Sonic the Hedgehog 2

and Tails jumping across pillars in Aquatic Ruin Zone Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a side-scrolling platform game. It features a story similar to the first Sonic the Hedgehog: The game takes place across 11 zones with 20 levels ("acts"). The acts are larger than the first game's, The player collects golden rings as a form of health: if they have at least one ring when they collide with an enemy or obstacle, they will survive, but their rings will scatter and blink before disappearing. If the player collides with a bomb, they lose ten rings and are immobilized momentarily. The stages rise in difficulty and the player cannot enter any stage without passing the previous one. After finishing, the player is transported back to the star post they used to enter, with their ring count reset. When all the Chaos Emeralds have been collected, Sonic can transform into Super Sonic by collecting 50 rings. Super Sonic is nearly invincible, runs faster, and jumps farther, but loses one ring per second and reverts to normal when his rings are depleted. a variation of Sonic 2 in which the player controls Knuckles the Echidna, a character introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994). The levels are identical, but Knuckles can glide and climb walls, allowing him access to areas inaccessible to Sonic or Tails. However, he cannot jump as high, making some areas, such as certain boss fights, more difficult. ==Development==

Conception {{multiple images The original Sonic the Hedgehog was published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in June 1991. It was developed by Sonic Team, led by the programmer Yuji Naka, the artist Naoto Ohshima, and the designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. Sonic greatly increased the Genesis's popularity in North America and is credited with helping Sega gain 65% of the market share against then-industry leader Nintendo, making Sega a formidable competitor. After the release, the team disbanded: Naka quit Sega due to disagreements over his salary, dissatisfaction over the time and effort it had taken to finish Sonic, and a lack of support from management, while Yasuhara moved to America to join Mark Cerny's California-based Sega Technical Institute (STI). Cerny had established STI during the development of Sonic the Hedgehog because Sega wanted to develop more games in America, and his aim was to establish an elite studio that would combine the design philosophies of American and Japanese developers. Other members of the Sonic development team joined Naka. Ohshima stayed in Japan to work on Sonic CD (1993), so Yasushi Yamaguchi replaced him. He was inspired to design Casino Night because he found Sonic springs similar to the gimmicks of pinball tables, while Sky Chase—which features Sonic riding a biplane as he attempts to reach Robotnik's base—was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's anime Future Boy Conan (1978). The first game demo was playable around six or seven months after the initial outline's creation and featured a few levels without sound effects or significant detail. STI assembled focus groups to play the demo for feedback and created the alpha build afterward; by this point, 80% of programming had been finished. Yasuhara wanted to add a second playable character so siblings could play together. Naka suggested the second character be endearing, similar to the kitsune from Urusei Yatsura, and beginner-oriented rather than Sonic's rival. An internal contest was held to determine the new character, and the winning design was Yamaguchi's fox, which he named Miles Prower (a pun on "miles per hour"). STI wanted the character to appeal to Japanese audiences, and Yamaguchi gave him two tails—inspired by the Phantasy Star character Myau—to make the design more impactful. Sega of America felt the name "Miles Prower" would not sell and suggested "Tails" as an alternative. Nilsen developed a character backstory to convince the developers to make the change; they compromised by making Tails his nickname. Tails was implemented using an artificial intelligence routine that allowed him to mimic Sonic's movements. He was also used in the multiplayer mode, something that Naka had attempted to implement late in development of the original Sonic. According to the level artist Craig Stitt, the artists received the paper map with ideas regarding the level theme. Once the design was settled, the artist would draw the art pixel by pixel and then input the graphics in the game itself. The graphics and animations were implemented using the Digitizer, Sega's proprietary graphics system for the Genesis. The artists had to deal with palette limitations, as only 64 colors could be displayed on-screen. Rieko Kodama, who worked on the first game as an artist, helped design the levels. Yasuhara said meshing the Americans' art with art by Yamaguchi was the development's largest hurdle. Yamaguchi had to check the teams' enemy and stage designs while producing his own. Stitt called Yamaguchi, who mostly worked alone, "a machine" who spent hours reworking other artists' levels repeatedly to ensure quality. For example, Stitt felt disappointed when Yamaguchi redid his background art for the Oil Ocean level, but did not argue because he was not satisfied with the original background and Yamaguchi's was much better. The title screen and Casino Night level art were both completely reworked shortly before release. Tim Skelly designed the appearance of the pseudo-3D special stages, based on a tech demo created by Naka. The special stages, designed by the Shinobi (1987) director Yutaka Sugano, were created from pre-rendered 3D polygons, video of which was compressed and halved vertically and horizontally to fit in the game cartridge. Cerny said the developers chose the 3D look to make the stages appear extravagant. In retrospect, he felt the stages were visually impressive but did not have as much gameplay depth as the original Sonic special stages, which featured Sonic navigating a rotating maze. Conflicts and cut content The development was complicated by the cultural and language barriers between the Japanese and American developers. The Japanese were used to crunch conditions, with Cerny noting they often worked through the night and slept in their cubicles. though the Sega executive Masaharu Yoshii recalled that he departed around halfway through. Cerny left partly because of the rising tensions between the Japanese and American developers, feeling the Americans were not treated respectfully. Further complicating this was STI's involvement with the Sonic franchise and Naka's desire to oversee development personally, as well as Sega of America's initial hesitation to assist given their lack of confidence in the Sonic character. Yoshii was installed as the temporary head of STI and was credited as Sonic 2 director. He said that the situation was severe because Sega of America was "betting everything" on Sonic 2, but the STI staff did not display any stress and remained optimistic that the project would be finished. A large amount of content was cut, mostly due to time constraints. Nilsen said Sonic 2 "probably could have been three times the size if we left in everything that was there. Naka and team... weren't afraid to say, 'I've been working on this for four months, it's not working. Let's take it out. Stitt created the Hidden Palace art and considered its foreground among his favorite work. Though Hidden Palace was one of the first levels implemented, work on it stopped in mid-1992, and it was removed shortly before completion for a lack of time and cartridge space. Nakamura composed Sonic 2 simultaneously with the 1992 Dreams Come True album The Swinging Star. As a gift to the developers, he produced an alternate version of the Sonic 2 ending theme, "Sweet Sweet Sweet", for the album. Since Sonic 2 was more technically advanced than its predecessor, Nakamura "wanted to create music that showed progress... It was like the Indiana Jones sequels. Same concept, but with more fun and excitement." Nakamura felt considerable pressure, as he understood that expectations were high due to the first game's success. STI let Nakamura work freely, which he felt allowed him to create melodic tunes and unusual rhythms. He composed using a Roland MC-4 Microcomposer; composing was challenging due to the Genesis' limited sound capabilities, but this encouraged him to be more inventive. Five or six people worked to convert Nakamura's music to the Genesis format. Completion Sonic 2 did not become playable from start to finish until the last 48 hours of development, in September 1992. The team planned to use a 4MiB cartridge, the same cartridge size as the first game, but STI ran out of space towards the end of development. To make sure the game would be finished in time for Thanksgiving, Yoshii went to the Japanese side of Sega for help. Managing director Daizaburou Sakurai contacted Sega Enterprises president Hayao Nakayama, who allowed the team to double the ROM size to avoid a delay. In total, over 100 people worked on Sonic 2 and the main team comprised 20 developers. The development schedule was shorter than the first game's, and Yasuhara said STI worked under a lot of pressure due to Sega's competition with Nintendo. Yoshii said that Sonic 2 would not have been ready for release without Sega of America's bug-checking process. STI videotaped testers' gameplay so the developers could easily locate bugs. Around 50 developers worked as bug checkers, and the process took two to three weeks. Yoshii felt that despite the staff conflicts, the bug-checking made developing Sonic 2 in the US worth it, as Sega of America's process was much more thorough than the one in Japan. One of the bug testers was Takashi Iizuka, who undertook the work as part of his new employee training. When Sonic 2 was shipped to Japan for production, copies of the source code were sent on separate planes to ensure that the game would arrive in case of an accident. On the day the code shipped, the STI staff gathered in the warehouse and celebrated with a Sonic-themed cake. ==Release==

Marketing (pictured) in November 1992, accompanied by a $10 million marketing campaign. Sega aggressively promoted Sonic the Hedgehog 2, spending approximately $10 million on advertising. Promotion began in early 1992, when Sega sent mockup screenshots to magazines. An early version appeared on the Nickelodeon game show Nick Arcade several times, including in a competition between Clarissa Explains It All stars Melissa Joan Hart and Jason Zimbler. Hart, who was a fan of the first game, struggled to play it since she was unaware of the spin dash. As Sonic 2 was Sega's biggest game of 1992, This was an unusual practice at the time; generally, international game release dates depended on the region. Sega reconfigured its distribution system and used air shipping to ensure that copies were available in all major stores. The North American and European release date, Tuesday, November 24, 1992, was marketed as "Sonic 2sday". Initial copies had several bugs; later copies used a patch developed a few days after completion. The Western cover art was illustrated by Greg Martin, while the Japanese cover art was illustrated by Akira Watanabe. Sales The extensive Sonic 2sday marketing campaign contributed to strong initial sales for Sonic 2. In the US, it sold 400,000 copies within a week. In the UK, it sold 750,000 copies within a week, accounting for 48% of all UK software and becoming the UK's fastest-selling game at the time. It was the top-seller on Gallup's Sega charts for the UK, Japan, and the US for months. Sonic 2 grossed in 1992 ( adjusted for inflation), and sold six million copies worldwide by August 2006, making it the second-bestselling Genesis game behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog. == Reception ==

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 received acclaim. Numerous critics considered it better than the first Sonic. Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) wrote that it could "best be described with a lot of 2s", being twice as long and fun as its predecessor. Reviewers noted Sonic 2 was similar to Sonic the Hedgehog in appearance and gameplay. The similarities did not bother Electronic Games, which said the level variety and multiplayer made it an improvement, but Mega and GamesMaster considered them a detriment. In particular, GamesMaster felt that Sonic 2 was just more of Sonic the Hedgehog and did not improve much. Critics commended the presentation, with EGM describing Sonic 2 as an impressive showcase of the Genesis hardware. The visuals were praised as colorful and detailed, and EGM and Mega highlighted the backgrounds for their intricacy. GamePro, Mean Machines Sega, and Mega wrote that the updated sprites were larger and better animated. Mean Machines said Sonic's new animation frames made for a smoother appearance. Several critics said the graphics were better than the first game's, though Computer and Video Games (CVG) and GamesMaster felt they were about the same. CVG said this was not a problem since Sonic graphics were already excellent. The music was also commended, though CVG said it was not as memorable as the first game's and GamePro found it less impressive than the visuals. Reviewers enjoyed the level design and gameplay. Critics said Sonic 2 levels were larger and featured more variety than the first game, which CVG and GamePro wrote incentivized exploration and replayability. Mean Machines and Mega said it was clear that Sega sought to address the criticisms levied against the first game regarding its length and low difficulty, though Sonic 2 easiness was still criticized. Mega and GamesMaster wrote that despite Sonic 2 larger size, it could still be completed fairly quickly, and one of GamesMaster reviewers said they finished it in one sitting without receiving a single game over. CVG said the difficulty was Sonic 2 only major problem, but GamePro and Mega said the difficulty was remedied by the replay value that the levels' branching paths and various secrets provided. Critics considered the special stages a highlight, though Mega felt they lacked the skill curve of the first game's. Reviewers called the multiplayer mode one of Sonic 2 best additions, though some disliked the split-screen effect. Reviewers in Weekly Famicom Tsūshin found that playing in two-player mode was the most fun, but also the most difficult as it split up the screen making already small sprites even harder to see. Mega said that the ability to race against a friend rather than just the in-game timer added substantial depth, and EGM said it would double the amount of fun players would have. Multiple critics praised Tails, with GamePro and Beep! Mega Drive calling him cute. Conversely, GamesMaster said Tails was briefly fun but ultimately little more than a sprite-swapped Sonic. Reviews in Weekly Famitsu questioned why he was in the game and said he was not cute enough. Accolades Sonic 2 received numerous year-end accolades and nominations. It received the Golden Joystick Awards for Best Original Console Game and Promotional Campaign of the Year, and was a runner-up for the Chicago Tribune Best Game of the Year award after The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991) and the console version of Street Fighter II (1992). EGM named it the best Genesis game of 1992. At Electronic Games Electronic Gaming Awards, it won Best Electronic Game Graphics but lost the Video Game of the Year award to Street Fighter II. ==Post-release==

Naka refused to develop another Sonic game if he had to work with the Americans again. When Atari veteran Roger Hector became the division's head, STI split into two teams: the Japanese developers led by Naka, and the American developers. Cerny and Yasuhara remained friends and reunited to work with Naughty Dog on the Jak and Daxter series in the 2000s. Other media An alternate version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was developed by Aspect Co. for Sega's 8-bit consoles, the Master System and the handheld Game Gear. The 8-bit version features different levels and music, as well as a different plot in which Sonic must rescue a kidnapped Tails. It was later included in Sonic compilations, such as Sonic Adventure DX (2003) for the GameCube and Windows and Sonic Gems Collection (2005) for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. Sega released an arcade cabinet version of Sonic 2 using its Sega Mega Play arcade system board in 1993. Another version planned for the Genesis's Sega CD accessory was replaced by Sonic CD. In October 2011, Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack, a three-disc album compiling music from Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2, interviews with Naka and Nakamura, and concept art. The first disc contains the in-game tracks and the second contains Nakamura's demo recordings produced during development. The third disc contains "Sweet Sweet Sweet" by Dreams Come True, its English-language version "Sweet Dream", and remixes of both songs that Akon produced for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Rereleases Sonic 2 has been ported to multiple platforms. A Sega Saturn port included in the compilation Sonic Jam (1997) introduces an alternate difficulty mode that alters stage layouts and removes some levels for an easier experience. Other compilations featuring the game include Sonic Classics 3 in 1 (1995) for the Genesis; Sonic Mega Collection (2002) for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox; Sega Genesis Collection (2006) for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable; ''Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; Sonic Classic Collection (2010) for the Nintendo DS; and Sega Genesis Classics (2018) for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Jam, Mega Collection, and Classic Collection include Knuckles in Sonic 2'' as a bonus. Glu Mobile released a two-part mobile phone port in April 2008 for Java devices. A remake of Sonic 2 was released for Android and iOS devices on December 12, 2013, and for Apple TV on March 24, 2016. The remake was developed by Christian "Taxman" Whitehead and Simon "Stealth" Thomley using the Retro Engine, previously used in Whitheead's 2011 Sonic CD remake. Whitheead redesigned Hidden Palace with input from Sonic Team, which informed him that STI had been dissatisfied with the original level design. The Android version sold more than 100,000 paid downloads on the Google Play Store by 2017, and received more than 10million downloads by 2019 after it was made free-to-play. The remake was included in the 2022 compilation Sonic Origins for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. An updated version of Origins includes Amy Rose as a playable character. A Nintendo 3DS port was developed by M2 and released as part of Sega's 3D Classics line in Japan on July 22, 2015, and elsewhere on October 8. The port features stereoscopic 3D visuals, the option to switch between the game's regional variants, alternate sound and visual modes, and cheats. M2 was originally hesitant to port the game, and it took the most effort of the 3D Classics line due to its large size and elaborate levels. Several technical tricks, such as the interlacing in the multiplayer mode and the pre-rendering in the special stages, had to be reprogrammed so they could be retained. Emulated versions of Sonic 2 have been released on digital distribution platforms. It was released on the Wii's Virtual Console on June 11, 2007, the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade on September 12, 2007, Steam on January 26, 2011, the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network on April 19, 2011, and for Nintendo Switch Online's "Nintendo Classics" library on October 25, 2021. The Wii and Xbox 360 versions allow users to play Knuckles in Sonic 2 if they also own Sonic & Knuckles. An emulated version for iOS was released in April 2010, but was replaced by the remake in 2013; those who purchased the original version were offered the remake for free. which received criticism on video game preservation and consumer protection grounds. ==Legacy==

Sonic 2 was a major factor in keeping Sega competitive during the console wars of the 16-bit era in the early 1990s, It boosted Genesis sales enough to nearly equalize Sega with Nintendo and cemented Sonic as a video game mascot on par with Nintendo's Mario. USGamer said that much of the series' most-loved elements originated in Sonic 2 with the introduction of Tails, Super Sonic, and casino levels. Tails became one of the most popular Sonic characters; according to Nilsen, Sega found that Tails was as popular as Sonic because he received nothing but praise through its 800 number phone line. Retrospective assessments Sonic 2 continues to receive acclaim. GameSpot said that Sonic 2 "does everything a sequel is supposed to do. It resolves many of the first game's shortcomings and incorporates a slew of minor upgrades that cumulatively amount to a fresh experience." and GamesRadar+ called it "the most user-friendly of all the Sonic games, beautifully presented and still a challenge if you want to complete it properly". with criticism for their quality and lack of multiplayer, but the 2013 remake was considered the definitive version. with Nintendo World Report writing that the addition of cheats made difficult moments less frustrating. Nintendo Life was disappointed that the Switch version did not include the 2013 remake's features and felt that M2 should have chosen a lesser-known game to port, given the copious number of Sonic 2 rereleases. Nonetheless, Nintendo Life felt it was an excellent port and a "must-have" for first-time players. Game Informer named it the 71st-best game and the most challenging and polished Sonic game. Sonic 2 was voted the best Sonic game in a survey of fans conducted by Official Nintendo Magazine in 2010, and GameZone named it the second-best Sonic game (behind Sonic 3) in 2011. GamesRadar+ named Sonic 2 the best Sonic game and the second-best Genesis game (behind Streets of Rage 2 (1992)) in 2017. In November 2017, Iizuka said that he felt Sonic 2 "really is the best of the classic Sonic series. The level design is just really, really solid... All of the [Sega] staff would say it was a great game for Japanese tastes but also a great game for American tastes. Sonic 2 really captured that global sense of game design and level design." and a community dedicated to researching it developed. The discovery played a significant role in the development of a video game community in which players datamine games and document their prototypes to understand how they were developed. Cifaldi credited fans' research into Sonic 2 with shaping how video game history is studied and said the VGHF has roots in his interest in Sonic 2 development. while the Nintendo 3DS version contains a remake of Casino Night. Additionally, a Casino Night-themed pinball minigame was released as downloadable content. Sonic Mania features reimagined versions of Chemical Plant and Oil Ocean, while Sonic Forces (2017) features a reimagined version of Chemical Plant. Some design elements from Sonic 2 feature in Studio Pierrot's Sonic the Hedgehog (1996) original video animation. The feature film Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) draws inspiration from Sonic 2, though it is not a direct adaptation. The Death Egg Robot and Super Sonic appear in the film, while one of its posters recreates Martin's Sonic 2 box art illustration. A high-definition (HD) fangame remake, Sonic 2 HD, entered development for Windows and macOS in 2008. However, the project was restarted by a new team in 2014. It is planned to feature additional levels, multiplayer modes, and the option to play as Knuckles. Sonic 2 is also noted for its active modding community, which releases ROM hacks featuring new game mechanics and playable characters. Modders decompiled the source code of the 2013 Sonic 2 remake in 2021, allowing it to be unofficially ported to other platforms. ==Notes==