The Blue Blur himself, Sonic's first foray into the world of gaming remains his best. Sonic 2 would sadly double down on the one level from the first that everyone hated, putting underwater sections everywhere seemingly for the sake of a challenge, whilst the third's level and boss design left a lot to be desired from anyone who just wanted to sprint faster than light, collect rings and destroy the occasional creature along the way. It's testament to the power of a game's charm that this one game helped Sonic stay on the right side of peoples' reverence for his adventures over the years, as we've had some truly shocking iterations on the character since. However, when you've got one of the best themes in gaming history, a character born to be the attitudinal response to the sanitised Mario and a game engine that pushed locomotion and speed above all else, the positive impression Sonic left on the 90s generation will never, ever be forgotten.
