10 Amazing Video Game Moments Created By Fans

8. Sonic Mania Redeems The Franchise

It's fair to say that the Sonic franchise has had a pretty rough go of it over the years, for despite the character's obvious popularity, Sega's output has proven wildly inconsistent, with numerous brand-damaging releases killing the general public's enthusiasm for the series.

But in 2017, Sonic Mania came along and reminded everyone why they loved Sonic in the first place: the frantic pace, the charmingly timeless art style and, yes, the savage difficulty.

But Sonic Mania was no conventional Sonic release - it was a game created by Sonic modder Christian Whitehead, who had previously been employed by Sega to develop enhanced mobile ports of earlier Sonic games.

Whitehead made a name for himself by creating his own proprietary Sonic engine, the Retro Engine, which he used to develop the aforementioned ports and present a Sonic Mania prototype to Sonic producer Takashi Iizuka, who authorised him to develop an official franchise title.

Iizuka suggested that the game include "remixed" classic levels alongside new ones, while Sonic Team provided support to Whitehead to ensure a professional-grade end product.

The result, of course, was the best-reviewed Sonic game in 25 years, with many deeming it the best entry into the franchise ever.

Though no plans for a sequel have yet been announced, one has to imagine that Sega will be throwing money at Whitehead and his team to make sure it happens.