With the exciting home release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 which is now available to Download & Keep and to physically take home on August 8th, here is a look at how far the speedy blue hedgehog has come over the years.
GAMES
The Sonic franchise began with Sonic The Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992). In his first video game outing, Sonic meets the evil scientist Dr Robotnik, who quickly becomes his arch nemesis and is swiftly on Robotnik’s tail to defeat him in search of the powerful Chaos Emeralds. The iconic visual design of the game takes you back, like a time machine, to the gloriously addictive sound of collecting the rings, making your eardrums dance and the bright dazzling colours leave you entranced, as the unforgettable Green Hills theme plays in the background; a theme that goes on to steal one particular scene in the latest Sonic movie.
The second game evolves the popular format and gives Sonic even more power, much like we see in the new film. Sonic’s upgrades include super speed, jumping, crouching, and attacking by curling into a ball. You can spin dash which allows the player to curl while stationary for a speed boost and Sonic’s sidekick Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, a fox with two tails makes his first appearance. These two games started it all and soon there was a legion of games and characters including Sonic & Knuckles which introduces Knuckles the Echidna, voiced by Idris Elba in the new movie.
MOVIES
There are hundreds of similarities and nods to the original source material in the Sonic movies, most notably Sonic’s fun-loving attitude and mischievous spirit of adventure (voiced perfectly by Ben Schwartz), Dr Robotnik’s evil scientist affectionately nicknamed Eggman (Jim Carrey brings effortless villain energy to the role), and we also meet new characters in Sonic’s journey, Tom and Maddie Wachowski (Sonic’s friends and parental figures).
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was released this year on the 1st April and after years of history and friendship between Sonic and Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, Tails makes an appearance in the second film whose voice is provided by the talented Colleen O’Shaughnessey! Idris Elba’s deep baritone voice is the ultimate match for his character Knuckles the Echidna who makes an entrance with Dr Robotnik! Just when you think the doctor cannot get any crazier or have more tricks up his sleeve, he is and does!
The Sonic franchise continues to grow and we can’t wait to get back to Green Hills with Sonic’s latest adventure. Do not miss out on Sonic’s evolving journey as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is available now to Download & Keep and on physical formats from 8th August.
