Sonic the Hedgehog, generally known as Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog amongst true followers, is without doubt one of the most well-known mascots in online game historical past. Nonetheless, not like Mario, who’s but to look in a mainline sport that’s not an absolute blast, the blue blur is harking back to these once-promising actors who needed to begin taking roles in C-list films to take care of their exuberantly decadent way of life. It’s a tricky tablet to swallow, however we’ve got to simply accept that Sonic has starred in about as many crappy video games as he has in good ones.

Which one is the worst of the worst?

10. Sonic Labyrinth

This little-known Recreation Gear title tells the marvelous story of that point when Dr. Eggman changed Sonic’s quick footwear with gradual ones.

You’ll be able to inform somebody believed Sonic might do no incorrect once they made a sport that did away with the factor we favored most concerning the collection. The daring transfer might’ve labored, yeah, offered that the builders had put strong mechanics and puzzles in place to make up for the absence of velocity. They didn’t. The one presumably attention-grabbing factor right here is witnessing Sonic’s first foray into the isometric perspective that we’d later see in Sonic 3d Blast. Extra on that different mess later.

Sonic Labyrinth simply isn’t enjoyable as it’s. It wouldn’t have been enjoyable even when it performed quick both, although that will have not less than made it complicated, uncontrollable, and thus not less than fairly humorous.

09. Sonic and the Black Knight

One among many gimmicky Sonic video games. On this once-anticipated Wii unique, Sonic has a sword! Isn’t that badass? Perhaps, if the goddamn factor labored correctly.

Although it regarded good and featured some neat Sonic tunes, most critics and followers couldn’t assist however level out the truth that the sport simply didn’t make good use of the Wiimote. The haphazard integration of the Wii’s controller made the fight go from unfun to straight-up damaged.

Have you learnt who additionally didn’t discover the sport all that badass? Nicely, Sega itself, contemplating how the corporate pulled it from digital shops only one 12 months after its launch together with all different poorly-reviewed Sonic video games in an try to enhance the worth of the Sonic model.

In any case, Sonic as a courageous sir knight reeks of the very same desperation that Transformers: The Final Knight did — the one the place we discover out the Transformers’ surprising connection to Camelot—and I simply can’t assist however discover that hilarious. Neglect the upcoming GI Joe x Transformers crossover. We wish an terrible Transformers x Sonic collab now.

08. Shadow the Hedgehog

I need to apologize for the tried bamboozling. I do know rattling properly that Shadow isn’t only a re-skinned Sonic, however please permit me to clarify.

Even a hypothetically respectable model of this sport would solely ever attraction to Sonic followers, in order that they’re its solely victims. They’re solely most of the individuals who’ll search for an article akin to this seeking vindication. Additionally, I’ll by no means have the chance to rank the worst Shadow The Hedgehog video games as a result of no firm in its proper thoughts will ever make one other one.

The devs seemingly believed that arming the edgiest-possible character with weapons would make up for all types of technical shortcomings, and I discover that lovely. Like many video games on this checklist, Shadow The Hedgehog is tough by way of playability, nevertheless it options three completely different endings the place Shadow murders Dr. Eggman with a Karate chop, so I simply can’t put it in a worse place than this.

07. Sonic Free Riders

Sonic on the Kinect. Do I actually need to clarify myself on this one? Ugh, OK.

What’s wild is that Sonic Free Riders regarded good, had some candy Sonic tunes, featured a good sufficient story, and had a variety of stuff to do. However guess what, it performed like crap. As with practically all issues Kinect, Sonic Riders was extremely unresponsive. I’d wish to imagine it simply refused to drive its homeowners to carry out all of the embarrassing strikes required to get it to work. If that’s the case, then I salute you, Sonic Free Riders.

06. Sonic The Fighters

You realize issues are about to get wacky when not even the title is sensible. What the hell is that “the” doing in the midst of the title? That reads nearly as awkward as this factor performs.

I’d argue that the majority Sonic video games aren’t even superb at doing what they’re purported to, which is making Sonic’s velocity fulfilling, so it comes as no shock that I don’t like Sonic when he’s making an attempt to be Tekken. It’s simply so unhappy to see all these once-successful characters having to resort to combating it out to pay their payments.

Truly, to be solely truthful, this doesn’t really feel prefer it was making an attempt to outright copy Tekken. This looks like they have been making an attempt to make a Sonic combating sport in a storage the place the one sport they’d for reference was Star Wars: Masters Of Teras Kasi, one of many worst combating video games of all time. If that actually was their plan then, properly, they’ve succeeded.

05. Sonic and the Secret Rings

I feel it’s completely wild that Sonic’s tackle the Arabian Nights doesn’t fall on its face for unintentionally that includes some tone-deaf message concerning the Center East. Surprisingly, the sport doesn’t unintentionally say something offensive, although that is perhaps as a result of it doesn’t actually have something to say in any respect. The gameplay is half-baked, however what steals the present is an ending so dumb it instantly earns this sport a excessive place on this checklist.

Spoilers: Sonic will get to make a want to make his love curiosity pleased — naturally a human-looking lady, as a result of Sonic is like Mass Impact’s Shepard earlier than he was even a factor — and as an alternative of wishing for mainly something that would truly enhance her life, he asks for a mountain of handkerchiefs in order that she will be able to cry as a lot as she desires. Sure, I’m not making this up.

03. Sonic 3D Blast

This one isn’t a glitchy mess or something, however Sonic 3D Blast reveals an attention-grabbing case of a Sonic sport the place the staff seemingly managed to see their imaginative and prescient come to fruition. The issue right here is that their imaginative and prescient sucked. The sport does away with the standard 2D sidescrolling gameplay and replaces it with an unfun isometric perspective that, guess what, continues to be 2D. Sonic strikes awkwardly, and the sport’s ranges simply aren’t enjoyable sufficient to endure by means of.

We study to see the indicators as we develop. If it had been a very good sport, merely calling it Sonic 3D would have sufficed in getting everybody hyped. That determined “blast” on the finish of the title, most likely a reference to the Genesis’ much-touted and vastly exaggerated “blast processing”, ought to have raised eyebrows. Sadly, most of us have been too younger and naive to see it again then.

This sport hurts me on a private degree. Eight-year-old me didn’t have a Saturn or a PS1 but, so I used to be thrilled to know that my Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) had a Sonic sport that was supposedly in 3D. I received my dad and mom to purchase it, and that was the primary time I felt severely disenchanted by a sport I had excessive hopes for. It’s extremely unlikely that I used to be the one child who had Sonic 3D Blast as nothing however an eye-opener when it got here to coping with unreasonable expectations.

02. Sonic The Hedgehog (aka Sonic ‘06)

Sonic ’06 is unhealthy to the purpose of being ashamed of its personal existence. I imply, in any other case, how come top-of-the-line speedrun methods includes having Shadow kill himself? The sport doesn’t need any of its characters to dwell in that doomed world anymore, so it rewards them with the ending credit upon demise.

Okay, now, although that’s an actual speedrunning technique, I’m properly conscious that that is yet one more glitch. No means such a sport would ever obtain this degree of poetry with out it being by chance.

There’s nothing actually new to say about Sonic ’06. Though expectations weren’t precisely by means of the roof anymore, it nonetheless managed to disappoint vastly as a result of being unplayable upon launch. Additionally, it regarded creepy as all hell. Why is the principle hub an asset-flip-looking metropolis populated solely by people? Will Sonic ever develop uninterested in making an attempt to seduce human ladies?

You’ll have a greater time watching video compilations of Sonic ’06 glitches on Youtube than enjoying it.

01. Sonic Increase: Rise Of Lyric

You knew rattling properly that the primary place was solely ever going to be both Increase or ‘06. Why Increase at #1? Nicely, I don’t even suppose it’s essentially worse than ‘06. They’re each so unhealthy that they verge on whole unplayability.

After a while enjoying, all of us lose the flexibility to depend all the failings, however I feel this one is extra deserving of the highest spot as a result of, on the time of its launch, followers should’ve been like “eh, not less than there’s no means it’ll be as unhealthy as ’06!”. And it was. You gotta award some factors to that form of knife twist.

And there’s extra.

Whereas there’s no alternate actuality during which I might see Sonic ’06‘s creepy human-Hedgehog crossover metropolis working, I might completely see Increase figuring out. It’s based mostly on a preferred animated collection, and it truly seems cool. Sadly, the sport went by means of a really tough improvement cycle that pressured the staff to launch it in a really unpolished state.

Increase simply has a a lot sadder story — the story of its improvement, thoughts you — and that’s why it will get the highest spot of the worst Sonic video games. Additionally, Sonic ’06 not less than had some nice basic Sonic tunes.