Monday, April 4, 2011

Top 10 Sonic Games

My very first video game system was a Sega Genesis, so, naturally I was a huge Sonic fan! I still am, but unfortunately since those glory days Sonic has had a rough time. Still there are some great games in the Sonic catalog  if you take a look. So here it is my list of the top 10 Sonic games.

10. Sonic Advance 3 (Game Boy Advance)
To start us off we have the very last Sonic game made for the GBA. While this game is very similar to it's other advance series offerings it makes it on this list for two major reasons. First, it allows you to make your own custom 2 player match-ups. This feature allows you to pick a leader and support character before you enter a level and each team combo leads to different results. It this game you can finally have Tails lead Sonic around the level or even team up Amy with Knuckles, it's a really neat feature. Secondly, it has my absolute favorite Super Sonic boss battle in the entire Sonic library. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's really worth checking out!

9. Sonic& Sega All-Stars Racing (360, PS3, Wii)
The Sonic franchise has tried to dip into racing many times, and this is the first time they really got things right. Not only do you have he choice of racing with many Sonic characters, you also have a huge roster of Sega characters from classic Dreamcast and arcade titles (and even Banjo Kazooie). The game also has great balance and simple gameplay. Personally, I like the way this game is balanced better than the Mario Kart series! For any Sega fan or kart racing fan this game is worth a look!

8. Sonic Battle (Game Boy Advance)
Many Sonic games sometimes find themselves bogged down with far too many characters, differentiating gameplay, and padding the game. This Sonic fighting game actually puts the huge Sonic roster to good use! In Sonic Battle you have 10 different characters to play as each with their own unique moves and play styles. The best part is an android named Emerl that can collect the moves of these characters and apply them to his moveset. Tweaking Emerl to be strong and suit your tastes is really a bunch of fun! The gameplay itself is fast and simple, allowing you to jump in quickly and start swinging!

7. Sonic Rush (Nintendo DS)
Sonic has always been a fast guy, but this game really gets to show off your speed! In this game you get a boost gauge, which you build up by preforming tricks and destroying enemies. You can the press a button to boost forward at awesome speeds. The game is really fast paced and gets pretty challenging towards the last levels as you try and balance speed and control!

6. Sonic 4 (360, PS3, PC)
While the "long-awaited" sequel didn't live up to expectations, it was still a pretty good sonic title. The zones to obvious inspirations from the Sonic games of old, as did the enemies, and well everything else. The only new aspect, the homing attack fits in well enough. The levels are colorful and fun, and the few new mechanics that are added in work quite well!


5. Sonic Adventure (Sega Dreamcast)
This is one of the games that really drove initial sales of the Dreamcast. And while the graphics don't impress nearly as much as they do now, the gameplay of Sonic Adventure holds up really well. The game does have some hiccups, but usually runs well. All the different gameplay modes are fun (except Big's pointless fishing levels) and suit their characters quite well. The levels are also done in classic Sonic style and are designed quite well.

4. Sonic 1 (Sega Genesis)
The very first Sonic is still one of the best. This game is a little rough around the edges, but still shows what is fun about Sonic. Awesome level design, cool bosses, and plenty of baddies to smash along the way. Levels like Marble Zone and Spring Yard Zone are both challenging and creative. This game definitely shows how Sonic was different from other platformers of that generation.

3. Sonic Advance (Game Boy Advance)
Back when this game was released, it was a shock to see Sonic on a Nintendo platform, but luckily, Sonic adapted beautifully to the platform. This games seemed to kick-off right where the Genesis games left off, offering awesome 2D platforming. The levels were well suited to each of the 4 characters, and the game had some really great music.

2. Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sega Genesis)
Originally sold as two separate cartridges, after linking Sonic 3 with Sonic & Knuckles, you found a massive game with 13 Zones! Each and every zone in this behemoth was well designed and unique to all the others. In addition each level had both a boss and a mini-boss. This game included 3 different shields which had different attributes from reflecting bullets to attracting rings, and each shield also allowed Sonic to preform a special jumping move. Lastly, this is the only game in which you can play as Hyper Sonic, Hyper Knuckles, and Super Tails! These massively powered forms are well worth the challenge of the special stages and make the game tons of fun!

1. Sonic 2 ( Sega Genesis)
While this game has many similarities with most of the games on this list, it is simply the most balanced and well designed. The levels are all brilliantly crafted. They are fun, well-paced, colorful, and accompanied by some of the best music on the console. The special stages are the best in the series, simple and challenging. The game has a great difficulty curve growing from easy to blisteringly hard over the course of it's 11 levels. The game's best attributes can only be appreciated by playing through it, so if you've never played it do so now!

15 comments:

  1. never really played any Sonic games myself, but I have ended up watching other people play for some reason. Looks kinda fun, but maybe not my type of games.

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  2. I bought the sonic collection on xbox a few years ago and must say I agree with most of this list, a couple could do with swapping around, but generally sound

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  3. Sonic is a classic. Great game.

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  4. good choice for #1, sonic 2 was def the best

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  5. I remember one of the first Sonics on Dreamcast.

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  6. I haven't actually played Sonic myself, but I've heard it's really good.

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  7. I never really got into sonic as a kid.

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  8. Of course man - Sonic is the best. I think 1 and 2 got swapped around dude.

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  9. Sonic 2? Really?

    *shames you*

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  10. yeah... i was a nintendo kid, no sonic.

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  11. A classic, but I think sonic is starting to get old :\ too many of them!

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