10 Iconic Video Game Character Debuts
1. Sonic - Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)
Sonic The Hedgehog was originally conceived in 1990 by Sega of Japan’s president, Hayao Nakayama. The original reason behind Sonic’s creation was to contend with Nintendo’s Mario and, you know what? Sonic did a pretty good job at that… for a bit.
Nowadays Sonic seems to be a cursed IP, with more titles falling under the category of terrible than good, but back in the 90s Sonic was a prize fighter in these early console wars. Whilst we’ll never forget the car crash that was Sonic 2006, or that horrifying first movie trailer, we shouldn’t forget the great games that came before either.
The reason Sonic’s debut was undeniably the top contender on this list is simple:
Green Hill Zone.
This is the first level that we’re introduced to in 1991’s Sonic The Hedgehog. Easily one of the most memorable openings to a video game, The Green Hill Zone introduced players to a whole new approach to platforming, and a protagonist who was cool as a cucumber to go with it.
The fact that a platformer could be paced so quickly and yet play so smoothly was incredible at the time. Sega had caught lightning in a bottle. Shame they couldn’t f**king hold on to it.