System: SEGA Genesis
Released: 1992
In 1991, Sega launched a game staring a speedy blue hedgehog that was meant to dethrone a certain plumber in the gaming world. The gameplay was fast, the music was beautiful and the visuals were eyepoping thanks to a bit of blast processing. The game was a hit, and so Sega did the only logical thing. Ladies and gentlemen, Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Story:
What we have here is a coming of age story staring a blue haired hedgehog and his two tailed buddy on a quest to stop an obese moustached man from turning the animal population into robots as he attempts to take over the world! Oh, and throw in a Death Star knockoff.
Virtually, the story is the same as the original, except now Robotnik is after the Chaos Emeralds to power his Death Egg and the player has to get the get the emeralds and stop the him. Though, the game doesn't really tell you this and you have to find it in the manual or on the net... nothing great, but it works.
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out of Design:
Gorjira put it best when he said the first had nothing to go on in terms of direction. They had nothing to base it on and they did the best the could to make an original title that stood out from the competition . They did a fine job, but now they had to add to it and make it better.
They got the job done.
This time around we've got 11 stages and not one of them is the same. You have a sequel to Green Hill zone, a chemical factory, mountains, a casino, caves, and more. Usually consisting of 2 acts and a boss fight, there's plenty to offer here, and with the addition of the spindash and speed boosters, the levels became faster and faster to the point were Sonic can nearly outrun the screen. It turns out there were plans for a few more stages, but were never fully finished and so they got scrapped.
Here's a site that shows a zone by the name of Wood Zone in beta form: http://web.archive.o....com/zones/wood
The special stages make a comeback, but this time focusing more on reflex rather than puzzle solving as Sonic runs along a 3D-ish path while he collects rings as his new sidekick Tails gets bombarded by everything that flys at him... Oh right, Tails!
Created by Yasushi Yamaguchi as an entry for the character, "Miles Prower" was chose to be Sonic's sidekick, with the exception of giving him the nickname Tails. Another addition, although minor was adding a seventh Chaos emerald to the collection, which now have the power to turn Sonic in his super form once the player nabs them all. Just find 50 rings and jump, not only are you faster, but invincible (as long as you stay away from bottomless pits and a certain spike trap in a certain cave... ). Tails, Super Sonic and the spindash have since become staples in the series.
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out of Gameplay:
... It's more or less the same as the first. Just tweaked around. Sonic's faster, there are more robots to trash and with the addition of Tails and two player mode, it gives the player some re-playability, but only four of the stages are selectable as a race between the two. If only more levels could have been added. Oh, and you can select Tails in single mode... you just can't fly with him... But still, their on the right track.
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5 out of Presentation:
The levels are a lot more colorful and detailed this time around and the music is some of the catchiest the series has to offer... man, I just love the boss music! The first was great, and Sega just added to it.
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out of Overall:
I have a soft spot for this one, guys. it wasn't just the first Sonic title I played but my first Genesis game. In my book, this is a great sequel and really set the bar for the series. Bravo, Sega.
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