SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (GENESIS)

Ahhh the sequel. Sequels to games (or even movies) are always fun to look at. Have to keep the remaining elements in to satisfy the original fans, yet add some new things so it doesn’t feel like just a retread. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 adds in enough new with the old to satisfy old fans and pick up new fans with fun gameplay. The signature spin-dash is added in this one, along with his trusty sidekick Tails who is there to help, and annoy, along the way. How many of us got hit by a random enemy due to bad timing from Tails jumping around messing up our own timing while trying to take out nearby bad guys? The chaos emerald stage is changed, for the way better, as the ‘rotating screen casino’ from the original has been replaced with the far more fun, ‘race’ while trying to avoid pitfalls. Also, how fun is the actual casino level??! And, speaking of race, a fun two-player option was added to competitively race against your buddy via split-screen action through the various levels to see who will make it to the finish line first. Very fun indeed. Levels also are reduced to two acts, versus three in the original, making for a more smooth and fast-paced outing. Having put Sega on the map already, the blue icon returns in his first sequel that feels bigger already…and we haven’t even gotten to the later games yet. I’d say this one definitely holds up.

GAMING SCORE: 8.5/10