Updated June 11, 2021, by Tom Bowen: Since bursting onto the scene more than three decades ago, Sonic's story has been punctuated by a series of dizzying highs and agonizing lows. Where Metacritic ratings aren't available, ratings from GameRankings will be used instead and will be marked with an asterisk. However, the decision was eventually made to take Sonic and his friends into the third dimension and the resulting games have been a little hit and miss, to say the least. Sega's take on the 2D platforming genre was interesting, as speed, as well as precision platforming, played a significant role in the blue hedgehog's games. RELATED: The Best Sonic Handheld Games, Ranked

Sonic was once even seen as a genuine rival to Mario, although that rivalry has since become a lot more friendly and is now more or less confined strictly to the pair's Olympic Games-themed sports title series. Sonic The Hedgehog is Sega's mascot and a character that the developer has loved and nurtured for many years now.

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