We continue our countdown of the top 11 video game heroes with someone who is more iconic. This character is not just one of the best characters of all time, not just the protagonist to one of the best selling franchises of all time, and not just an icon of 90's pop culture, but he is one of THE faces of gaming. This character has starred in not just video games, he is also the star of not one, not even two, but THREE cartoon shows, one Original Video Animation/movie, and one anime. He is also the star of one of Archie Comic's longest running titles, having sold millions of comics world wide. This blue blur has found success in the entertainment industry unmatched by any but a few select franchises. His name? Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog. What can I say about him that has not already been said? Well, I will focus on his in game achievements, because that's the whole point of this series.
Sonic first appeared in the game that bears his name, Sonic the Hedgehog. Released in 1991, the plot was a little thin. The evil Dr Eggman Robotnik had kidnapped several woodland creatures and placed them inside his machines, setting off to conquer the world. Sonic then beats Robotnik...and that's it. Come on, it was 1991, and the game was a platformer!
The next game was a little better. In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Dr Robotnik returns, plotting to steal the 7 Chaos Emeralds to power his ultimate machine, the Death Egg. Joined by his little buddy, Miles "Tails" Prower (har har) Sonic sets out to defeat Dr Robotnik...and does.
In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, one of the few good games on the Sega CD, Sonic must fight Dr Robotnik, who has not only kidnapped Amy Rose, one of Sonic's admirers, but has also conquered the Little Planet, a small planet that appears over Never Lake at the last month of each year. Using the planet's time traveling capabilities, Robotnik plans on using the planet as his own fortress. To aid him, he has constructed his finest robot yet, Metal Sonic.
As fast as Sonic, and twice as deadly. Arguably one of Sonic's strongest foes.
Sonic, however, is not so easy to beat. He takes on Metal Sonic in a duel, beating him in his toughest fight yet. Having collected the 7 Time Stones, special rocks with the ability to control time, Sonic undoes Robotnik's work on the Little Planet, returning it to it's original serene form. And he also rescues Amy, who is a feminist icon. Not really.
Truly a woman who represents the strengths and virtues that feminists all over hold in high regard. /sarcasm/
The series really started to pick up some steam with Sonic 3 and Knuckles, which had the biggest plot of the 16 bit era of Sonic. So big was this game, in fact, that they had to split it in two! The first was called Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and the second was Sonic and Knuckles. In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Dr Robotnik's fortress falls unto Angel Island, an island paradise in the sky, housing the mysterious Master Emerald. Once he encounters the guardian of the Emerald, Knuckles the Echidna, he tricks the guardian into believing that Sonic the Hedgehog, who was pursuing the Dr, was plotting to steal the Emerald. Because he has a very, very, very limited range of experience in dealing with people, Knuckles believes the crazy doctor that fell from the sky alongside a giant space station that a blue hedgehog and a fox with two tails are plotting to fly all the way up to Angel Island to steal the Master Emerald.
A genius
Then Dr Robotnik tried to enslave a species of dimension hopping birds named Flikies. (Sonic 3D Blast was a bad game and I will not speak of it.)
Knuckles was also involved with a detective agency called the Chaotix, who (Knucles Chaotix was on the 32X and no one played it. Plus, this is about Sonic, not about these other side characters no one gives a hoot about.)
After Sonic defeats Knuckles, who had been betrayed by the Doctor and left for dead, Sonic rushes up to the sky and destroys the Death Egg once more. With the Death Egg crashing unto Angel Island, Sonic gives chase to the mad scientist, who had stolen the Master Emerald in an effort to create a machine that will destroy Sonic once and for all.Without the Emerald, which was what held Angel Island in the air, the island slowly descends to the Earth, falling (luckily no one got hurt) into the ocean. Using the Emerald to power up a giant robot, Robotnik challenges Sonic, only to have his robot destroyed by the blue hedgehog. Retrieving the Emerald, Sonic makes peace with Knuckles.
If Sonic 3 and Knuckles showed that the series had potential for good stories, Sonic Adventure showed that the series' main strength was in the awesomeness of Sonic himself, and that the blue blur could handle a dark story with heavy themes, like death and genocide. Dr Robotnik once more heads over to Angel Island, this time to destroy the Master Emerald and free the monster trapped inside it, Chaos. Utilizing the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Robotnik plans on using Chaos to destroy the city of Station Square, and build his new Robotnik Empire on top of the ruins. Sonic, however, is having none of this. Utilizing the power left in the Emeralds themselves, Sonic turns himself into Super Sonic! With his new found powers, Sonic races across the ruins of Station Square, FLYING across the water, and destroying the Perfect Chaos monster, once and for all!
Perfect Chaos: "Vegeta! What does the scouter say about his power level!"
Vegeta: "Yeah, it's over nine thousand."
"What! Nine thousand? There's no way that can be right! Can it!?"
I must apologize, but Sonic's been in so many games, that to summarize them all would be an endeavor in itself! And as if this were not enough, we must not forget Sonic's achievements in the cartoons, the comics, the anime, and so forth! Sonic has saved the world of Mobius from Dr Robotnik so many times, that I could make a top 11 list of the best moments in Sonic's career! (I won't, however, because to do so I'd need to do a lot of research, and that's not getting into the fact that I've not played every Sonic game ever made.)
What makes Sonic so special? After all, saving the world? That's something a lot of video game heroes do. The Warrior's of Light from Final Fantasy 1 did it. Ryu from Breath of Fire did it. So what the hell makes Sonic so special?
It's his personality. Sonic is cocky, and justifiably so. He's the fastest thing alive, he's unstoppable. He can outrun anything, from lava, to explosions, you name it. You see that cocky smile? Sonic can own you, and he knows it. He can run circles around you, and he can prove it to you. He knows he's the best.
Sonic is loyal to his friends, even if he does butt heads with them sometimes. His best friend is Tails, while his closest rival is Knuckles. Sonic has, in the past, gone through great lengths to save his friends from danger, whether it's Amy from the clutches of Metal Sonic, or Tails from a plane crash. Sonic will be there, faster than you can blink.
Sonic's greatest attribute, though? It's the fact that he's so optimistic. Sonic has never given up, never surrendered. Sonic is not one to give in to despair, and it is this determination that has seen him through some of the toughest, most demanding fights in his life. Sonic has saved the world, hundreds of times. Hell, in Sonic Generations he even saves Time itself!
Sonic loves what he does, and that is what sets him apart from all the emos in gaming. Guys like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7 could, SHOULD learn from Sonic. He allows himself to have fun every time he saves the world. When he's racing through Robotnik's fortresses? He's having the time of his life! When he's escaping an island that's about to explode? He'd be taking pictures if he had the time! Sonic is ALIVE, and that's what makes him so memorable, so awesome! His joy is our joy. And through ups (the 16 bit generation, Sonic's Golden Age) downs (From Sonic Heroes to Sonic Unleashed, a time period of six years commonly called Sonic's Dark Age, where the Sonic franchise was seen as one that needed to die) and all arounds (Sonic Colors began an era where Sonic is regaining his popularity, even getting a cameo in a Disney movie) Sonic has been with us for 22 years.
Thanks, Sonic, for a fantastic 20 years. Here's to you, and to 20 more! And here's the summary:
Name: Sonic the Hedgehog
Motivation: Loyalty, the thrill of adventure, hatred towards Robotnik
Main Enemy: Dr Robotnik
Finest Achievement: Restoring all of time
Current Status: Still saving the world from Robotnik, having the time of his life doing it.
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