"
What's faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Well, him too, but we're talking about Sonic The Hedgehog."
-- GamePro Magazine, October 1992
"
Sonic 2 is, without a doubt, going to be one of the greatest action carts for Genesis."
-- Electronic Gaming Monthly, October 1992
"
Are we at Nintendo worried about Sonic? No, we aren't. It's just that simple."
-- Howard Lincoln, Vice President of Nintendo of America, in an interview in November of 1992
---
November 24, 1992
Sonic 2sday had been a genius marketing ploy for Sega. It was nothing that had ever been done before in the business: a simultaneous global launch of a video game. Before, video games were released whenever, wherever. Usually Japan got the games first, before localization and final tweaks could be made to ship internationally, and even then, games were just dropped out of thin air willy-nilly. Different stores put them on the shelves at different times, so the Walmart up the street might have a hot title weeks or even months before the Target downtown got around to it. It was chaos. Luckily, Sega of America was good friends with chaos.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was a blockbuster, no doubt about it. It was shattering all the records, and it was selling like hotcakes, well on track to become the best-selling title on the Genesis. At least, that's what Tom Kalinske was crossing his fingers for. It faced stiff competition, after all, from another of their latest and greatests,
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. Getting the new must-have "fighting game" on the Genesis had been a personal achievement of Kalinske's, and one of the few times in recent years Sega of Japan had come through for SOA. It hadn't been easy, but months of wining and dining on the part of he and Japan both, coupled with a sneak preview of
Sonic 2, had finally broken Capcom and ensured their new console port would be multiplatform right out of the gate, much to the Big N's chagrin.
But that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that in the War on Nintendo, Sega had just been delivered the A-bomb. A month prior,
Sonic 2 had been unveiled in shopping malls across the world, and the comments had been nothing but glowing. Now, it was time to drop a mushroom cloud into the heart of Nintendo.
The back half of the behemoth Toys "R" Us store in the heart of Manhattan had been conquered by Sega's troops and decked out in Sonic The Hedgehog everything. There were t-shirts, jackets, lunchboxes, plushies, and stickers, all bearing Sonic's trademark smirk, and the rear wall of the room had been transformed into a lifesize model of Emerald Hill Zone, with Sonic and his newfound sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower themselves wandering about to greet incoming fans. At the center of it all was a stage that would put Broadway to shame, beneath a banner loudly declaring the game's tagline: "
2 Fast! 2 Cool! 2 Day!" It was big. It was bold. It was Sega.
"And now to tell you more about all the exciting details is Sega of America's president and CEO, Tom Kalinske!" announced MTV VJ Adam Curry, stepping back from the podium as Kalinske walked onstage to raucous applause.
"Thanks, Adam," he said, straightening his tie and checking his notes. "Today is a very exciting day for all of us at Sega. Today we celebrate the official launch of
Sonic The Hedgehog 2." More applause rang out, and he patiently waited before continuing. "The last few years have been a roller coaster. In just three years, the video game industry has boomed sixty percent and has filled the shoes of a four-billion-dollars-a-year industry. The reasons for this growth is largely due to the innovative efforts of Sega, whose creative minds have been hard at work developing new technologies and games that make playing more exciting and more fun."
The crowd of intent faces, ranging from teenagers with nothing better to do to journalists scribbling down his every word, reinforced Kalinske's confidence. This was working exactly according to plan.
Sonic 2 was completed, packaged, and shipped out worldwide, with no parts left on the cutting room floor, given Yuji Naka and his Sonic Team's generous time spent developing their masterpiece at STI. It was bigger, better, longer, more colorful, and, most importantly of all,
faster. In the select stores over in Japan that had been allowed to release the game a few days early, it had flown off the shelves.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past would certainly
feel like a thing of the past when this day was done.
"Today we have recieved word from across the seas that
Sonic 2 is already off to an incredibly fast start. The game has been out on store shelves in Great Britain for less than a day and it's already sold just under a million units. And I've just spoken to our folks in Japan, who told me that the title is causing an equally large frenzy in the Land of the Rising Sun. We developed
Sonic 2 to be the fastest video game in the world, as well as the coolest. He has a new attitude, new moves, and a new friend. But rather than an old man like me tell you how radical they are, I've invited some pretty famous Sonic experts to come down here today who are anxious to give you their review of
Sonic 2 and elaborate on its new and improved features."
Tom Kalinske stepped down from the stage, and a parade of Hollywood's finest teens and tweens took his spot, one after the other, to gush about the hot new game. Starlets like
Saved by the Bell's Dustin Diamond, Jaleel White of
Family Matters fame, and
Full House's own Candace Cameron Bure spoke the confusing, twisting, winding language of teenagers. Most of the lingo made Kalinske's head spin, but judging by the pleasant responses from the kids in the audience, they were really talking the game up. Pretty soon, anyone under the age of eighteen who hadn't already would be pestering their parents for
Sonic The Hedgehog 2. The prophecy of taking it to the Next Level was being fulfilled.
---
"
Are you up 2 it?"
-- The tagline for
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
---
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was the game that stole Christmas. It ran away with the 1992 holiday season, trouncing
Street Fighter, running over
Super Mario Kart, and drowning
Ecco the Dolphin. Genesis sales were up and only going higher, and Sega's share of the video game market had pulled even with the Big N. If there was any time for celebration, it was now.
The title was comfortably developed over the course of a year by Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team, a perfectly synchronized Japanese and American force working out of Mark Cerny's Sega Technical Institute in Palo Alto, California. Though the team had had a lot of ideas, very few didn't make it in, and every zone planned was featured in the final cut. The game follows the events of the original
Sonic The Hedgehog, taking place in the new locale of West Side Island as Sonic and his new buddy Tails, a two-tailed kitsune fox who can fly, attempt to stop Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, whose mechanical monstrosities have been wreaking havoc across the island. As part of a compromise that was similar to the deal that had been made over the name of Tails, the evil, PhD-wielding mad scientist's name had been amended, with his nickname, Doctor Eggman, taking center stage and clearing up a minor discrepancy between SOJ and SOA. Nevertheless, the doctor was up to his old tricks, and had constructed a massive weaponized space station, the Death Egg, that posed great menace to the world below. Luckily, Sonic had a few tricks up his sleeve, including his brand-new spindash, which allowed him to rev up and take off at top speed instantly, and the superpowers of the seven Chaos Emeralds, which he put to great use as he and Tails chased Eggman through fifteen zones, each consisting of two acts, save for Hidden Palace Zone and the final four levels, all of which have simply one act, which are as follows:
Emerald Hill Zone
A tropical paradise on the shores of West Side Island, this is where Eggman's invasion began. Mechanical monkies hang from the swaying palm trees and robotic wasps hide behind idyllic waterfalls cascading into the sea below. The path forward is marked by cool caverns and dizzying loops rising above verdant meadows and patches of pink-and-red flowers. Mobius strips and wooden bridges have been erected, the only sign of human intrusion into this natural sanctuary. The boss of this area is Doctor Eggman inside his drill car.
Chemical Plant Zone
This zone is an industrial cityscape constructed by Eggman, filled with blue toxic goop, mechanical foes, and undulating chemical pipes. Huge ramps streaking downward allow Sonic to gain incredible speed and to leap high into the noxious air above the facility, while high-speed warp tubes whisk the hedgehog across the level in seconds. Slow-moving, blinking yellow blocks that shift up and down are dotted about the level, most notoriously in a difficult section at the end of Act 2, wherein Sonic must scale them to escape the rising tide of dangerous pink water. The boss of this stage is Doctor Eggman in a floating vehicle that drops sludge bombs.
Aquatic Ruin Zone
The remnants of a long-lost civilization, this zone is a complex of crumbling stonework and collapsed pillars semi-submerged in water. Doctor Eggman has taken control of the decaying city's booby traps and weaponized them agains Sonic, who must navigate the rubble. If the player is skilled enough, the entire stage can be cleared without touching the water, just the same as the previous zone. The boss of the level is Doctor Eggman in his Egg Mobile, which uses a giant hammer to strike the tops of rising totem poles and fire arrows at Sonic.
Casino Night Zone
Taking place inside a massive, sprawling casino city, this zone is characterized by prominent slot machines and pinball-esuqe elements the player can use to rack up large numbers of rings. Bumpers, conveyor belts, sliding blocks, and elevators can be found throughout as the linear upper area and narrow lower pathways allowing Sonic to climb up or fall down to new roads forward. The gilded buildings of the zone are lavishly decorated in flashing lights and neon signs boldly declaring names like "SONIC," "MILES," and "SEGA." The boss is Doctor Eggman, who attacks in a flying vehicle with large yellow claws sparking with electricity that also drops bombs.
Wooded Forest Zone
This area is set inside a giant deciduous forest, which sees Sonic racing along large, twisting tree branches. It hosts flora and fauna in its backdrop, multiple short platforms and an elaborate maze of trees and logs throughout, which is slowly being hacked away by massive buzzsaws and woodchippers. The boss is Doctor Eggman in his Egg Mobile that has been outfitted with two circular saws at the end of retractable arms.
Hill Top Zone
Taking place in the mountains high above the clouds on West Side Island, this level features underground caves and scorching pits of magma alongside the expected long drops to the player's doom. These caverns are regularly rocked by ravaging earthquakes and rising lava. Outside, towering pine trees rise above a landscape of blue-tinted stone, and rickety vine chairlifts connect one treacharous peak to another. See-saws and shuttle loops facilitate Sonic's death-defying stunts on the stage. The boss of this zone is Doctor Eggman inside a submarine, emerging from the lava to set the grassy platform Sonic stands on ablaze with a flamethrower before retreating to the depths once more.
Mystic Cave Zone
Fleeing the lavafalls of Hill Top's volcanoes, Sonic plunges into the dark caves beneath the mountain range. The tunnels are dimly-lit, revealing old mineshafts covered in mossy stone and dangling vines that can be pulled to lower bridges and open secret paths. Spike pits are prolific, as are crushing wooden crates and robotic baddies. The boss of this area is Doctor Eggman riding in a double-barreled drilling machine that burrows into the ceiling, raining stalactites and rocks down on Sonic.
Hidden Palace Zone
This zone is just as the name would suggest: hidden. Provided the player has collected all seven Chaos Emeralds during their journey through Mystic Cave Zone, a secret passage is opened, replacing an inescapable pit of spikes. Dropping through here will send the player to the Hidden Palace, an entirely optional level. The zone is an underground cavern filled with water features, regal structures, and sparkling gemstones, as well as relatively few enemies, all made of stone and decidedly un-Eggman-like. A massive green gemstone sits at the end of the level beneath ancient carvings on the wall above depicting Super Sonic destroying the Death Egg Robot. The boss of this level is not Eggman, but a stone dragon that spews fire, swipes with its claws, and jabs with its tail.
Oil Ocean Zone
Standing in stark contrast to the tropical wonderland of Emerald Hill, Eggman's oil refinery on the other side of the island has polluted the sea with the slick black stuff. Sonic traverses interlocking metal beams and pipes from the rigs to stay above the sludge, riding elevators, cannons, fans, and flame-propelled gas-burn platforms higher and higher up. The boss is Doctor Eggman again inside a submarine, deploying a variety of weapons, including a spiked harpoon and periscopic laser cannon.
Dust Hill Zone
The sun beats down on the desert, which opens with Sonic racing through sand dunes and over cactus and tumbleweed but later transitions into a massive saloon environment drawing heavily from the American Old West. Staying in the sun too long will cause Sonic to begin to overheat, which will eventually kill him, though seeking refuge in the shade of rock formations and the interior of the saloon will cool him down. The boss is Doctor Eggman riding a mechanical bull that charges Sonic.
Metropolis Zone
This is Eggman's imperial capital, though Sonic must travel through the industrial underbelly to strike at the doctor in secret. Wide screws and bolts are embedded in the swirling storm of turquoise steel, as crushers slam into the ground over and over again. Conveyor belts and mesh dynamos are suspended in the air, as brass tubes and bronze gears spin through lakes of molten metal. The boss of this stage is Doctor Eggman in his Egg Mobile, who has no offensive attacks but instead relies on a heavily defensive strategy, protecting himself with orbiting drones, pods that split open once Eggman has been hit to reveal a mechanical decoy of Eggman that lazily floats near the ground.
Cyber City Zone
After traversing the facilities below, Sonic breaks out onto the streets of Eggman's Cyber City. Similar in theme to the previous stage, Cyber City has a smooth, sleek, futuristic tone, as well as many speed boosters and large ramps sending Sonic sky-high. The boss of this zone is an unprepared Doctor Eggman who has taken up refuge in his personal suite atop a tall skyscraper. As Sonic fends off many, many security systems and robotic emissaries, the mad doctor flees to his ship and takes off, the heroes right on his heels.
Sky Chase Zone
Sonic and Tails take to the skies to chase Doctor Eggman, with Sonic wingwalking and Tails piloting his Tornado biplane. Flying Badniks are sent after them in waves, as the clouds drift by. There is no boss for this level.
Wing Fortress Zone
As the dynamic duo approach Eggman's flying fortress, the Tornado is struck down by a laser blast, causing the player to have to leap onto the aerial stronghold and venture on alone. Scaling the steel rigging and outer shell of the aircraft is a dangerous task, between evading flaming booster engines, swinging hand-over-hand on metal bars above the nothing but sky, jumping along retractable platforms and over vertical propellers set in the side of the ship, or being thrown over wide, open spaces by the launcher chairs. The boss of this area is Doctor Eggman, safely kept from Sonic via a yellow forcefield, as he deploys floating spiked orbs and laser beams in an attempt to dispatch the hedgehog. After defeating the boss, Sonic chases the scientist onto an exterior gantry as he makes his escape aboard a docked one-man spaceship. This marks the timely reappearance of Tails in a now rocket-powered Tornado, and the pair pursue him into outer space.
Death Egg Zone
After hitching a ride to space aboard Eggman's fleeing rocket, Sonic makes his way inside the Death Egg, only to be greeted by Mecha Sonic while Dr. Eggman watches from the background. After defeating the robot, Sonic then chases down the scientist across the battle station, who flees to his new Death Egg Robot to confront hm. Once the mech is destroyed, the Death Egg begins to explode and Sonic manages to survive by hurling himself out of an airlock into space. As he falls through the stratosphere, Tails appears and catches the other on the Tornado, thus ending the game, though if the player has all seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic instead safely flies beside the Tornado in his Super State.
In the end,
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 would sell almost ten million copies on the Genesis, inspiring a new wave of "Sega Fever" and becoming widely declared in its day as one of the best games of all time. Of course, as the future would prove, this was hardly the only ace the Blue Blur had up his sleeve.
