It’s hard to believe that Sonic the Hedgehog is set to celebrate his 30th anniversary in 2021. The Blue Blur has amassed a hugely dedicated following throughout the years – experiencing his fair share of ups and downs along the way – leaving the character in a precarious middle ground, where the future of the series is relatively unknown at this point.
After originally announcing that 2020 would be the year of Sonic (cue facepalm), creator SEGA looked to release a stream of monthly Sonic-related content – that is until everything went silent. No doubt, as a result of the ongoing pandemic, the Japanese developer will be readying said announcements over the coming months.
Fuelled by nostalgia, curiosity or a general love for the franchise, naturally many of us will look to revisit numerous games from Sonic’s 30-year catalogue. While there are certainly some substandard experiences available, there’s also a whole host of fantastic titles that are well worth your time. So, that’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best Sonic games that you can play on both PC and console.
Sonic Mania
Let’s start off on the right foot. Following a prolonged period where 2D Sonic was shuffled to the side, SEGA contractor Christian Whitehead pitched an idea to bring back the classic gameplay – and boy, did he deliver!
Sonic Mania is exactly what Sonic needed in 2017. A fresh coat of paint, a dynamic soundtrack and that stellar Sonic gameplay that fans fell in love with from the Genesis era. Not to mention, the superb Saturday morning cartoon animations that became the delectable cheese and onion on this already mouth-watering chili dog. As a long-time fan of the hedgehog, Whitehead took the idea of “fine, I’ll do it myself” to a whole other level.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Not enough love is shown to the Sonic racing series. Mario may have perfected the frantic multiplayer madness of the kart racer, yet Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed offers more under the hood than you might expect upon first glance.
Drivers compete across land, water and air in transforming vehicles that change from cars to boats to planes whenever needed. This initial gimmick actually turned out to make one of the best arcade racers on the market. Everything from the characters, stages, and soundtrack are filled with SEGA goodness, making it a crying shame that these titles are not talked about more. Let’s start here.
Sonic Adventure 2
Let’s get something straight here: the Sonic Adventure games are good. The internet is very quick to throw these experiences into the same scrap pile as Sonic 06, Sonic Boom, Sonic Forces (we could go on) etcetera. however, they are genuinely fun and have some of the franchise’s best moments to date.
Truth be told. they haven’t aged great graphically but the gameplay element is still highly engaging, with a loveable story that has the right amount of cheesy dialogue to make you glee, rather than cringe.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
29 years on and Sonic 2 still holds up brilliantly and is often considered the peak of the hedgehog’s lifespan. This is down to the quality of levels found within the sequel, from Chemical Plant and Casino Night to Mystic Cave and Wing Fortress.
Everything is a genuine improvement from its predecessor. Sonic’s speed is increased, the music reaches new heights, the colours pop, and most importantly, we get the introduction of everyone’s favourite fox friend: Miles “Tails” Prower
Sonic Unleashed (PC MOD needed)
Okay, so this one is a little bit of a cheat, but there’s a relatively straightforward procedure to making Sonic Unleashed a reality on PC – even if SEGA won’t. Sonic Unleashed is a criminally underrated experience, masked by an overabundance of God of War-style gameplay, that arrives in the form of the Werehog. It’s not bad, it’s just not great.
The true star is the day levels: a selection of globe-trotting, speed salivating, ingeniously designed stages that see Sonic scale cities, jungles and glaciers like an X-15 fighter jet. There are some incredible awe-inspiring moments to be had here. Fully aware of this, the PC modding community created a version that offers new higher-quality textures and 60 frames per second gameplay. A thing of beauty.
Sonic Generations
Where Sonic Generations fails on originality, it excelled at celebrating the speed demon’s 20th anniversary in style. Combining a mix of 2D and 3D levels, players venture through the franchise’s history, exploring one level from all of his mainline entries – some of which, have been improved for the better.
The boost mechanic is extremely well implemented and the game doesn’t outstay its welcome. There’s a significant difference between the console and PC versions, with the latter offering a smooth 60fps gameplay, 4K support and a dedicated modding community, helping the game excel in every way thinkable.
What are your favourite Sonic games on PC and console? Let us know in the comments.
