Way back in the year 1992 the video game company SEGA releases the sequel to its biggest selling at the time. This game is now available on dozens of platforms. It was the first in the series to have co-op play. The game I’m talking about has an epic story without a single word being said with music that I still sing today. This adventure spans four days around, under, and over one island, even in space. This video game that got me loving video games and the main character that stars in it is Sonic The Hedgehog 2.
It was Christmas and toys were everywhere. One of the many items me and my sisters got was a SEGA Genesis that came with Sonic 2 which we had to share. I played with it the most so I came to owning it. We also had a NES with one or two games and an Atari, both of which we hardly touch. They were not as fast, bright, and entertaining as the new system in the house that will turn me in to a gamer. Some other games were rented here and there like Mortal Kombat 3 but didn’t have the gameplay of Sonic 2 which was the only game at the time I enjoyed. It would be some years later until I play the first game but not as much time would pass until I play the sequel Sonic 3.
Sonic 2 was the first game I beat, over and over again. Sonic 2 got me in to collecting all of the rings, I still fail at it. It also got me to start seeing the patterns in enemies and bosses. After many times of play I then started to see that the faster I play the bigger point bonus I’ll get. I replay levels to find hidden items and faster routes. When I finally got all of the chaos emeralds a whole new world of Sonic opened for me thanks to Super Sonic. Sometime later I came across video game codes for Sonic 2 that just crank up the crazy fun for me to have. Enter the level select to replay my favorite parts all I wanted, enter the sound test part to chill to the tune without enemies or time limit, and then came the debug code that not only had me making a crazy fun game in to just crazy but had me to follow the path of a gamer to the road of game maker. The debug code not only gave me a peek of what a game can do, but how they are made and worked.
Most people may say that they love Sonic 3 more but there would be no Sonic 3 if Sonic 2 didn’t start the grand story of the Death Egg. The Sonic comic book and cartoons came out the year before Sonic 3 which shows that Sonic 2 had been doing so well in sells that more money was put in the idea of Sonic to make a comic book with a continuing story that still runs today and two cartoons, one that's all wacky comedy which each episode could be a standalone and the other cartoon is an epic tale with humor to keep it friendly with lots of darkness and even a bit of sadness too.
The Mario games like to have the word bros. in the title but the player can only play as one of them at a time where as in Sonic 2 the 2 does not only mean that it’s the second game but also that two player can play at once. Player one plays as Sonic who is the only one who can get power ups, hit the signpost, lose rings when hit, has the camera following him, and dies. Player two plays as Tails with the same moves, ability to hit baddies, collect rings, and the ability to not stay dead. It was with this type of game play the that teamwork skills are made by having player one move the camera while player two takes the hits. My sister was player two which was a stepping stone for her to become a gamer as well.
Sonic is my favorite thing. He has done more wrongs than Mario but Sonic gets right the things Mario can’t do well or at all. Starting with Sonic 2, continuing with the comic book, and now plans to take the Xbox360 and Wii to the heights of new game play fun for everyone at the speed of sound, Sonic won’t stop no matter the speed bump.
Happy birthday Sonic!
