For everyone that is old enough to remember, the decision to buy either a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis was a major one.
Did you make the choice to buy the Super Nintendo -- a solid, classic console with some incredible games made by a reliable company? Or did you make the hip purchase of the Sega Genesis -- the arguably “cooler” of the two consoles, with games that were much more “extreme” and “hardcore” than anything offered on Nintendo’s little gray and purple machine?
Both systems were great, but it was rare to find a kid in the neighborhood that owned both -- a far cry from the multiple-console homes of today.
The SNES or the Genesis. For many gamers that fell in love with the original Nintendo, this would have been a ridiculously easy choice ... but with the 1991 release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis and a marketing campaign that can only be described as magnificently ludicrous, Nintendo’s loyal followers (including me!) began to question their preferred system of choice.
The Set-Up
When the Sega Genesis was released in 1989, it had some surprising competition. While the graphics on the revolutionary-for-the-time 16-bit system were absolutely groundbreaking, the original NES was so popular that the Genesis did not make the initial dent that Sega was hoping for.
But as the first year past, and Nintendo still had not released its follow-up to the NES, the Genesis started to gain ground. The arcade industry was booming, and Sega promised gamers that most of the popular games you could play in the arcade could also be played on the Genesis (and look almost as good!).
This tactic paid off, as the Genesis slowly began to pick up steam.
But then 1991 came along and everything changed. A few months before Nintendo would release its Super Nintendo in North America, Sega started promoting a brand new 2D platformer called Sonic the Hedgehog.
In addition to the game, Sega also ran one of its most famous marketing campaigns of all time -- a campaign focusing on something called Blast Processing!
According to their ads and commercials, Blast Processing was something only the Sega Genesis could do, allowing their games to run much faster and smoother than anything on the Super Nintendo.
Regardless of the truth behind this notorious advertising, “Blast Processing” became a serious buzz word.
Coupled with Sega’s other infamous ads (“Genesis does what Nintendon’t!”), the gaming industry couldn’t stop talking about the Genesis and the games that utilized Blast Processing, including the much-hyped Sonic the Hedgehog.
When people finally played Sonic the Hedgehog, all thoughts about the validity of Blast Processing were forgotten (at least, for the time being). Sonic the Hedgehog was a massive hit. The marketing behind the game certainly helped, but what made the game an instant classic was the feeling gamers had the minute the first level started.
Sonic the Hedgehog was fast. Really fast.
The Moment
It is right after the classic “SEEEEEEGGGGAAAAA!” intro and high-energy opening title screen when players are immediately dropped into Sonic the Hedgehog’s first stage: Green Hill Zone.
At first glance, the colorful, quirky little game looks to be nothing more than a Mario clone starring a sassy blue hedgehog.
Sonic can jump; he can run back and forth. Nothing much out of the ordinary.
But then players press and hold right on the directional pad and everything changes.
By running on a continuous path, Sonic speeds up to absurd speeds, trumping anything that could be done by holding down the “run” button in the Super Mario games.
Of course, the option of taking things slow is there -- jumping on platforms and hopping on the heads of enemies to kill them -- but that isn’t the draw of the game. The real highlight of playing is to run as fast as you can to get to the end of the stage.
As Sonic races through the now-legendary Green Hill Zone, much more than the normal platformer obstacles are there to meet him.
Instead of only encountering a smattering of enemies and moving platforms, Sonic travels through giant loops and small, claustrophobic tunnels, spinning and whirling around like an out-of-control roller coaster.
While running at ridiculous speeds, Sonic takes giant leaps of faith, landing perfectly and continuing his high-speed sprints.
The stage flashes by in a blur of color.
Eventually -- sometimes in mere seconds! -- Sonic makes it to the end of the level, spinning around a sign and revealing an image of the blue hedgehog himself.
The levels in Sonic the Hedgehog move so fast and are so frenetic, yet controlled, that they become a well-choreographed dance, one that players can enjoy watching just as much as they enjoy participating in.
The entire experience is absolutely exhilarating.
In this one glorious, breathtaking, revolutionary stage, Sonic the Hedgehog defined itself as an instant classic.
You can watch Green Hill Zone -- the very first level in Sonic the Hedgehog -- right here:
The Impact
Fun fact: I wanted to be a roller coaster designer my entire life -- I even went to college for it!
I have always been fascinated with the twisting, unpredictable tracks of a well-designed roller coaster. I actually think the sleek, knotted tracks are things of beauty -- gorgeous manmade creations that entertain as much as they terrify.
Because of this lifelong obsession, I was blown away the first time I ever played Sonic the Hedgehog. I felt like I was actually playing a roller coaster.
The first time I reached the first loop in the Green Hill Zone I wanted to do nothing else. I just wanted to keep running through it over and over again. It was like nothing I had ever experienced in a videogame before.
As much as I loved running fast through the levels in Super Mario Bros., that classic game never gave me the specific feeling of riding a roller coaster.
It was magnificent. It only took one level, but after running through Green Hill Zone I fell instantly in love.
Funny enough, before I decided to write this Memory Card, I thought: Maybe this moment is a little too insignificant. In a feature series full of dramatic, heartbreaking, emotional sequences, maybe writing about Sonic running through a level felt a little too ... slight.
But then I thought about how Sonic the Hedgehog still exhilarates me today, all these years later.
With every new Sonic game that comes out, all I want to do is see what kind of amazingly cool things I will able to run through in the first level.
In a way, the success of this roller coaster experience can make or break a new Sonic game for me. If the first level gives me that same sense of exhilaration that Green Hill Zone did (while also offering some literal new twists to the mix!), I will most likely love it.
Conversely, start off a new Sonic game without that same sense of speed and roller coaster wonder and the game will probably be a dud.
IT’S LIKE SCIENCE!
Sonic has become just as much of a staple in videogame history as it has become a joke. It seems that every new Sonic game is met with such a (justified?) critical bashing that it is hard to get excited about the series anymore.
But think about that first time you grabbed the Genesis controller and played through Green Hill Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog.
Think about that first loop. (And the first twist in Sonic the Hedgehog 2!)
It was revolutionary.
Without Sonic, would there have been the minecart levels in the Donkey Kong Country series? Would there ever be a Uniracers? Would Bubsy exist? Okay, forget about that last one, but you know what I am saying.
The first level of Sonic the Hedgehog was -- and still is! -- one of the most exhilarating experiences in videogame history. Even today, I still get excited when there is a roller coaster-like level in a game. The faster, the better.
Chad Concelmo is Destructoid's features editor. He loves hanging out with awesome people. That's why Destructoid makes him so happy, since it is full of THE MOST AWESOME PEOPLE OF ALL TIME! Also, dolphins.
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Chad enjoys punching old ladies in the face, Super Metroid, Zelda: A Link to the Past on the SNES (best system ever!), Final Fantasy VI, Day of the Tentacle, Shadow of the Colossus, Mother 3, Beyond Good & Evil, Contra III, Valkyria Chronicles, Punch-Out!!, Half-Life 2, and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
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Seriously, as someone who grew up on an A2600, then a C64 prior to playing my aunties Mega Drive, Sonic completely blew me away. So much so that I begged for one for Christmas... And got a Master System with Sonic.
I had a blast with my MS mind you once the original disappointment went away, but I did end up buying my own Mega Drive a couple of years later and it did get some good play time, except for the fact that I had the king of 16-bit, an Amiga!
Been playing through Sonic all over again on the newest PS3 version. They took out the intro and title but the rest is great as always. I wish I had been born to experience that time but I am lucky enough to say; Sonic was my first video game. The first time you become super Sonic...
Ahh Genesis... I was only 5 or 6 when I had it but I have nothing but fond memories of playing Aladdin, Jungle Book, Lion King, and Sonic 2. What a great system
Finally been playing this on PS3 (thanks, Sony Stuff-Service!), and...this game is, ironically, Nintendo-Hard for me. So many BS deaths and falls and trappings. Ugh... Thank you, near-abusable save states. I'm in what I think is the last level, though. Once I've played through the game myself, maybe I'll watch someone even just decent at it, so I can see the levels without a blue menu screens every five steps.
I probably preferred the SNES and Mario overall, but that's irrelevant. Sonic is an amazing game, and what you said about it being as great to watch as it is to play was spot on. Me and a couple mates ended up playing it practically every week for a year or so, passing the controller between acts. Never, ever got dull watching that little hedgehog roll.
Oh, and as for that loop: It's becomes right annoying if you're not going fast enough. Same for just about any curved surface in this game, though the quarter-pipes are annoying for jumping off of rather than merely trying to run through.
Nah, I got a Super instead. Don't regret that for a minute because of the games Nintendo, Squaresoft, and Capcom made for it, but I have had a chance to play some Genesis titles that have since been re-released digitally or in compilations that were solid. In hindsight, I can see being happy had I gone the Genesis way.
I've tried playing the old Sonic games in the past, but sadly they just don't do anything for me. It annoys me how if you try to run left for the entire level you'll only last about six seconds before either running into a hole or losing all your rings to an enemy: most frustrating moment ever! Maybe being a Nintendo guy as a kid I just lack that nostalgia, but most Sonic games make me want to scream.
I had both SNES and Genesis. I think the processor in the Genesis was about twice as fast as the one in the SNES and the difference was most apparent in the EA sports titles.
That's not to say I liked the Genesis better, most multi-plats I got for the SNES (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, NBA JAM etc.).
Both the SNES and the Genesis had great titles in what is arguably the best generation ever.
IMO, many if the 16-bit classics have held up much better than games from the Playstation/N64/Saturn era.
@UltorOscariot -- I went with a Super Nintendo as well. It was the best decision of my life -- the SNES is my favorite videogame console of all time!
That being said, though, I LOVED going over to my friend's house to play Sonic the Hedgehog over and over again.
As a Nintendo kid, my childhood memories of Sonic consist of me standing in Toys 'R' Us, craning my neck to see the slightly-too-high screen as I played the demo of the Genesis in the video game aisle. That, and the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon. I don't really remember the Blast Processing commercials, but I do remember that every time I played a Genesis, it was like spending some time in an alternate world that I could only visit, but never live in. I was definitely happy with my SNES, though.
I won't say that I didn't like Sonic the Hedgehog. But it was very clear to me playing the game that the game wanted me to do something and I wanted to do something else.
I wanted to find all the secrets. The game wanted me to run into things and die quickly.
For a game that was all about running fast, there sure is a lot of waiting on slow moving platforms.
@KyleGamgee -- I feel that way about all the later Sonic levels. It's all about the first world in all the Sonic games: running fast and going through awesome loops. :)
I never understood the allure of giving up control of your character as he pinballs around the level, as you just sit and watch. It's kinda like cut scenes without the story. Therefore I never got Sonic.
And yes, I was an SNES kid.
I've said it before, but I still don't get the appeal of the Genesis Sonic games. I'd say I was just born too late for them, but enough people my age love them to make that explanation moot. They're supposed to be amazing, but no matter how hard I try to like them I just don't see it. I'm not sure why they can even be uttered in the same breath as games like Mario World.
I got a paper route job when I was a kid and bought a Sega Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog with my own money. I was so damned proud of myself. Do they still have things like paper routes now that we live in the future?
"For everyone that is old enough to remember, the decision to buy either a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis was a major one.'
Not if you lived in Ukraine or Russia -_-
SEEEGAAA all the way, since SNES was hard to copy or chip and Nintendo never sold anything here officially:)
Sonic was awesome. Lots of Megadrive games were awesome. But, i guess, for me it was Earthworm Jim that changed the perception of how the games can be seen, heard and even played, of all the Megadrive games
It's amazing that Blast Processing ad holds up fairly well.
I got a SNES and for a very long time, I didn't know what I was missing. Mario's fun yes, but Sonic has always been cooler. I think I have every classic sonic game 2 times over now, with the exception of Sonic CD. They still hold up up amazingly well.
@StMcDuck -- Yeah, it is a strange thing. Half the time you barely control your character in Sonic the Hedgehog. But I just love watching that little blue guy fly through those twists and turns. It makes me so happy! :)
"Genesis does what Nintendont." How sort of true that was(by that, I mean some games were ported to both, so it really was not too much of a difference).
Great Memory Card! It was definitely a memorable moment when playing Sonic.
I was actually a TG-16 kid for the most part but I made friends easy and had the opportunity to use all three(SNES, GEN., and TG-16) quite a bit. Ever since then, I've never had a problem with multiple systems. I learned that games are what make the system fun, so the war of systems was pointless in my eyes.
I owned both an SNES and Genesis. Loved them equally. I would've also owned a Saturn and an N64, but my folks refused to buy the Saturn due to the price.
So I recently downloaded the first Sonic game for free with my Playstation Plus account (waste of money), and I suddenly felt tremendously bad for the Genesis kids. The game simply can't hold a candle to Super Mario World in terms of diversity of gameplay, replayability, craftsmanship, and almost every other category there is. I'll give you that Sonic arguably has better graphics, but that doesn't matter much to me now, and it didn't matter much to me at the time.
Raise your hand if you now have the Green Hill Zone music stuck in your head. Also, I'm surprised it took you 83 entries to write about the first time you played Sonic, that's usually a good memory no matter what kind of gamer you are.
Apparently I was one of the few people who had both SNES and Genesis. I personally liked the Sonic with Knuckles as a playable character better than the original.
Ah yes, Sonic the Hedgehog. I remember as kid being jealous of the Sega Genesis kids solely for Sonic, and while I'll always be a Nintendo kid, I can't help but tip my hat to Sega for making the blue blur.
I remember test driving Sonic 2 in a very small game shop (there was no other kind in South Africa at the time). I'd played Sonic 1 to death, but on PAL system the hog wasn't that fast. Sonic 2 fixed that. It was really fast. And this little shop had squeezed in the biggest TV I'd ever seen. When the level stopped I realised I was holding my breath and my heart was thumping like it was trying to get out of my chest. I turned around and found that a small crowd had gathered to watch. Fiero! One of my favorite gaming memories.
You know, I never really thought that Uniracers' existence was a direct result of the popularity of Sonic, but now that you mention it, yeah, it must have been Nintendo's response, to show that the SNES could do fast games too.
although i really liked the first 3 sonic games and the first adventure game on the dreamcast which blew me even harder away (first level the part with the orca chasing you and the the dolphins jumping over sonic while watching the sun )
i dont think sonic games aged that well even the older ones are not that fun as i remember them , as for mario games they aged very well en are still ton of fun today.
South africa also never officially got snes.hell, we never got the nes. We had the famicon, so english games were rare. Sega was pretty much only 16 bit option. Sonic blew me away the fist time I saw it at a mall. Guess what my parent answer was when I asked for one?
I remember seeing the Genesis games in stores and being unimpressed. I had already moved on to PC gaming full time at that point. I skipped over the Genesis, SNES, N64, and PS1. Never missed any of them one bit.
You know what Chad? I know exactly how you feel. I bought (well my parents bought) a Sega Genesis because of Sonic back in 91 because I played it at the Kiosk they had set up at my local Kmart.
I loved Sonic, back then for me the first Sonic was one of the most challenging games ever. Only beat it once. The second however I mastered and conquered many a time.
In my own experience it was totally reversed. First, I had a Sega Master System for 1/2 years before I got a NES. Then, I got a Gameboy before the Gamegear. However, it was Sonic and the Color/TV option that made me go more Gamegear than Gameboy. (However I had both so I guess I was a rare breed). On the console side the Genesis was never an option after Zelda, Mario and my favorite NES game Baseball Stars! In fact, I never played a Genesis until College in 1996. However, I remember this game with great fondness on the Gamegear.
I grew up with both Mega Drive and SNES, but I was emotionally attached more to Mega Drive for some reason. The first cartridge I bought was the Mega6 compilation cart that had Sonic The Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, Sega GP, Sega Soccer, Columns, Streets of rage. The game was an absolute blast. Apart from blast processing.
Another big plus of Sega were the Disney games. Nintendo consoles were always getting tie-ins, while Sega consoles were getting new and stand-alone stories. I loved Castle of Illusion and Quack Shot on Mega Drive, Lucky Dime Capers and Deep Duck trouble on Master System, Land of Illusion, Legend of Illusion and Castle of Illusion (8-bit version) on Game Gear. Simply amazing.
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Contest:
4:00 PM on 03.24.2011 | 
I had a blast with my MS mind you once the original disappointment went away, but I did end up buying my own Mega Drive a couple of years later and it did get some good play time, except for the fact that I had the king of 16-bit, an Amiga!
Genesis stll does what nintendont.
fun fact, every one of sega's launch consoles was black with the exception of one, the great dreamcast, which was a kinda whitish grey.
if sega were to put out a new console, i would be first in fucking line with a knife.
That's not to say I liked the Genesis better, most multi-plats I got for the SNES (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, NBA JAM etc.).
Both the SNES and the Genesis had great titles in what is arguably the best generation ever.
IMO, many if the 16-bit classics have held up much better than games from the Playstation/N64/Saturn era.
...but yeah Sonic 1 was awesome.
That being said, though, I LOVED going over to my friend's house to play Sonic the Hedgehog over and over again.
I wanted to find all the secrets. The game wanted me to run into things and die quickly.
For a game that was all about running fast, there sure is a lot of waiting on slow moving platforms.
And yes, I was an SNES kid.
Not if you lived in Ukraine or Russia -_-
SEEEGAAA all the way, since SNES was hard to copy or chip and Nintendo never sold anything here officially:)
Sonic was awesome. Lots of Megadrive games were awesome. But, i guess, for me it was Earthworm Jim that changed the perception of how the games can be seen, heard and even played, of all the Megadrive games
I got a SNES and for a very long time, I didn't know what I was missing. Mario's fun yes, but Sonic has always been cooler. I think I have every classic sonic game 2 times over now, with the exception of Sonic CD. They still hold up up amazingly well.
Haha, the inclusion of that game of all things is so you. Although I won't deny Uniracers is amazing.
As always, a very nice Memory Card, Chad! I have to tell you that this series is one major thing that got me hooked on Destructoid, man.
Great Memory Card! It was definitely a memorable moment when playing Sonic.
I was actually a TG-16 kid for the most part but I made friends easy and had the opportunity to use all three(SNES, GEN., and TG-16) quite a bit. Ever since then, I've never had a problem with multiple systems. I learned that games are what make the system fun, so the war of systems was pointless in my eyes.
@DaedHead8
Actually its more of a Star Light Zone. For me, anyway.
(P.S. Uniracers is better than Sonic.)
Another amazing Memory Card, Concelmo! Thank you.
i dont think sonic games aged that well even the older ones are not that fun as i remember them , as for mario games they aged very well en are still ton of fun today.
I loved Sonic, back then for me the first Sonic was one of the most challenging games ever. Only beat it once. The second however I mastered and conquered many a time.
Another big plus of Sega were the Disney games. Nintendo consoles were always getting tie-ins, while Sega consoles were getting new and stand-alone stories. I loved Castle of Illusion and Quack Shot on Mega Drive, Lucky Dime Capers and Deep Duck trouble on Master System, Land of Illusion, Legend of Illusion and Castle of Illusion (8-bit version) on Game Gear. Simply amazing.