Why not do a list of the 10 Best Sonic the Hedgehog Games? After all, the blue blur has been around for generations… Sonic Generations… sorry, that was a horrible joke. Sonic is one of our most loved, and hated, mascots. He is now mostly the butt of jokes pertaining to werewolves, knights, princesses, and brooding emo hedgehog clones. But Sonic used to be amazing, a force to rival Mario and one of the biggest franchises in gaming. Let’s take a look at the 10 Best Sonic the Hedgehog Games of all time.

  • 10

    Sonic Rush

    Sonic Rush had to beat out some pretty stiff competition to get out our list of 10 Best Sonic the Hedgehog Games. Great titles like Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, and Sonic Heroes were all just as good as Sonic Rush, and would have made fine entries to the list. However, Sonic Rush was a 2D Sonic game that still managed to innovate through its use of the DSes dual screens. 2D Sonic gamers are a little closer to the classic “pure” Sonic formula and that’s why it made the list.

  • 9

    Sonic Triple Trouble

    Few people remember the Game Gear, what with it requiring six AAA batteries and only providing you three hours of battery life, but it had some amazing Sonic games nonetheless. Sonic Triple Trouble felt a lot like Sonic 3, in that Sonic and Tails were fighting against another furry nemesis in addition to Dr. Robotnik. They had to contend with not only Knuckles, but also Knack the Weasel through Triple Trouble's stages. Triple Trouble was also the first game to introduce air stunts, and was one of the only Sonic games where getting hit didn’t take away all of your rings.

  • 8

    Sonic Dash

    Yes, an iOS game is one of the best Sonic games of all time. Why? Well think about it. Sonic’s claim to fame is running. More importantly, the goal in Sonic games is to never stop running while avoiding obstacles at high speed. So of course Sonic is an amazing mascot for an infinite runner game! Move over Temple Run, Sonic Dash has you beat!

  • 7

    Sonic Colors

    Sonic’s 2D adventures tend to be the ones fans remember most fondly, but he has a few 3D gems too. Sonic Colors came out during a time when the public knew Sonic as a doofy toon that turned into a werewolf or something. So, granted, anything would be better than Sonic Unleashed. However, Sonic Colors was good in its own right, mixing awesome 2D platforming with 3D object dodging, and introducing “color powers” which were a lot like Sonic 3’s elemental shields.

  • 6

    Sonic 4 Episode 1

    Speaking of the dark ages of Sonic, Sonic 4 Episode 1 reminded us of Sonic’s roots when crappy Sonic game after crappy Sonic game was released. While the Sonic physics were a little loose in this game, and the homing attack was the most powerful thing ever, Sonic 4 Episode 1 felt like a worthy successor to Sonic 3. Episode 2 was also good, what with the introduction of Tails, but it didn’t capture our Sonic nostalgia the way 1 did. That more than qualifies it as one of the 10 Best Sonic the Hedgehog Games.

  • 5

    Sonic Advance 3

    Sonic Advance 3 was another one of those games that offered awesome 2D Sonic action, but this time it offered it with a choice of five different characters. Well, sort of. It offered it with a choice of two teams of five different characters, composed of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream the Rabbit, and Amy Rose. These teams got different abilities depending on who was leading and who was following. So, in short, Sonic Advance 3 let you play a Sonic game with 25 completely different sets of abilities.

  • 4

    Sonic 2

    Sonic 2 basically defined what we think about as “classic” Sonic gameplay. It was where Sonic got most of his well-known tricks, like the Spin Dash. It was also the first time we saw most of Sonic’s most well-known power-ups, and introduced the idea of secret bonus stages to get chaos emeralds that weren’t necessarily placed at the end of a  stage. This is the Sonic formula that we all know and love.

  • 3

    Sonic Generations

    Speaking of formulas, Sonic Generations took the Sonic formula, desconstructed it, and finally gave us the Sonic Game we wanted… Sonic 2 again… Well, to be fair what Generations really did was split up Sonic into modern day and classic variations and gave us the best of both. Classic Sonic utilized spin dashes and power-ups to get through stages, while modern Sonic used boosts, air tricks, and a bad attitude!

  • 2

    Sonic CD

    Sonic CD is one of those games that you either love or simply don’t know about. It was another one of those awesome classic formula Sonic games that unfortunately was lost in time due to the Sega CD’s unpopularity. The fact that we say Sonic CD was lost in time is appropriate because the game was basically about time-travel. It also introduce Amy Rose as Sonic’s unfortunate crush, and Metal Sonic as Sonic’s robotic rival.

  • 1

    Sonic 3 & Knuckles

    Why do we list these two games together on our 10 Best Sonic the Hedgehog Games list? Because they are the same game! Sega was brilliant at pulling the wool over consumers’ eyes. Blast processing was nonexistent, as was lock-on technology. Sonic 3 & Knuckles was just one game that was too big for one cartridge. So instead, they sold it to you as two cartridges! Regardless, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is widely regarded as the best game in the Sonic library.

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