by Dan “The Mega” Driver
Sonic the Hedgehog turned 30 on 23rd June 2021 as the world celebrated the original US launch date for the Sega Genesis game.
Here at the SegaGuys we’re extending our celebrations for the blue blur over the course of the month, this includes the July PAL anniversary as well as the Japanese one on 26th July. And rightly so, its a momentous occasion and with the 30th anniversary games not landing until September for Sonic Colours Ultimate, early 2022 for Origins and the new as yet unnamed entry not due until later that same year, the extended celebrations are fully justified!
So as part of #AMonthOfSonic I’m answering the question that Sega Forever put out on Twitter: What Does Sonic Mean To You?
Answer: Everything!
But let’s go little deeper.
Sonic didn’t introduce me to gaming, I’d been mesmerised by games on the TV well before 1991, so long that I can’t remember what the first game I played was. By the time Sonic had burst into my life I had owned and loved my own Commodore 64 for some time.
But Sonic turned that love of gaming into a full blown obsession that persists today.
Its funny how you’re brain retains things. I recall playing my brothers Master System 2 on his birthday, though not so much him unwrapping it. But Sonic? The series of events leading to first playing his SMS adventure are crystal clear. I remember him unwrapping it, I remember being immediately curious as to who this bright blue character was, I remember putting the cartridge in his SMS for the first time.
Bear in mind that I was, at the time, oblivious to the Sonic hype that had been building leading to the Mega Drive release, and this was just another game among the deluge that our many aunties and uncles had given my brother. Yet when we booted it up, the experience was transformative.
From there Sonic was the pinnacle of gaming to me and I was determined to never miss out on an adventure. A year later we got the 8 bit sequel, then Christmas 1992 a Mega Drive and the two 16 bit mainline Sonic titles. 1993 saw us add the superb Sonic Chaos to the mix, 1994 delivered both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, all the while I dreamed of playing Sonic CD on a Mega CD that we could never, ever afford.
As the credits rolled on Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it truly felt like the end of an era, the post staff roll image of our heroes which included a tearful Tails waving goodbye gave 11 year old me a lump in my throat especially since the Adventure of Sonic The Hedgehog series finale had aired around the same time.
Little did I know at the time that this wasn’t the final curtain call, but the thought of a world without my favourite series was almost unbearable to me.
My love of Sonic, of course, wasn’t limited to games. There was the aforementioned AoStH series (abbreviated to save my typing fingers) which felt extremely silly compared to the source material. Then there was the other series known as Sonic The Hedgehog SatAM which went a lot darker and featured Jim Cummings as a fantastically evil and malevolent Dr. Robotnik.
And then there was Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic, providing the most game accurate portrayal of Sonic and chums to that point. I got my very first issue in 1993 and was soon subscribed to what remains my favourite all time comic all the way up until 1999.
All the while long my love for all things Sonic never wilted, and while I missed the 3D and Mean Bean Machine entries first time round, they were always at the back of my mind. Even during the Saturn years, when we were without a mainline Sonic game, I was still in love with the brilliant Sonic Jam compilation and a stupendous Sonic R.
Of course, when Sonic Adventure was announced I had to have a Dreamcast. It was a key reason for me to import one before the Western launch and I was blown away by a game that I feel is underappreciated and far more enjoyable than almost any other 3D platformer out there.
By the time the incredible sequel, Sonic Adventure 2 arrived, Sonic was celebrating his 10th birthday, but Sega was exiting the hardware business. I myself was reaching adulthood and while my tastes were maturing, I still loved Sega’s mascot dearly, yet the gaming world had changed forever.
What followed was a mix of fantastic and not so great titles across a variety of systems. From the Game Boy Advance titles to the multiplatform Sonic Heroes, through the questionable Sonic 06 and Unleashed to the excellent Generations and Sonic Mania.
But as an admitted Sonic fan and Sonic apologist I loved them all, yes, even 06.
That’s because of what Sonic means to me. Sonic was my window into another world as a child, when I needed to escape reality, Sonic was there. When I wanted to challenge myself, when I wanted to spend time in another, albeit, pixilated world, Sonic was there.
When I wanted to escape into reading, he was there with comics, novels and game books. He was everywhere with cartoons, an animated movie and even music CD’s.
But Sonic was also an icon. His attitude as the edgy 90s teen which he was painted as made him more relatable, especially his Fleetway Sonic the Comic iteration where at times he was sometimes even a bit unpleasant and snarky, like we all can be sometimes. But he remained a hero, who put himself between the world and its destruction or domination.
As a kid, I would fantasise about finding a pair of Sonic’s power sneakers so I could win a race on Sports Day, or even run so fast I’d break the sound barrier and turn blue, much like my hero did.
But now Sonic is something more than that. Every year, I’ll play Sonic the Hedgehog 2 from start to finish, and I’m 9 years old again. Sonic embodies that childhood innocence, that sense of discovery, the feeling that you can take on the world and that your only limits are the ones you impose on yourself.
When I play through Sonic now, regardless of which game, that sense of fun, of youthful impetuousness remains.
Even in his various forms of media, Sonic is idolised by various characters, from Chris Thorndike in Sonic X, to Princess Elise in Sonic 06 and even Tails. As I saw a boy younger than my daughter carrying a Sonic plush to school today, its apparent that he has the charm in the real world too, and its an aura that continues to emanate something magical that I and millions of others are drawn to.
And so, as we look to the future, a new movie, new animated series and new games, with generations of new fans to delight, I know Sonic will mean a just as much to millions more, as he has to me, for the next 30 years.
SegaGuys 
Really this one buddy. You know me and sonic go back a long way too. What a superb gaming mascot and series of games it is. Loved the comics and tv series too. Brill stuff 😎🏴☕
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