To this day, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is one of the few to have credibly challenged Mario for the platforming throne, and this debut entry is largely to thank. The game was innovative in 1991 when it went head-to-head with games like Super Mario World. The one that started it all, Sonic the Hedgehog on Genesis created the template and foundation the rest of the games on this list have followed. However, the underwhelming level design, a heavy-handed story, and poor controls amounted to a mediocre title in Modern Sonic's up-and-down legacy. The darker narrative, the return of fan-favorite bosses, the swapping between 3D and 2D gameplay – all of this added up on paper to spell one of the best Modern Sonic games to date. Unfortunately, the game fell short of that high bar, and despite being the 2017 game developed by the core Sonic Team, it paled in comparison to the throwback that is Sonic Mania.Įven without the stark contrast in quality between the two games that year, Sonic Forces still fell short of its potential.

Launching mere months after the critically acclaimed Sonic Mania, Forces had a ton to live up to and promised to do so through the return of Classic Sonic in a Modern Sonic game, plus a new character creation tool. Sadly, what was supposed to be a next-gen showcase on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 instead became the poster child for when once-great franchises hit rock bottom.įor more on why Sonic '06 is so awful, check out the highlights from our Super Replay dedicated to playing through the entire game, or read this feature all about why the franchise took such a downturn in the mid-2000s.Īnnounced alongside Sonic Mania during the 25th-anniversary party for the Sonic franchise, Sonic Forces was another game meant to celebrate a milestone birthday for Sega's flagship franchise. Players could potentially overlook those problems if the game played well or had a good story, but neither is the case. A lifeless hub world doles out mundane and frustrating challenges before dumping you into half-baked stages that typically fail to deliver on any potential they seem to have. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) is known for its glitches (of which there are many), but that's only part of the picture.

Sonic '06 was meant to celebrate the series' 15th anniversary, but instead of ringing in the milestone birthday, it nearly dashed away any remaining goodwill from Sonic's initial jump to 3D. If you're ranking a list of games from worst to best and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) is included, chances are it's going to be dead last.

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