Were you even playing games in the 16bit golden age? Sonic was a revelation.
Its the only time a mascot and a game have been able to stand side by side with Nintendo and Mario, with an equally famous and successful mascot (at the time) and games that are as good.
Sonic 1 and 2 are all time top games. There is no argument.
Sonic2 in paticular had that same flowing, clever, slick gameplay that Nintendo gave us with Super Mario World, just with its own hook - the speed.
I still enjoy playing both of them on XBLA to this day, and really only Mario and Zelda games from that era are as much fun to play now as they were then.
They are the 2 best selling games on the MegaDrive, both nailed on all time classics, and rightly so.
Its just a shame that when Mario went 3D in the shape of Super Mario 64, it was one of the greatest games ever, and when Sonic went 3D, with Sonic Adventure, it was ok. So it might have been brief, but its still the only time another company played Nintendo at their own game, and matched them.
Quote from Wiki: 'This game propelled the Genesis into mass popularity in North America. After it was released, it eventually replaced Altered Beast as the game bundled with the console, and was later replaced with its first sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The game featured many novel elements which contributed to its popularity and helped to promote the uptake of 16-bit consoles.'
Also: 'The game was both a critical and commercial success. As of November 19, 2007, the game has sold 4 million copies, the second-highest amount for a Genesis game, behind Sonic 2, which has sold 6 million copies.'
And finally: 'The game is widely considered to be one of the greatest games of all time.'
No arguments.
I never mentioned any other version.Metal Gear Solid 1 on the PS you may have a point with. It was a great, great game (and I played the hell out of it) so I think you've turned me on that - any other version, naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.