the level, total rings collected, and the number of item boxes broken). The player who excels in the most categories wins.^[16] Players can also compete to obtain the most rings in the special stages.^[17]

Knuckles in Sonic 2[edit]

Sonic & Knuckles was released in 1994, two years after Sonic 2. The Sonic & Knuckles game cartridge features a «lock-on» adapter that allows players to insert other Sega Genesis cartridges. Attaching Sonic 2 unlocks Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a variation of Sonic 2 in which the player controls the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) character Knuckles the Echidna.^[18] The level design is identical, but Knuckles can glide and climb walls, allowing him access to areas inaccessible to Sonic or Tails.^[19] However, he cannot jump as high, making some areas, such as certain boss fights, more difficult.^[18]

Development[edit]

Conception[edit]

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sonic Team in Japan and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in June 1991. The game greatly increased the popularity of the Sega Genesis in North America and is credited with helping Sega gain 65% of the market share against then-industry leader Nintendo,^[20] making Sega a formidable competitor. The success meant that a sequel was inevitable,^[21] but shortly after the release, programmer Yuji Naka quit Sega due to disagreements over his salary, dissatisfaction over the time and effort it had taken to finish Sonic, and a lack of support from management.^[21]

During the development of Sonic the Hedgehog, Mark Cerny established Sega Technical Institute (STI) in California. Sega wanted to develop more games in America, and Cerny’s aim was to establish an elite studio that would combine the design philosophies of American and Japanese developers.^[22] During a trip to Japan, Cerny visited Naka’s apartment, listened to the reasons why he left, and convinced him to join STI in America to fix the problems he had had with Sega in Japan.^[22] Designer Hirokazu Yasuhara and other members of the Sonic development team joined Naka,^[22][23] but artist Naoto Ohshima stayed in Japan because he was working on Sonic CD (1993).^[24][25]

In September 1991, Cerny pitched Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as STI’s project for the 1992 Christmas and holiday shopping season—giving the team 11 months of development—but Sega management considered it too soon for a sequel.^[21] Cerny was not surprised, as marketing executives controlled what games developers created and did not understand game development.^[26] Further, Sega of America was hesitant due to its lack of confidence in the Sonic character.^[27] STI explored other concepts,^[26] but in November, Sega reversed course and told Cerny that it needed Sonic 2 for the 1992 holiday season.^[22] Cerny said that this did not create «much of a creative loss», as STI had yet to come up with a game idea on par with Sonic, but lost two months of development.^[26]

Now with a nine-month schedule, full-scale development started in early 1992.^[28] Sonic 2‘s development team was much larger than the first game’s and consisted of both American and Japanese developers, although the majority of the team was Japanese.^[29] Cerny’s idea was to have around a dozen of the original game’s staff move to STI. Development began with only Americans because the Japanese faced visa problems. According to Cerny, Sega had applied for O-1 expert visas, for «nationally or internationally recognized» people with «a record of extraordinary achievement», unaware that the Japanese developers did not qualify.^[11]

Design[edit]

Sega of America marketing director Al Nilsen said that STI wanted «to go all out» to ensure Sonic 2 would be as successful as the original Sonic, since sequels were generally not well regarded.^[23] STI brainstormed various ideas to improve the first game’s formula, beginning with making Sonic faster.^[26][23] In the first game, Sonic was restricted by a speed cap well below his maximum possible speed; STI lifted the cap for Sonic 2.^[26] Naka conceived the spin dash to remove the need to backtrack for momentum, which he observed was a common criticism of the first game.^[24] Early in development, STI implemented a routine whereby Sonic was hurt if he ran into a wall at full speed, but removed it in later builds.^[30]

STI’s first step was to create a game outline for the developers to flesh out with «a book-length report» detailing the characters, story, and levels.^[31] Yasuhara had ambitious plans for Sonic 2 and designed it with «‘blue sky’ ideas».^[26] Assuming STI had two years of development, he conceived a plot in which Robotnik took over the world and Sonic used time travel to stop him.^[26] The plot was scrapped, but many of Sonic 2‘s levels were taken from it; for example, Hill Top Zone (which features dinosaur enemies) was intended to be a past version of Green Hill Zone,^[11][3] while Chemical Plant and Casino Night came from the Robotnik-ruled future.^[11]

Yasuhara designed the stages thinking in the context of a 3D world to work out elements such as corkscrew loops and pipes.^[32] He was inspired to design Casino Night because he found Sonic‘s springs similar to the gimmicks of pinball tables, while Sky Chase—which features Sonic riding a biplane as he attempts to reach Robotnik’s base—was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s anime Future Boy Conan (1978).^[11] The first game demo was playable around six or seven months after the initial outline’s creation and featured a few levels without sound effects or significant detail. STI assembled focus groups to play the demo for feedback and created the alpha build afterward; by this point, 80% of programming had been finished.^[31]

Yasuhara wanted to add a second playable character so siblings could play together.^[26] Naka suggested the second character be endearing, similar to the kitsune from Urusei Yatsura, and beginner-oriented rather than Sonic’s rival.^[33] An internal contest was held to determine the new character, and the winning design was lead artist Yasushi Yamaguchi’s fox, which he named Miles Prower (a pun on «miles per hour»).^[34] STI wanted the character to appeal to Japanese audiences, and Yamaguchi gave him two tails—inspired by the Phantasy Star character Myau—to make the design more impactful.^[33] Sega of America objected to the name «Miles Prower», so he was given the nickname Tails as a compromise.^[34]

Tails was implemented using an artificial intelligence routine that allowed him to mimic Sonic’s movements, becoming playable with a second controller.^[26] Tails was also used in the multiplayer mode,^[35] something that Naka had attempted to implement late in development of the original Sonic.^[23] The multiplayer mode was one of Naka’s primary motivations to develop Sonic 2, since he felt multiplayer games were more fun.^[24] Naka used the Genesis’ rarely-used interlaced mode to create split-screen gameplay,^[35] since he found the standard display mode made it difficult to see the player character.^[24] Developing the multiplayer mode took six months.^[7]

Art direction[edit]

In addition to overseeing the level design and gameplay, Cerny acted as an art director.^[36] The initial level maps were drawn at Sega’s headquarters in Tokyo.^[37] According to level artist Craig Stitt, the artists received the paper map with ideas regarding the level theme. Once the design was settled, the artist would draw the art pixel by pixel and then input the graphics in the game itself. The graphics and animations were implemented using the Digitizer, Sega’s proprietary graphics system for the Genesis. The artists had to deal with palette limitations, as only 64 colors could be displayed on-screen.^[36] Rieko Kodama, who worked on the first game as an artist, helped design the levels.^[38]

Yasuhara said meshing the Americans’ art with art by Yamaguchi was the development’s largest hurdle.^[11] Yamaguchi had to check the teams’ enemy and stage designs while producing his own. While Yamaguchi was assisted by Jina Ishiwatari, he worked mostly alone. Stitt called Yamaguchi «a machine» who worked long hours and reworked other artists’ levels repeatedly to ensure quality.^[39] For example, Stitt felt disappointed when Yamaguchi redid his background art for the Oil Ocean level, but did not argue because he was not satisfied with the original background and Yamaguchi’s was much better.^[39] The title screen and Casino Night level art were both completely reworked shortly before release.^[30]

Tim Skelly designed the appearance of the pseudo-3D special stages,^[35] based on a tech demo created by Naka.^[40] The special stages, designed by Shinobi (1987) director Yutaka Sugano,^[35] were created from pre-rendered 3D polygons, video of which was compressed and halved vertically and horizontally to fit in the game cartridge.^[41] Cerny said the developers chose the 3D look to make the stages appear extravagant. In retrospect, he felt the stages were visually impressive but did not have as much gameplay depth as the original Sonic‘s special stages, which featured Sonic navigating a rotating maze.^[35]

Conflicts and cut content[edit]

The development was complicated by the cultural and language barriers between the Japanese and American developers.^[11] The Japanese were used to crunch conditions,^[28] with Cerny noting they often worked through the night and slept in their cubicles.^[22] In contrast, the Americans locked the STI offices at night.^[28] Cerny had envisioned the Japanese acting as mentors to the Americans, but cooperation was difficult since the Americans could not speak Japanese.^[11] Stitt recalled Yasuhara as easy to work with, but Naka as «an arrogant pain in the ass» not interested in working with Americans.^[11] Skelly said that Naka would have been happier working with an all-Japanese team.^[22]

During the development, Cerny left STI;^[27] he said that he left as development concluded,^[42] though Sega executive Masaharu Yoshii recalled that he departed around halfway through.^[28] Cerny left partly because of the rising tensions between the Japanese and American developers, feeling the Americans were not treated respectfully. Further complicating this was STI’s involvement with the Sonic franchise and Naka’s desire to oversee development personally, as well as Sega of America’s initial hesitation to assist given their lack of confidence in the Sonic character.^[27] Yoshii was installed as the temporary head of STI and was credited as Sonic 2‘s director. He said that the situation was severe because Sega of America was «betting everything» on Sonic 2, but the STI staff did not display any stress and remained optimistic that the project would be finished.^[28]

A large amount of content was cut, mostly due to time constraints.^[39] Nilsen said Sonic 2 «probably could have been three times the size if we left in everything that was there. Naka and team… weren’t afraid to say, ‘I’ve been working on this for four months, it’s not working. Let’s take it out.‘«^[23] One scrapped stage, Hidden Palace Zone, featured extensively in prerelease advertisements. It was planned as a secret stage accessed by collecting Chaos Emeralds; according to Naka, it would explain the origin of the Chaos Emeralds and grant Sonic his Super Sonic powers.^[43] Stitt created the Hidden Palace art and considered its foreground among his favorite work.^[39] Though Hidden Palace was one of the first levels implemented, work on it stopped in mid-1992,^[30] and it was removed shortly before completion for a lack of time and cartridge space.^[43]

Other cut levels included a forest level, which was implemented but hardly worked on,^[30] and a desert level.^[3] One scrapped level, Genocide City, was renamed Cyber City because the Japanese developers had not understood the negative connotations of the word genocide. Its level layout was used in the Metropolis Zone level.^[3] Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske, product manager Madeline Schroeder, and Nilsen worked closely with STI; Nilsen said the feedback loop helped the team determine what needed to be cut.^[23] Most cuts were made to the Americans’ designs, and many Americans were furious when they learned their work had been cut. Stitt said that he may have been the only American whose art was used in the final game.^[39]

Music[edit]

As with the first game, Sonic 2‘s soundtrack was composed by Masato Nakamura, a member of the J-pop band Dreams Come True.^[11] Nakamura became famous in Japan after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog and increased his asking price considerably.^[22] According to Yamaguchi, Sega of America wanted to use music composed in-house instead. After the team rejected it as «awful», Sega rehired Nakamura.^[44] Nakamura began composing early in development with only concept art for reference. He treated Sonic 2 like a film and attempted to reflect the atmosphere he felt in the concept art.^[45][46] Nakamura composed Sonic 2 simultaneously with the 1992 Dreams Come True album The Swinging Star.^[11] As a gift to the developers, he produced an alternate version of the Sonic 2 ending theme, «Sweet Sweet Sweet», for the album.^[47]

Since Sonic 2 was more technically advanced than its predecessor, Nakamura «wanted to create music that showed progress… It was like the Indiana Jones sequels. Same concept, but with more fun and excitement.»^[48] Nakamura felt considerable pressure, as he understood that expectations were high due to the first game’s success.^[48] STI let Nakamura work freely, which he felt allowed him to create melodic tunes and «unusual rhythm patterns».^[49] He composed using a Roland MC-4 Microcomposer; composing was challenging due to the Genesis’ limited sound capabilities, but they encouraged him to be more inventive.^[50] Five or six people worked to convert Nakamura’s music to the Genesis format.^[44]

Completion[edit]

Sonic 2 did not become playable from start to finish until the last 48 hours of development, in September 1992.^[39] The team planned to use a 4MiB cartridge, the same cartridge size as the first game,^[35] but STI ran out of space towards the end of development.^[28] To make sure the game would be finished in time for Thanksgiving, Yoshii went to the Japanese side of Sega for help. Managing director Daizaburou Sakurai contacted Sega Enterprises president Hayao Nakayama, who allowed the team to double the ROM size to avoid a delay.^[28] In total, over 100 people worked on Sonic 2 and the main team comprised 20 developers.^[51] The development schedule was shorter than the first game’s,^[52] and Yasuhara said STI worked under a lot of pressure due to Sega’s competition with Nintendo.^[26]

Yoshii said that Sonic 2 would not have been ready for release without Sega of America’s bug-checking process.^[29] STI videotaped testers’ gameplay so the developers could easily locate bugs.^[31] Around 50 developers worked as bug checkers, and the process took two to three weeks. Yoshii felt that despite the staff conflicts, the bug-checking made developing Sonic 2 in the US worth it, as Sega of America’s process was much more thorough than the one in Japan.^[29] When Sonic 2 was shipped to Japan for production, copies of the source code were sent on separate planes to ensure that the game would arrive in case of an accident.^[23] On the day the code shipped, the STI staff gathered in the warehouse and celebrated with a Sonic-themed cake.^[28]

Release[edit]

Marketing[edit]

Sega aggressively promoted Sonic the Hedgehog 2, spending approximately $10 million on advertising.^[53] Promotion began in early 1992, when Sega sent mockup screenshots to magazines. Sega then sent an early build to Nickelodeon for demonstration on the Nick Arcade (1992) game show,^[39] which featured it several times. Notably, it appeared in a competition between Clarissa Explains It All (1991–1994) stars Melissa Joan Hart and Jason Zimbler,^[54] with Hart struggling to play it since she was unaware of the spin dash.^[39][54]

As Sonic 2 was Sega’s biggest game of 1992,^[55] its marketing team, as Game Informer wrote, sought to make the release «as much a celebration as it was a product launch».^[23] Sega gave away T-shirts as preorder gifts and sent stores dry-erase boards to count down the days to release.^[39] Teaser posters bore the slogan «Are You Up 2 It?».^[23] Sega of America collaborated with Emery Worldwide to produce stickers celebrating «The Great Sonic 2 Shipment», and 50 people dressed as Sonic greeted the three planes carrying copies of Sonic 2 at Heathrow Airport. Sega considered shipping the cartridges with holographic labels, but decided it was too expensive.^[39]

At the last minute, Sega canceled a tour of shopping malls across the US, deciding it would be inadequate. Instead, it made Sonic 2 available in the West in all stores on the same day.^[55] This was an unusual practice at the time; generally, international game release dates depended on the region. Sega reconfigured its distribution system and used air shipping to ensure that games were available in all major stores. The North American and European release date, Tuesday, November 24, 1992, was marketed as «Sonic 2sday».^[56][57] In Japan, the game was released three days earlier, on November 21.^[58] Initial copies of Sonic 2 had several bugs; later copies used a patch developed a few days after completion.^[39] The cover art, featuring Robotnik peering over a gigantic «2» behind Sonic and Tails,^[59] was illustrated by Greg Martin.^[60]

Sales[edit]

Retailers preordered 2.2 million copies of Sonic 2 by October 1992,^[61] and it set a preorder record in Europe with 1.5 million game cartridges ordered in five countries, including 750,000 in the UK.^[62][63] Upon release, Sonic 2 broke video game sales records.^[64] In the US, it sold 600,000 copies within a day in addition to 400,000 preorders.^[65] It became the fastest-selling game in UK history with 750,000 copies sold within a day, grossing £27,000,000 or $47,000,000 (equivalent to $91,000,000 in 2021) and accounting for 48% of all UK software sales that week.^[66][67][68] It was the top-seller on Gallup’s Sega charts for the UK,^[69] Japan, and US for two months,^[70] and the bestselling video game of 1992 in North America^[71] and Europe.^[72] The initial worldwide batch of 3.2 million cartridges sold out within two weeks.^[73]

Sonic 2 grossed $450 million in 1992 ($870 million adjusted for inflation), which Kalinske said was «more than any hit movie, more than any other entertainment property.»^[74][75] The release-day revenue exceeded the total revenue that the bestselling rock music CD of 1992, Simply Red’s Stars, had earned throughout the year.^[76][77] Sonic 2 appeared on UK sales charts well into 1993^[78] and was the UK’s second bestselling video game of 1993.^[79] By November 1993, it was the bestselling 16-bit video game at the time.^[80] Sonic 2 sold six million copies worldwide by August 2006,^[81] making it the second-bestselling Genesis game behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog.^[82]

Reception[edit]

Sonic 2 received widespread critical acclaim, with scores above 90% from most video game magazines at the time. The improvements to the gameplay were praised. GamePro gave it 4.5 out of 5 for sound and 5 in every other category (graphics, control, and fun factor).^[89]

Critics praised the level design and graphics. GamePro assessed that the «graphics are actually better than the original’s. The rich variety of scenery, slightly larger sprites, and extra-added attitude help the spunky hedgehog paint video game magic.»^[89] Despite the reduction in the number of acts per level to two from the first game’s three, the levels themselves were said to be larger and more memorable.^[89][9][6]

GamePro described Tails as «about the cutest companion that any Sonic fan could ask for» and said the game’s biggest problem is that it is too easy, to the point where even unskilled players would quickly breeze through it. However, the reviewer noted that finding each stage’s secrets provides the game with challenge and longevity.^[89]

Reviewers spoke positively of the special stages and approved of the visual effects.^{[89][107][108]} GamePro wrote: «Theoretically, the Genesis isn’t capable of scaling, but Sonic‘s Bonus Rounds are gonna make you wonder!»^[89]

Accolades[edit]

Electronic Gaming Monthly named Sonic 2 the best Genesis game of 1992.^[102] The Electronic Gaming Awards from Electronic Games nominated Sonic 2 for its 1992 Video Game of the Year award,^[109] which it lost to Street Fighter II, but Sonic 2 won the award for Best Electronic Game Graphics.^[101] Chicago Tribune selected it as runner-up for Best Game of the Year, below Street Fighter II and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.^[100] At the Golden Joystick Awards, Sonic 2 won the awards for Best Original Console Game and Promotional Campaign of the Year.^[103] The Mega Reader Awards voted it the best platform game and best Mega Drive game of 1992, and Mega ranked it the second best Mega Drive game of all time in 1993.^[105] They named it the 36th best Mega Drive game in 1994.^[110] At the European Computer Trade Show awards, it won the Going Live Readers Award.^[106]

Post-release[edit]

Aftermath[edit]

Naka refused to develop another Sonic game if he had to work with the Americans again.^[111] When Atari veteran Roger Hector became the division’s head, STI split into two teams: the Japanese developers led by Naka, and the American developers.^[22] The Japanese team started working Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in January 1993; it was conceived as an isometric game that used the Sega Virtua Processor chip, but was retooled to reuse the Sonic 2 engine after it became apparent that the chip would not be finished in time.^[24] Many of Sonic 2‘s unused concepts were incorporated into Sonic 3 and the next game, Sonic & Knuckles,^[112] including the Hidden Palace level.^[43] Like their predecessors, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were critical and commercial successes when they were released in 1994.^[113]

While the Japanese worked on Sonic 3, the American team developed the spin-off Sonic Spinball (1993),^[22] a pinball game commissioned after Sega’s research determined that Casino Night Zone was one of the most popular levels in Sonic 2.^[114] Following the completion of Sonic & Knuckles, Yasuhara quit, citing differences with Naka, and went on to develop games for Sega of America. Naka returned to Japan with developer Takashi Iizuka to work with Sonic Team, and was reunited with Ohshima.^[115] A concept developed during Sonic 2‘s production formed the basis of the Sonic Team game Nights into Dreams, released for the Sega Saturn in 1996.^[116] The American team developed Comix Zone (1995), The Ooze (1995), Die Hard Arcade (1996) with Sega AM1, and Sonic X-treme, which was canceled in 1996. STI was disbanded in late 1996 as a result of changes in management at Sega of America.^[22] Meanwhile, Cerny worked with Sony Interactive Entertainment and helped create the PlayStation franchises Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.^[117] Cerny and Yasuhara remained friends and reunited to work with Naughty Dog on the Jak and Daxter series in the 2000s.^[118]

Other media[edit]

An alternate version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was developed by Aspect Co. for Sega’s 8-bit consoles, the Master System and the handheld Game Gear. The 8-bit version features different levels and music, as well as a different plot in which Sonic must rescue a kidnapped Tails.^[119] It was later included in Sonic compilations, such as Sonic Adventure DX (2003) for the GameCube and Windows and Sonic Gems Collection (2005) for the GameCube and PlayStation 2.^[120][121] Sega released an arcade cabinet version of Sonic 2 using its Sega Mega Play arcade system board in 1993.^[122] Another version planned for the Genesis’s Sega CD accessory became a new game, Sonic CD.^[123][124]

In October 2011, Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack, a three-disc album compiling music from Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2, interviews with Naka and Nakamura, and concept art. The first disc contains the in-game tracks and the second contains Nakamura’s demo recordings produced during development. The third disc contains «Sweet Sweet Sweet» by Dreams Come True, its English-language version «Sweet Dream», and remixes of both songs that Akon produced for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).^[125]

Rereleases[edit]

Sonic 2 has been ported to multiple platforms. A Sega Saturn port included in the compilation Sonic Jam (1997) introduces an alternate difficulty mode that alters stage layouts and removes some levels for an easier experience.^[126] Other compilations featuring the game include Sonic Classics 3 in 1 (1995) for the Genesis;^[127] Sonic Mega Collection (2002) for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox;^[128] Sega Genesis Collection (2006) for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable;^[129] Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3;^[130] Sonic Classic Collection (2010) for the Nintendo DS;^[131] and Sega Genesis Classics (2018) for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.^[132] Jam, Mega Collection, and Classic Collection include Knuckles in Sonic 2 as a bonus.^{[131][133][134]}

A remake of Sonic 2 was released for Android and iOS devices on December 12, 2013,^[135] and for Apple TV on March 24, 2016.^[136] The remake was developed from scratch by Christian «Taxman» Whitehead and Simon «Stealth» Thomley using the Retro Engine, previously used in Whitehead’s 2011 Sonic CD remake.^[137] The remake adds enhancements such as support for widescreen displays, Knuckles as a playable character, time and boss attack modes, online multiplayer, additional multiplayer stages, and Tails’s flying and swimming abilities from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994). It also restores Hidden Palace Zone as an optional, secret level.^[138] Whitehead redesigned Hidden Palace with input from Sonic Team, which informed him that STI had been dissatisfied with the original level design.^[137] The Android version sold more than 100,000 paid downloads on the Google Play Store by 2017,^[139] and received more than 10 million downloads by 2019 after it was made free-to-play.^[140] The remake was included in the 2022 compilation Sonic Origins for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.^[141]

A Nintendo 3DS port was developed by M2 and released as part of Sega’s 3D Classics line in Japan on July 22, 2015, and elsewhere on October 8.^[142] The port features stereoscopic 3D visuals, the option to switch between the game’s regional variants, alternate sound and visual modes, and cheats.^[143] M2 was originally hesitant to port the game, and it took the most effort of the 3D Classics line due to its large size and elaborate levels. Several technical tricks, such as the interlacing in the multiplayer mode and the pre-rendering in the special stages, had to be reprogrammed so they could be retained.^[41] M2 also developed a Nintendo Switch port for the Sega Ages line, released in February 2020. It includes most of the additions from the 3DS version, as well as the option to use Sonic’s Drop Dash ability from Sonic Mania (2017), a time attack mode, and Knuckles in Sonic 2.^[144][145]

Sonic 2 has also been rereleased on digital distribution platforms. It was made available for download on the Wii’s Virtual Console on June 11, 2007,^[146] the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade on September 12, 2007,^[147] the PlayStation 3’s PlayStation Network on April 19, 2011,^[148] Steam on January 26, 2011,^[149] and for Nintendo Switch Online’s «Expansion Pack» subscribers on October 25, 2021.^[150] These versions run via Genesis emulation, and the Wii and Xbox 360 versions allow users to play Knuckles in Sonic 2 if they also own Sonic & Knuckles.^[151][152] An emulated version for iOS was released in April 2010,^[153] but was replaced by the remake in 2013; those who purchased the original version were offered the remake free.^[138] The Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam versions were delisted in 2022 ahead of the release of Sonic Origins,^[154] a move that received criticism on video game preservation and consumer protection grounds.^[155]

Legacy[edit]

Sonic 2 was a major factor in keeping Sega competitive during the console wars of the fourth generation of video game consoles in the early 1990s,^[23] and GameSpot described it as the game that solidified Sonic as a major franchise.^[156] It boosted Genesis sales enough to nearly equalize Sega with Nintendo and cemented Sonic as a video game mascot on par with Nintendo’s Mario.^[23] Further, the Sonic 2sday promotion has been credited for originating the concept of the «street date», in which games are made available worldwide in all stores on the same day. The practice was uncommon before Sonic 2‘s release and became a widespread industry trend in the following years.^{[157][158][57]}

Sonic 2 introduced many elements that defined the Sonic franchise. Game Informer wrote that it «expanded the formula in myriad ways, giving Sonic new moves like the spin-dash, bigger stages to explore with more branching paths, and more inventive boss battles.»^[159] USGamer said that much of the series’ most-loved elements originated in Sonic 2 with the introduction of Tails, Super Sonic, and casino levels.^[160] Tails became one of the most popular Sonic characters; according to Nilsen, Sega found that Tails was as popular as Sonic because he received nothing but praise through its 800 number line.^[161] Tails starred in two spin-offs, Tails Adventure and Tails’ Skypatrol, for the Game Gear in 1995.^[161][162]

Retrospective assessments[edit]

Sonic 2 continues to receive acclaim.^[23] Critics consider it an improvement over the first Sonic the Hedgehog, saying it features greater level diversity and design, better graphics, and quality-of-life improvements.^[1][9][108] GameSpot said that Sonic 2 «does everything a sequel is supposed to do. It resolves many of the first game’s shortcomings and incorporates a slew of minor upgrades that cumulatively amount to a fresh experience.»^[9] IGN felt the emulated Wii rerelease was easy to recommend.^[1] TeamXbox, Eurogamer, and Hardcore Gamer said the level design, music, and fast gameplay still hold up exceptionally well,^[17][163][8] and GamesRadar+ called it «the most user-friendly of all the Sonic games, beautifully presented and still a challenge if you want to complete it properly.»^[108]

Retrospective objects of criticism include the multiplayer mode and the implementation of Tails. Reviewers disliked the image distortion brought about by the multiplayer mode’s squeezed and flickering graphics,^[1][108] while they considered Tails a burden due to his interference in boss battles.^[17][108] Additionally, Eurogamer described the visuals of the special stages as «dreadfully blocky»,^[17] and IGN felt that the inclusion of Tails in the stages was «detrimental at best» since he constantly hits bombs and makes the player lose progress.^[6] Some critics wrote that the late-game stages were difficult and complex,^[6][163] while GamesRadar+ said that «[the game] could be criticized for ‘playing itself‘» during sequences when Sonic careens at high speeds.^[108]

The 2010 iOS and DS versions received middling reviews,^[164][165] with criticism for their quality and lack of multiplayer,^{[166][167][131][168]} but the 2013 remake was considered the definitive version.^[138][169] TouchArcade called it a «beautiful remaster» that would appeal to old and new fans and found it surreal to finally play the once-removed Hidden Palace in an official capacity.^[138] Critics praised the 3DS version for its implementation of the system’s stereoscopic 3D and the added bonus features,^[8][2] with Nintendo World Report writing that the addition of cheats made difficult moments less frustrating.^[170] Nintendo Life was disappointed that the Switch version did not include the 2013 remake’s features and felt that M2 should have chosen a lesser-known game to port, given the copious number of Sonic 2 rereleases. Nonetheless, Nintendo Life felt it was an excellent port and a «must-have» for first-time players.^[145]

Sonic 2 is frequently cited as one of the greatest video games of all time.^[171] Listing the game at number 71 in its Top 100 Games of All Time list in 2001, Game Informer wrote that Sonic 2 was «the most challenging and finely polished Sonic the Hedgehog title.»^[172] Sonic 2 took first place in a survey conducted by Official Nintendo Magazine to determine the fan-favorite Sonic game in 2010,^[173] and GameZone named it the second-best Sonic game (behind Sonic 3) in 2011.^[174] GamesRadar+ named Sonic 2 the best Sonic game and the second-best Genesis game of all time (behind Streets of Rage 2 (1992)) in 2017.^[175][176] In November 2017, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka said that he felt Sonic 2 «really is the best of the classic Sonic series. The level design is just really, really solid… All of the [Sega] staff would say it was a great game for Japanese tastes but also a great game for American tastes. Sonic 2 really captured that global sense of game design and level design.»^[23]

Influence[edit]

For Sonic‘s 20th anniversary in 2011, Sega released Sonic Generations, which features reimagined versions of stages from across the series’ history. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows versions contain remakes of Sonic 2‘s Chemical Plant Zone and Death Egg Robot boss fight,^[177][178] while the Nintendo 3DS version contains a remake of Casino Night.^[179] Additionally, a Casino Night-themed pinball minigame was released as downloadable content.^[180] Sonic Mania features reimagined versions of Chemical Plant and Oil Ocean,^[181] while Sonic Forces (2017) features a reimagined version of Chemical Plant.^[182] Some design elements from Sonic 2 feature in Studio Pierrot’s Sonic the Hedgehog (1996) original video animation.^[183] The feature film Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) draws inspiration from Sonic 2, though it is not a direct adaptation.^[184] The Death Egg Robot and Super Sonic appear in the film,^[185][186] while one of its posters recreates Martin’s Sonic 2 box art illustration.^[59]

In the years since Sonic 2‘s release, a number of prototypes have been leaked online.^[54] In 1999, a Sonic fan, Simon Wai, discovered an early prototype containing the scrapped Hidden Palace, Wood, and Genocide City levels on a Chinese website and shared it with the Western Sonic fandom.^[54][187] The discovery played a significant role in the development of the archaeogaming scene, as it encouraged players to datamine games and document prototype ROM images so they could understand how popular games were developed.^[187] Journalist Heidi Kemps presented the prototype to Naka during a 2005 GameSpy interview and he identified it as originating from a preview cartridge that had been stolen from a 1992 New York City toy show.^[43][187] A Sonic fan discovered the Sonic 2 prototype featured on Nick Arcade in 2006 and raised over US$1,500 to buy the cartridge and release the ROM image online. The Nick Arcade prototype, while primitive and unpolished, showed fans how STI built the game atop the original Sonic the Hedgehog.^[54]

A high-definition (HD) fangame remake, Sonic 2 HD, entered development for Windows and macOS in 2008.^[188][189] The project was canceled in 2012 after the release of a game demo that Retro Gamer described as «blighted by programming incompetence», due to high system requirements and digital rights management that inadvertently triggered antivirus software.^[190] However, the project was restarted by a new team in 2014. It is planned to feature additional levels, multiplayer modes, and the option to play as Knuckles.^[189] Sonic 2 has also been noted for its active modding scene that releases ROM hacks featuring new game mechanics and playable characters.^{[191][192][193]} Modders decompiled the source code of the 2013 Sonic 2 remake in 2021, allowing it to be unofficially ported to any platform.^[169]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

Works cited[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official Sega webpage (in Japanese)
• Official Nintendo webpage Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
US cover art by Greg Martin
Developer(s)	Sega Technical Institute
Publisher(s)	Sega
Director(s)	Masaharu Yoshii
Designer(s)	Hirokazu Yasuhara Yutaka Sugano
Programmer(s)	Yuji Naka
Artist(s)	Yasushi Yamaguchi
Composer(s)	Masato Nakamura
Series	Sonic the Hedgehog
Platform(s)	Sega Genesis Arcade Android iOS Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch
Release	November 21, 1992 Sega Genesis JP: November 21, 1992 WW: November 24, 1992 Arcade WW: 1993 Android, iOS WW: December 12, 2013 Nintendo 3DS JP: July 22, 2015 WW: October 8, 2015 Nintendo Switch JP: February 13, 2020 WW: February 20, 2020
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Sonic the Hedgehog 2^[a] is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. It follows Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station. Like the first Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), players traverse side-scrolling levels at high speeds while collecting rings, defeating enemies, and fighting bosses. Sonic 2 introduces Sonic’s sidekick Miles «Tails» Prower and features faster gameplay, larger levels, a multiplayer mode, and special stages featuring pre-rendered 3D graphics.

After Sonic the Hedgehog greatly increased the popularity of the Genesis in North America, Sega directed STI founder Mark Cerny to start Sonic 2 in November 1991. Members of the original development team—including programmer Yuji Naka and designer Hirokazu Yasuhara—moved from Japan to California to join the project. Sonic 2 was intended to be faster and more ambitious than the first game. The development suffered setbacks, including language and cultural differences between the Japanese and American staff, and numerous levels were cut due to time constraints and quality concerns. As with the first game, Dreams Come True member Masato Nakamura composed the soundtrack.

Sonic 2 was widely anticipated, and Sega backed it with an aggressive $10 million marketing campaign. It was released in November 1992 to acclaim and received numerous year-end accolades. Critics considered Sonic 2 an improvement over the first game and praised the visuals, level design, gameplay, and music, though the low difficulty level and similarity to its predecessor were criticized. Sonic 2 broke video game sales records and became the bestselling game of 1992 in North America and Europe, grossing over $450 million. With six million copies sold worldwide, it is the second-bestselling Genesis game behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic 2 solidified Sonic as a major franchise and played a major role in keeping Sega competitive during the console wars of the fourth generation of video game consoles in the early 1990s. It continues to receive acclaim and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles followed in 1994. Sonic 2 has been rereleased on various platforms via compilations and emulation, and a remake for iOS and Android devices, developed using the Retro Engine, was released in December 2013. A number of Sonic 2 prototypes have leaked since the release; the first, discovered in 1999, played a significant role in the development of the archaeogaming scene.

Gameplay[edit]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a side-scrolling platform game.^[1] It features a story similar to the first Sonic the Hedgehog‘s (1991):^[2] Doctor Robotnik, a mad scientist, seeks the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station, the Death Egg,^[3] and traps the animal inhabitants of West Island in aggressive robots.^[4] As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to collect the Chaos Emeralds and stop Robotnik.^[4] The player character can run, jump, crouch, and attack by curling into a ball.^[5] Sonic 2 introduces the spin dash, which allows the player to curl while stationary for a speed boost,^[1] and Miles «Tails» Prower, a fox with two tails who acts as Sonic’s sidekick. By default, the single-player controls both Sonic and Tails simultaneously; a second player can join in at any time and control Tails separately.^[3] The player can also choose to play as Sonic or Tails individually.^[1][6]

The game takes place across 11 zones with 20 levels («acts»).^[7] The acts are larger than the first game’s,^[8] and the player navigates them at high speeds while jumping between platforms, defeating robot enemies, and avoiding obstacles.^[9] Springs, slopes, bottomless pits, and vertical loops populate acts, as do hazards like water and spikes. The player passes checkpoints to save progress. The last act of each zone ends with a boss battle against Robotnik.^[10] Sonic 2 features twice as many unique level tropes compared to the first game,^[11] and most levels end after two acts rather than three.^[3]

The player collects rings as a form of health: if they have at least one ring when they collide with an enemy or obstacle, they will survive, but their rings will scatter and blink before disappearing.^[2] The player starts with three lives, which they lose if they are hit without a ring, fall down a pit, get crushed, drown, or reach the 10-minute time limit; they receive a game over if they run out.^[12] Power-ups like shields and invincibility provide additional layers of protection, and lives are replenished by collecting 100 rings or a 1-up.^[13]

If the player passes a checkpoint with 50 or more rings, they can warp to a special stage for an opportunity to collect one of the seven Chaos Emeralds.^[3] The player runs through a half-pipe course, collecting rings and dodging bombs. A set amount of rings must be collected to obtain the emerald.^[2][14] If the player collides with a bomb, they lose ten rings and are immobilized momentarily. The stages rise in difficulty and the player cannot enter any stage without passing the previous one. After finishing, the player is transported back to the star post they used to enter, with their ring count reset.^[15] When all the Chaos Emeralds have been collected, Sonic can transform into Super Sonic by collecting 50 rings. Super Sonic is nearly invincible, runs faster, and jumps farther, but loses one ring per second and reverts to normal when his rings are depleted.^[3]

Sonic 2 introduces a multiplayer game mode where two players compete against each other in a split-screen race across three levels.^[3][9] After one player finishes a level, the other player must finish within a minute. Players are ranked in five areas (score, time, rings held at the end of the level, total rings collected, and the number of item boxes broken). The player who excels in the most categories wins.^[16] Players can also compete to obtain the most rings in the special stages.^[17]

Knuckles in Sonic 2[edit]

Sonic & Knuckles was released in 1994, two years after Sonic 2. The Sonic & Knuckles game cartridge features a «lock-on» adapter that allows players to insert other Sega Genesis cartridges. Attaching Sonic 2 unlocks Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a variation of Sonic 2 in which the player controls the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) character Knuckles the Echidna.^[18] The level design is identical, but Knuckles can glide and climb walls, allowing him access to areas inaccessible to Sonic or Tails.^[19] However, he cannot jump as high, making some areas, such as certain boss fights, more difficult.^[18]

Development[edit]

Conception[edit]

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sonic Team in Japan and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in June 1991. The game greatly increased the popularity of the Sega Genesis in North America and is credited with helping Sega gain 65% of the market share against then-industry leader Nintendo,^[20] making Sega a formidable competitor. The success meant that a sequel was inevitable,^[21] but shortly after the release, programmer Yuji Naka quit Sega due to disagreements over his salary, dissatisfaction over the time and effort it had taken to finish Sonic, and a lack of support from management.^[21]

During the development of Sonic the Hedgehog, Mark Cerny established Sega Technical Institute (STI) in California. Sega wanted to develop more games in America, and Cerny’s aim was to establish an elite studio that would combine the design philosophies of American and Japanese developers.^[22] During a trip to Japan, Cerny visited Naka’s apartment, listened to the reasons why he left, and convinced him to join STI in America to fix the problems he had had with Sega in Japan.^[22] Designer Hirokazu Yasuhara and other members of the Sonic development team joined Naka,^[22][23] but artist Naoto Ohshima stayed in Japan because he was working on Sonic CD (1993).^[24][25]

In September 1991, Cerny pitched Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as STI’s project for the 1992 Christmas and holiday shopping season—giving the team 11 months of development—but Sega management considered it too soon for a sequel.^[21] Cerny was not surprised, as marketing executives controlled what games developers created and did not understand game development.^[26] Further, Sega of America was hesitant due to its lack of confidence in the Sonic character.^[27] STI explored other concepts,^[26] but in November, Sega reversed course and told Cerny that it needed Sonic 2 for the 1992 holiday season.^[22] Cerny said that this did not create «much of a creative loss», as STI had yet to come up with a game idea on par with Sonic, but lost two months of development.^[26]

Now with a nine-month schedule, full-scale development started in early 1992.^[28] Sonic 2‘s development team was much larger than the first game’s and consisted of both American and Japanese developers, although the majority of the team was Japanese.^[29] Cerny’s idea was to have around a dozen of the original game’s staff move to STI. Development began with only Americans because the Japanese faced visa problems. According to Cerny, Sega had applied for O-1 expert visas, for «nationally or internationally recognized» people with «a record of extraordinary achievement», unaware that the Japanese developers did not qualify.^[11]

Design[edit]

Sega of America marketing director Al Nilsen said that STI wanted «to go all out» to ensure Sonic 2 would be as successful as the original Sonic, since sequels were generally not well regarded.^[23] STI brainstormed various ideas to improve the first game’s formula, beginning with making Sonic faster.^[26][23] In the first game, Sonic was restricted by a speed cap well below his maximum possible speed; STI lifted the cap for Sonic 2.^[26] Naka conceived the spin dash to remove the need to backtrack for momentum, which he observed was a common criticism of the first game.^[24] Early in development, STI implemented a routine whereby Sonic was hurt if he ran into a wall at full speed, but removed it in later builds.^[30]

STI’s first step was to create a game outline for the developers to flesh out with «a book-length report» detailing the characters, story, and levels.^[31] Yasuhara had ambitious plans for Sonic 2 and designed it with «‘blue sky’ ideas».^[26] Assuming STI had two years of development, he conceived a plot in which Robotnik took over the world and Sonic used time travel to stop him.^[26] The plot was scrapped, but many of Sonic 2‘s levels were taken from it; for example, Hill Top Zone (which features dinosaur enemies) was intended to be a past version of Green Hill Zone,^[11][3] while Chemical Plant and Casino Night came from the Robotnik-ruled future.^[11]

Yasuhara designed the stages thinking in the context of a 3D world to work out elements such as corkscrew loops and pipes.^[32] He was inspired to design Casino Night because he found Sonic‘s springs similar to the gimmicks of pinball tables, while Sky Chase—which features Sonic riding a biplane as he attempts to reach Robotnik’s base—was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s anime Future Boy Conan (1978).^[11] The first game demo was playable around six or seven months after the initial outline’s creation and featured a few levels without sound effects or significant detail. STI assembled focus groups to play the demo for feedback and created the alpha build afterward; by this point, 80% of programming had been finished.^[31]

Yasuhara wanted to add a second playable character so siblings could play together.^[26] Naka suggested the second character be endearing, similar to the kitsune from Urusei Yatsura, and beginner-oriented rather than Sonic’s rival.^[33] An internal contest was held to determine the new character, and the winning design was lead artist Yasushi Yamaguchi’s fox, which he named Miles Prower (a pun on «miles per hour»).^[34] STI wanted the character to appeal to Japanese audiences, and Yamaguchi gave him two tails—inspired by the Phantasy Star character Myau—to make the design more impactful.^[33] Sega of America objected to the name «Miles Prower», so he was given the nickname Tails as a compromise.^[34]

Tails was implemented using an artificial intelligence routine that allowed him to mimic Sonic’s movements, becoming playable with a second controller.^[26] Tails was also used in the multiplayer mode,^[35] something that Naka had attempted to implement late in development of the original Sonic.^[23] The multiplayer mode was one of Naka’s primary motivations to develop Sonic 2, since he felt multiplayer games were more fun.^[24] Naka used the Genesis’ rarely-used interlaced mode to create split-screen gameplay,^[35] since he found the standard display mode made it difficult to see the player character.^[24] Developing the multiplayer mode took six months.^[7]

Art direction[edit]

In addition to overseeing the level design and gameplay, Cerny acted as an art director.^[36] The initial level maps were drawn at Sega’s headquarters in Tokyo.^[37] According to level artist Craig Stitt, the artists received the paper map with ideas regarding the level theme. Once the design was settled, the artist would draw the art pixel by pixel and then input the graphics in the game itself. The graphics and animations were implemented using the Digitizer, Sega’s proprietary graphics system for the Genesis. The artists had to deal with palette limitations, as only 64 colors could be displayed on-screen.^[36] Rieko Kodama, who worked on the first game as an artist, helped design the levels.^[38]

Yasuhara said meshing the Americans’ art with art by Yamaguchi was the development’s largest hurdle.^[11] Yamaguchi had to check the teams’ enemy and stage designs while producing his own. While Yamaguchi was assisted by Jina Ishiwatari, he worked mostly alone. Stitt called Yamaguchi «a machine» who worked long hours and reworked other artists’ levels repeatedly to ensure quality.^[39] For example, Stitt felt disappointed when Yamaguchi redid his background art for the Oil Ocean level, but did not argue because he was not satisfied with the original background and Yamaguchi’s was much better.^[39] The title screen and Casino Night level art were both completely reworked shortly before release.^[30]

Tim Skelly designed the appearance of the pseudo-3D special stages,^[35] based on a tech demo created by Naka.^[40] The special stages, designed by Shinobi (1987) director Yutaka Sugano,^[35] were created from pre-rendered 3D polygons, video of which was compressed and halved vertically and horizontally to fit in the game cartridge.^[41] Cerny said the developers chose the 3D look to make the stages appear extravagant. In retrospect, he felt the stages were visually impressive but did not have as much gameplay depth as the original Sonic‘s special stages, which featured Sonic navigating a rotating maze.^[35]

Conflicts and cut content[edit]

The development was complicated by the cultural and language barriers between the Japanese and American developers.^[11] The Japanese were used to crunch conditions,^[28] with Cerny noting they often worked through the night and slept in their cubicles.^[22] In contrast, the Americans locked the STI offices at night.^[28] Cerny had envisioned the Japanese acting as mentors to the Americans, but cooperation was difficult since the Americans could not speak Japanese.^[11] Stitt recalled Yasuhara as easy to work with, but Naka as «an arrogant pain in the ass» not interested in working with Americans.^[11] Skelly said that Naka would have been happier working with an all-Japanese team.^[22]

During the development, Cerny left STI;^[27] he said that he left as development concluded,^[42] though Sega executive Masaharu Yoshii recalled that he departed around halfway through.^[28] Cerny left partly because of the rising tensions between the Japanese and American developers, feeling the Americans were not treated respectfully. Further complicating this was STI’s involvement with the Sonic franchise and Naka’s desire to oversee development personally, as well as Sega of America’s initial hesitation to assist given their lack of confidence in the Sonic character.^[27] Yoshii was installed as the temporary head of STI and was credited as Sonic 2‘s director. He said that the situation was severe because Sega of America was «betting everything» on Sonic 2, but the STI staff did not display any stress and remained optimistic that the project would be finished.^[28]

A large amount of content was cut, mostly due to time constraints.^[39] Nilsen said Sonic 2 «probably could have been three times the size if we left in everything that was there. Naka and team… weren’t afraid to say, ‘I’ve been working on this for four months, it’s not working. Let’s take it out.‘«^[23] One scrapped stage, Hidden Palace Zone, featured extensively in prerelease advertisements. It was planned as a secret stage accessed by collecting Chaos Emeralds; according to Naka, it would explain the origin of the Chaos Emeralds and grant Sonic his Super Sonic powers.^[43] Stitt created the Hidden Palace art and considered its foreground among his favorite work.^[39] Though Hidden Palace was one of the first levels implemented, work on it stopped in mid-1992,^[30] and it was removed shortly before completion for a lack of time and cartridge space.^[43]

Other cut levels included a forest level, which was implemented but hardly worked on,^[30] and a desert level.^[3] One scrapped level, Genocide City, was renamed Cyber City because the Japanese developers had not understood the negative connotations of the word genocide. Its level layout was used in the Metropolis Zone level.^[3] Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske, product manager Madeline Schroeder, and Nilsen worked closely with STI; Nilsen said the feedback loop helped the team determine what needed to be cut.^[23] Most cuts were made to the Americans’ designs, and many Americans were furious when they learned their work had been cut. Stitt said that he may have been the only American whose art was used in the final game.^[39]

Music[edit]

As with the first game, Sonic 2‘s soundtrack was composed by Masato Nakamura, a member of the J-pop band Dreams Come True.^[11] Nakamura became famous in Japan after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog and increased his asking price considerably.^[22] According to Yamaguchi, Sega of America wanted to use music composed in-house instead. After the team rejected it as «awful», Sega rehired Nakamura.^[44] Nakamura began composing early in development with only concept art for reference. He treated Sonic 2 like a film and attempted to reflect the atmosphere he felt in the concept art.^[45][46] Nakamura composed Sonic 2 simultaneously with the 1992 Dreams Come True album The Swinging Star.^[11] As a gift to the developers, he produced an alternate version of the Sonic 2 ending theme, «Sweet Sweet Sweet», for the album.^[47]

Since Sonic 2 was more technically advanced than its predecessor, Nakamura «wanted to create music that showed progress… It was like the Indiana Jones sequels. Same concept, but with more fun and excitement.»^[48] Nakamura felt considerable pressure, as he understood that expectations were high due to the first game’s success.^[48] STI let Nakamura work freely, which he felt allowed him to create melodic tunes and «unusual rhythm patterns».^[49] He composed using a Roland MC-4 Microcomposer; composing was challenging due to the Genesis’ limited sound capabilities, but they encouraged him to be more inventive.^[50] Five or six people worked to convert Nakamura’s music to the Genesis format.^[44]

Completion[edit]

Sonic 2 did not become playable from start to finish until the last 48 hours of development, in September 1992.^[39] The team planned to use a 4MiB cartridge, the same cartridge size as the first game,^[35] but STI ran out of space towards the end of development.^[28] To make sure the game would be finished in time for Thanksgiving, Yoshii went to the Japanese side of Sega for help. Managing director Daizaburou Sakurai contacted Sega Enterprises president Hayao Nakayama, who allowed the team to double the ROM size to avoid a delay.^[28] In total, over 100 people worked on Sonic 2 and the main team comprised 20 developers.^[51] The development schedule was shorter than the first game’s,^[52] and Yasuhara said STI worked under a lot of pressure due to Sega’s competition with Nintendo.^[26]

Yoshii said that Sonic 2 would not have been ready for release without Sega of America’s bug-checking process.^[29] STI videotaped testers’ gameplay so the developers could easily locate bugs.^[31] Around 50 developers worked as bug checkers, and the process took two to three weeks. Yoshii felt that despite the staff conflicts, the bug-checking made developing Sonic 2 in the US worth it, as Sega of America’s process was much more thorough than the one in Japan.^[29] When Sonic 2 was shipped to Japan for production, copies of the source code were sent on separate planes to ensure that the game would arrive in case of an accident.^[23] On the day the code shipped, the STI staff gathered in the warehouse and celebrated with a Sonic-themed cake.^[28]

Release[edit]

Marketing[edit]

Sega aggressively promoted Sonic the Hedgehog 2, spending approximately $10 million on advertising.^[53] Promotion began in early 1992, when Sega sent mockup screenshots to magazines. Sega then sent an early build to Nickelodeon for demonstration on the Nick Arcade (1992) game show,^[39] which featured it several times. Notably, it appeared in a competition between Clarissa Explains It All (1991–1994) stars Melissa Joan Hart and Jason Zimbler,^[54] with Hart struggling to play it since she was unaware of the spin dash.^[39][54]

As Sonic 2 was Sega’s biggest game of 1992,^[55] its marketing team, as Game Informer wrote, sought to make the release «as much a celebration as it was a product launch».^[23] Sega gave away T-shirts as preorder gifts and sent stores dry-erase boards to count down the days to release.^[39] Teaser posters bore the slogan «Are You Up 2 It?».^[23] Sega of America collaborated with Emery Worldwide to produce stickers celebrating «The Great Sonic 2 Shipment», and 50 people dressed as Sonic greeted the three planes carrying copies of Sonic 2 at Heathrow Airport. Sega considered shipping the cartridges with holographic labels, but decided it was too expensive.^[39]

At the last minute, Sega canceled a tour of shopping malls across the US, deciding it would be inadequate. Instead, it made Sonic 2 available in the West in all stores on the same day.^[55] This was an unusual practice at the time; generally, international game release dates depended on the region. Sega reconfigured its distribution system and used air shipping to ensure that games were available in all major stores. The North American and European release date, Tuesday, November 24, 1992, was marketed as «Sonic 2sday».^[56][57] In Japan, the game was released three days earlier, on November 21.^[58] Initial copies of Sonic 2 had several bugs; later copies used a patch developed a few days after completion.^[39] The cover art, featuring Robotnik peering over a gigantic «2» behind Sonic and Tails,^[59] was illustrated by Greg Martin.^[60]

Sales[edit]

Retailers preordered 2.2 million copies of Sonic 2 by October 1992,^[61] and it set a preorder record in Europe with 1.5 million game cartridges ordered in five countries, including 750,000 in the UK.^[62][63] Upon release, Sonic 2 broke video game sales records.^[64] In the US, it sold 600,000 copies within a day in addition to 400,000 preorders.^[65] It became the fastest-selling game in UK history with 750,000 copies sold within a day, grossing £27,000,000 or $47,000,000 (equivalent to $91,000,000 in 2021) and accounting for 48% of all UK software sales that week.^[66][67][68] It was the top-seller on Gallup’s Sega charts for the UK,^[69] Japan, and US for two months,^[70] and the bestselling video game of 1992 in North America^[71] and Europe.^[72] The initial worldwide batch of 3.2 million cartridges sold out within two weeks.^[73]

Sonic 2 grossed $450 million in 1992 ($870 million adjusted for inflation), which Kalinske said was «more than any hit movie, more than any other entertainment property.»^[74][75] The release-day revenue exceeded the total revenue that the bestselling rock music CD of 1992, Simply Red’s Stars, had earned throughout the year.^[76][77] Sonic 2 appeared on UK sales charts well into 1993^[78] and was the UK’s second bestselling video game of 1993.^[79] By November 1993, it was the bestselling 16-bit video game at the time.^[80] Sonic 2 sold six million copies worldwide by August 2006,^[81] making it the second-bestselling Genesis game behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog.^[82]

Reception[edit]

Sonic 2 received widespread critical acclaim, with scores above 90% from most video game magazines at the time. The improvements to the gameplay were praised. GamePro gave it 4.5 out of 5 for sound and 5 in every other category (graphics, control, and fun factor).^[89]

Critics praised the level design and graphics. GamePro assessed that the «graphics are actually better than the original’s. The rich variety of scenery, slightly larger sprites, and extra-added attitude help the spunky hedgehog paint video game magic.»^[89] Despite the reduction in the number of acts per level to two from the first game’s three, the levels themselves were said to be larger and more memorable.^[89][9][6]

GamePro described Tails as «about the cutest companion that any Sonic fan could ask for» and said the game’s biggest problem is that it is too easy, to the point where even unskilled players would quickly breeze through it. However, the reviewer noted that finding each stage’s secrets provides the game with challenge and longevity.^[89]

Reviewers spoke positively of the special stages and approved of the visual effects.^{[89][107][108]} GamePro wrote: «Theoretically, the Genesis isn’t capable of scaling, but Sonic‘s Bonus Rounds are gonna make you wonder!»^[89]

Accolades[edit]

Electronic Gaming Monthly named Sonic 2 the best Genesis game of 1992.^[102] The Electronic Gaming Awards from Electronic Games nominated Sonic 2 for its 1992 Video Game of the Year award,^[109] which it lost to Street Fighter II, but Sonic 2 won the award for Best Electronic Game Graphics.^[101] Chicago Tribune selected it as runner-up for Best Game of the Year, below Street Fighter II and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.^[100] At the Golden Joystick Awards, Sonic 2 won the awards for Best Original Console Game and Promotional Campaign of the Year.^[103] The Mega Reader Awards voted it the best platform game and best Mega Drive game of 1992, and Mega ranked it the second best Mega Drive game of all time in 1993.^[105] They named it the 36th best Mega Drive game in 1994.^[110] At the European Computer Trade Show awards, it won the Going Live Readers Award.^[106]

Post-release[edit]

Aftermath[edit]

Naka refused to develop another Sonic game if he had to work with the Americans again.^[111] When Atari veteran Roger Hector became the division’s head, STI split into two teams: the Japanese developers led by Naka, and the American developers.^[22] The Japanese team started working Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in January 1993; it was conceived as an isometric game that used the Sega Virtua Processor chip, but was retooled to reuse the Sonic 2 engine after it became apparent that the chip would not be finished in time.^[24] Many of Sonic 2‘s unused concepts were incorporated into Sonic 3 and the next game, Sonic & Knuckles,^[112] including the Hidden Palace level.^[43] Like their predecessors, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were critical and commercial successes when they were released in 1994.^[113]

While the Japanese worked on Sonic 3, the American team developed the spin-off Sonic Spinball (1993),^[22] a pinball game commissioned after Sega’s research determined that Casino Night Zone was one of the most popular levels in Sonic 2.^[114] Following the completion of Sonic & Knuckles, Yasuhara quit, citing differences with Naka, and went on to develop games for Sega of America. Naka returned to Japan with developer Takashi Iizuka to work with Sonic Team, and was reunited with Ohshima.^[115] A concept developed during Sonic 2‘s production formed the basis of the Sonic Team game Nights into Dreams, released for the Sega Saturn in 1996.^[116] The American team developed Comix Zone (1995), The Ooze (1995), Die Hard Arcade (1996) with Sega AM1, and Sonic X-treme, which was canceled in 1996. STI was disbanded in late 1996 as a result of changes in management at Sega of America.^[22] Meanwhile, Cerny worked with Sony Interactive Entertainment and helped create the PlayStation franchises Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.^[117] Cerny and Yasuhara remained friends and reunited to work with Naughty Dog on the Jak and Daxter series in the 2000s.^[118]

Other media[edit]

An alternate version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was developed by Aspect Co. for Sega’s 8-bit consoles, the Master System and the handheld Game Gear. The 8-bit version features different levels and music, as well as a different plot in which Sonic must rescue a kidnapped Tails.^[119] It was later included in Sonic compilations, such as Sonic Adventure DX (2003) for the GameCube and Windows and Sonic Gems Collection (2005) for the GameCube and PlayStation 2.^[120][121] Sega released an arcade cabinet version of Sonic 2 using its Sega Mega Play arcade system board in 1993.^[122] Another version planned for the Genesis’s Sega CD accessory became a new game, Sonic CD.^[123][124]

In October 2011, Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack, a three-disc album compiling music from Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2, interviews with Naka and Nakamura, and concept art. The first disc contains the in-game tracks and the second contains Nakamura’s demo recordings produced during development. The third disc contains «Sweet Sweet Sweet» by Dreams Come True, its English-language version «Sweet Dream», and remixes of both songs that Akon produced for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).^[125]

Rereleases[edit]

Sonic 2 has been ported to multiple platforms. A Sega Saturn port included in the compilation Sonic Jam (1997) introduces an alternate difficulty mode that alters stage layouts and removes some levels for an easier experience.^[126] Other compilations featuring the game include Sonic Classics 3 in 1 (1995) for the Genesis;^[127] Sonic Mega Collection (2002) for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox;^[128] Sega Genesis Collection (2006) for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable;^[129] Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3;^[130] Sonic Classic Collection (2010) for the Nintendo DS;^[131] and Sega Genesis Classics (2018) for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.^[132] Jam, Mega Collection, and Classic Collection include Knuckles in Sonic 2 as a bonus.^{[131][133][134]}

A remake of Sonic 2 was released for Android and iOS devices on December 12, 2013,^[135] and for Apple TV on March 24, 2016.^[136] The remake was developed from scratch by Christian «Taxman» Whitehead and Simon «Stealth» Thomley using the Retro Engine, previously used in Whitehead’s 2011 Sonic CD remake.^[137] The remake adds enhancements such as support for widescreen displays, Knuckles as a playable character, time and boss attack modes, online multiplayer, additional multiplayer stages, and Tails’s flying and swimming abilities from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994). It also restores Hidden Palace Zone as an optional, secret level.^[138] Whitehead redesigned Hidden Palace with input from Sonic Team, which informed him that STI had been dissatisfied with the original level design.^[137] The Android version sold more than 100,000 paid downloads on the Google Play Store by 2017,^[139] and received more than 10 million downloads by 2019 after it was made free-to-play.^[140] The remake was included in the 2022 compilation Sonic Origins for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.^[141]

A Nintendo 3DS port was developed by M2 and released as part of Sega’s 3D Classics line in Japan on July 22, 2015, and elsewhere on October 8.^[142] The port features stereoscopic 3D visuals, the option to switch between the game’s regional variants, alternate sound and visual modes, and cheats.^[143] M2 was originally hesitant to port the game, and it took the most effort of the 3D Classics line due to its large size and elaborate levels. Several technical tricks, such as the interlacing in the multiplayer mode and the pre-rendering in the special stages, had to be reprogrammed so they could be retained.^[41] M2 also developed a Nintendo Switch port for the Sega Ages line, released in February 2020. It includes most of the additions from the 3DS version, as well as the option to use Sonic’s Drop Dash ability from Sonic Mania (2017), a time attack mode, and Knuckles in Sonic 2.^[144][145]

Sonic 2 has also been rereleased on digital distribution platforms. It was made available for download on the Wii’s Virtual Console on June 11, 2007,^[146] the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade on September 12, 2007,^[147] the PlayStation 3’s PlayStation Network on April 19, 2011,^[148] Steam on January 26, 2011,^[149] and for Nintendo Switch Online’s «Expansion Pack» subscribers on October 25, 2021.^[150] These versions run via Genesis emulation, and the Wii and Xbox 360 versions allow users to play Knuckles in Sonic 2 if they also own Sonic & Knuckles.^[151][152] An emulated version for iOS was released in April 2010,^[153] but was replaced by the remake in 2013; those who purchased the original version were offered the remake free.^[138] The Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam versions were delisted in 2022 ahead of the release of Sonic Origins,^[154] a move that received criticism on video game preservation and consumer protection grounds.^[155]

Legacy[edit]

Sonic 2 was a major factor in keeping Sega competitive during the console wars of the fourth generation of video game consoles in the early 1990s,^[23] and GameSpot described it as the game that solidified Sonic as a major franchise.^[156] It boosted Genesis sales enough to nearly equalize Sega with Nintendo and cemented Sonic as a video game mascot on par with Nintendo’s Mario.^[23] Further, the Sonic 2sday promotion has been credited for originating the concept of the «street date», in which games are made available worldwide in all stores on the same day. The practice was uncommon before Sonic 2‘s release and became a widespread industry trend in the following years.^{[157][158][57]}

Sonic 2 introduced many elements that defined the Sonic franchise. Game Informer wrote that it «expanded the formula in myriad ways, giving Sonic new moves like the spin-dash, bigger stages to explore with more branching paths, and more inventive boss battles.»^[159] USGamer said that much of the series’ most-loved elements originated in Sonic 2 with the introduction of Tails, Super Sonic, and casino levels.^[160] Tails became one of the most popular Sonic characters; according to Nilsen, Sega found that Tails was as popular as Sonic because he received nothing but praise through its 800 number line.^[161] Tails starred in two spin-offs, Tails Adventure and Tails’ Skypatrol, for the Game Gear in 1995.^[161][162]

Retrospective assessments[edit]

Sonic 2 continues to receive acclaim.^[23] Critics consider it an improvement over the first Sonic the Hedgehog, saying it features greater level diversity and design, better graphics, and quality-of-life improvements.^[1][9][108] GameSpot said that Sonic 2 «does everything a sequel is supposed to do. It resolves many of the first game’s shortcomings and incorporates a slew of minor upgrades that cumulatively amount to a fresh experience.»^[9] IGN felt the emulated Wii rerelease was easy to recommend.^[1] TeamXbox, Eurogamer, and Hardcore Gamer said the level design, music, and fast gameplay still hold up exceptionally well,^[17][163][8] and GamesRadar+ called it «the most user-friendly of all the Sonic games, beautifully presented and still a challenge if you want to complete it properly.»^[108]

Retrospective objects of criticism include the multiplayer mode and the implementation of Tails. Reviewers disliked the image distortion brought about by the multiplayer mode’s squeezed and flickering graphics,^[1][108] while they considered Tails a burden due to his interference in boss battles.^[17][108] Additionally, Eurogamer described the visuals of the special stages as «dreadfully blocky»,^[17] and IGN felt that the inclusion of Tails in the stages was «detrimental at best» since he constantly hits bombs and makes the player lose progress.^[6] Some critics wrote that the late-game stages were difficult and complex,^[6][163] while GamesRadar+ said that «[the game] could be criticized for ‘playing itself‘» during sequences when Sonic careens at high speeds.^[108]

The 2010 iOS and DS versions received middling reviews,^[164][165] with criticism for their quality and lack of multiplayer,^{[166][167][131][168]} but the 2013 remake was considered the definitive version.^[138][169] TouchArcade called it a «beautiful remaster» that would appeal to old and new fans and found it surreal to finally play the once-removed Hidden Palace in an official capacity.^[138] Critics praised the 3DS version for its implementation of the system’s stereoscopic 3D and the added bonus features,^[8][2] with Nintendo World Report writing that the addition of cheats made difficult moments less frustrating.^[170] Nintendo Life was disappointed that the Switch version did not include the 2013 remake’s features and felt that M2 should have chosen a lesser-known game to port, given the copious number of Sonic 2 rereleases. Nonetheless, Nintendo Life felt it was an excellent port and a «must-have» for first-time players.^[145]

Sonic 2 is frequently cited as one of the greatest video games of all time.^[171] Listing the game at number 71 in its Top 100 Games of All Time list in 2001, Game Informer wrote that Sonic 2 was «the most challenging and finely polished Sonic the Hedgehog title.»^[172] Sonic 2 took first place in a survey conducted by Official Nintendo Magazine to determine the fan-favorite Sonic game in 2010,^[173] and GameZone named it the second-best Sonic game (behind Sonic 3) in 2011.^[174] GamesRadar+ named Sonic 2 the best Sonic game and the second-best Genesis game of all time (behind Streets of Rage 2 (1992)) in 2017.^[175][176] In November 2017, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka said that he felt Sonic 2 «really is the best of the classic Sonic series. The level design is just really, really solid… All of the [Sega] staff would say it was a great game for Japanese tastes but also a great game for American tastes. Sonic 2 really captured that global sense of game design and level design.»^[23]

Influence[edit]

For Sonic‘s 20th anniversary in 2011, Sega released Sonic Generations, which features reimagined versions of stages from across the series’ history. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows versions contain remakes of Sonic 2‘s Chemical Plant Zone and Death Egg Robot boss fight,^[177][178] while the Nintendo 3DS version contains a remake of Casino Night.^[179] Additionally, a Casino Night-themed pinball minigame was released as downloadable content.^[180] Sonic Mania features reimagined versions of Chemical Plant and Oil Ocean,^[181] while Sonic Forces (2017) features a reimagined version of Chemical Plant.^[182] Some design elements from Sonic 2 feature in Studio Pierrot’s Sonic the Hedgehog (1996) original video animation.^[183] The feature film Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) draws inspiration from Sonic 2, though it is not a direct adaptation.^[184] The Death Egg Robot and Super Sonic appear in the film,^[185][186] while one of its posters recreates Martin’s Sonic 2 box art illustration.^[59]

In the years since Sonic 2‘s release, a number of prototypes have been leaked online.^[54] In 1999, a Sonic fan, Simon Wai, discovered an early prototype containing the scrapped Hidden Palace, Wood, and Genocide City levels on a Chinese website and shared it with the Western Sonic fandom.^[54][187] The discovery played a significant role in the development of the archaeogaming scene, as it encouraged players to datamine games and document prototype ROM images so they could understand how popular games were developed.^[187] Journalist Heidi Kemps presented the prototype to Naka during a 2005 GameSpy interview and he identified it as originating from a preview cartridge that had been stolen from a 1992 New York City toy show.^[43][187] A Sonic fan discovered the Sonic 2 prototype featured on Nick Arcade in 2006 and raised over US$1,500 to buy the cartridge and release the ROM image online. The Nick Arcade prototype, while primitive and unpolished, showed fans how STI built the game atop the original Sonic the Hedgehog.^[54]

A high-definition (HD) fangame remake, Sonic 2 HD, entered development for Windows and macOS in 2008.^[188][189] The project was canceled in 2012 after the release of a game demo that Retro Gamer described as «blighted by programming incompetence», due to high system requirements and digital rights management that inadvertently triggered antivirus software.^[190] However, the project was restarted by a new team in 2014. It is planned to feature additional levels, multiplayer modes, and the option to play as Knuckles.^[189] Sonic 2 has also been noted for its active modding scene that releases ROM hacks featuring new game mechanics and playable characters.^{[191][192][193]} Modders decompiled the source code of the 2013 Sonic 2 remake in 2021, allowing it to be unofficially ported to any platform.^[169]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

Works cited[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official Sega webpage (in Japanese)
• Official Nintendo webpage Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

Как правильно пишется слово «сонник»

со́нник

со́нник, -а

Источник: Орфографический
академический ресурс «Академос» Института русского языка им. В.В. Виноградова РАН (словарная база
2020)

Ёж Соник
ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Sonic the Hedgehog
Ёж Соник в игре Sonic Unleashed
Игровая серия	Sonic the Hedgehog
Первое появление	Rad Mobile (камео)[1] Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Идея	Наото Осима Юдзи Нака Хирокадзу Ясухара
Художники	Наото Осима (Sonic the Hedgehog) Юдзи Уэкава (Sonic Adventure)
Озвучание	По-английски: Джалил Уайт (TV, 1993—1999) Сэмюэль Винсент (Sonic Underground, пение) Мартин Бёрк (Sonic the Movie) Райан Драммонд (игры, 1999—2004) Джэйсон Гриффит (игры, 2005—2010; Sonic X) Роджер Крэйг Смит (2010—наст. время) По-японски: Такэси Кусао (SegaSonic the Hedgehog) Масами Кикути (Sonic the Movie) Дзюнъити Канэмару (1998—наст. время) Томокадзу Сэки (Sonic Unleashed, в форме Оборотня) По-русски: Михаил Тихонов (Sonic X, 1 сезон) Василий Зотов (Sonic X, 2—3 сезон)
IMDb	ID 000840
Дополнительная информация
Дата рождения	23 июня
Возраст	15 лет[2] (с Sonic Adventure)
Вид (раса)	Ёж
Место рождения	Рождественские острова, планета Мобиус (см. подробнее)
Родственники	Отец: Ёж Джулес (комиксы Archie) Мать: Ежиха Бернадетт (комиксы Archie) Мать: Ежиха Королева Алина (Sonic Underground) Дядя: Ёж Чарльз (SatAM, комиксы Archie, Sonic Underground) Брат: Ёж Мэник (Sonic Underground) Сестра: Ежиха Соня (Sonic Underground)
Отношения	Майлз «Тейлз» Прауэр (лучший друг) Ехидна Наклз (приятель-соперник) Эми Роуз (девушка) Кристофер Торндайк (лучший друг в Sonic X) Доктор Эггман (враг)

Ёж Со́ник (яп. ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Соникку дза Хэдзихоггу^?, англ. Sonic the Hedgehog) — персонаж серии видеоигр Sonic the Hedgehog компании Sega, и созданных на их основе комиксов и мультфильмов. В настоящее время Соник является талисманом корпорации Sega, заменив Алекса Кидда, бывшего маскота фирмы до 1990 года.

Соник — синий антропоморфный ёж, живущий где-то на островах на Мобиусе (по версии комиксов и некоторых мультфильмов). Он обладает способностью бегать на сверхзвуковых скоростях, отчего и получил своё имя (англ. sonic — звуковой / имеющий скорость звука).

История создания

В 1990 году руководство Sega поручило своему подразделению AM8 разработать игру, которая могла бы продаться тиражом более миллиона экземпляров и персонажа, который мог бы стать талисманом компании. Претендентов было несколько, в том числе пёс, заяц и даже Теодор Рузвельт в пижаме^[3] (позже ставший основой для доктора Роботника). В апреле выбор сузился до броненосца и ёжика. Предпочтение было отдано ёжику авторства Наото Осимы за его «колючесть». Над игрой Sonic the Hedgehog начала работать группа из 15 человек, назвавшаяся «Sonic Team». Музыку к игре написал Масато Накамура из группы Dreams Come True, и Соник был нарисован на автобусах и листовках этой группы во время их очередного тура «Wonder 3»

В интервью для ThisIsMyJoystick.com Юдзи Нака сообщил, что Соник создавался с целью показать борьбу природы с прогрессом технологий. Юдзи Нака не стал говорить об этом в 1991 году, вместо этого он продемонстрировал свою точку зрения в серии видеоигр Sonic the Hedgehog. Доктор Эггман показан как злодей, загрязняющий окружающую среду и использующий механизмы, которые уничтожают окружающую среду и Соник должен противостоять этому^[1][4].

Впервые Соник появился не в Sonic the Hedgehog, а в качестве камео в игре Rad Mobile — как брелок на зеркале заднего вида машины, которой управляет игрок.

Характеристики

Точные возраст, вес, высота и прочие физические характеристики Соника изменялись с течением времени, включая стиль рисования. В видеоиграх оригинальным дизайном был дизайн Наоты Осимы, когда Соник был детского вида, с короткими иголками, круглым телом и с глазами без радужных оболочек. Арт, нарисованный Дэгом Уильямсом, был изображен на коробке первой игры Sonic the Hedgehog, а последующие игры использовали похожий дизайн. С появлением игры Sonic Adventure в 1998 году Соник был переработан Юдзи Уэкавой как более высокий персонаж с более длинными ногами и менее сферическим телом. Иглы стали длиннее, а глаза нарисованы с зелеными радужными оболочками. Дальнейшие изменения персонажа были сделаны в игре Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 года: ёж стал стройнее, выше, а его иглы и шерсть приобрели более светлый оттенок. Сторонние произведения, как комиксы и видео использовали вариации дизайна из видеоигр, с ограничениями, установленными стандартным описанием модели. На данный момент его рост равен 100 сантиметрам, вес — 35 килограмм^[2].

Изначально Соник носил кроссовки «Speed Shoes» (рус. Скоростная обувь) — красные с белым ремнём и жёлтой пряжкой на нём. Однако в Sonic Adventure в процессе игры он находит «Light Speed Shoes» — более близкая к современному представлению кроссовок обувь, также дающая Сонику дополнительные способности.

В Sonic Adventure 2 Соник носит «Soap Shoes» — модные и слегка громоздкие кроссовки. Примечательно, что в Sonic Adventure 2 Trial (ранней демоверсии Sonic Adventure 2) Соник носил те же кроссовки, что и в Sonic Adventure^[5], но затем Sonic Team сделали заказ у «Soap Shoes» — и ныне действующей фирмы по производству одноимённого типа кроссовок (кстати, с углублением на подошве, позволяющая ездить по перилам подобно Сонику) и «примерили» на синего ежа. Так эти кроссовки и попали в игру.

Причины его синей окраски никогда не объяснялась в играх. По одной из версий, когда при помощи ещё не озлобившегося Доктора Роботника он впервые преодолел звуковой барьер, он и приобрёл такой цвет.

Характер

В играх и мультфильмах характер у Соника немного различается. Он любит приключения, бег и свою скорость и ненавидит стоять на месте. Ещё он считает своей самой главной «потехой» спасение мира и борьбу против Роботника. Соник не считает спасение мира подвигом. Для него это хобби или развлечение. Соник беззаботен. Он также недолюбливает воду (по некоторым версиям он боится воды, так как не умеет плавать и не любит препятствия, которые не может преодолеть). Соник быстро заводит друзей и, по словам Космо в сериале Sonic X, способен «подружиться с кем угодно».

По версии комиксов Арчи и мультсериалов Sonic the Hedgehog, Adventure of Sonic The Hedgehog и Sonic Underground Соник сходит с ума от чили-догов и ест их в большом количестве. Игры, начиная с Sonic Unleashed, также указывают чили-доги в качестве любимой еды Соника^[6].

Отдельно в играх отмечены его героический характер и желание стоять до конца за то, во что он верит. Но Соник импульсивен и часто совершает необдуманные поступки. Например, в начале третьего сезона аниме Sonic X он распускает все семь Изумрудов Хаоса по всему космосу, чтобы не дать Метарексам захватить их, из-за чего теряет сознание и падает на Параллельную Землю (Мобиус) с орбиты.

Озвучивание

Впервые Соник был озвучен в игре SegaSonic the Hedgehog Такэси Кусао. В Sonic CD, Соника озвучила Кэйко Утоку, однако её голос слышен всего два раза — когда закончилось время, Соник говорит такие слова «I’m outta here!» и «Yes!», когда игрок получает одну жизнь.

Самым ранним голосом Соника в мультсериалах Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog и Sonic Underground стал Джалил Уайт, однако в Sonic Underground во время песен заменял Сэмюэль Винсент. В 1996 году был выпущен мультфильм Sonic OVA (также известный как Sonic the Movie и Sonic Anime) в Японии, где Соника озвучил Масами Кикути. В 1999 году Sonic OVA был показан в США, в английской версии Соника озвучивал Мартин Бёрк.

Начиная с игры Sonic Adventure, выпущенной в 1998 году, игры с Соником также стали озвучиваться. В японской версии Соника озвучивал Дзюнъити Канэмару, который позже озвучит Соника в японской версии Sonic X. Райан Драммонд озвучил Соника в Sonic Adventure и нескольких других играх. Однако компания «4Kids Entertainment» решила использовать в американской версии аниме-сериала Sonic X своего актёра Джэйсона Гриффита. Несмотря на это, Драммонд продолжал озвучивать Соника в играх до 2005 года, когда Sega заменила всех своих актёров, работавших над сериями о Сонике, на актёров от «4Kids Entertainment», чтобы унифицировать игры и Sonic X. Таким образом, Гриффит стал официальным голосом Соника, начиная с игр Shadow the Hedgehog и Sonic Rush.

В 2010 году «Sega» заменила почти всех актёров и теперь Соника озвучивает Роджер Крэйг Смит, который подарил голос Эцио Аудиторе да Фиренце — персонажу серии игр Assassin’s Creed и Крис Редфилду из Resident Evil 5.

Родная планета

Родная планета Соника — Земля, однако название дома иногда меняется основываясь на некоторых региональных различиях. По раннему материалу от Sonic Team Соник родился на острове Рождества. В игре Sonic Battle Соник живёт в городе Emerald Town (рус. Изумрудный город).

Земля: Соник всегда жил на Земле для игроков, живущих на земле в течение 16-битной эры 90-х годов, другие игроки верили что домашний мир Соника называется «Мобиус» — параллельная Земля. Имя произошло из-за неправильного перевода слова в интервью 1992 года Sega Visions с Юдзи Накой; на самом деле он говорил про «ленту Мёбиуса», использованную в Sonic the Hedgehog 2^[7]. Однако все игры, выпущенные после игры Sonic Adventure, действовали на Земле, и все использовали одну и ту же историю и имена вне зависимости от территории. Sonic Adventure 2 была первой игрой, которая постоянно использовала термин «Земля», что продолжилось и в других играх. В ремейке Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, и последующей игре Shadow the Hedgehog, содержатся виды Земли из космоса. Впрочем, расположение и форма континентов там не похожи на реальные (как и в Sonic & Knuckles). В Sonic Unleashed Соник путешествует по всему миру по фантастическим странам на фантастических континентах, внешне похожими на земные. Следовательно, мир Соника — фантастическая планета Земля, не похожая на нашу. События первых двух сезонов аниме Sonic X также разворачиваются на планете Земля, но согласно сюжету мультсериала, она находится в альтернативном Сонику мире^[7].

Мобиус: во всех американских и европейских комиксах, мультфильмах и книгах говорилось, что Соник живёт на планете Мобиус. Комиксы Арчи рассказывали про отношения между Землёй и Мобиусом, причем Мобиус — Земля в будущем. Это произошло когда инопланетяне Ксорда установили Генную Бомбу, которая уничтожила всю человеческую расу. События в комиксах Арчи происходят через 1300 лет в будущем^[8]. Британский спин-офф Sonic the Comic утверждает, что Мобиус — мир, совершенно отделенный от Земли, и является сестрой Земли. В Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog и Sonic Underground, в двух других сериях, нет никакой взаимосвязи между Землёй и Мобиусом.

Планета Свободы: этот мир появлялся только в Sonic OVA. Во время этого фильма, было объяснено что мир разделен на две части — The Land of the Sky, которая является местом жительства Соника и его друзей, и Land of Darkness, где обитает Доктор Эггман. Судя по руинам древнего города в Land of Darkness, эта планета — тоже Земля будущего.

Неизвестная: мир Соника в аниме Sonic X — неизвестная планета в альтернативной реальности, которая находится на том же месте, где и Земля, как раскрыто в 49 серии^[7].

Отношения с персонажами

Майлз «Тейлз» Прауэр

Тейлз — верный товарищ Соника в его похождениях. Как гласит описание, «Соник взял Тейлза под крыло и относится к нему, как к младшему брату». Их знакомство в играх, мультфильмах и комиксах описано по-разному. Согласно Sonic X, лисёнок создавал разные приборы, которые постоянно ломали его сверстники. Тейлз очень расстроился, но вдруг, увидев Соника, пошёл за ним, и, выйдя на берег моря, увидел самолёт ежа. Он починил и покрасил его в синий цвет, а когда пришёл Соник, Тейлз рассказал ему, что исправил самолёт. В игре Sonic the Hedgehog 2 лисёнок удивился скорости Соника и последовал за ним. Сначала ёжик не воспринимал его всерьёз, но после того, как Теилз починил самолёт Соника и помог ему догнать Эггмана, ёж признал лисёнка как верного товарища. Так началась их дружба. Сонику частенько приходится вытаскивать лисёнка из передряг, но в отличие от Наклза, Тейлз не создаёт масштабных проблем, а наоборот только помогает ежу.

Ехидна Наклз

Наклз, в отличие от Соника, намного серьёзней и относится к ёжику, как к легкомысленному герою. Везде пытается преуспеть Соника, но из-за доверчивости часто подводит и себя, и других. Соник порой называет его «закадычным врагом».

Эми Роуз

Эми влюблена в Соника, но он не отвечает ей взаимностью, потому что это его пугает и смущает. В комиксах она так же через какое-то время перестаёт уделять повышенное внимание Сонику и ему это не очень нравится. Хотя в Sonic X Соник уделяет Эми определённое внимание, особенно в серии Kaze no Omoide, где он подарит ей белую розу. Хотя Соник обычно просто убегает от Эми, но все же в некоторых эпизодах ясно показывается, что он боится за неё — так, в серии Nagisa no Amy он даже сумел преодолеть свою боязнь воды, бросившись за Эми когда она, разбив робота Эггмана и отправив в полет его летательный аппарат, упала в воду. В некоторых других комиксах Соник очень сильно любит Эми (но не показывает ей это). В игре Sonic Adventure 2 Соник очень испугался, когда доктор Эггман грозился убить Эми, если ёж не отдаст ему изумруд Хаоса. Также он был очень расстроен тем, что Эми не узнала его в образе ежа-оборотня, что также говорит о его симпатии к Эми.

Доктор Эггман

С самого начала, во всех играх, комиксах, мультфильмах Эггман — главный враг Соника. Эггман постоянно строит роботов, придумывает планы по захвату мира, а Соник спасает всех от злых замыслов доктора. В некоторых играх Соник и Эггман помогают друг другу.

Другие персонажи

• Салли

Согласно комиксам Sonic the Hedgehog, Салли — единственная, кого любит Соник. В будущем поженились и родили двух детей: еж Мэник (копия отца) и Белка Соня (копия матери). История их взаимоотношений длинная и запутанная (в том числе из-за того, что Соник любит путешествия, а Салли выступает категорически против них).

• Банни

Согласно комиксам Арчи, именно Соник спас Банни от полной роботизации, а Банни несколько раз его, что и приводило некоторое время к роману, они даже целовались. В одно время когда, Доктор Роботник роботизировал Соника и направил на Борцов За Свободу, Банни с ним вошла в бой, но проиграла ему. А сейчас, когда Банни вышла замуж за Антуана, она и Соник просто верные друзья и даже относятся друг к другу как брат и сестра.

• Фиона

Соник какое-то время встречался с Фионой. Сейчас Фиона любит Скорджа/Злого Соника.

Смерть и воскрешение

В 20-ом выпуске комиксов Арчи во время взрыва базы Роботника Соник был там, и все подумали, что он умер, а Соник решил, что он — призрак. Но позже выяснилось, что он не умирал, а стал невидимым. Позже он воспользовался одним прибором, который сделал его снова видимым.

В игре Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 года, Соника убивает Мефилес, но потом он воскресает при остановке времени с помощью силы Изумрудов Хаоса.

Камео

Соник появлялся в качестве камео более чем в 60 видео игр, в 4 мультфильмах и в 300 комиксах^[9]. Например, как арбитр в игре Sega GamePack 4 in 1, как кукла в LittleBigPlanet (в котором также появлялись куклы Тейлза, Наклза, Эггмана и Соника-оборотня), как специальный гость в ток-шоу Рози О’Доннелл в 1999 году или в мультфильме Megas XLR.

Соник дважды появлялся в мультсериале «Симпсоны» как сумасшедшая фантазия Барта Симпсона (11 серия 7 сезона «Marge Be Not Proud») и как персонаж свадебной рекламы (11 серия 19 сезона «That ’90s Show»).

Также Соник появился в мультфильме «Ральф».^[10]

Родственники

Похоже, Соник не имеет родственников в играх и в Sonic X. В мультсериале Sonic Underground Соник имеет мать Королеву Алину, дядю Чака, брата Маника и сестру Соню. В комиксах Арчи — отца Жюля и мать Берни, которые были оба роботизированы. Позднее Берни дероботизировали, а отца — нет, потому что при дероботизировании он бы умер из-за старой раны. В версии Арчи Соник имеет того же дядю Чака (по отцовской линии) что и в Sonic Underground и Sonic the Hedgehog.

Способности

Соника называют «Самым быстрым на свете существом» или «Самым быстрым в мире ёжиком», но у него есть и другие способности:

• Spin Jump — позволяет ему нанести урон противнику, просто на него запрыгнув.
• Spin Dash — пожалуй, самая известная его способность, позволяющая ему очень быстро ускоряться.
• Chaos Control — Имеет 2 вида — телепортация и остановка времени. Повторив действия ежа Шэдоу, Соник смог впервые использовать Хаос-Контроль, чтобы спастись от падения в атмосферу в Sonic Adventure 2. Соник редко использует данную способность, так как предпочитает полагаться на собственные ноги, а не на телепортацию.
• Light Speed Dash, с которой он может со скоростью света с лёгкостью преодолеть длинную дорожку колец.
• Light Speed Attack — самонаводящаяся атака на всех врагов в зоне досягаемости. Есть только в Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 и Sonic Heroes (после командного взрыва команды Соника).
• Homing Attack — позволяет атаковать ближайшего врага в прыжке самонаводкой.
• Jump Dash — это тот же Homing Attack, но без нападения на противника. Впервые появился в Sonic Adventure.
• Somersault — появляется в Sonic Adventure 2, позволяет убивать врагов и проходить места с низким потолком.
• Bounce Attack — появляется в Sonic Adventure 2, позволяет убивать врагов и запрыгивать на высокие уступы.
• Blue Tornado — ураганный вихрь, который закруживается вокруг врага и дезориентирует его, а также отнимает у врага щит. Появляется в Sonic Heroes, но в Sonic Adventure 2 была похожая атака — Sonic Wind, действующая аналогично; также есть в Sonic Riders у каждого персонажа, персонаж раскручивается и создаёт торнадо.
• Sonic Boost — способность, позволяющая за секунды достигать огромных скоростей. Впервые появляется в Sonic Rush под названием Super Boost, но начиная с Sonic Unleashed известна как Sonic Boost.
• Quick Step — способность быстро переместиться вправо или влево не снижая скорости и уничтожая соседнего врага. Присутствует в Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors и Sonic Generations.
• Sonic Drift — дрифт-атака, позволяющая быстро заворачивать на виражах и уничтожать врагов. Присутствует в Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors и Sonic Generations.
• Wall Jump — атака, позваляющая перепрыгивать от стены к стене вверх и уничтожать врагов. Доступна в Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors и Sonic Generations. Но вообще был замечен впервые в Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
• Air Boost — атака Boost в воздухе.
• Quick Down Attack (Stomp Attack) — атака, позволяющая быстро двигаться вниз, но в отличие от Bounce Attack не отрикошетиваться.
• Grinding — Соник умеет скользить по перилам или тонким поверхностям, благодаря Soap Shoes. Впервые появляется в Sonic Adventure 2.

Супер формы

Супер Соник — это суперформа Соника. Для превращения нужны 7 Изумрудов Хаоса. Суперформа делает персонажа неуязвимым и изменяет его внешне: золотисто-жёлтый цвет, красные глаза (в Sonic the Hedgehog 3 и Sonic & Knuckles радужка принимала зелёный оттенок). Иглы загибаются вверх, видимо, от избытка энергии. Супер Соник значительно быстрее передвигается и даже умеет летать.

В играх, как правило, Соник переходит в суперформу лишь на некоторое время. Неуязвимость и неограниченная сила компенсируется тем, что кольца убывают каждую секунду. Для превращения в супер форму, нужно, как минимум, 50 колец. Когда кольца заканчиваются, Соник возвращается в нормальное состояние (начиная с игры Sonic Adventure это ведёт к гибели). Единственной игрой, где Супер Соник не сжигает ежесекундно кольца — это Sonic Unleashed (версия на Xbox 360 и PlayStation 3).

Впервые Супер Соник появился в игре Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) для Sega Mega Drive/Genesis; она же стала первой игрой в которой Супер Соник доступен на обычных уровнях. Первой трёхмерной игрой в которой появилась возможность использовать супер-форму на обычных этапах стала Sonic Colors (2010) для Wii, хотя до этого такая функция уже планировалась в Sonic Adventure и Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 года.

Появления Супер Соника

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 и Sonic & Knuckles. В Супер Соника можно превращаться на уровнях. Он уничтожает врагов с одного прикосновения, начинает быстрее бегать и высоко прыгает, однако не может летать. Супер Соник может погибнуть, если его чем-нибудь придавят, если он упадёт в пропасть или если закончится время. Для активирования необходимо собрать все семь Изумрудов Хаоса на специальном уровне, собрать 50 колец или более и 2 раза нажать на «прыжок». За секунду тратится одно кольцо. Заканчивается супер форма тогда, когда кончаются все кольца. В игре Sonic & Knuckles/Sonic 3 & Knuckles после сбора семи Изумрудов Хаоса становится доступен последний уровень «Doomsday Zone», в начале которого Соник автоматически трансформируется в свою супер-форму. Однако в Sonic 3 & Knuckles, если игрок собрал все Супер Изумруды, то на этом уровне вместо Супер Соника будет управлять Гипер Соником. Также в Sonic the Hedgehog 3 в режиме Debug Mode можно поставить монитор «S», затем разбив его, можно стать Супер Соником, которому сразу даётся 50 колец.

• Sonic Adventure/Sonic Adventure DX Director’s Cut. Соник превращался в Супер Соника, чтобы победить Хаоса, который крушил город Стейшн Сквер (англ. Station Square). Но Хаос тоже использовал Изумруды Хаоса, но только их негативную сторону, а Соник позитивную.

• Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. Соник и Шедоу объединились и превратились в свои супер формы, чтобы победить Биолизарда — прототипа Высшей формы жизни, который по приказу Джеральда Роботника хотел уничтожить мир тянул колонию АРК к Земле (они ведь были в космосе).

• Sonic Advance. Соник видит, как Эггман улетел на Луну, и становится Супер Соником. В этой зоне нет колец, но их можно получить из ракет, которые выпускает Эггман.

• Sonic Advance 2. Маму Крим, Ваниллу, похитил доктор Эггман. Соник, Крим, Наклз и Тейлз не успевают её спасти. Казалось бы, всё кончено. Но Соник становится Супер Соником и обещает Крим спасти Ваниллу. Соник может получить повреждения с потерей 10 колец, если он заморожен лучём из хвоста и его засосала машина Эггмана.

• Sonic Heroes. Соник превратился в Супер Соника, чтобы победить Метал Соника в его высшей форме — Метал Оверлорд. Ему помогли Наклз и Тейлз.

• Sonic Advance 3. После победы над Эгманом робот Гемерл (робот Эггмана) сбивает Соника и забирает его изумруды Хаоса, становится Нонагрессором и предаёт Эггмана, отбрасывая его скутер в Соника, но изумруды возвращаются к Сонику, он становится Супер Соником и объединяется с Эггманом. Нонагрессор мог ранить Супер Соника, но не отнимая кольца, а обнуляет Tag Соника и Эгмана.

• Sonic The Hedgehog 2006 года. Соник вместе с Шедоу и Сильвером превращаются в свои супер-формы, чтобы остановить Соляриса, Бога Солнца. Солярис мог ранить Супер Соника (также как и Супер Шедоу и Супер Сильвера) несмотря на его неуязвимость.

• Sonic Riders, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity и Sonic Free Riders. Открыть можно если пройти все миссии на золотые медали.

• Sonic Unleashed. Соник был вынужден принять свою супер-форму из-за того, что древний бог Дарк Гайя, захороненный в ядре Земли, смог вырваться, благодаря ловушке Эггмана, стал превращать планету в Темный Мир надежды и отчаяния. Как и Солярис, Дарк Гайя мог ранить Соника, выбивая из него довольно большое количество колец.

• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: первый и второй эпизоды. Соник может становиться Супер Соником на любом уровне, если он имеет все семь Изумрудов Хаоса, точно также как и в классических играх.

• Sonic Generations. Оба Соника (Классический и Современный) принимают супер-формы, чтобы победить превращённого Роботниками в машину монстра Пожирателя времени, который и послужил причиной всех временных искажений. Способность можно купить в магазине и позволяет играть Супер Соником на уровнях.

• Sonic X. Соник стал Супер Соником в конце первого сезона, чтобы победить Эгг-Императора. Он использовал трансформацию в супер-форму, чтобы сразиться с Хаосом и Биолизардом (аналогично серии игр Sonic Adventure), а также, чтобы вернуться в свой мир в конце второго сезона. В третьем сезоне Соник использовал супер-форму трижды: для первой схватки с Метарексами (именно тогда он выбросил Изумруды Хаоса в космос), отметив, что впервые противник одолел его в образе Супер Соника, для битвы с Шедоу на базе Метарексов и для финального сражения.

• Комиксы «Fleetway». Супер Соник — это «злая» сторона Соника, которая появлялась в Сонике, когда тот был сильно раздражен или выведен из себя. Из-за этого у Супер Соника красные глаза, из которых он мог стрелять лазером!

• Комиксы «Archie». Впервые Соник стал Супер Соником, когда сражался с огромной роботизированой саламандрой. Позже стал им снова в бою с Гипер Наклзом. Во время боя с Мастером Могулом он в супер форме, вместе с Гипер Наклзом и Турбо Тейлзом. Он использовал трансформацию в супер-форму, чтобы сразиться с Хаосом и Биолизардом (аналогично серии игр Sonic Adventure). Также когда Соник был в космосе, он был вынужден сразится со своим двойником в супер форме. Соник вместе с Тейлзом и Шедоу превращаются в свои супер-формы, чтобы остановить А. Д. А. М.а, сына Эггмена и отправить Изумруды Хаоса в Специальную Зону. А когда Наклз стал богом Энерджаком, Соник снова принял супер-форму чтобы остановить его. Далее, когда Доктор Эггман перезагрузил реальность, Соник снова принял супер-форму, чтобы победить его и использовать Хаос Контроль, который восстановил реальность.

Другие супер формы

• Hyper Sonic — это Гипер Соник, переливающийся цветами всех 7-ми изумрудов Хаоса, но с двумя дополнительными возможностями. Первая — это так называемая «вспышка молнии», уничтожающая всех врагов на экране(если подпрыгнуть и использовать вспышку, то Соник сделает Двойной Прыжок). Вторая способность Гипер Соника в том, что он может дышать под водой. Помимо прочего Гипер Соник быстрее Супер Соника. Эта форма доступна лишь в игре Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Для открытия этой формы, нужно собрать 7 Изумрудов Хаоса и 7 Супер Изумрудов Хаоса. Открытие Гипер Соника изменяет концовку игры.

• Dark Sonic — эта форма появляется лишь однажды в 67 серии Sonic X. Эта форма Соника не является официальной и больше Соник никогда не использует данное превращение.

• Darkspine Sonic — первый и вероятно последний раз была представлена в игре Sonic and the Secret Rings. Иссиня-чёрный Соник, довольно сильно напоминающий его даркформу. Глаза не имеют зрачков. Кроме этого, на запястьях и ногах надеты 4 огненных кольца, но ещё есть кольца на иглах так что в сумме их 10. Кроме того, вертикально ежа пересекают две белые полосы. Аура — рыжая. Эта суперформа создаётся не семью изумрудами, а тремя кольцами мира (всего их семь), вокруг которых и крутится сюжет игры. Соник уязвим к атакам, но не расходует кольца. Основная сила — огромное количество Соул энергии, пополняемой в любой момент надобности из ниоткуда (нужно просто бешено болтать виимоут) и поднятия соул шкалы «до потолка». Отличие от всех его превращений — то что Соник использует силу грусти, печали и ненависти. Из-за этого характер Соника меняется на более жестокий и насильственный.

• Sonic the Werehog (искажение английского «Werewolf», оборотень) — это Соник, превращенный в оборотня. В этой форме Соник увеличивается в размерах, у него вырастают когти на пальцах (поэтому перчатки рвутся первыми), встаёт дыбом шерсть, концы игл становятся белыми, появляются клыки и шипы на подошвах. Способности этой формы — растягивание конечностей, лазанье по стенам и огромная физическая сила. Соник входит в неё автоматически после захода солнца или в местах, куда не достигает солнечный свет. Во время превращения его мучает сильная физическая боль. Появлялась только в игре Sonic Unleashed и мультфильме Sonic: Night of Werehog.

• Excalibur Sonic — появлялся в финальном бою в игре Sonic and the Black Knight. Скорее всего, так же как и Darkspine Sonic — первый и последний раз. Выглядит эта Супер форма как ёж, облачённый в сияющие золотом рыцарские доспехи; в руках меч Экскалибур. Создаётся эта форма не Изумрудами, для перехода в эту Супер форму Соник использует силу преобразовавшегося меча Калибурн и Трёх Священных Мечей. Это первая трансформация, при которой само тело Соника не подвергается изменениям, а также одна из четырёх «вынужденных» трансформаций (первыми тремя были Dark Sonic, Darkspine Sonic и Werehog Sonic).

Музыкальные темы

• В Sonic Adventure музыкальная тема Соника — «It Doesn’t Matter». Тема Супер-Соника и главная тема игры — «Open Your Heart».
• В Sonic Adventure 2 темой Соника также является «It Doesn’t Matter», но в совсем другом исполнении, а самой игры и Супер-Соника — «Live and Learn».
• В Sonic Heroes музыкальная тема Команды Соника (Соник, Тэйлз и Наклз) — «We Can», темой Супер Команды Соника (Супер Соник, Супер Тейлз и Супер Наклз) является песня «What I’m Made of…».
• В игре Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 года, темой Соника является песня «His World», исполняемая в игре в трёх вариантах. Первый вариант исполняют Али Табатабаи и Мэтти Люис из Zebrahead, второй вариант исполняется Crush 40 в более «тяжёлом» стиле и немного другим текстом песни, а третий вариант исполняет Zebrahead в убыстрённом стиле и также немного другим текстом. Также есть четвёртый вариант, но это укороченная версия первого варианта.
• В игре Sonic Unleashed (Sonic World Adventure в Японии) музыкальная тема Соника — «Endless Possibility», исполняемая таким составом: вокал — Джарет Реддик, инструменты — Эрик Чендлер, Томоя Отани, Чевтаро Моритейк, Такэси Танада, Масаюки Мураиси.
• В Sonic and the Black Knight главная тема игры — «Knight of the Wind», исполняемая Crush 40.
• В игре Sonic Colors главная тема «Reach For The Stars», слова Алекса Маклуфа и Самюэла Фрича, музыка Томоя Отани, исполнитель Жан Поль Маклуф из Cash Cash.

Отзывы критиков и культурное влияние

Соник как талисман компании Sega стал одной из основных причин успеха компании в чётвёртом поколении игровых консолей и является одним из самых известных игровых персонажей в мире. Он несколько раз был использован в качестве символа для различных мероприятий, спонсированных Sega. В период между 1993 и 1997 годами, Sega была спонсором футбольной команды ДЖЕФ Юнайтед Итихара Тиба, у игроков которых Соник появился в форме команды. В 1993 году на чемпионате Формула-1, Sega была спонсором команды Уильямс, где гонщик Ален Прост выиграл чемпионат. Соник был изображён на автомобилях, шлемах, а их соперники Макларен наклеивали на свои машины логотип в виде раздавленного ежа после каждой победы в гонках^[11]. В 1993 году на Гран-при Европы Соник был изображён на воздушных шарах и рекламных щитах.

В 1993 году Соник стал первым персонажем видеоигр, появившимся на Параде Мэйси в День благодарения^[12]. В 2011 и 2012 годах шар в виде Соника повторно появился на данном параде^[13][14]. Соник является также первым героем видеоигр, которого можно было увидеть на Параде Роз в 1996 году. В фильме «History of Sonic: Birth of an Icon» дизайнер Sega Technical Institute Питер Моравик заявил, что в 90-х годах дети узнавали Соника больше, чем Марио и Микки Мауса. В 2004 году на церемонии Golden Joystick Awards персонаж победил в номинации «Лучший игровой герой» (англ. The Sun Ultimate Gaming Hero)^[15]. В 2005 году Соник стал одним из трёх первых персонажей (наряду с Марио и Линком) представленных на Аллее игр^[16]. Кроме того, в честь Соника был назван белок SHH (англ.)русск. (Sonic Hedgehog homolog), участвующий в регуляции развития спинного мозга из нервной трубки (в процессе развития эмбрионов) и регуляции дифференцировки стволовых клеток во взрослом организме^[17].

По результатам опроса на тему самого популярного персонажа из игр, проведённом в 2008 году среди 500 человек в Великобритании, Соник занимает первое место с 24 % голосов, а его старый соперник Марио — второе, с 21 % голосов^[18][19]. В конце 2008 года, сайт MSN также провёл опрос о наиболее знаковом герое видеоигр, где синий ёж тоже занял 1 место^[20]. В 2010 году редакция Nintendo Power назвала Соника шестым любимым героем журнала, заявив, что в то время как он первоначально был заклятым врагом Марио, но позже перешёл на платформы от Nintendo. Они добавили, что Соник остаётся одним из величайших икон видеоигр^[21]. Соник был помещён на 10 место в списке пятидесяти лучших персонажей компьютерных игр по версии книги рекордов Гиннесса в 2011 году^[22].

Ёж занимает девятое место в топе «10 персонажей из Super Smash Bros. Brawl», составленном GameDaily^[23]. В 2009 году сайт IGN поместил Соника на 3 место в списке 10 самых переоценённых персонажей видеоигр^[24], а Cheat Code Central в аналогичном рейтинге — на 7 место^[25].

Примечания

Ссылки

• Профиль персонажа (яп.) на Sonic Channel
• Ёж Соник (англ.) на сайте Internet Movie Database
• Описание персонажа (англ.) на Giant Bomb
• Описание персонажа (англ.) на Sonic Retro
• Описание персонажа (рус.) на Sonic SCANF
• Описание персонажа (англ.) на Sonic News Network
  • В комиксах Sonic the Hedgehog
  • В комиксах Sonic the Comic
  • В мультсериале Sonic X
  • В мультсериале Sonic Underground
  • В мультсериале Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

Персонажи вселенной Sonic the Hedgehog
Ёж Соник | Майлз «Тейлз» Прауэр | Ехидна Наклз | Доктор Эггман | Эми Роуз | Ёж Шэдоу | Летучая мышь Руж | Ёж Сильвер | Кошка Блейз | Крольчиха Крим | Кот Биг | Хаотикс | Метал Соник | Чао
Игры  • Комиксы (Категории: Персонажи игр серии Sonic the Hedgehog Персонажи аниме и манги Персонажи-талисманы Персонажи мультфильмов Вымышленные ежи Персонажи с суперскоростью Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу Ёжик Ёзгентюрк Полезное Смотреть что такое «Ёж Соник» в других словарях: Соник-Пунтамика (баскетбольный клуб) — Соник Пунтамика Цвета белый и зелёный Основан 1974 Город Задар …   Википедия Соник Икс — Эта статья  об аниме сериале. О комиксе по его мотивам см. Sonic X (комиксы). Соник Икс …   Википедия Список серий мультсериала «Соник Икс» — «Соник Икс» (яп. ソニックX Соникку Эккусу?, англ. Sonic X)  аниме, показанное по телевидению. Создан по мотивам серии видеоигр о еже Сонике. Основой сюжетной линии послужил сюжет серии игр Sonic Adventure. В 2003 году 4Kids Entertainment… …   Википедия Соник — …   Википедия Соник Ёж — …   Википедия Соник Супер-ёжик — …   Википедия Соник Юс — …   Википедия Соник икс — …   Википедия соник —  СОНИК и СОННИК    , а, м. В банковских играх: левая карта первого абцуга.    ◘ Слезкин сел и в сонниках убил рублей триста у Шлыкевича, потом ещё убил карты две, три и стал бить не на шутку. А.С.Афанасьев Чужбинский. Петербургские игроки, 1872 …   Карточная терминология и жаргон XIX века Ёжик Соник — Sonic The Hedgehog Самый ранний вариант Соника из игры Sonic the Hedgehog и 3D модель из игры Sonic Heroes Игровая серия Sonic the Hedgehog …   Википедия