Sonic the Hedgehog 2

"Great addition to Live Arcade but where's the online coop?"

The year was 1992. I was four years old and was completely oblivious to the fact that video games even existed. Then one day fate granted me the pleasure to experience my very first video game. I made my way to my cousins house to play Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis. The experience at the time blew me away. After that it was my top agenda to receive a Genesis and Sonic 2 for my birthday. The rest is history.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the second game in the series and in my opinion the best. It keeps a similar formula of the first game but expands on it in great new ways. Introduced to the series is the famous "Spin Dash" move, an additional playable character named Miles Prower or more commonly known as Tails, two player game play, and the ability to become Super Sonic. All these features helped the game sell as fast as Sonic himself is and transform him into the video game icon he is today.

Now more than fifteen years later and after being included in Sega Compilations to various consoles, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is finally released on the Xbox Live Arcade. It is still the same game you know and love but know it gets the Xbox Live treatment including online versus, scoreboards, and achievements. There is also options for graphics smoothing and enhanced sound but honestly they do little to change the game. Also included is a nifty save game feature which greatly helps, making getting some of the achievements extremely easy, but true Sonic veterans really won't need it to use it.

Game play:10/10 The game play was awesome back in the days of the Genesis and is still just as addicting as it was back then. From the start you can choose to play as either Sonic and Tails or just one or the other. The basic premise is each zone is composed of two acts, besides the Metropolis Zone which has three and the three final zones which only have one act. You move through the acts from left to right collecting rings, destroying enemies, and collecting power ups along the way. At the end of Act 2 you get to face Dr. Robotnik in one of his many various gadgets of death. Upon defeating him you proceed to the next zone. Each stage awards points for how many rings you collect in a level and how fast you complete the act. There is a time limit of 10 minutes for each act but at a normal pace most levels can be completed on an average of 2 to 3 minutes.

Power ups vary greatly from giving you a bubble shield, super sneakers, 10 rings, extra lives, and the awesome invincible power up. Levels also contain items known as star posts which serve as checkpoints throughout the level. If you pass through one of the checkpoints with 50 or more rings then you have the option of jumping into a spinning vortex that takes you to a special stage. There are 7 special stages in all which give you a chaos emerald for every special stage you complete. After collect them all you have the ability to transform into the awesome Super Sonic. I recommend that you only play as Sonic or Tails if you're trying to do this on single player since Tails tends to be idiot and always seems to lose rings for you. Once you collect fifty rings in an act you become Super Sonic which appears yellow, is invincible to enemy damage, and literally flies through acts. The only downside to Super Sonic is he is quite hard to perform precise jumps with and that you lose one ring for every second you're in his superior form.

The game includes the option to play local coop with a second player controlling Tails but sadly there is no option to do this on Xbox Live. The Versus mode receives the Xbox Live treatment though and can be played against different players. The premise of the versus mode is to race through levels as fast as possible while collecting more rings than your opponent. At the end of each Zone the player with the highest score wins the round. Versus mode also contains two mode exclusive item boxes. One which switches the players position with his opponent and another Robotnik item that damages the player.

Story:9/10 The game starts off after the end of the first Sonic after Dr. Robotnik's Scrap Brain facility gets crushed. Dr. Robotnik somehow escapes and follows Sonics biplane to Westside Island. He captures all the animals and turns them into mindless slave laborers. With the help of Sonics buddy Tails, the dynamic duo must find the chaos emeralds before Robotnik does and stop him from completing the Death Egg.

Graphics:9/10 Very colorful and clean. Not quite a leap from the first game but beautifully done nevertheless. All the levels are different in style and feature their own unique enemies. Nothing appears sloppy and all characters are well animated. I especially like how Sonic gets bored and lays down if you don't move after a few seconds. The only problem I have is the Special Stages, although fun, only vary in color and don't really appear as great as the rest of the game.

Sound:10/10 Amazing, some of the most memorable tunes to ever grace the Genesis console. All of them are catchy and fitting for the art style of the level. I am especially fond of the tune that plays right before you're about to drown. It really captures the suspense of trying to find air before Sonic takes in a lung full of water. There isn't any music that is annoying or out of place. Sound effects, although not as appealing as the music, do their job just fine.

Playtime:8/10 Not quite a title you'll want to restart right after beating but is a great game to replay every once in awhile for the nostalgic value. It takes about forty five minutes to an hour to beat, depending on if you take your time to capture all seven chaos emeralds. The game also features various different paths in the levels which offers a few different ways you can complete the levels. The Versus Mode is the shining point of the replay value especially on Xbox Live, giving you an endless variety of competition.

Final Recommendation: Some gamers may find the $5 dollar price tag a little steep, especially since the game is included with the backwards compatible Sega Mega Collection Plus for xbox. Please note that this version is also missing a few features such as the options menu and cheats. I really wish they would have somehow included the sound test. If you're a fan of the series or just want to play Sonic 2 online against other gamers then it's $5 dollars well spent.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/01/07

Game Release: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (US, 09/12/07)