Sonic Games

In the early 1990s, the video game industry was dominated by two companies, both of whom owned their own distinct mascots; Nintendo and Sega. Powered by their well-known characters and the games featuring them, the two companies battled for domination in the fast-growing industry. While Mario and Nintendo succeeded and have thrived to this day, however, Sega, and Sonic the Hedgehog, have not.

Sonic the Hedgehog started out in a series of self-titled sonic the hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis. With the ability to run very fast and collect life-sustaining coins, Sonic was able to cruise through bright levels filled with funky music and dangerous enemies for the first half of the decade. Although all four of his titles followed very similar formulas, gamers continued to flock to the blue hedgehog and his adventures.

Since his success on the original Sega console, however, newer Sonic games have been met with trepidation. While some games have indeed seen the same level of critical success as the original Sonic the Hedgehog Games series, none have kept the consistency shown by the first four games. A three-dimensional release for the Sega Saturn, aptly named Sonic 3D, was disastrous. On the other hand, Sonic Adventures has been critically lauded and sold over a million copies, despite being created for the unpopular Dreamcast system.

To help counter the varying popularity of their main character, Sega followed a formula set by Nintendo before them; to create an empire based on their mascot. Television programs, comic books, and sports games were all created around Sonic the Hedgehog. And additional characters, such as Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver, were created and given starring roles in new games.

Unfortunately, much of this late-push to maintain Sonic arrived after Sega�s failure with the Dreamcast. Since the discontinuation of their last system, Sega has focused on selling games instead of creating video game consoles and has been replaced by Sony and Microsoft. And their beloved character has been forced to play out his video games on other consoles, including the Nintendo Wii.

But while Sonic has taken a back seat to Mario and Nintendo, he has not disappeared completely. His appearance in the new installment of the Super Smash Bros. series was widely anticipated, as was his appearance in an Olympics sports game alongside his former competition. By embracing their new situation, Sega has given the fans what they have always wanted to see; which of the two biggest video game mascots is truly best when competing against each other in a video game?

Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog cannot say he has had as much success as Mario, or even Luigi for that matter. His early titles were both fun and addictive, but his later ones failed to sustain audiences and his parent company was unable to sustain a console around him. But there is no doubt that despite these flaws, Sonic remains on the forefront of innovation in video games and will continue to please gamers around the world throughout the future!

So we hope you enjoy our great sonic games online on our sonic the hedgehog games exclusive arcade site. We have gathered the best sonic flash games on the internet and made them available to you to play sonic games for free.