Attempts at revitalizing the gameplay were clunky and awkward. As video games evolved into the 3D landscape, Sonic couldn’t keep up. Obviously, as history shows, Sonic’s grandeur in the grand scheme of the gaming narrative was as fast as his feet. The blend of fun, fast gameplay, bright colors, and Sonic’s swag skyrocketed the character to one of the most recognizable faces in gaming. In Sonic’s initial designs, there were even plans to give him a rock band and a girlfriend named Madonna, but luckily those ideas were dropped before the Blue Blur got too dated. For crying out loud, he even got annoyed at the player for not using the controller after a few seconds. The spiky profile, those bright red sneakers, the arched eyebrows, and that gesture where he waves his finger - Sonic OOZED 90s attitude. Sonic The Hedgehog fully embodied that marketing technique, offering a hipper, more badass mascot to Nintendo’s “safe” Mario. Seriously, have you seen Sega Genesis commercials from the 90s, with their “Nintendon’t” slogan and their nightmare inducing imagery? Sometimes, I’m shocked my parents even bought me one. The Sega Genesis, with its all black design in contrast to Nintendo’s unthreatening gray, and those stingray controllers, aimed squarely at that market that wanted to rebel against their parents - a market that was overtaking the marketing landscape. True to creed, Nintendo was always the “family” entertainment system, offering bright fluffy Kirbys and Mushroom Kingdoms in spades. Sonic was the video game poster child of that time. “Cool” culture ruled from the slang of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to toy commercials ( Crossfire, anyone?) to the “Kids Rule” revolution of Nickelodeon. Everything was neon and fast, and extolled anti-authority in the most juvenile of terms. The 90s were notorious for its loud, bright, and “extreme” youth marketing. Sonic is, for all intents and purpose, stuck in 1991. He’s heroic, upbeat, and fearless, but beyond that, he’s rather simple and can be easily revived through the times. Other than graphical evolution, the character in and of itself has remained consistent through the years, especially considering that Mario doesn’t exactly have a distinct character. Let’s compare Sonic with his initial rival, Mario.

Video game movies have always had a bad rap (with good reason), but the Sonic trailer also reflects the ugly legacy of Sonic The Hedgehog as a whole.

Sonic 1 green hill zone sprites