Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to the world in 1991 on the Sega Genesis gaming system. The little hedgehog sped his way straight into our hearts from day one. It was a fresh take on the normal side scrolling, save the princess style adventure that gamers were used to back in that time.
So Why Was It So Popular?
That's simple, because it was different. It distanced itself from being the cookie cutter simply repackaged with new characters style game systems were turning out at that time. The primary threat early on in the Sonic series was a character named Dr "Eggman" Robotnik.
Rings were a staple of the Sonic universe. Instead of health or something similar, rings were the "health". As long as you possessed a single ring and got hit by a trap or enemy that caused damage, you would live and your ring(s) would simply be scattered out from you in a circle. If you were hit while you had no rings, you would then lose a life. This was a completely new concept to the video gaming world where health bars were a main staple. Having a different system, or change from the normal formula of a video game would scare some people away from even trying it.
Chaos Emeralds were also another feature throughout the Sonic series that has gone through many redesigns. In the series they are powerful gems (depending on what game you consult they come in a total of 6, 7 or 8) that turn thoughts into power, and become a power source for various ranges of weaponry.
Why Did We Love That Speedy Little Blue Rascal of a Hedgehog?
Back in the early 90's, there was not the common violent standard in video games there is today. Video games were fun, or at the very least when they had guns and violence, did not have the sophisticated graphics to back it up. Back in the early days of Nintendo, Sega, etc games were built around lovable characters and superb game play. Graphics were iffy at beast although things like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario did not require top notch graphics to have the superb stories behind them.
How Does Sonic Hold Up In Today's Gaming World?
Very well! They have adapted him in many ways to fit the rapid changing needs of today's gamer. They have given new villains to the series. With the new villains came brand new allies and brand new forms for both sides to turn into. Chaos Gems and various other elements wove these items into the storyline in beautiful fashion and to this day allow the series to continue on unstopped from its early 90's debut.
Sonic has even started to join other popular gaming characters in their series. Mario and Sonic teamed up for an Olympics themed game that has a sequel coming out in late 2009.
Games these days are a dime a dozen, they come and go after being touted the "next big thing". Sonic, being one of the games from the "old or classic" era of games is still alive and strong and if video game producers had to ever take an example of how to get a game people love for decades after its arrival, maybe its time they go back to the beginning when games were about the story, and about the fun.
We have dedicated our gaming site to that loveable video game mascot Sonic The Hedgehog and all the FREE Online Flash Games that are inspired by him. We have some of the best free online Sonic games on the internet and have made them available for you to play for free here on Sonic Games.
See our TOP 5 Sonic Games:
1. Sonic The Hedgehog: Sonic The Hedgehog is as close to a replica of the classic Genesis hit as they come. Enjoy playing this classic favorite Sonic The Hedgehog game.
2. Sonic Xtreme: Sonic has found himself in a world that resembles Super Mario World with bad guys from Mario games. Show these Mario goons that Sonic means business.
3. Sonic Millionaire: Test your Sonic The Hedgehog knowledge in this Who Wants To be A Millionaire game featuring all Sonic related trivia questions.
4. Metal Sonics Asteroid Blaster: Metal Sonic is flying through space and comes to an asteroid field, you need to help him blast his way through without getting hit or it's game over.
5. Kamakazi Hedchog: This cool Sonic game features a green version of Sonic The Hedgehog. Try to kill the bad guys while avoiding all the obstacles in this challenging Sonic game.
If you liked playing Sonic games from back in the day on the Sega Master System and Sega Genesis then you will absolutely love this Online Sonic Games. Sonic The Hedgehog fans have loved to Play Sonic Games for years, and it seems like more and more every day a new Sonic The Hedgehog fan is born! So take some time and enjoy these great flash Sonic games, we hope you enjoy our Sonic games website, Enjoy!
Full Collection of 100% FREE Sonic The Hedgehog Online Games!
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