a b GamesRadar US (April 23, 2008). "The absolute worst Sonic moments". GamesRadar. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016 . Retrieved March 22, 2017. Famitsu (2006). "Sonic the Hedgehog – Famitsu Scores Archive". Archived from the original on December 27, 2008 . Retrieved October 27, 2011. Burman, Rob (February 6, 2007). "Lifting the lid on Sonic's Secret Rings". IGN. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008 . Retrieved November 9, 2009. The point of a mascot character is to slot them into as many genres as possible to increase a game’s appeal. How many of us only played tennis or golf games because they had Mario characters in them, after all? One of Sonic’s first diversions from his original genre was surprising not just because it was a pinball game, but also because it was actually a really good one. Sonic Spinballcapitalizes on Sonic’s iconic spin move, where he essentially becomes a ball, and drops him into various pinball stages where he is bounced around and slammed against Eggman’s robots. It was, and still is, an odd choice, and it doesn’t quite land in every way, but was a fun diversion from the main series.

a b c d "ダウンロードコンテンツ | Sonic the Hedgehog" (in Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012 . Retrieved December 12, 2012. Sonic Team. "PlayStation 3". Sonic Channel (in Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016 . Retrieved May 26, 2017. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity dives into stores". GameZone. January 8, 2008. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017 . Retrieved June 20, 2017. The Havok physics engine, previously used in their PlayStation 2 game Astro Boy (2004), [22] allowed Sonic Team to create expansive levels previously impossible on earlier sixth-generation consoles and experiment with multiple play-styles. [13] In addition, the engine also enabled Sonic Team to experiment with aspects such as global illumination, a night-and-day system, and giving Sonic new abilities like using ropes to leap into the air. Director Shun Nakamura demonstrated the engine during their stage shows at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) in 2005. [23] As the hardware of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was more powerful compared to the prior generation's consoles, [9] [15] the design team was able to create a more realistic setting than those of previous Sonic games. [24] [25] Sonic and Doctor Eggman were redesigned to better suit this updated environment: Sonic was made taller, with longer quills, and Eggman was made slimmer and given a more realistic appearance. [25] Nakamura and producer Masahiro Kumono reasoned this was because the characters would be interacting with more humans, and felt it would make the game more appealing to older players. [14] At one point, Sonic Team considered giving Sonic realistic fur and rubber textures. [23] The English cast of the Sonic X anime series reprised their voice roles for Sonic the Hedgehog, and actress Lacey Chabert supplied the voice of series newcomer and damsel in distress Princess Elise. [35] The score for the game was primarily composed by Tomoya Ohtani along with Hideaki Kobayashi, Mariko Nanba, Taihei Sato, and Takahito Eguchi. [36] [37] It was the first Sonic game that Ohtani, who had previously contributed to Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, worked on as sound director. [36] The main theme for the game, the fantasy-rap song "His World", was performed by Ali Tabatabaee and Matty Lewis of the band Zebrahead. [38] [39] Crush 40 performed Shadow's theme, "All Hail Shadow", [d] while vocalist Bentley Jones (previously known as Lee Brotherton) sang Silver's theme, "Dreams of an Absolution". [40] R&B artist Akon performed a remix of the Dreams Come True song "Sweet Sweet Sweet", a song previously used as the ending theme to Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992). [41] [38] Donna De Lory sang Elise's theme, "My Destiny". [40]

Sonic the Hedgehog [a] (commonly referred to as Sonic '06) is a 2006 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the Sonic series' 15th anniversary and intended as a reboot for the seventh-generation video game consoles. Players control Sonic, Shadow, and the new character Silver, who battle Solaris, an ancient evil pursued by Doctor Eggman. Each playable character has his own campaign and abilities, and must complete levels, explore hub worlds and fight bosses to advance the story. In multiplayer modes, players can work cooperatively to collect Chaos Emeralds or race to the end of a level. Sonic's story focuses on the speed-based platforming seen in previous Sonic games, with some sections having him run at full speed while dodging obstacles or riding a snowboard. [3] Another character, Princess Elise, must be escorted in some stages, and she can use a special barrier to guard Sonic. [6] :13 Shadow's sections are similarly speedy, albeit more combat-oriented, with some segments having him ride vehicles. [1] In contrast, Silver's levels are slower and revolve around his use of telekinesis to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. In certain areas, control is switched to one of several friend characters, [b] with their own abilities. [3] [7] [8] [9] a b Reiner, Andrew (March 12, 2017). "Super Replay – The Worst Sonic The Hedgehog Ever". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017 . Retrieved March 13, 2017.

a b c d e f g Shea, Brian (November 14, 2016). "Where Sonic Went Wrong". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017 . Retrieved August 7, 2017. GameTrailers (May 19, 2016). "Top 10 Disappointments of the Decade". YouTube. Alphabet. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017 . Retrieved September 22, 2017. Greg Edwards (October 6, 2006). "GameSpy: Sonic the Horndog". GameSpy. IGN. p.2. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Sega (October 12, 2011). "Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 Japan – Dreams Come True". Famitsu. Famitsu Japan. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 . Retrieved September 5, 2017. Sonic the Hedgehog - Xbox 360". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016 . Retrieved February 7, 2017.Castro, Juan (November 22, 2006). "Sonic Rivals Review". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016 . Retrieved May 29, 2017. a b "Sonic Channel / Creator's Interview / 010: Shun Nakamura". Sonic Channel (in Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016 . Retrieved March 20, 2017. Sandoval, Angelina (January 5, 2007). " Sonic the Hedgehog – 360 – Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013 . Retrieved December 4, 2011.

Sterling, Jim (November 14, 2010). "Review: Sonic Colors DS". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016 . Retrieved June 20, 2017.Throughout the story, Sonic and friends travel between the past, present, and future in their efforts to stop Mephiles and Iblis and protect Elise from Doctor Eggman. Though at first Silver stalks Sonic and impedes his attempts to save Elise, Shadow reveals to him that Sonic is not the cause of his world's suffering but rather Mephiles, who is trying to change the past for his own evil purposes. They travel 10 years in the past and learn that Mephiles seeks to bond with Iblis, who was sealed within Elise as a child, as they are the two halves of Soleanna's omnipotent god, Solaris. Mephiles eventually succeeds after killing Sonic to make Elise cry over his death, releasing her seal on Iblis and merging with him with the use of Chaos Emeralds to become Solaris, who then attempts to consume time itself. The heroes and Elise respectively collect and use the power of the Chaos Emeralds to revive Sonic, and he, Shadow, and Silver transform into their super forms to defeat Solaris. Sonic and Elise are brought to the past and extinguish Solaris' flame, removing the god from existence and preventing the events from ever occurring. [11] Despite this, Sonic and Elise show faint signs of recalling their encounter afterwards. a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gerstmann, Jeff (November 21, 2006). "Sonic the Hedgehog Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016 . Retrieved March 21, 2017. a b USgamer Team (August 18, 2017). "Gotta Go Fast: Ranking All of The Sonic The Hedgehog Games". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017 . Retrieved August 21, 2017.

a b c d e Vore, Bryan (January 2007). " Sonic the Hedgehog for Xbox 360 Review from Game Informer". Game Informer. Archived from the original on November 29, 2006 . Retrieved September 8, 2008.a b Dunsmore, Kevin (September 1, 2021). "Review: Sonic Colors: Ultimate". Hardcore Gamer . Retrieved August 31, 2023. a b c Amaike, Yoshinari (September 26, 2006). "Creating Silver the Hedgehog". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016 . Retrieved March 20, 2017. The Xbox 360 version of Sonic the Hedgehog was released in North America on November 14, 2006, [47] followed by a European release on November 24. [48] Both versions were released in Japan on December 21. [49] [50] The PlayStation 3 version was released in North America on January 30, 2007, [51] and in Europe on March 23. [48] The game is often referred to by critics and fans with colloquial terms that reference its year of release, such as Sonic 2006 or Sonic '06. [52] [53] a b Shea, Brian. "More Burning Questions About The Sonic The Hedgehog Franchise Answered". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017 . Retrieved August 7, 2017.