Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega Drive)
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| Sonic the Hedgehog | |
| |
| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Release date(s) | JP July 26 1991 NA June 23 1991 EU June 24 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Platform,Adventure |
| Players | Singe Player |
| Rating(s) | VRC: GA |
| Media | 4-megabit cartridge |
| Input | |
| System | Sega Mega Drive, Mobile phone, Wii Virtual Console, Game Boy Advance, Xbox Live Arcade |
| Preceded By | |
| Followed By | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 |
This game propelled the Genesis into mass popularity in North America. After it was released, it eventually replaced Altered Beast as the game bundled with the console, and was later replaced with its first sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The game featured many novel elements which contributed to its popularity and helped to promote the uptake of 16-bit consoles.
Sonic the Hedgehog added the element of speed to the standard platform formula and introduced other unique elements as well, such as the loops, springboards, high-speed devices, and the rings now permanently associated with the game series.
The game was both a critical and commercial success. As of November 19, 2007, the game has sold 4 million copies, the second-highest amount for a Genesis game, behind Sonic 2, which has sold 6 million copies.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Overview
In the game, Sonic has to prevent Dr. Robotnik from collecting six of the Chaos Emeralds in an attempt to rule South Island. He must traverse six "zones", each comprised of three stages or "acts", until he confronts Robotnik for the last time in the Final Zone.
The gameplay centers around elements that exploit the increased performance of the 16-bit console over its 8-bit forebears. It is notable for being both simplistic and engaging for players.
At the time of its release, Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the fastest platformers that had yet been released. Sonic could run, jump and roll at significantly higher speeds than most platformers of the time. Unlike other platformers, the game's levels were designed to encourage the player to progress quickly. Springs, slopes, high falls and loop-de-loops were all available to both boost and challenge the player to reach high speeds. This was all accomplished without any slowdown in framerates, adding to the experience.
[edit] Movement
Sonic's method of attack was also novel. As a hedgehog, he can curl up into a ball by either jumping or by rolling along the ground, a state in which he can damage most enemies by simply colliding with them. This was a change from most other platform games, where the player could damage enemies only by shooting or jumping on top of them. While rolling along the ground, Sonic can roll down slopes, gaining speed as he goes. Most slopes are irregular, as opposed to the fixed angles seen in previous platform games, and the game has the physics to match. Sonic's acceleration down a slope depends on its steepness; if travelling fast enough, he can run up and around 360° loops; and he suffers from drag underwater.
[edit] Features
Essential to the gameplay are the golden rings the player collects along their way in each level; a feature which would become one of the defining characteristics of the series. These items are regularly placed around the level map and serve multiple functions. First, the player collects rings to protect himself. As long as they have at least one ring to their name, the player will not lose a life when injured. Instead, when hit, all rings the player has collected will fly outward and scatter around the immediate area, some of which can then be retrieved before they disappear. If the player runs into an enemy without a single ring, they will lose a life. If the player collects 100 rings they will gain a life, and gain an additional life for every 100 rings after that, provided the rings are not lost.
If the player has at least 50 rings at the end of an act, a giant golden ring will float above the finishing sign which can be jumped through to enter one of the special stages. At the end of each act, the total number of rings the player has is multiplied by 100 and added to the player's score. During the score-tallying, the player can also jump through the air to find hidden emblems which can range from 100 to 10,000 points. This was the only console Sonic game until Sonic Adventure where the player could get more lives by collecting over 200 rings (acquiring 300 rings in the later 16-bit titles resulted in no additional lives).
Also scattered throughout each level are monitors which, when broken by the character, reward the player with one of a variety of bonuses. These include a shield which will protect Sonic from a single hit, a 10-ring bonus, an extra life, temporary invincibility (accompanied with a temporary change in music), and "Super Sneakers", which give the player a temporary speed boost (and increase the tempo of the music for the duration). The item monitors have become another long-lasting feature in the series, though they have been changed to bubble-like containers in later games.
Despite the various types of protection available, neither the shield, rings, or invincibility will prevent the player losing a life if Sonic is crushed (by a trap or between a wall and a moving platform), drowning, running out of time (each act has a ten-minute time limit), or falling into a bottomless pit.
Progress through the game is made easier for the player by lamp posts that act as checkpoints. When Sonic passes a lamp post, its colour changes from blue to red, and the next time a life is lost, gameplay will restart at that point rather than at the beginning of the act. However, unlike later 16-bit Sonic games, if a checkpoint is activated and a life is lost as a result of running out of time, the time at the checkpoint will reset to 0:00.
Hazards the player experiences include a wide variety of "badniks" - these appear as animals trapped inside mechanical bodies which are released the moment the player hits them. Each badnik takes one hit to destroy, but they vary greatly from Zone to Zone; some will walk in a set path, others will try blasting the player, and some cannot be avoided at all. The player must also avoid rows of sharp spikes, cliffs, and elaborate death traps. There is also the threat of drowning, as the player can only survive 30 seconds underwater (locating air bubbles can extend this).
The game features no game saves or passwords. This means that the game has to be restarted from the beginning when the player runs out of continues or turns off the system.
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| Sonic games | 
|
|---|---|
| Console games (main series): Sonic (SMD) · Sonic 2 · Sonic CD · Sonic 3 · Sonic and Knuckles · Adventure · Adventure 2 · Heroes · Shadow · Sonic (360/PS3) · Unleashed | |
| Handheld games: Sonic (GG/MS) · Sonic 2 (GG/MS) · Chaos · Triple Trouble · Labyrinth · Blast · Pocket Adventure · Advance · Advance 2 · Battle · Advance 3 · Rush · Advance 2 · Genesis · Rivals · Rush Adventure · Rivals 2 · Chronicles | |
| Spinoffs: SegaSonic · Spinball · Drift · Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine · Tails' Skypatrol · Tails Adventure · Knuckles' Chaotix · Fighters · 3D Blast · R · Shuffle · Pinball Party · Riders · Secret Rings · Mario & Sonic · Riders: Zero Gravity · Black Knight | |
| Compilations: Compilation · Jam · Sonic & Knuckles Collection · Mega Collection (Plus) · Gems Collection | |
