Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure

Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure is a platform game in the style of the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Sega Genesis. The game is heavily based on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) for the Genesis, while also using concepts from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994). AllGame called the game "a slightly dumbed down port" of Sonic 2 and Official Dreamcast Magazine called it "essentially an adaptation of Sonic 2." Unlike Sonic 2, Sonic Pocket Adventure features some exclusive modes. The game includes a save feature so the player can replay any level they have previously completed. There is also a puzzle mode where the player assembles portraits of Sonic characters using hidden puzzle pieces found within the levels. Completing the puzzles unlocks a sound test mode. ==Development and release==

In August 1999, SNK announced that they were collaborating with Sega to develop a Sonic the Hedgehog game for their Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld system. This marked the first time Sega was directly involved in the development of a Sonic game for a non-Sega platform. The team planned for Sonic Pocket Adventure to be a return to the classic 2D gameplay style found in the Sonic games on the Sega Genesis. SNK released a system bundle with the game included for the holiday season. The game was released in Europe in February 2000, and in Japan on May 25, 2000. ==Reception==

Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure received critical acclaim. Critics generally believed that despite being on a handheld system, the game successfully captured the same high speed thrills and sharp graphics as in the original Genesis games. The most common complaints were occasional frame rate slowdown and the lack of parallax scrolling, but most agreed these problems were not intrusive enough to detract from the otherwise great quality of the game. Some critics highlighted how well the system's hardware performed in their reviews. Official Dreamcast Magazine praised the joystick on the handheld as controlling better than the Genesis controllers. Although the Neo Geo Pocket Color was not commercially successful, Retro Gamer still called it a "fantastically playable" machine with Sonic Pocket Adventure being one of the best games in the system's library and the Sonic catalog. In 2023, Time Extension identified Sonic Pocket Adventure as one of the best games for the NGPC. ==Notes==