Sonic the Hedgehog has now turn 33 years old! 33 years and counting of some of the very best and very worst that gaming has head to offer! In case you haven’t figured that out with the multiple Sonic pieces that I’ve written on this blog, I’ve always been a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog since I was a kid. Sonic as a character is someone that always has appeal to me with his cockiness, incredible sense of speed, but also having a big heart for himself and those he cares about. He’s always been so appealing to me that I’ve been following this roller coaster of a franchise for almost two full decades now.
To celebrate this year’s anniversary of this beloved/infamous gaming icon, I’ve decided to do a ranking of my personal favorite Sonic games to date! Not necessarily what I think its the best from an objective standpoint but the Sonic games that I’ve had the most fond memories of and still do to this very day.
First off, here’s some games that didn’t make the list but are worth a mention.
- Sonic the Hedgehog
The one that started it all and introduced one of the finest gaming icons. I mean who doesn’t remember Green Hill Zone Act 1 beat-for-best. Everything from the level itself to the colorful backgrounds to the cartoon animals and of course, the music. It almost makes you forget this level has been remix and remade to death! Though it pales in comparison to its successors (at least for the classic games) and Labyrinth Zone is still absolute pants, it’s still makes for a strong first impression to this beloved/controversial character.
- Sonic Advance/Sonic Advance 3
These two are basically neck-and-neck for my favorite of the Advance games. While the console games have been inconsistent in terms of quality, the handheld entries have had quite a few gems that don’t get the recognition they deserve. These two games are good examples of the perfect formula for Sonic. By adding characters/elements to the gameplay along with a sense of speed and platforming that help make the experience more enjoyable rather than hinder it. They both have issues (1 has ridiculous bosses and 3 has ridiculous padding) but as a whole, these two games are ones that still quite stand out for Sonic.
- Sonic Adventure 2
While the speed stages with Sonic and Shadow are as fun as ever and the expansion of the Chao Garden helps increase the replay value greatly, the mediocre-to-okay shooting stages with Tails and Eggman and absolutely terrible treasure hunting stages with Knuckles and Rouge bog the experience down for me. Had more focus went into the first two things I mentioned, this might have found a spot on the list.
- Sonic Heroes
The very first Sonic game I’ve ever played will always have a special place in my heart as the entry that got me into the series. There are still chunks of the game that are fun, I like the overall message of teamwork, and it has perhaps my favorite soundtrack in the series but there are major issues when it comes to controls, physics, and repetition here, especially when having to play the same game four times over to get the final story. I still like it but it’s not aged well enough to where I feel like it deserves a spot.
- Sonic The Hedgehog 2
A sequel that takes everything that works about the original and expands upon it in every single way. As a result, it manages to be not just as good as the original but even better. Better controls, level designs, graphics, backgrounds, environments, and especially music! With an even greater sense of speed, more memorable level designs, and the introduction of the cutesy fox known as Tails, this is no doubt a great sequel. The only setback is the final boss which to this day is still incredibly cheap, hard as ball and makes the ending of the game incredibly frustrating every time I replay it. Still a classic without a doubt but the fact the game always ends on a rather sour note prevents it from being in my personal top 10!
10.) The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
Never in a million years would I think that a visual novel game where you just point and click at things made by the social media group from SEGA would end up being in my top 10 favorite Sonic games list but here you go! The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is a game that came out on April 1st last year on the PC, strictly as a April Fools Day prank. Little would I know that this would be one of my favorite games of 2023 and one of my favorite Sonic games in a while. To put it simply, it’s Sonic and his friends in a murder mystery party. I would tell you more but that would spoil all the fun to be had with this game. Just know that this is a very well done visual novel and point-and-click adventure made with a lot of love from the SEGA Social team, who clearly loves Sonic as much as the fans do. If that sounds like your jam, then please go download this game right now on your PC if you haven’t already. It’s 100% free!
9.) Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed
What’s this?! A kart racing game on a favorite Sonic games list?! BLASHPAMEY! But in all seriousness, this is an example of a kart racing sequel that is better than the original in every way, which was already pretty good. With even smoother controls, more creative racetracks, and offering a better sense of challenge than before, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is one of my personal favorite kart racing games and one of the few out there that would give Mario Kart a run for it’s money. If you love Sonic and racing games, then this is definitely one of the best ones you can find an any open market out there! And also in case you are wondering, SONIC IS DRIVING A CAR TO MAKE IT FAIR TO THE OTHER RACERS! THAT IS ALL!
8.) Sonic Frontiers
That’s right! I actually found a spot for Sonic Frontiers! This might be guilty of many of the same flaws that have plagued prior 3D Sonic games but unlike with most recent entries in the series, there is actually plenty of charm hidden within that makes the experience super enjoyable! The overall core formula and open zones work well here and does help set a promising template for future Sonic games. It’s also nice to see more care put into the story and characterization than it has been for quite some time. And I don’t think Super Sonic has been more badass here than ever. Sonic Frontiers is about as imperfect as you can expect a Sonic game to be but for the first time in a long while, it did leave me with an actual feeling of optimism for Sonic moving forward. This is a game that has grown on me since it came out and I’ve come to find more things to love and appreciate about it as time goes by. Yes, the pinball level sucks, some of the grinding sucks, and the “true” final boss sucks (The ONE thing that The Final Horizon DLC improved on!), but none of those were enough to ruin the many hours I’ve spend on Sonic Frontiers! Fingers cross that Sonic Team can capitalize on the strengths of this game while leaving out the weaknesses and we can have an even better open-world Sonic game next time out.
7.) Sonic Adventure
While this has unfortunately aged badly, there is still more than enough about Sonic Adventure, A.K.A. the first official 3D Sonic game, that works very well to this day. The gameplay that still works (namely Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Gamma) remain some of the very best in all of 3D Sonic, the hub world of Station Square is fun to explore and gives you that perfect sense of adventure that makes the title accurate, and it’s neat to have every main character in the story get their own arcs and development throughout, something which didn’t happen in the Sonic series until this game. Even the dated elements like the cheesy animation, dialogue, and voice acting are at least good for a laugh, both intentionally and unintentionally, that you can have a blast with them.. This might’ve been a bit higher on the list if it wasn’t for those Big the Cat fishing missions but I still rate the original Sonic Adventure very highly to this day. If it wasn’t for this game, who knows where Sonic the Hedgehog would be in the year 2024!
6.) Sonic Rush
The game that introduces the boost mechanics that would eventually become a stable for Modern Sonic, Sonic Rush makes for one of the most fun and unique Sonic games throughout his history. The main highlight here is seeing the introduction to fan-favorite Blaze the Cat, arguably the best female character in the entire franchise. There’s some repetition of playing the same levels twice and Eggman Nega sucks on literally every single level, but this is one I can recommend to those who are not even Sonic fans. With top notch speed, fast platforming, and a SUPER awesome soundtrack, Sonic Rush is an absolute gem that should not be missed! Just a damn shame this had to come out the same day as Shadow the Hedgehog!
5.) Sonic Unleashed
One of the most divisive installments in the franchise is among my favorites. The HD version of Sonic Unleashed has the thrills and action that I could want from a Sonic game. The daytime stages delivers an incredibly sense of speed and fast platforming that I always love replaying, the story is simplistic but still has that nice mix of light and dark nature, the graphics still look stunning even 14 years later, the soundtrack is outstanding, and even I’m not shame to admit I even kinda (mostly) like that silly Werehog. I totally understand the reasons to love and hate this game but I remain a fan to this day. This game has been gaining a cult following over the years and I’m glad to admit that I was a part of it from the very beginning.
4.) Sonic Colors
Sonic Team followed up Sonic Unleashed by making a game that added more to the well-received aspects of it (the daytime stages) along with removing the not so well-received aspects of it (the nighttime stages). Sonic Colors understands the core appeal of Sonic by featuring top-notch speed, solid platforming, incredibly fun and unique level designs, and some of the best power-ups in the series with the Wisps. There may be a bit too much 2D levels for some and the story/humor is admittedly hit (any scene with Eggman and his robots) or miss (Baldy McNosehair) but this is easily among the best 3D Sonic games to date. It’s also nice to see a Sonic game that despite borrowing elements from Mario, is still able to provide a fresh and entertaining experience that certainly feels like Sonic the Hedgehog.
3.) Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
To many people, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the absolute definite Sonic game and it’s easy to see why! Taking the best aspects of all the previous games that has come before it while introducing one of the best characters in the franchise known as Knuckles. The levels are more expanded upon than ever before giving you multiple paths and ways to the goal, every character controls perfectly with not a single one being a chore to play, and even the bosses and special stages (which I weren’t a fan of in the past) are great here. Masterfully combining speed, platforming, and exploration, this remains a top-tier Sonic experience. However, it’s not quite the full Sonic package for me the way the next two games are.
2.) Sonic Mania
A beautiful and well done remix of the original classic games, along with a handful of wonderful original levels of its own, Christian Whitehead helps craft an entry that feels more of a worthy follow-up to Sonic 3 & Knuckles than both episodes of Sonic 4 combined. There’s more extras, unlockable and playable characters than ever before, the gameplay from the Classic games that everyone knows and love is giving the right upgrade and in some ways, surpasses the original games, and I don’t think Super Sonic has looked, sound, and been more fun to control than he’s done here. And even though many of the levels themselves have been taking from other games, they’ve been changed and expanded enough where it feels totally new in it’s own right. Even to those that aren’t the biggest fans of Classic Sonic, I would highly recommend this one as I consider it the definite Classic Sonic experience.
1.) Sonic Generations
My favorite Sonic game to date is the one that certainly features the most Sonic out of all the games thus far. Sonic Generations acts a wonderful celebration of the first two decades of Sonic the Hedgehog. Perfecting both the classic 2D style gameplay along with the modern 3D style gameplay by recreating the best levels from previous Sonic games and making them feel new and unique on their own. There’s plenty of awesome extras and unlockables along with some incredible remixes of the best tracks in the Sonic franchise. This game gets right what it needs to get right so well that it’s shortcomings such as a weak story, lackluster boss fights, and lack of DLC that’s not mod ports on the PC don’t matter. Nothing changes the fact that if I had to choose only one Sonic game to play for the rest of eternity, the one I am likely going to choose is Sonic Generations. By giving me the right feeling of classic Sonic and modern Sonic at the same time, this game is able to give me the complete Sonic experience that no other Sonic game has give me thus far. Sonic Generations might not be objectively the best Sonic game ever made but to this day, it still remains my favorite one.
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