30 June, 2008 |
Sonic The Hedgehog Review
Sonic The Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis was Sega's attempt to prove to the gaming world that not only could the make platforming games as well as their arch rival Nintendo, Sega could make these types of games better than Nintendo could. While this argument is debatable, what is clear is that Sonic The Hedgehog certainly took platform gaming to new and unexplored heights when first released.
Speed is the first thing that must be mentioned when talking about Sonic The Hedgehog this game pushed the frame rate for platforming games beyond what was though to be possible as Sonic blazed through level after level, completing his objectives. The speed factor in Sonic The Hedgehog literally left other platform games (this means you, Mario) in the dust. Although some gamers were overwhelmed or annoyed by the lightning fast speed, for the most part this aspect of Sonic The Hedgehog was well received.
The next most impressive part of Sonic The Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis, is the game's graphics. Prior to the release of Sonic The Hedgehog, never before had such big sprites and vibrant colors been rendered by a home gaming system. The intense graphics and rapid redrawing of these graphics served to clearly demonstrate the processing power of the Sega Genesis; embarrassing Nintendo's Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) which was by then beginning to show its age. It has been said by some critics that the graphics in Sonic The Hedgehog, while impressive, were certainly not as groundbreaking as Sega claimed them to be. Sonic The Hedgehog also had "slow down" issue which caused the game to freeze and slow down occasionally while being played; this aspect was not at all well received by game players. In spite of the criticisms, Sonic The Hedgehog did take gamers, and gaming, closer to the day where gaming and animation will combine and create fully interactive full motion simulations.
The gameplay of Sonic The Hedgehog also receives special praise for the innovative twists that Sega's designers added to the game. Twists, loops, springs and rings, all add a dimension of play to Sonic The Hedgehog that was previously unheard of in a video game.
The music and sound effects in Sonic The Hedgehog also caused quite a stir when the game was first released. The audio technology in the Sega Genesis allowed the programmers of Sonic The Hedgehog to sample actual recordings of real music and voice for use in the game. With Sonic The Hedgehog, for the first time gamers actually heard their games talking back to them, and got to rock out to a soundtrack that consisted of more than just a series of computerized beeps and tones. Gamers and reviewers raved about the musical score to Sonic The Hedgehog for good reason; nothing like it had ever been heard before.
Overall, in spite of criticism by detractors, Sonic The Hedgehog is a groundbreaking game that remains almost as enjoyable today as when it was first released. One of Sonic The Hedgehog's unique properties is that the game, when played today doesn't seem hampered by the limits of the technology that created it. Sonic The Hedgehog continues to be a favorite of gamers today.a