Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992/I) (VG)

Director:

Masaharu Yoshii

Writer:

Yuji Naka (characters)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Are you up 2 it?

Plot:

Sonic The Hedgehog returns! And where there's Sonic, there's Robotnik. This time, Robotnik is planning...

Plot Keywords:

Emerald | Robot | Hedgehog | Fox | Super Speed

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:PG

Company:

Backbone Entertainment

Trivia:

Although it is unknown what caused the mutation that gave Tails his namesake twin appendages, the concept of a fox with two tails is common in Japanese folklore. According to the mythology, foxes are magical beings with the ability to shapeshift; the older a fox, or kitsune, gets, the more powerful it becomes and the more tails it has. Kitsune gain a new tail every hundred years until they've reached their maximum strength of nine tails. They're notoriously mischievous, so if you're walking in the woods and happen upon a nine-tailed fox, it's probably not something you want to investigate.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sonic Pinball Party (2003) (VG)

The Saga Continues!

This is the second installment of the Sonic series, and possibly the best Sonic game ever made.

In this story, Dr. Robotnik is up to his high jinks again, this time with more dangerous obstacles. Sonic has to stop him, but because world-wide disaster is more intense, he's going to need a little help. This is where we're introduced to Miles (a.k.a. Tails), who would stay as Sonic's sidekick from this point forward.

So intense is the Eggman's scheme, that this chapter has more ground to cover. First, there's Emerald Hill Zone (the tropical region), then Chemical Plant Zone (the outer edge of the industrial area (in the big city)), Aquatic Ruin Zone (a water-ridden garden), Casino Night Zone (the entertainment district of the city), Hill Top Zone (the mountains), Mystic Cave Zone (the underground caves, where the chaos emeralds are believed to be hidden), Oil Ocean Zone (the inner edge of the industrial park), Metropolis Zone (the center of all the industry, and Robotnik's hideout), Sky Chase Zone (the chase as Robotnik escapes in his war plane), Wing Fortress Zone (Robotnik's war plane), and finally Death Egg Zone (Robotnik's doomsday space ship). After all this, Robotnik is foiled again (up until the next chapter).

Here, most of the zones have two acts. One has three, and the last few zones have only one act. You also have to collect 7 chaos emeralds in between the mission, again to keep Robotnik from using them to his advantage(s). Collect them all, and you can transform into Super Sonic!

Sonic 2 is still relatively early in the Sonic series, and further outlined everything that would be required for all other Sonic games. I especially like the music of most of the zones; most of them are beautiful, and are somehow able to match the theme of each setting. Sonic 2 still stands as one of the most adventurous Sonic games ever made.

Next up: Sonic 3!