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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)
Encyclopedia
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 16-bit 1992 platform
video game that was developed by Sonic Team
members working at the Sega Technical Institute, and published by Sega
for the Sega Genesis console
. It was released in Japan on November 21, 1992 and in North America and Europe on November 24, 1992. It is the sequel
to Sonic the Hedgehog and was followed by Sonic the Hedgehog 3
in 1994. The game introduces Sonic's friend, a fox named Miles "Tails" Prower
as a new playable character.
The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog
and his new partner, "Tails", on their mission to stop the evil Dr. Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power the Death Egg. Sonic and Tails must defeat Robotnik's army and free their friends.
The game has sold over 6.3 million copies, making it the second best selling game on the Sega Genesis, behind only its predecessor. The game was compatible with Sonic & Knuckles
, which possed a "lock-on" feature which allowed the player to play as Knuckles the Echidna
.
The premise of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 builds upon the basic set-up of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game. Again, Dr. Robotnik is plotting to take over the world with his army of animals he's turned into robots, with the power of the chaos emeralds. Sonic, who has now befriended and teamed up with a new character, Tails, must progress through the levels, collect the emeralds himself, and defeat Robotnik, who this time is operating out of his Death Egg.
The game plays as a 2D
sidescrolling platformer
, with the player directing Sonic through levels and around obstacles within a time limit of 10 minutes. Along the way, rings are collected and enemies are defeated. Star posts serve as checkpoints, where if the player was to lose a life then he or she would return to one. When the player has collected at least 50 rings, star posts can be run past for an optional Special Stage. At the end of the last act of most levels, Sonic confronts Dr. Robotnik.
At the game's start, the player can select to either play as Sonic, Tails or both. In the latter mode, players control Sonic while Tails runs along beside him. A second player can join in at any time and control Tails separately, but the screen always stays centralized on Sonic, frequently leaving Tails off-screen.
Improvements over the original Sonic the Hedgehog include significantly larger levels, faster gameplay
, and a new special move referred to as the "Spin Dash". The move allows Sonic curl in a ball and spin while staying stationary, eventually resulting in a speed boost.
Collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds by completing all of the special stages will unlock a new feature; Sonic's ability to change into Super Sonic. Sonic changes into his Super Form when he has collected at least 50 rings and jumps into the air. At this point, he turns yellow and becomes invincible. Additionally, his speed, acceleration
, and jump height are all increased as well. While in this state, one ring is lost per second. When the player has no rings remaining or reaches the end of the act, Sonic reverts to his normal state.
In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, there are 7 special stages. When Sonic has collected at least 50 rings, he can use a star post to warp him to a special stage.
Special Stages track Sonic from behind while he runs through a 3D half-pipe course filled with rings and bombs. A set amount of rings must be collected to pass through three checkpoints and eventually obtain the emerald itself. If Sonic collides with a bomb, he will lose some rings and will be immobilized for a few seconds. The order of stages is fixed in rising difficulty, and Sonic cannot enter the next stage without passing the previous. After finishing, Sonic is transported back to the last star post he hit in the zone when the special stage is over and has zero rings.
, a character that hadn't been introduced until 1994's Sonic the Hedgehog 3
.
The game is largely identical to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the exception that gameplay is altered due to Knuckles having separate abilities from Sonic or Tails. Knuckles can glide and climb walls, which allows him to gain access to areas that had been otherwise hidden or unreachable. Conversely, he cannot jump as high, making some situations, such as certain boss fights, more difficult. However, in this version of the game, the two player mode has been removed.
and the Game Gear
. Though based on the original game of the same name, it is a distinct game, with different level design
s.
; Sega Smash Pack
(2001) for the Dreamcast; Sonic Mega Collection
(2002) for the Nintendo GameCube
; Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004) for the PlayStation 2
, Xbox
and PC; Sega Genesis Collection
(2006) for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable
; Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
(2009) for the Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
; and Sonic Classic Collection (2010) for the Nintendo DS
.
Most compilations feature the game largely unchanged. However, Sonic Jam in addition to featuring the original release; also had a few new "remix" options. "Medium" mode altered the layout of rings and hazards and "Easy" mode removes certain acts entirely from the game.
in Japan
, development duties for Sonic 2 were handed over to Sega Technical Institute in the United States
. However experienced Japan
ese Sonic Team members such as Yuji Naka
and Hirokazu Yasuhara
(the first game's lead programmer and game planner respectively) were brought in to work alongside the American developers. Masaharu Yoshii served as the game's director. The staff introduced new graphical elements such as the special stages with 3D-like appearances, and increased the speed of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in relation to its predecessor.
The game was originally rumored to contain time travel elements. However, this aspect was later removed, and instead implemented in Sonic the Hedgehog CD
for the Sega CD add-on for the Sega Genesis.
The game is notorious for having content and levels being removed to the game prior to it's release. In New York
in 1992, prior to the game's release, Yuji Naka
has remarked that a prototype from a demonstration cartridge that was stolen at a toy show. (Sega's Akinori Nishiyama has stated that the leak was due to the lack of security
at the time.) A notable part of that prototype is that it featured a playable section of a level titled "The Hidden Palace", a level cut out of the game shortly before release. Naka said of the level:
website. In Asia
and Brazil
, the prototype version was put on cartridges and passed off as the final version by pirates
who altered it slightly to stop the Sega logo and animation from showing when the game boots up, as was the common practice.
Many zones in the prototypes are not entirely playable, but can be explored by entering a special debug code that allows the selection of any zone. These levels include Wood Zone, Mystic Cave Zone, Genocide City Zone and Hidden Palace Zone. Hidden Palace Zone is the most complete of the zones that were later dropped, with Act 1 being nearly complete; a re-imagined Hidden Palace Zone was later included as a playable zone in Sonic & Knuckles
. Of the other dropped zones, Wood Zone was also partially playable, with some graphics complete. Genocide City Zone, mentioned in the level select, never went past the concept stage, but its concept art was reused and later became the third stage of Metropolis Zone, the only zone to have three acts. Rock Zone and Winter Zone, though not found in prototypes, were mentioned in concept art, but dropped after the time travel concept was abandoned.
Later prototypes were discovered, named "beta 4" through "beta 8", that were near-finished and by this time, had been divested of the dropped stages. One of the last minute changes to the game was the title screen; the old one was even printed in the manual as a screenshot.
's release. The game was the first game to be shipped worldwide on the same release day on the Mega Drive/Genesis on November 21, 1992. The Sega Mega Drive release in Europe
and the North American
Genesis release came three days later on November 24, 1992, a Tuesday, and the release day was dubbed "Sonic 2s day". 400,000 copies of Sonic 2 were sold in the first seven days after release.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has since been re-released many times as part of many Sega and Sonic themed compilations
.
Additionally, it has been made available digitally on Wii
's Virtual Console
on June 11, 2007, PlayStation 3
via the PlayStation Network on April 19, 2011, and Xbox 360
via Xbox Live Arcade
, the latter having enhancements such as online leaderboards, achievements, and online play. Various mobile phone versions exist as well, including the iOS release.
stated that "Time may have eroded Sega's prominence, but it hasn't done much to diminish how sweet Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is," and, along with other reviewers, commented on how it is still a fun game to play. Electronic Gaming Monthly
awarded it as the best Sega Genesis game of 1992. In 2000, Game Informer
ranked Sonic 2 number 61 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time" list, calling it "the most challenging and finely polished Sonic the Hedgehog title."
The game's main criticisms were of the two player mode, a new introduction to the series. Sonic 2 achieved the split-screen display through a 448 line display mode, one of the few Mega Drive games to use it. This mode doubled the workload on the CPU, and caused interlacing-induced visual artifacts. Reviewers criticized the game's noticeable slowdown and prominent flickering, not to mention the squashed play area for each player. Finally, the game only allowed two-player mode in three different zones (Emerald Hill, Casino Night and Mystic Cave). William Burrill of the Toronto Star
described the two player racing mode as the "only part of the game that can be faulted," citing that the mode and its split screen
view "squeezes the graphics, plumps up the characters and slows down the action."
The game has sold over 6.3 million copies altogether.
for the Playstation 3
and Xbox 360
title Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
For Sonic's 20th Anniversary, Sega released Sonic Generations
, a game that remade aspects of various past games from the franchise. The Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 version contained a remade "Chemical Plant" level. It also contained a remake the final boss fight. Separately, the Nintendo 3DS
version of the game contained a remake of the "Casino Night" level.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game that was developed by Sonic Team
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
members working at the Sega Technical Institute, and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for the Sega Genesis console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was released in Japan on November 21, 1992 and in North America and Europe on November 24, 1992. It is the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Sonic the Hedgehog and was followed by Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed in the United States by members of Sonic Team working at Sega Technical Institute, and was published by Sega, debuting worldwide in the first half of 1994...
in 1994. The game introduces Sonic's friend, a fox named Miles "Tails" Prower
Miles "Tails" Prower
, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
as a new playable character.
The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
and his new partner, "Tails", on their mission to stop the evil Dr. Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power the Death Egg. Sonic and Tails must defeat Robotnik's army and free their friends.
The game has sold over 6.3 million copies, making it the second best selling game on the Sega Genesis, behind only its predecessor. The game was compatible with Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles is a 1994 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed in the United States at Sega Technical Institute by members of Sonic Team, and was published by Sega worldwide on October 18, 1994.As well as working as a standalone...
, which possed a "lock-on" feature which allowed the player to play as Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
.
Main game
The game plays as a 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
sidescrolling platformer
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, with the player directing Sonic through levels and around obstacles within a time limit of 10 minutes. Along the way, rings are collected and enemies are defeated. Star posts serve as checkpoints, where if the player was to lose a life then he or she would return to one. When the player has collected at least 50 rings, star posts can be run past for an optional Special Stage. At the end of the last act of most levels, Sonic confronts Dr. Robotnik.
At the game's start, the player can select to either play as Sonic, Tails or both. In the latter mode, players control Sonic while Tails runs along beside him. A second player can join in at any time and control Tails separately, but the screen always stays centralized on Sonic, frequently leaving Tails off-screen.
Improvements over the original Sonic the Hedgehog include significantly larger levels, faster gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
, and a new special move referred to as the "Spin Dash". The move allows Sonic curl in a ball and spin while staying stationary, eventually resulting in a speed boost.
Collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds by completing all of the special stages will unlock a new feature; Sonic's ability to change into Super Sonic. Sonic changes into his Super Form when he has collected at least 50 rings and jumps into the air. At this point, he turns yellow and becomes invincible. Additionally, his speed, acceleration
Acceleration
In physics, acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time. In one dimension, acceleration is the rate at which something speeds up or slows down. However, since velocity is a vector, acceleration describes the rate of change of both the magnitude and the direction of velocity. ...
, and jump height are all increased as well. While in this state, one ring is lost per second. When the player has no rings remaining or reaches the end of the act, Sonic reverts to his normal state.
Special stages
Special Stages track Sonic from behind while he runs through a 3D half-pipe course filled with rings and bombs. A set amount of rings must be collected to pass through three checkpoints and eventually obtain the emerald itself. If Sonic collides with a bomb, he will lose some rings and will be immobilized for a few seconds. The order of stages is fixed in rising difficulty, and Sonic cannot enter the next stage without passing the previous. After finishing, Sonic is transported back to the last star post he hit in the zone when the special stage is over and has zero rings.
Multiplayer
The game also has a competitive mode, where 2 players compete against each other to the finish line, as either Sonic or Tails, in a split-screen race through three of the regular single player levels; Emerald Hill, Casino Night, and Mystic Cave, and a special stage. After one player finishes one of the regular levels, the other player must finish the zone within 60 seconds, or the level is ended instantly. In the regular levels, players are ranked in five areas (score, time, rings held at the end of the level, total rings collected, and number of item boxes broken). The player with who wins in the most number of categories, wins the level. In the Special Stage, players compete to obtain the most rings. The mode ends when allstages have been completed, or if a player loses all their lives, in which his/her opponent will instantly win.Connection to Sonic & Knuckles
2 years after the 1992 release of Sonic 2, Sonic & Knuckles was released in 1994. Sonic & Knuckles possessed a special, "lock-on" cartridge, in which the player would put the Sonic & Knuckles cartidge into the video console, and then plug a second game into the top of the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge. The result of this unlocks Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a variation of Sonic 2 where the player instead plays as Knuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
, a character that hadn't been introduced until 1994's Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed in the United States by members of Sonic Team working at Sega Technical Institute, and was published by Sega, debuting worldwide in the first half of 1994...
.
The game is largely identical to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the exception that gameplay is altered due to Knuckles having separate abilities from Sonic or Tails. Knuckles can glide and climb walls, which allows him to gain access to areas that had been otherwise hidden or unreachable. Conversely, he cannot jump as high, making some situations, such as certain boss fights, more difficult. However, in this version of the game, the two player mode has been removed.
8-bit version
This version was released for the Sega Master SystemSega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
and the Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
. Though based on the original game of the same name, it is a distinct game, with different level design
Level design
Level design, environment design or game mapping is a discipline of game development involving creation of video game levels—locales, stages, or missions. This is commonly done using level editor, a game development software designed for building levels; however some games feature built-in...
s.
Compilation releases
Compilations that include the game are Sonic Compilation (1995) and Genesis 6-Pak (1996) for the Sega Genesis; Sonic Jam (1997) for the Sega SaturnSega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
; Sega Smash Pack
Sega Smash Pack
Sega Smash Pack is a series of game compilations featuring mostly Sega Mega Drive games. Sega Smash Pack games have been released for the PC, Dreamcast, and the Game Boy Advance.-PC:The first Sega Smash Pack was released in 1999 for the PC...
(2001) for the Dreamcast; Sonic Mega Collection
Sonic Mega Collection
is a video game compilation for the Nintendo GameCube.The compilation contains twelve to fourteen games depending on the region, all originally released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console...
(2002) for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
; Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004) for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and PC; Sega Genesis Collection
Sega Genesis Collection
The Sega Mega Drive Collection is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, compiled and emulated by Digital Eclipse and released in the U.S. in 2006 and Europe and Australia in 2007...
(2006) for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
; Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
(2009) for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
; and Sonic Classic Collection (2010) for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
.
Most compilations feature the game largely unchanged. However, Sonic Jam in addition to featuring the original release; also had a few new "remix" options. "Medium" mode altered the layout of rings and hazards and "Easy" mode removes certain acts entirely from the game.
Development and Release
While the original Sonic the Hedgehog was designed by Sonic TeamSonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, development duties for Sonic 2 were handed over to Sega Technical Institute in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. However experienced Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Sonic Team members such as Yuji Naka
Yuji Naka
, is a video game designer and programmer, best known as the former head of Sonic Team, a group of Sega programmers/designers, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog....
and Hirokazu Yasuhara
Hirokazu Yasuhara
Hirokazu Yasuhara is a Japanese video game designer and Sonic Team's 2nd Assistant President.He designed the gameplay and stages of the majority of the initial Sonic the Hedgehog video games for Sega Mega Drive based on technical demos and engines coded by Yuji Naka and characters designed by...
(the first game's lead programmer and game planner respectively) were brought in to work alongside the American developers. Masaharu Yoshii served as the game's director. The staff introduced new graphical elements such as the special stages with 3D-like appearances, and increased the speed of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in relation to its predecessor.
The game was originally rumored to contain time travel elements. However, this aspect was later removed, and instead implemented in Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
, or Sonic CD, is a critically acclaimed 1993 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Sonic Team for the Mega-CD/Sega CD. It marked the first official appearance of the characters Metal Sonic and Amy Rose...
for the Sega CD add-on for the Sega Genesis.
The game is notorious for having content and levels being removed to the game prior to it's release. In New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1992, prior to the game's release, Yuji Naka
Yuji Naka
, is a video game designer and programmer, best known as the former head of Sonic Team, a group of Sega programmers/designers, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog....
has remarked that a prototype from a demonstration cartridge that was stolen at a toy show. (Sega's Akinori Nishiyama has stated that the leak was due to the lack of security
Computer security
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...
at the time.) A notable part of that prototype is that it featured a playable section of a level titled "The Hidden Palace", a level cut out of the game shortly before release. Naka said of the level:
...the basic idea was about the same as it was in Sonic and Knuckles. You'd encounter the stage through normal play by collecting the emeralds. The idea behind the stage was, "Where do the Chaos Emeralds come from?" That's where Sonic was originally supposed to be granted his Super Sonic powers. We finally were able to use it in S&K, though it wound up being quite different from what we had planned in Sonic 2. But even from Sonic 1 we'd been throwing around those sorts of ideas. Still, when we were running out of time, we looked over things quickly trying to figure out what to dump ... and CHOP went the Hidden Palace. There's simply no way we could have thrown that in by the deadline at the rate we were going.
Prototypes
Several prototypes of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 exist, each of which reveals more about the game's development history, as well as concepts such as levels and badniks that were dropped at various points during development. Two well-known prototypes include the so-called "Nick Arcade prototype", named after the show in which it is believed the prototype was shown to the public, and the "Simon Wai prototype", after the discoverer of the prototype, who found it on a Chinese GeoCitiesGeoCities
Yahoo! GeoCities is a web hosting service, currently available only in Japan.GeoCities was originally founded by David Bohnett and John Rezner in late 1994 as Beverly Hills Internet . In its original form, site users selected a "city" in which to place their web pages...
website. In Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the prototype version was put on cartridges and passed off as the final version by pirates
Copyright infringement of software
Copyright infringement of software=The copyright infringement of software refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer software. Copyright infringement of this kind varies globally...
who altered it slightly to stop the Sega logo and animation from showing when the game boots up, as was the common practice.
Many zones in the prototypes are not entirely playable, but can be explored by entering a special debug code that allows the selection of any zone. These levels include Wood Zone, Mystic Cave Zone, Genocide City Zone and Hidden Palace Zone. Hidden Palace Zone is the most complete of the zones that were later dropped, with Act 1 being nearly complete; a re-imagined Hidden Palace Zone was later included as a playable zone in Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles is a 1994 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed in the United States at Sega Technical Institute by members of Sonic Team, and was published by Sega worldwide on October 18, 1994.As well as working as a standalone...
. Of the other dropped zones, Wood Zone was also partially playable, with some graphics complete. Genocide City Zone, mentioned in the level select, never went past the concept stage, but its concept art was reused and later became the third stage of Metropolis Zone, the only zone to have three acts. Rock Zone and Winter Zone, though not found in prototypes, were mentioned in concept art, but dropped after the time travel concept was abandoned.
Later prototypes were discovered, named "beta 4" through "beta 8", that were near-finished and by this time, had been divested of the dropped stages. One of the last minute changes to the game was the title screen; the old one was even printed in the manual as a screenshot.
Releases
Sega launched a $10 million advertising campaign for Sonic the Hedgehog 2Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
Genesis release came three days later on November 24, 1992, a Tuesday, and the release day was dubbed "Sonic 2s day". 400,000 copies of Sonic 2 were sold in the first seven days after release.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has since been re-released many times as part of many Sega and Sonic themed compilations
Compilations in the Sonic series
This article covers the number of compilations in the Sonic series.-Dreamcast Collection:Dreamcast Collection compilation of four Dreamcast titles; Sonic Adventure, Space Channel 5: Part 2, Crazy Taxi and Sega Bass Fishing, released for Xbox 360 and the PC on February 22, 2011 in North America and...
.
Additionally, it has been made available digitally on Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
on June 11, 2007, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
via the PlayStation Network on April 19, 2011, and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
via Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
, the latter having enhancements such as online leaderboards, achievements, and online play. Various mobile phone versions exist as well, including the iOS release.
Reception
Due to the popularity of its predecessor Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2 already had an established fanbase anticipating its release. The release of Sonic 2 was the main reason that Sega caught up to Nintendo in the "console wars". It brought their market share up to 50% within six months of its release. It was very well received by most gaming reviewers. It was praised for its large levels, colourful graphics and backgrounds, increased cast of characters and enemies alike, and music. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
stated that "Time may have eroded Sega's prominence, but it hasn't done much to diminish how sweet Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is," and, along with other reviewers, commented on how it is still a fun game to play. Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
awarded it as the best Sega Genesis game of 1992. In 2000, Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
ranked Sonic 2 number 61 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time" list, calling it "the most challenging and finely polished Sonic the Hedgehog title."
The game's main criticisms were of the two player mode, a new introduction to the series. Sonic 2 achieved the split-screen display through a 448 line display mode, one of the few Mega Drive games to use it. This mode doubled the workload on the CPU, and caused interlacing-induced visual artifacts. Reviewers criticized the game's noticeable slowdown and prominent flickering, not to mention the squashed play area for each player. Finally, the game only allowed two-player mode in three different zones (Emerald Hill, Casino Night and Mystic Cave). William Burrill of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
described the two player racing mode as the "only part of the game that can be faulted," citing that the mode and its split screen
Split screen (computer graphics)
Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into non-movable adjacent parts, typically two or four rectangular areas. This is done in order to allow the simultaneous presentation of related graphical and textual information on a computer...
view "squeezes the graphics, plumps up the characters and slows down the action."
The game has sold over 6.3 million copies altogether.
Legacy
The game's ending theme song, "Sweet Dream" by Dreams Come True, was later remixed by AkonAkon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
for the Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
title Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
For Sonic's 20th Anniversary, Sega released Sonic Generations
Sonic Generations
is a 2011 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by Sonic Team for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 3DS...
, a game that remade aspects of various past games from the franchise. The Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 version contained a remade "Chemical Plant" level. It also contained a remake the final boss fight. Separately, the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
version of the game contained a remake of the "Casino Night" level.
External links
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at Giant BombGiant BombGiant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...