The best Sonic the Hedgehog video games of all-time

Sonic the Hedgehog – 1991 – Sega Genesis

Former Mattel CEO Tom Kalinske became the new president of Sega of America in 1990 despite having no real background in electronics. Kalinske convinced Sega CEO Hayao Nakayama to replace Altered Beast with Sonic the Hedgehog as the new Genesis pack-in title using the “razor and blades” marketing strategy (selling the razors at a low price in order to persuade consumers to buy the higher-priced blades, off-setting lost revenue). Kalinske also lowered the Genesis price point to $149.99 from $199.99, increasing the value for a Genesis console compared to the $199.99 Super Nintendo.

Sega even mocked Super Mario World (the 16-bit sequel to the NES masterpiece Super Mario Bros. 3) in advertisements for being “too slow” when compared to Sonic’s blistering speed. The game’s instant success made both the Sega and Sonic brand names household names, which changed the video game landscape drastically.

Sonic the Hedgehog isn’t just an excellent Sonic game, it’s also one of the best video games ever made. Its beautiful graphics, gorgeous scaling effects, catchy soundtrack, tight controls, and incredibly addictive gameplay convinced many gamers to buy the Genesis over the SNES. I think that, for Sega, it’s the most important video game in the company’s storied history.

Sega of America was near bankruptcy when Kalinske used Sonic to release Nintendo’s “stranglehold” on the video game market. His gamble paid off, as Sega topped Nintendo in overall sales and market share the following year. Sega didn’t just use Sonic to relaunch the Genesis: it used Sonic to relaunch the industry itself.