Sonic the Hedgehog 2

About This Game

Gameplay

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a side-scrolling platform game. It features a story similar to the first Sonic the Hedgehog: Doctor Robotnik, a mad scientist, seeks the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station, the Death Egg, and traps the animal inhabitants of West Side Island in aggressive robots. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to collect the Chaos Emeralds and stop Robotnik. The player character can run, jump, crouch, and attack by curling into a ball. Sonic 2 introduces the spin dash, which allows the player to curl while stationary for a speed boost, and Miles "Tails" Prower, a fox with two tails who acts as Sonic's sidekick. In the default single-player game mode, the player controls Sonic and Tails simultaneously; a second player can join in at any time and control Tails separately. The player can also choose to play as Sonic or Tails individually. The game takes place across 11 zones with 20 levels ("acts"). The acts are larger than the first game's, and the player navigates them at high speeds while jumping between platforms, defeating robot enemies, and avoiding obstacles.

History

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in June 1991. It was developed by Sonic Team, led by the programmer Yuji Naka, the artist Naoto Ohshima, and the designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. Sonic greatly increased the Genesis's popularity in North America and is credited with helping Sega gain 65% of the market share against then-industry leader Nintendo, making Sega a formidable competitor. After the release, the team disbanded: Naka quit Sega due to disagreements over his salary, dissatisfaction over the time and effort it had taken to finish Sonic, and a lack of support from management, while Yasuhara moved to America to join Mark Cerny's California-based Sega Technical Institute (STI).