Sonic The Hedgehog Review

Formats: Sega Megadrive, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, Mobile Phones, PSP, DS
Year of release: 1991
Players: 1
Genre: 2D Platformer

It seems so long ago now, this was the first game I ever saw and played, so it's only fitting that I review it. Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Mega Drive, or Genesis to those in the US, is one of the all time classics to me, everything from the music to the colourful, vibrant graphics make it stand out, and at the time, there was nothing quite like it. Nintendo had Mario, and as amazing as the Mario games are, they are mainly about getting from point A to point B, where Sonic follows a similar approach, there are so many hidden rooms, and the Chaos emeralds to collect, that you can actually spend time exploring, trying to find all the hidden places. 
Throughout each level there are so many ways to get to the end of the level, you can take the highroads, or perhaps you'd rather tear through the whole level, in many places, the walls are breakable with Sonic's trademark spin attack. The levels aren't as large as later Sonic games, but all are extremely well designed, and challenging too, particularly the later stages in the game. Of note are the underwater levels. again, different from any other platformer at the time. Where Mario swims, Sonic runs, and underwater his speed and jumps are different that on dry land, so planning is needed on those levels, and the difference can be seen as Sonic jumps out of the water his speed instantly returns, making for some quick thinking and reflexes to manage with the sudden change.
Of course, this game would be nothing without the star, Sega needed a mascot to compete, and they delivered in style. Sonic's coolness is felt throughout the game, whether its him tapping his foot in impatience and looking from the screen when you leave the controller alone for a few seconds, or if he's spinning around a loop at high speed. His speed dash attack however is not in this game, as it was introduced in the sequel, all he has here is a spin attack, which can only be used when Sonic is moving, it's always awesome though to see Sonic moving at lightning speed curled up into a ball, taking out any enemy in his way. Indeed, in the Chaos emerald bonus stages, he remaines in his curled up ball, and these stages are challenging, as you have to be very precise in your movements.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the game though, for me at least, is the music. They don't make games with music like this anymore. Every tune is memorable, and fits each stage perfectly, from the happy, jolly speedy music of Green Hill Zone, to the chilled out relaxing tunes of Starlight Zone, you'll find yourself humming the music long after the game is turned off.
The graphics for the time hold up extremely well. Showing off the Mega Drives abilities, Sega created a game that is vivid in colour, with an amazing frame rate, you'll hardly notice any jittering, unless the screen gets extremely cluttered. The game never missed an oppurtinity to stun you with the sheer amount of colour, each stage looks amazing even now, and whilst there isn't as much detail again as the Sonic games that followed, it has a unique sort of style that the other Sonic games don't have. Even the Chaos emerald stages look great, though the backgrounds are a little odd, fish anyone? Sometimes it has made me wonder what Sega were thinking there.
The only downside I gave with the game is that it is pretty short, it can be completed in under 40 minutes, however it is very replayable and you will find yourself coming back to it, whether to see if you can find a quicker route to the goal, or to find some more hidden rooms that you may have missed first time around.
The gameplay here also proves the fact that Sonic works much better in 2D than 3D. Also, there are none of those annoying characters that seem to plague the modern Sonic games (Big the Cat, Espio etc...) this is pure Sonic at his finest, and a game that i will never stop playing. The 3D games are simply not that good, even in Generations, the 2D stages are much more fun and enjoyable, Sega really need to take note from that.
In summary, if your looking for a fast, fun filled, colourful and challenging, then you could do a lot worse than the original Sonic, and you have no excuse not to, the game is pretty cheap nowadays, and is available on practically any console.

Graphics: 8/10
Very colourful and vivid, the game holds up well

Audio 10/10
Everything about the audio is flawless, from the noises and music, to Sonic's trademark jumping noise

Gameplay 9/10
Very addictive and fast, you'll be hooked

Lifespan 7/10
The only downside, it can be completed in under 40 minutes, but it's very replayable