The Redemption of Sonic the Hedgehog
Introduction: Most people agree that Sonic the Hedgehog , as a franchise, hit its stride almost immediately during the 2D era in the 90s. The franchise was a smash success in the Sega Genesis era, and the first several mainline titles (obviously being Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Chaos / Sonic & Tails and Sonic Triple Trouble / Sonic & Tails 2 ) quickly established a lovable cast, a compelling protagonist, and a unique, fun and appealing world despite their hardware’s limited storytelling capabilities. After a rocky foray into “3D” with Sonic 3D Blast , which was more so just 3D visuals translated into isometric 2D; the series pushed itself and evolved further with Sonic Adventure in 1998, which was quickly followed up by Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001. These games elevated the franchise to new heights, featuring what was essentially a proto-open world style of gameplay for the franchise that heavily emphasized exploration, unique ch...