This year marks the 25th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. I thought for my article this week, it would be a good idea to talk about my memories behind this game. When I was a kid, the first console I had in the house was an NES. The second console was a Sega Genesis. The NES was actually my sister’s console, so the Sega Genesis was my first console that I could call my own. I received it for a Christmas present back in 1991 so I’ve been there from the beginning of Sonic’s legacy.
It is a very early memory since I was only seven years old, but I do remember opening up that Sega Genesis on Christmas morning. My friend already had one and I loved going over to his house to play Sonic the Hedgehog and Toejam and Earl with him. It was the first item on my Christmas list that year and the only one I cared about getting. My parents did not have a lot of money while we were growing up but they always saved throughout the year in order to give my sister and me a memorable Christmas. I remember opening the box and seeing the Sega logo as I ripped open the wrapping paper. If the internet was around back then, I’d have been the Sega kid on YouTube like that Nintendo kid who freaks out on Christmas morning that went viral.
After we opened the remaining gifts, my dad set up the console on the TV. First thing I did, was play Sonic the Hedgehog. At the time, it came for free bundled in with the console. At it’s time there was nothing like it. This wasn’t a Mario clone, this was a fast paced side scroller based on momentum and reflexes. Sonic was advertised as being fast and for its time, it was a fast game. I played that game all day until we had to leave for my Aunt’s house for Christmas dinner. When I got home, I played it again until bedtime. For anyone that knows me, they know that I love the holiday season and this is one of my favorite memories. Side scrollers didn’t have much of any story during this time so it was all about the gameplay. I received other games for Christmas that year but nothing was played as much as Sonic was. It was my most played game until I got my SNES and played Mario World.
I still have my Sega Genesis with me at my house now. It’s the same model I got in 1991 and still works perfectly fine. I have a huge game collection for it too. Occasionally I hook it up for some retro nostalgia and the first game I always play is Sonic the Hedgehog. When Sonic 2 and 3 came out, I used my birthday money to buy them as soon as possible and played the heck out of those titles. I feel that Sonic 2 is the best Sonic game, however, none of them come close to the memories I have of playing that first game on Christmas morning. I’m happy my console still works because I’d like my kids to be able to experience the games I loved when I was a kid.
Most people have played Sonic so this post was more about my personal memories of it than the game itself. I’d love to hear from the readers if you have fond memories of a specific game and if so, what was that memory?
