Sonic the Ranking

For the sake of giving this thread substance, could all future posters also add a follow-up explanation of why they made the choices they did? I'd like to avoid having threads that consist of nothing but making lists—they don't have any discussion value.

Thanks.

 

I'd make one, but the ones closer to the bottom for me don't even seem worthy of discussion.

 

Wait, just a list? That doesn't seem like it will promote much discussion, and I don't think many people would be too inclined to make a comment on every single game there.

Sonic 3 and Knuckles
Sonic Advance 3
Sonic CD
Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3)
Sonic Rush Adventure
Sonic Rush
Sonic Advance
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic Advance 2
Sonic Pocket Adventure
Sonic Spinball
Sonic Labyrinth
Sonic Chaos
Sonic Triple Trouble
Sonic 1 (GG)
Sonic Heroes
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PS2)
Tails' Sky Patrol
Sonic 2 (GG)
Sonic '06


Anything I'm missing here I simply haven't played.

EDIT: Goddamnit, I seriously don't want to give reason to every game here. There's just too many of them. I will however say that I like Sonic Advance 3 a ton due to its immense and numerous stages, nice bosses, excellent music, non-intrusive story, and deviations from the standard formula (such as a city stage as a first zone in a 2D game, and apocolyptic ruins in leiu of a mechanical base as a final zone).

Let's see, what else...

Ah, I ranked Sonic Pocket Adventure rather low due to it being very derivative. It's a fun game and has quite a bit of nostalgia value to it, but the lack of original music and stage concepts is just ...unimpressive.

Though I technically enjoyed Shadow the Hedgehog's stages and gameplay more than Heroes, it ultimately ranks lower due to the unexcusably awful concept and delivery of said concept. It's just embarassing; even moreso than Heroes' sugary kiddiness.

Well, that's as in-depth as I'm willing to go. Hope it suffices.

 

Will do.

High Tier:
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles - It feels like it's the most complete 2D Sonic game.
- Sonic the Hedgehog CD (with Japanese soundtrack) - Great soundtrack, great level design.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) - Some levels are a little meh (MPZ), but it's all around an excellent game. Investigating Sound Test's track 10 is what brought me to SWS2B and SoST anyway.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) - The pioneer. I also enjoyed the LACK of characters. :P
- Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) - Definitely the best Sonic 3D game. It showed off what the Dreamcast could do and had a great soundtrack.

Mid Tier:
- Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast) - I have mixed feelings about Sonic Adventure 2. I liked that it ran at 60 fps, I liked that it had more variety, the gameplay was fun and at times epic, and Sonic/Shadow levels were excellent. That's about where it stops. The soundtrack is pretty much generic rock (or DIS IS KNUKEWS/70s disco-esque music), they added more unnecessary characters and made some of the characters (especially Knuckles) act childish, which is also a bit unnecessary. It felt like the beginning of what Sonic is now (and was also the first main Sonic game to be ported over to a Nintendo console). I didn't care for the two-sided story idea, either.
- Knuckles' Chaotix - Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. Just not as good as the other 2D Sonic's. It's also pretty underrated
- Sonic Spinball - Also a great game that I enjoyed as a kid. It's just pinball with some awesome music, though.
- Sonic Triple Trouble - This is definitely my favorite 8-bit Sonic game, but I was exposed to 8-bit Sonic a few years after I was to 16-bit Sonic. It's good, but not as good as several other Sonic games..
- Sonic R - It's alright. Nothing too exciting.
- Sonic the Fighters - Once again, it's alright. It's just Virtua Fighter with Sonic characters.
- Sonic Advance - I was never too wild about the Advance series. It was alright.
- Sonic Advance 2 - The very same.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 8-bit - Once again, great game, just not nearly as good as Sonic 1 16-bit, in my opinion.
- Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3) - The demo was fun. But you really don't even control Sonic. He's just running on a fixed
course. I prefer exploration.
- Sonic 3D (Blast/Flickies' Island) - It had a great soundtrack, but the isometric/psuedo-3D style just wasn't meant for
Sonic. Now bad memories of losing the red flicky are coming back to me.

Low Tier:
- Sonic Heroes - The whole three-team idea was awkward.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) - I never really cared for this game. It was more frustrating than fun (especially when they wouldn't give you rings for Act 3).
- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) - Load times, glitched-death, more load times, possible beastiality, and load times. Though, I must admit, I had fun on a few of Sonic's levels (the rest were rather frustrating).
- Sonic the Hedgehog (Dreamcast/Sega Smash Pack) - The graphics were emulated alright, though the game felt a little laggy at times. The sound emulation is awful. In fact, it sounds like a really good Master System rendition.
- Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (GBA) - No need to explain this.
- Sonic Blast - Everything was too big, the music sucks, and the controls are a little meh.
v v v WORST v v v

(Edited to add more to the list and make it a little more readable. ~Eviltaco64)

 

Games I've never played are not rated.
^ Best
- Sonic 1 (16 bit) - Really simple, I can beat it regularly WITHOUT savestates. All emeralds even. Isn't that long.
- Sonic and Knuckles in Sonic 3. - Awesome game. All emeralds + super emeralds. Doomsday. 5 stars.
- Sonic CD - Special stages are pretty cool, though it's hard to hit those UFOs. In game, it's like Sonic 1+ extras.
- Sonic 2 (16 bit) - Game itself is pretty good. Special stages hold a special place in my heart, right next to hitler and the other things I hate.
- Sonic Adventure 2 - (Battle) - pretty cool, not enough hedgehog action.
- Sonic Adventure - mostly awesome. I had a hard time with big, if only because of the emerald coast level. Shitty computer or something meant I couldn't find the damn frog.
- Sonic Heroes - AAAAH return of halfpipe, only it's a fullpipe! Otherwise, pretty enjoyable.
- Sonic 1 (8 bit) - Hard, couldn't some of the emeralds, physics makes some bosses harder than they should be (looking at you jungle zone)
- Shadow the Hedgehog - When you avoid using the guns, it's almost like it's a real Sonic game!
- Sonic 2 (8 bit) - Never legitimately made it past Underground Zone. Rest of the game is pretty good, but I hate UGZ.
- Sonic Spinball - Never made it past toxic caves, even with slowdown and savestates.
v Worst

Some notes: DO NOT GET ME WRONG:
Sonic 2 is below Sonic CD for one reason and one reason alone: I HATE the half pipe and all its derivatives. For whatever reason, I do not find it an enjoyable special stage, and find the later ones too difficult to complete without cheating in some fashion. Not having all emeralds == no good ending.
Adventure, Adventure 2, and Heroes are all basically equal, I just put them in that order because that's the order that I first played them in.
The 8-bit games are pretty low. I own none of the systems they aired on and have only played them with emulation. I assure you that had I grown up with them, they'd rank higher.
Spinball just sucks.
Sonic 1 is the best because, well, it's the only one I still own a physical cartridge for. Also, I can complete it - emeralds included - in the shortest time. In short, it has the most pick-up-and-play of any game. Not to mention the level select code is easiest to remember which means I can start on ANY LEVEL. Feel like playing some Spring Yard? UDLR A+START. Feel like playing some Casino Night? Options > 19 65 09 17 > A+START > Wait for it to finish resetting > A+START > Level. It's only slightly longer time wise, but that's a hell of a lot of steps.

 

Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic 1
Sonic 2
Sonic CD
.
.
.
Sonic Adventure

Were there any more games than this? I can't really remember.

You'll notice I have a somewhat unpopular opinion in placing Sonic 1 over Sonic 2. At some point, Sonic 2 just gets dull. Levels like Oil Ocean and Metropolis (the latter especially with its three acts) feel like they were only put in the game to pad out its length somewhat. I suppose Sonic 2 and Sonic CD are interchangable here.

I really like Sonic 1 for its stronger focus on platforming and puzzles and the like. Neato.

 

No; in fact, I find describing every game rather tedious and hard to parse. corneliab's post got it the best—list followed by a paragraph or two explaining your rationale. I'm not unreasonable, you know. =P

 

I have not played many Sonic games, you know. So my list will be pretty small.

In order:

-The awesome-

Sonic 3 & Knuckles: IMO, the best game in the series (few people say it's Sonic Adventure, but I never played it). The music was near perfect (</3 SK title screen music), the layouts, even though I've ended the game over 9000 times, they are still fun to play, the art is good...yeah. Awesome.

Sonic CD: Awesome game. Great art, good layout and time travel; it's why I love it.

Sonic the Hedgehog(16bit): A good game in general. A bit too simple, but that's ok for me.

Sonic the Hedgehog(8bit): Hard levels, good gimmicks, hard levels, good bosses, hard levels, AWESOME special stage, and hard levels. Also art is great. And hard levels.

-Meh-

Sonic 2: I'm not a fan of Sonic 2. The game isn't all that IMO (on the music and art part mostly), except for the good layouts.

Knuckles Chaotix (considering it is a Sonic game): Level layouts are great, but I hate the controls. Music is awesome.

Sonic Unleashed: I liked the WereSonic levels. Sonic levels are just...boring with all that "complete level in xx:yy", and "Get zz rings to get to the next level". I still like it more than Sonic 2, though.

Sonic Advance 2: Too easy. Rest is not too bad.

-Burn it-

Sonic Heroes: 3 characters = No. Lots of bug. Terrible music. Bosses are too easy.

 

Of the ones I've played, the higher the better:
Sonic 3 & Knuckles: Awesome sauce, the best 2d sonic has to offer, and a great game in every sense of the word.
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle: I find it to be the best 3d incarnation of Sonic. Though in some places it is a step backwards from Sonic Adventure 1, I still found it to be more enjoyable.
Sonic 2: IIRC the first Sonic game I ever played or owned. Also the first one I knew the cheats for. Good game play all around.
Sonic Adventure DX: This game set a standard that many that came after it couldn't live up to. The mission mode sometimes made me want to kill people, and Big (oh dear god kill it), but otherwise good stuff.
Sonic 1: Had this been the first Sonic game I played I'd of liked it more maybe but playing it after Sonic 2 felt like a step back. Though the actual game itself I find no fault with.
Blue Sphere: I wasted alot of time on it. That is all.
Sonic 3D Blast: I liked this one somewhat, though the Flicky gimmic was limiting.
Shadow the Hedgehog: I didn't really dislike this game as much as the rest of the world did. Though I am not playing the game 326 times to get all the story video combos, fuck that shit.
Sonic Heroes: I wasn't really put off by much in this game except some of the cheesy dialogue.
Sonic Advance: A good attempt to try to be 2d Sonic again.
Sonic 2 Game Gear: My orthodontist had a Game Gear for public use in the waiting room, with this game in it. It's tough as fuck but I still liked it.
Sonic Drift 2: If this was made in much better graphics we'd have a decent Sonic Racing game.
Sonic 1 Game Gear: Meh.
Sonic R: This is not a decent Sonic Racing game, sorry.
Sonic the Fighters: Could have been better if it required more than button mashing to beat it.
Sonic Advance 2 and 3: Baaaaad.
Other Sonic Game Gear games: I can barely remember them so they we're likely bad.
Sonic Spinball: brb, playing 3D pinball on Windows 95.
Sonic CD: I honestly can't figure out what is to be liked about this game. I've tried to play it multiple times and enjoy it but I simply can't. It's like it wants to be a Sonic game but it fails miserably at doing so. If Somari and it's clones were legit Sonic games I would rate them over this disgrace.

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine recieves no rating due to the fact it's not really a Sonic game but a retooled Puyo Pop, but if I had to put it on the list it would be above Shadow the Hedgehog.

 

^^^ BEST ^^^
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)
Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3)
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991/16-bit)
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Sonic Rivals 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Knuckles' Chaotix
Sonic Advance
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Rivals
Sonic Triple Trouble
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991/8-bit)
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)
Sonic 3D (Blast/Flickies' Island)
Sonic Rush
Sonic Advance 3
Sonic Advance 2
Sonic and the Secret Ring
Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PS2)
v v v WORST v v v

(I've excluded a few from the list due to not being familiar with the games. Can't judge them without playing properly. I've also added the Rivals games, as they hold more right to being called a true Sonic game than a lot on the list.)

Anyhow, my rationale for the lower games comes mostly from being linear affairs, particularly the Advances/Rush. Sonic Unleashed (Wii) is there because the controls are pretty abysmal, and the level design far blander. Talking of abysmal controls, I did place Sonic 06 slightly higher, as it had many enjoyable aspects. The music was a high point, and the story was, in my view, fantastic. Similarly, music was a point against Sonic 3 and Knuckles when compared to the other Genesis games. I think that the music is a heavy part of what makes a zone unique, and it's my view that Masato Nakamura made themes that were far more fitting. Ice Cap aside, that was undeniably awesome.

I've put the 360 Unleashed higher, as it's one of the few 3D games to not only control well, but give me as much replayability as the classics.

 

Good:

Sonic CD
Sonic3K
Sonic 1
Sonic 2
Sonic Advance
Sonic Adventure
Sonic R
Sonic Triple Trouble
Knuckles Chaotix
Sonic Rush
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Rush Adventure
Sonic Advance 3

Bad:
Other GG Sonic
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic UnWiished
SatSR
Sonic Advance 2
SatBK
Sonic Heroes
Shadow
Sonic '06
Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic CD and 3K are interchangeable. Basically, a Sonic game should be like them. S2 is hurt by EHZ/CPZ, but still awesome. Sonic Advance is Sonic 4, but is hurt by dull music and character art. Adventure and R at least try to be classic Sonic in 3D. Chaotix and Triple Trouble would be great games with better physics. The rest of the good games are simply a bit linear, hence their rank. The other GG games have TT's physics, but worse stages. S3D is too slow and slippery. SatSR/UnWiished/SatBK are all killed by over-linearity. Heroes has terrible physics and empty stages. Shadow is Heroes with guns and drama, Sonic '06 is unplayably buggy. SA2 is alternating between RUN FORWARD TO WIN, confusing emerald hunts, a shitty version of Gamma's stages, and drama.

 

From what I've played, best to worst.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Pretty much perfect. Even seperatly, they'd only be below Sonic 2.)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Rush (Only post-Dreamcast Sonic game I had real fun with. Also, best special stage IMO.)
Sonic The Hedgehog CD (Layout isn't nearly as good but the style makes it hard for me to hate.)
Sonic The Hedgehog 1 (First Sonic game I played.)
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
Sonic Advance 1
Sonic Advance 3 (Crappy partner concept/AI, crappy bosses, etc. Shame since I really liked the style in this one.)
Sonic Rush Adventure (More Sonic, less Wind Waker please.)
Knuckles Chaotix (Layout and partner concept's a giant mess. At least it was fun playing with others and it had the 2nd best special stage. (IMO))
Sonic Heroes
Sonic Advance 2 (As someone said, it's like an early version of Sonic Rush. Real boring.)

 

No exact order, just as they came to mind.

Top on my list are:

Sonic 2 = I love the half pipe special stage. I have them all memorized because I have played that game so much.

Adventure 1 and 2 = Great play, great levels, great story... kinda. Adventure 2 was great because it had Shadow and the VMU chao games, like a tamagatchi!

Shadow the hedgehog = I really liked this game, it was VERY buggy, but fun. Who doesn't like fighting, shooting, and driving vehicals in a Sonic game?

Sonic CD = I like the concept but overall the game wasn't that fun. The special stages were awesome though.

Spin Ball = I actually liked this game. I have beat it no problem. The special stages were great too.

Triple Trouble (game gear) = I love this game. It's very fun and re playable.

Sonic 3 + Knuckles = Sonic 3 was ok, I like Tails flying. Mainly I like how you put Knuckles in and It opens up new parts of the game you couldn't play before.

Low on list:

All these new Sonic games. Heroes was terable. Sonic the hedgehog was pretty bad. Unleashed was a tereble concept.

I have played many others, but they didn't come to mind so they must not have been that good

 

Awesome

S3&K - The most awesome a game can be is right here.
SCD - Time Travel = WIN
S1 - The 1st game I played and the standard.
S2 - MORE LEVELS. MORE BOSSES. SPECIAL STAGE!
SR - The way EVERY SONIC RACING GAME SHOULD HAVE BEEN. ON HIS FEET.
SA:DX - This made me wish I played the original back in the day. It felt like a true Sonic game. IN 3D!

Decent

S3DB - I liked the music, and the gameplay was fun. I BEAT THIS 100%.
SU (360) - I haven't replayed a Sonic game more in recent memory. Those day stages are BEAST, and the Werehog wasn't to bad.
SA2:B - This kept me entertained the whole time. No wait...DAMN MAD SPACE. DAMN IT TO HELLLL
Sonic Heroes - It wasn't too bad. The 3 people team kept things interesting, and the levels were..FUN. I would like to see a 2D version of this.

Crap

Sonic Unleashed (Wii) - I played this at a friends house. BOY DID IT SUCK. I couldn't believe that was what they decided Wii could do. The spin boost was nice, but not enough to redeem this pile of crap. Also they kept the fact that hitting walls STOPS YOU. I thought they learned from SaTSR.

Shadow the Hedgehog (GC) - Guns and Sonic were NEVER meant to be together, and this game proves it. Me and my friend played this one time, and couldn't beat one level due to how BAD it was. Slow, glitchy messy game.

Sonic the Hedgehog (360) - WHAT A SHIT FEST. Seriously.

LOADING...

The story blows, the gameplay is absolute crap, and the numerous glitches/horrible level design make this the

LOADING...

MOST unplayable Sonic game I have ever tried to play.

LOADING...

Sonic Labryinth (GC) - Unlocked this for SA:DX for those who are confused. I hated this game. Its a SONIC GAME...with NO SPEED. How much lower can you get?

 

From what I've played.

Sonic 3 and Nuk-Knuckles. Amazing graphics, palettes and gimmicks (especially in MHZ), awesome and memorable music, funny mini cutscenes/level events and awesome gameplay, level design and bosses. I liked the addition of Knuckles, he's cool yo. Except he's a shitty jumper, but still pretty rad. Also, Tails is actually pretty cool in this one, with the addition of flying and carrying the partner. And at least he doesn't fuck your shit in the special stages. It's a tad messy sometimes, I give you that (glitches). Still the best for me. Also, blue balls.

Sonic 2 - I was thinking about what I would put first, sonic 1 or sonic 2, but I guess I'll go with this one. Pretty good graphics and palettes, but they turn me off a bit at the beggining. (GHZ>EHZ), but then it gets better, like the awesome, legendary, CNZ. Pretty good, and the music is very funky and jazzy. While the level design was a tad linear, layouts like in Chemical Plant Zone and Aquatic Ruin Zone (Sonic 2 introduced the path swappers system if I'm not wrong) surprised me quite. I liked the introduction of the spindash and the new special stages. Tails? Not so much. And no *shot* or *runs* here, he is really fucking useless most of the time. Also, I liked the physics of this game better than in Sonic 1. Sonic is more... "bouncy".

Sonic 1 - Really pretty graphics and really beautiful palettes. Nice level design, and awesome memorable music. Beautiful special stages. You see, the only problem I have with this game is that it could be a bit longer. If it was longer, that would support me having Sonic 1 above Sonic 2.

Sonic Adventure - I liked this one quite a bit. The 3D hub worlds worked quite well in my opinion, and I loved it, since I really like exploring. Awesome 3D adventure; I liked the gimmicks implemented in the 3D levels, the cool end of level events like S3K had, the badniks were tricky, and I li-loved the music. Really, really good. The game has it's flaws however. Big the Cat was a big mistake on all aspects; the team could have worked on something more enjoyable. Also, I'm not too fond of the E-102 Gamma gameplay, but this robot had a particulary interesting storyline.
I'm not too fond of Amy gameplay, but it's not too bad iirc. The first 3 characters is where it's at however. I liked the treasure hunting and the shortcuts in Tails' action stages, given his abilities. I sometimes say Knuckles is my favorite character on this one, and I forget about Tails. Tails was particulary interesting. His attacks are badass, and with the flying ability, I have a lot of fun. This game. Messy sometimes for sure. But seeing the huge 3D levels and hubs to explore, with great music on the background and seeing how you can explore even more with Sonic's classic friends, Tails and Knuckles, it's a very good experience.

Knuckles Chaotix - Underrated. This was different with all the new attraction stuff, but it's QUITE fun once you learn how to play. So yeah, fresh gameplay for starters. The graphics and palettes were awesome, but... for some reason, they aren't too memorable. I liked the fresh level design, except for Amazing Arena. That one really sucked. I think the music awesome, especially on terms of percussion. The bosses are kinda weird and I don't really think any of them is too "cool".

Sonic Rush Adventure - I have a thing for this game, seriously. I think I find fun the whole exploring stuff on the sea thing really fun. The bosses are... funky. They're not the usual type of boss in a Sonic game, but they're awesome! The level design has improved a bit from Sonic Rush. In general, less pits (except in the hidden islands, but they suck anyway). Candy graphics, and zone & special stages ideas (again, like the bosses, you are not used to see levels like this in a sonic game, but they're pretty candy). The soundtrack isn't as good as the one in Sonic Rush, but I still say it's underrated.
And again, funky special stages. Basically, this game felt "fresh"; a change of pace, like Knuckles Chaotix, only in slightly different ways.

Sonic 3D - I enjoyed this one. I liked collecting flickies for some reason. Pretty interesting levels. I don't think they're very gimmicky, but still very enjoyable. The badniks aren't too challenging at first, and become more tricky as it goes. Awesome special stages. I didn't play the Saturn versions of the Special Stages yet, but they look like the Sonic 2 Half Pipes, which is rad. The music was really good. The soundtrack is, in both versions, pretty funky, and it's the best thing about the game. I liked some choices better in the gens version and other choices in the other one.
In the Saturn, I really liked the music choice for the later levels. I like the genesis version of the final boss better. T's pretty funky, and doesn't sound like "omg final boss DUN DUN".

Sonic Advance 2 - Hold right to win, yes, I know, but... I like it. Candy graphics and music on this one (and since almost every sonic game has good music, I will not mention it anymore), and I loved the different level ideas, and cool scrolling bosses. I liked the new cool r button tricks for the gameplay. Now, the level design is... well, not enjoyed by many, but I kinda like it, except for those traps that appear offscreen in the whole running, and they fuck you up. But with the addition of those tricks, I like it. The only level I really don't like is Sky Canyon. Screw this level, that is all. For the level ideas, I found Music Plant and Techno Base pretty interesting. The music is pretty awesome too. It has the bullshit way to get the emeralds... yeah. Getting the emerald with every character is painful. And even with the "get those 7 special rings" or something, I don't remember. But I know you had to pick some special rings. The special stages are really fun, but it gets boring, since you have to go there with every character. As for the new addition, Cream, I don't play much as her, so I can't tell.

Sonic Advance - ...Good. The characters were slow, but I liked the new moves. I liked the new series of badniks, and the level design was nice (it feels like Sonic 1 iirc). The bosses are really cool, but you didn't need mecha knuckles, or whatever. Just bring back metal or mecha sonic. I liked the sonic advance 2 special stages better, these were just ok. The addition of Amy as playable character fails, that is all. Still feels classic, but it's too short.

Sonic Unleashed PS2 - It's alright. I can't really say much, except the soundtrack is AWESOME. Dare I say, as good as SA1. It's not too buggy, and that's good. The Werehog levels are boring, and I like the daytime levels.

Sonic Rush - It's Sky Canyon all over again. I don't like the level design =( LOVE the soundtrack, props to Mr. Naganuma! Very cool bosses too!

Sonic Herpes - Interesting experience; this title feels like classic sonic for some reason. I didn't like the team system, but I don't think it's terrible. The level design has a quite a bit of flaws, but those end of level events are fucking awesome. I didn't particulary love the soundtrack. It's good yes, but the Jun Senoue tracks stop being fresh after a while. I don't really have much to say, but for some reason, this game feels... popular. Like, even people who don't play Sonic at all know about this one.

Sonic Adventure 2 - This one has the most awesome start in any Sonic game ever. I only played this recently, and I was excited before I started playing. Lol, hype. I liked most of the Sonic levels, except crazy gadget, which was fucking confusing. Shadow levels were cool too. But... Tails/Eggman and Knuckles/Rouge? The treasure hunting stages are fucking crappy, because the radar is incredibly gay. Not much to say. Tails' stages are boring, since you're in a slow and shitty vehicle, and since Tails was awesome back in Sonic Adventure. The soundtrack was a little better than Heroes, but still nothing compared to the first Adventure game.

Sonic CD - Overrated as hell. It has cool graphics, special stages and an interesting music style, but the gameplay, level design and bosses suck. It has the gay spindash, and the collision detection is kinda fucked up. The levels are horribly confusing (WWZ and MBZ 2 gave me an headache) and I can't gain speed, because of the horrible object positions. Sometimes those claw enemies or something at CCZ are offscreen, and once I'm jumping off a spring, they appear and hit you IMMEDIATLY. There's quite a bit of similar cases like this; it gives you the finger, it just doesn't want you to get in the special stages. And the bosses... where's the challenge?

Sonic Advance 3 - Awesome at first, but in the end it sucks. The level design was confusing, and sometimes you died out of nowhere. It had some interesting level ideas, but in the end, the whole thing failed because of the level design flaws. The bosses were quite challening on this one. Great music, shitty level design and "death detection", and the gameplay... was fun, with the addition of the tag action. I don't want to get those fucking chao. It's another bullshit way to get the emeralds, and this time, I don't like the special stages too much. But at least you don't have to get it with all the characters.


And from here, there's games like Sonic Chronicles and 06, which are really bad, but I won't talk about them. I didn't list any GG or MS games or games like Sonic Riders or Rivals, because I either didn't play or didn't play much. I had an interesting with Sonic Chaos and the first Riders game, but I can't remember much.

 

The Great:
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Sonic Adventure 2


The Good:
Knuckles' Chaotix
Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3)
Sonic the Hedgehog 1 (Genesis)
Sonic Rush Adventure
Sonic Rush


The Alright:
Blue Sphere
Sonic Advance
Sonic Adventure
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Sonic R
Sonic Advance 3


The Lame/Forgettable:
Sonic Spinball
Sonic Heroes
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic Riders
Sonic Advance 2


The Bad:
Sonic 3D Blast (Genesis)
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Sonic Rivals
Sonic Labyrinth



The Great: Easily the best of the best, if it wasn't clear already. Even SA2 is up there. For all of its faults and odd gameplay styles, it remained highly enjoyable throughout. Except in the two driving stages.

The Good: These are all a pretty fair step below the greats, but yeah, good. Or something. Chaotix had odd and somewhat clunky control, but was pretty rad. Unleashed 360/PS3 surprisingly kept me hooked, and was pretty good among its flaws. Sonic 1 is below it due to just feeling a bit off compared to the rest. The Rush games were fun despite some odd level designs.

The Alright: These...hm. How to put this? These, I suppose, would be a step below good, but not quite down to the level of just passable. Think of it this way: Try saying "It was alright," with a somewhat pleased but not completely content tone in your voice. Okay, I guess that was a bit confusing. Ah well. These gave some enjoyment and were acceptable, but just weren't quite at a good level. Sonic Adventure 1 doesn't hold up for me as much others put it. Its controls were usually messy, and oftentimes I'd find myself on an Adventure Field with no idea of where to go. Don't get me wrong, though. It was still just fine apart from those. Shadow's just below it because it was pretty much SA2's Shadow stages with guns, vehicles, branching paths, more emo, and not-as-good level design.

The Lame/Forgettable: While not truly bad, these were...well, look at the title. They were lame and forgettable. I'd play them, get some minor enjoyment out of them, be annoyed about some stuff, and then put them down and rarely play again.

The Bad: Need I explain? 3D Blast had poor gameplay despite its good music. Sonic '06 also had good music, but its gameplay was horrible, and the plot was just...there. The only upside was that the gameplay was so bad, and some of the romance scenes were so stupid, that they made the game pretty amusing. Rivals was just plain bad. I couldn't find anything to like in it. Labyrinth, though, made even Rivals and Sonic '06 look almost good by comparison.

 

Let's just do this one as it comes to mind.


Awesome
Sonic 1 - Beat this one so many times. Probably played the original iPod port more than it on any format.
Sonic 2 - My first game. Ever.
Sonic CD - A fantastic romp.
Sonic 3 and Knuckles - First game I beat getting every achievement available on XBL in one run. I've of course played the life out of the carts, too.
Sonic Adventure - Great game.
Sonic Adventure 2 - Greater game.
Sonic Rush - Hideki Nagamuna's soundtrack was so fly. The stages were fun, the bosses were neat, and the graphics were gorgeous.
Knuckles Chaotix - Despite it being such a bitch to be able to play, what with there being no ports, my 32X breaking, and emulation being no where near as authentic, it's a fantastic title.
Sonic Advance 2 - Hold Right to win. But it was still my favorite of the advance series.
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - Hey, it might not count, but it's one of my favorites. Got me through high school on the computers via emulators and lots of competitions.

Good
Sonic R - Everybody's super sonic racing, even though the game's not very gooood, everybody's super sonic racing, c'mon let, the music's not baaaaad.
Sonic Chaos - It was okay.
Sonic Triple Trouble - It too, was okay.
Sonic Riders - The multiplayer was a fun day for me and some friends. Soundtrack was pretty generic, but I enjoyed it nonetheless
Sonic Advance 1 - I hold fond memories of this title.


Not so good
Sonic 1 GG - The physics in this game paled in comparison to the Genesis counterpart, making it practically unplayable for me.
Sonic 2 GG - See above.
Sonic Blast - Really, it's not terrible. Nothing too wonderful about it.
Sonic Heroes - Playable, but not very. Also, I loved the soundtrack. Loved it. To death.
Sonic '06 - Okay. Yeah. Glitchy. Loading times. But it was fun, past all of that.
Sonic Unleashed - Daytime stages were fun, not good. Nighttime stages made me quit. Played the final boss a few times, gave up. Fuck that game.
Sonic Rush Adventure - FUCK YOU MARINE. FUCK YOU. YOU RUINED A PERFECTLY DECENT SONIC GAME YOU FUCKING WHORE.
Sonic Advance 3 - Too much work to enjoy it, so I quit. Fuck that game.
Sonic 3D Blast - The first obvious problem, Sonic 3D Blast was not 3D. It was simply isometric. And not a well done isometric. There was very little enjoyable mush to this game.

Trash
Shadow the Hedgehog - Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad. Decent soundtrack, wonderful cinematics. Bad story. Bad control. Horrific loading times.
Sonic Labyrinth - Was this really a game? Or an instrument of torture?
Tails Adventure - What an awful game.
Mario and Sonic Olympic - UGH. AWFUL GAME. STOP IT NOW.
Sonic Rivals - Just a bad game all around. Unfair, and unfun.
Sonic Rivals 2 - Just as bad, but it had Metal Sonic!

 

If I don't rate a game, I haven't played it:

Sonic the Hedgehog 3=First Sonic game I ever played, and undoubtedly the best. Great music, great levels, and has a nice nostalgic feeling.

Sonic Triple Trouble=It's at least the best Game Gear Sonic game. It's one of the only non-craptastic Sonic GG games. Only if there was a Master System or a Genesis port.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD= It maybe overrated, but I gotta give this piece of art some credit. The music is AMAZING, though it is a lot harder than the other 16-bit Sonic games.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991/16-bit)/Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)-It's a Tie. Both of these games have some pretty decent controls, save for no spindash in Sonic 1. Green Hill Zone music= <3 <3 <3 <3, Casino Night Zone=<3 <3 <3 <3


Sonic Advance=Oh yes. Sonic's first entry into the Nintendo ring(I believe), and good entry it was. Wish I still had my copy.

Tails Adventure= Only if there were more games like this where Tails doesn't act like a complete faggot. fool.

Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3)=I've only played a demo, pretty fun though.

Sonic & Knuckles=It's a good game, I just suck at it, but hey, with this you get Sonic the Hedgehog & Knuckles. Mega sweetness.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991/8-bit)-Meh.

Sonic 3D (Blast/Flickies' Island)=Yes, the Flickies suck major ass. Aside from that, this game rocks.

Sonic Spinball=This is pretty medicore.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)=Gah.