Thursday, June 23, 2016 is Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th birthday. SEGA’s blue mascot is now old enough to rent a car. For my fellow gamers that fondly remember playing the original Sonic the Hedgehog on SEGA Genesis, prepare to feel old.
The folks at Humble Bundle are celebrating with their latest Pay What You Want sale on classic and recent Sonic games. Here is the breakdown of the current tiers. Note that all of these titles provide Steam codes for PC. As always with Humble, you can choose to give a portion (or all) of your money to the charities listed on the site.
Pay at least $1
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Sonic Adventures DX
- Sonic 3D Blast
- Sonic CD
Pay more than the average (currently $9.59)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode 1
- Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Sonic Adventure 2
- “More Games Coming Soon”
Pay at least $10
- Sonic Lost World
- Sonic Generations (+DLC)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode 2
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (+DLC)
Pay at least $35
- Sonic 25 Anniversary Shirt
A few things to keep in mind. There’s no sign of Sonic 3 or Sonic & Knuckles, two of the best games of the series. Expect them to be added to the “More Coming Soon” section in the middle tier. Also there’s been no mention of further episodes of Sonic 4 from SEGA – Episode 2 released way back in 2012. Finally if you’re into Sonic’s comic adventures you can check out the Humble Comics Bundle.
Sonic the Hedgehog was once king of the 90s, and a legitimate rival to Nintendo’s Mario. His fierce attitude epitomized the decade in many ways.
He’s also fallen from grace quite spectacularly as SEGA bowed out of the console-making business in the early 2000s. Sonic’s transition to 3D gameplay was awkward. Our heroic hedgehog continued to suffer through numerous spin-offs and odd gameplay shifts, like including multiple playable characters. The last 10 years have been especially egregious. But there’s also been some glimmers of hope, notably with Sonic 4 and Sonic Generations.
Sonic has had a lot of ups and downs. His legacy as a classic video game character is undeniable, and following his evolution is an interesting analysis of the entire video game industry.
