Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic Team and Sega owe a great deal to the OG game in the Sonic franchise, as it set the blueprint for the series while propelling the company into the big leagues of video gaming. In 1991, Sega released the game alongside its Genesis console to worldwide popularity that rivaled Nintendo's Super NES.
Upon its release, Sonic the Hedgehog was praised for its fast gameplay, colorful, detailed graphics, and amazing soundtrack. At the time, Sonic was faster and brighter than Mario and allowed players to do more than run and jump in the platformer genre.
At 15 million in sales and a reputation as one of the greatest video games, Sonic's legacy is still felt in everything from gaming animal mascots to animation to comics to merchandising.
Published Jul. 26th 2017
