What’s your favorite Sonic game? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!
Probably Sonic Heroes since it’s the title I have the most fond memories of. I always dug the team aesthetic in that game and got laughs out of the corny storyline. I’ve played some of the other games (including the dreadful Sonic ‘06) but I always gravitate towards Heroes more.
Despite the first Sonic game being perhaps the most prevalent Sonic game of my life, I am going to have to go with its sequel, Sonic 2. In my opinion, Sonic 2 took everything that made the first game great, and improved on it. This is in part thanks to the fact that Tails is probably my favorite thing about Sonic as a whole.
I’m going to have to agree with TheAnvil. Sonic 2 has a bunch of great updates to the original. Better spinning mechanics, Tails for optional co-op, better levels and even some multiplayer! I played Sonic 2 so much with my nephew. It was a fantastic game to run through!
Since no one did so far, I’ll take the cake: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, without a doubt. I mean, do I even need to explain why? It had classic Sonic gameplay in its best form. Unique level design in every Zone, finally a Special Zone that’s not annoying and even fun, beautiful and immersive graphics, great soundtrack,…I think I described everything good about a good video game. And Sonic 3 & Knuckles is a DAMN good game. One of MegaDrive’s/Genesis’s best games.
Honourable Mention: Sonic the Hedgehog (Master System). Because this was my very first game ever and this was a big part of my childhood. But it’s so difficult, how did I beat this as a kid?!
Sometimes you just can’t beat the classics. Sonic 2 may have refined the mechanics of the series, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the culmination of all the ideas from the Genesis era, but the original Sonic is just so damn playable. It’s a game that, like the original Mario Bros., has amazing replayability. It is incredibly simple yet still very challening. The game had 1 button, 1!, for all actions, and it didn’t even have a spin dash. It didn’t need to. Every subsequent game added more and more to Sonic, but he really didn’t need it. Sonic one is the pure distillation of what makes Sonic great.
My choice is entirely based on the nostalgia it creates for me but Sonic Adventure 2 Battle is easily my favourite Sonic game. Six playable characters with three unique styles of playing over 2.5 seperate storylines. Plus you have mission mode, multiplayer with even more characters and the always fun Chao Garden. Me and a friend spent so much time on this game that I practically know it inside and out. Say what you will about the Adventure series of games but I am all for a new one.
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I will have to pick my top three. (Not in any kind of order.)
I do love Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, I loved the Sonic and Shadow segments, and I even liked the treasure hunting levels. I have also spent so many hours in the Chao Garden, I really hope for another down the line.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was my first Sonic game, and it had Tails who became my favorite character. Certainly a game I can play over and over. (And the fact it has some multiplayer is neat!)
Lastly, Sonic Generations. It was one of those games that reminds me why I love Sonic games. I enjoyed every bit of it.
I really enjoyed Sonic Generations as well. My favourite in recent years although I do hope for something different with the next game.
Sonic Adventure 1, 2, and Generations. I loved all three of them!
Of the classic games, though, S3&K and Sonic 2 make it a hard choice!
I’m gonna have to say Sonic Dash, it had the perfect feel gameplay-wise and it was only enhanced by its story and especially its music. It and its sequel are among the few Sonic games I’ve completed 100%.
Runner-ups would include Sonic Advance 3 for the unique pair-up mechanic, Sonic 2 for nostalgia, Sonic Chronicles for its uniqueness among Sonic games and a story that I actually liked (I was really tempted to pick this one over Dash, please give sequel bioware), Sonic Colors for just being a blast, and Sonic Generations for being what we all wanted.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is definitely my favorite Sonic game, for the same reasons that Nirbion gave. You have good taste, man. Unlike other Sonic games, I actually like the water level, and there’s only one thing I truly dislike: Sandopolis Act 2. The game is just so solid on all fronts and isn’t weak in any area. Sonic 3 & Knuckles is infinitely replayable, accessible, and fun. If you haven’t played it, please do yourself a favor and play it.
My runners-up are Sonic Generations and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Generations is really fun, but I feel that Classic Sonic and his levels aren’t quite as fun as S3&K, and the final boss is utter crap. Sonic 2 is great, but I feel that S3&K has better level design, music, multiplayer, and Special Stages.
In my case, I’ll be splitting into three parts: Classic Era, Dreamcast Era, and Modern Era. Exactly, the Sonic Generation Style!
Classic: I’d choose Sonic 3 and Knuckles as my favorite Classic Era game. This game had so many features that the previous games never had. Mid-boss battles, file menus with stage select system, characters with their exclusive movesets and alternate routes…this game was full of excitement! Sonic 3 in the beginning was the main prologue of this game, and I do believe there were so many people who wanted to play as Knuckles back then. Sonic & Knuckles was the answer to that call, and I really liked how Knuckles was so different from Sonic and Tails as having so many reliable moves from gliding to wall climbing! Even its lock-on system was another exciting part of the game, which made Knuckles being playable in Sonic 2, and even making the fully complete version of Sonic 3. Mushroom Hill and Sky Sanctuary was fun, but Sandopolis was a nightmare as I never want to go back there again (freakin’ invincible ghosts!). I mostly enjoyed Knuckles’ part; Sega really made a good idea of replacing Eggman with the survived and improved Eggrobo, even having Mecha Sonic a role as a final boss with a Super Sonic style! I’d definitely love to play this game again, which I do wish Nintendo to bring Sega back in Wii U’s Virtual Console (although its too late already).
Dreamcast: On this era, I’d choose Sonic Adventure 2. As this game being the celebration of Sonic’s 10th Anniversary, although many people didn’t like the game due to many reasons, I really loved this game as a whole. The storyline was great with the best ending of all time, characters were interesting and likable with enjoyable abilities of their own, the musics were freakin’ awesome as it made me love Jun Senoue and Crush 40! The stages may not be impressive, but even then its enjoyable and thrilling when it comes with rail grinding. However, I’ve never enjoyed the Chao system because many tasks were difficult to me, which I wasn’t able to get any emblems from there. But still, I really liked this game as I enjoyed playing it all over again. I was also glad that they’ve ported to the Gamecube with the newly improved two player battle mode, which I do remember enjoying playing with my friends back then.
Modern: Finally, I was thinking of choosing Sonic and the Black Knight, but I decided to choose Sonic Generations for this era. I’ve only played the 3DS version, so I have no experience on the other versions as well since I don’t own both PS3 and Xbox360. Bringing back all those nostalgic stages and remake it into different concepts of both 2D and 3D…I think Sega really made a great idea for Sonic’s ultimate 20th Anniversary game. However, the 3DS version was different as they didn’t have a same content with the other versions. Both versions have different stages which is okay, but the 3DS version somehow kept its 2D form. The storyline was even more different as the final boss wasn’t that thrilling like in the other versions. 3DS version may have some negative parts in my opinion, but still, I liked it as a whole. I would like to play the other versions too; I’d like to see it being ported to the NX if possible.
Either Sonic 3 & Knuckles or Sonic Adventure 2 (Battle).
I’d have to choose Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. It was one of my first video games and introduced me to the franchise. I still go back to it now-and-then, and it’s still a blast to play.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is also up there though.