Top 25 ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Games

15) Sonic ’06

GASP! What’s Sonic 06, the worst game ever made according to Youtube, doing on this list? Are you crazy. Well, yes because I’m a fan of Sonic games. Now hear me out. Sonic The Hedgehog for the Xbox 360 and PS3 is broken, I know that much, but think of it like this: If you remove the extremely long load times and increase character speed, you know what the game would be? A more playable version of Sonic Adventure.

That’s right. Don’t deny it. Sonic 06 is no different than any other Sonic game aside from the glaring lack of speed and ridiculous loading screens. You have an asinine plot, dumb original characters, story modes for individual characters, a last episode, and a soundtrack that’s way too good for its own good. This is the closest thing to a true Sonic Adventure 3 you can get right now. If it weren’t for the insanely high expectations of the fanbase for a series that has never been good and the two glaring issues previously stated, this game would probably be adored. It fits right on the Dreamcast with its surreal insanity.

14) Sonic Heroes

Sonic Heroes is the narrative sequel to Sonic Adventure 2 for those of you who care. It would be a pretty alright game, if the team mechanic surrounding it wasn’t so “meh”. I like seeing the Chaotix team and everyone else in action, and the game looks and feels like a Sonic Adventure game, but the team based gameplay is very very clunky. Also, the Story for each team features the same levels and environments in the same order, just with slight variation. Sonic Heroes gets very repetitive. But hey, there’s the hilarious and really strong soundtrack and story that doesn’t make sense still, so that’s a plus.

13) Sonic CD

We are approaching the halfway point on this list meaning it’s time for things to get controversial. Yippee.

I don’t like Sonic CD. I don’t. It suffers from Donkey Kong Country 64 syndrome where everyone thinks it’s one of the best in the series, but mainly because they just remember it’s amazing intro cinematic. Sonic CD’s color scheme is vomit, the level design doesn’t feel good, the time warp mechanic is confusing, and the sound is BAD. It’s a very mediocre platformer in my eyes. Hell, I don’t even think most of the people who claim it’s “The Best Sonic Game EVER” even played it considering it’s on the SEGA CD, a system that time forgot for good reason. Still it’s playable and keeps you stimulated throughout the experience which is more than can be said for many of the game appearing before it on the list.

12) Sonic R

Remember what I said about controversial? Here you go. Sonic R is widely regarded as one of this worst Sonic games ever, but hear me out. First, the game is on SEGA Saturn. Already amazing. Second the music in the game is some of the best in the series featuring completely unnecessary tracks sung by a bootleg Donna Summer. Last, this game is as close to a perfect replication of the 2D sonic games in 3D as you’re going to get.

That’s right. It’s a platformer that has a heavy focus on rewarding precision and timing with speed. The momentum of the characters feels right out of the genesis era and all the characters use their classic designs. The only difference between this game and the original Sonic from a gameplay perspective is that it’s 3D and you are racing laps. If this game was longer than an hour long and featured more tracks, it could have been one of my all-time guilty pleasures.

11) Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing

Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing is one of the few kart racers that can hold a light to Mario Kart’s flamethrower grip over the genre. This was even more amplified as this game was much more enjoyable than the current Mario Kart game at the time, Mario Kart Wii. This game is SEGA fan service. An amazing character roster, tracks from classic levels, and a soundtrack that featured Sonic R music. It was also a really solid racer that had seamless online play and plenty of unlocks and challenges to complete.

So why this over the sequel, Transformed? Well, because I enjoy the simpler track design in this one which allows for more of a focus on the racing. Also, the character roster in this one was vastly superior. You have OpaOpa, Virtua Fighter, Ryo Hazuki, Chu Chu Rockey, the Bonanza Bros, and even Banjo Kazooie if you were playing on Xbox like I was. What does Transformed have? NASCAR racer Danica Patrick in a Hot Wheels car. SEGA!!!