It's no easy task, dreaming up a successful brand mascot. There doesn't seem to be any concrete rules governing the process, the deciding factors that make a blue hedgehog infinitely more memorable than a decidedly un-awesome possum. Whatever the reasons, Sega got the mixture just right when they developed Sonic The Hedgehog - the spiky chap became an instant hit, and was largely responsible for making the Mega Drive/Genesis a real contender in the 16-bit era. The franchise debut engraved Sonic into gaming history, and led to a grand career for him, but Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was easily the superior game. Sleeker, more confident... even the squashed split-screen 2-player mode was a blast - this was the zenith of silky smooth platform gaming.
18. Streets Of Rage 2 - Sega Genesis (1992)
As with Sonic The Hedgehog 2, we're once again selecting the sequel over the original here with Streets Of Rage 2. And with good reason - this esteemed side-scrolling beat-em-up was the culmination of everything we had grown to love about the genre at the time. This classic brawler borrowed heavily from the design framework of Double Dragon, but perhaps had more in common with Capcom's Final Fight. Tight controls, cheesy characters and a seemingly endless onslaught of enemies to beat into the ground, this was the aggressive face of Sega's most successful console.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
