The Top 10 Worst Sonic Games (Sonic's 20th Anniversary Special)

Although Sega's fast speeding mascot has had a big shine on the 2-D games, after a while Sonic had began to fall apart. His new intentions where to focus on making the new ideas of completing against Nintendo's Italian Plumber but has delivered bad tastes for the media, ranging from bad spin-offs, annoying characters and rushed game-play mechanics that has failed to impress throughout the past decade. In honor of Sonic's 20 years of Speedy goodness this countdown will look back at the worst of Sonic's time-line that the Blue Hedgehog has ever witnessed and might not be able to Dash from his troubles again.

10: Sonic Draft Racing
Platform: Game Gear
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 1994 and 1995

Before Sonic took off a Hover-board and mediocre races He had Go Karts in Sonic Drift Racing for the Game Gear. Sonic's take on Mario Kart required procession of drift to keep you off the race track, most competitors roam right easily into you knocking you around and sometimes making it difficult to unlock the Emeralds before the final race against Eggman. On top of that add awful music and you have Sonic's take on a Mario Kart just didn't go right for him but did better when He brought his All Star sega friends several years later.

9: Sonic Raiders Zero gravity
Platform: Wii
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 22nd Febuary 2008

Swapping his fast speed for Hover-boards that simply can't turn sharp-fully as you needed it making Sonic and pals act like ping pong balls as they constantly collide between many annoying obstacles in the way. It doesn't help the games controls that are so bad even using standard controllers doesn't help the case. The storyline was downright bizarre and didn't much sense but it wasn't important as much anyway. Zero Gravity is just another one of those really Sonic games and to add insult it's even worse on the Wii thanks to it's awful controls and being decent looking game.

8: Sonic the Fighters (Sonic Championship)
Platform: Arcade
Developer: Sega
Release Date: August 1996

A Fighting game featuring Sonic characters as well as picking some from the Sonic Archie comic book Series. You have a solid design but combat simply feels more a button masher, since when would there ever be 8 Emeralds to collect instead of 7. The mechanics didn't work out great with it's stiff controls, Barriers being a pain and a difficult showdown with Metal Sonic at the end. Sonic The Fighters didn't have much impact but it desperately tried to hit on the consoles but it didn't make it until Sonic Gems in 2005. Sonic The Fighters ends up nothing more wacky Virtua Fighter ticker.

7: Sonic R
Platform: Saturn/ PC
Developer: Sega
Release Date: December 11th 1997

First up what does R in this even stand for. is it rapid, racing, racer or is it retire and that would have been your choice had you not played this mediocre racer on the Saturn. The game was plain downright simple full of easy shortcuts that even the computer is too stupid to realize that. Only 5 Racing tracks in the game with uninteresting extra games taped on. You could like the music track unless you're a High School Musical fan boy but some annoying sound effects ruin it. Stiff controls is the worst of it with you bumping into walls and not being able to turn probably and it doesn't that accrelerating is set to the same D-Pad as steering. Sonic R's just one racer better off retiring from.

6: Sonic Shuffle
Platform: Dreamcast
Developer: Sega
Release Date: March 9th 2001

Sega tags along with Hudson for it's very own take on Mario Party. Yes the very same Hudson who also work with Nintendo on Mario Party. It's a shame that for this party game is already over thanks to it's awful and dumb design of mini games which mostly will bore even younger kids along with a storyline which most of the time didn't make much sense. There's game like having to hit an Eggman target in order to choose a character which makes no sense, quick draw cards, robot stamping against the other players, jumping swamps to avoid falling into the lakes, a silly electrical game with one umbrella and the list of unimpressive games goes on and on. It's a shock to see that Hudson would even think about making party games for both Sonic and Mario as this Sonic game is just a big disappointing party Popper. On a positive note the cel-shaded graphics were impressive for the time.

5: Sonic 3D Flickies Island (Sonic 3D Blast)
Platform: Mega Drive (Genesis), Saturn, PC
Developer: Sega
Release Date: November 1996

Sonic was mostly big within the 2D world but choosing to go for 3-D on the Mega Drive was a big mistake dispute the cool intro upon start up. Instead of having to run all the way to the finish line with rings to collect and hidden levels to reveal Chaos Emeralds. Instead Sonic 3D was made into a scavenger hunt for little bird creatures called Flickies that needs to be rescued progressing Sonic's speed to a screeching halt. Controls were among awful with running and jumping being frustratingly imprecise making Sonic take the hit first making secret levels near impossible to access. For this game it was a bad time for Sonic to turn 3D but luckily did go 3D with Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast 2 years later. It was just done in a wrong place at the wrong time.

4: Tails Sky Patrol
Platform: Game Gear
Developer: Sega
Release Date: April 28th 1995 (Japan Only)

Tails was a faithful companion for Sonic since Sonic 2 but some fans might think how Tails would have with his own game. Although the game was only released in Japan but that didn't stop sega from putting it on Sonic Gems and as an extra on Sonic Adventure DX. Tails must fly on rails in a side scrolling format to avoid bumping walls, traps that you'd least expect to happen and also battle against the clumsiness of it's bad controls which will make Tails fall before you'll know it. Even playing the Training Level it's ridiculous to even get anywhere especially when continues send you back to the start of the level. For an awful Sonic spin-off it hurts the poor kitsune's reputation and shouldn't be disgraced by a game like this.

3: Sonic The Hedgehog (Sonic 06, Next Gen)
Platform: X-Box, PlayStation 3
Developer: Sega
Release Date: November 24th 2006

For fans this Sonic game is nothing more then a total %£$&*£% disaster that would think that Sonic should just stay in 2D. Bad controls compiled with broken game-play mechanics, graphics being totally glitched up and some awful bugs. Load-times are long and they constantly interrupt the experience. You explore a lifeless city full of disappearing people and objects and also play dull and simplistic missions that just drag on and on. Even if you ever like some of games characters like the Sliver Physic hedgehog from the future or Rouge a bat wing with Boobs the storyline was just plain ridiculous stuff. You even get to see a ridiculous relationship with a human princess and a cartoon hedgehog with gloved hands. If nearly every 3D game is so bad besides Sonic Adventure and Shadow the Hedgehog why is it that Sega has to this to Sonic?

2: Sonic Labyrinth
Platform: Game Gear
Developer: Sega
Release Date: October 1995

Sonic sure has his speed at his side but not this time he has lost it and has to get it back through a series of tricky pinball like areas. Sonic moves incredibly slow and has to relay on his Spin ball to get anywhere but the controls are horrendous making Sonic spin all over the place and making you also leaving you invaluable to enemies and also the level design is just plain annoying to navigate through. The music is just so awful your ears will feel bad from listening to this awful garbage. Could Sonic even be even more slow then on this?

1: Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Developer: Sega
Release Date: November 14th 2006 (US Only)

Before anyone screams What version of Sonic is this supposed to be? Is this the original version on the Mega Drive/Genesis consoles, an emulated version on compilation disks or is this the broken down Gameboy Advance port. Yes it's the Gameboy Advance port that is anything but even playable at all. Sonic has plenty of next console to make this for but why the GBA? Broken down game-play mechanics with bad glitch effects along with plenty of painful bugs that just come out of nowhere killing you. Game-play was even slowed to add further insult and the music being a badly awful remix tunes of favorite songs. It's one of Sonic's biggest mistakes of having this awful contraption for his 15th birthday and makes the Mega Drive hit look like a mockery even Mario should be ashamed of this. This makes it number one on Sonic's worst Chili-dog stand.

Written by Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)