PixlBit

Happy 23rd Sonic...

So it's Sonic the Hedgehog's 23rd anniversary today and the cool coincidence is that it's June 23rd today too. That is awesome. I've always been a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog for as long as I can remember it. Everyone remember the console wars of the 90's? Those where pretty brutal times for both Nintendo and Sega, each of them battling for video game supremacy and our living rooms. I always was and always will be a Nintendo guy, but just because I chose that side doesn't mean I hated Sega and Sonic. No. I never was one to hate on something I didn't like. Back then you either pledged your allegiance to Mario and Nintendo, or Sonic and Sega. There was no in between. Sure there was Playstation but what people on the playground focused on was Mario and Sonic. All of the kids at my school either owned a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis. I knew maybe one or 2 kids with a Playstation but that's besides the point. My point is that I never hated Sonic. Sonic became really popular in the 90's, he was the exact opposite of what Mario was. Sonic is essentially the embodiment of what the 90's was about and he still is.

My first exposure to Sonic was obviously by word of mouth from kids in the playground. But I didn't get a real taste of what the blue hedgehog was all about till one day after school. I came from school one day and my dad came from work one night and he brought with him this carrying case. It was pretty big and he said it was for me. I opened it and this what was inside of it:

            

                                      This is not mine though so credit to the owner of the pic

You'd think since I was a Nintendo guy that my first handheld system was a Gameboy. But no, it was a Sega Gamegear and it was really awesome. It came with 5 games, one of them was Tetris, the other 3 I don't remember but the one I was most excited to play was this one:

             

                                                   Not mine too but credit to pic owner

I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. I plugged the cable to the Gamegear and turned it on. The game looked really good and it was really fun. Granted I think it's a downscaled port of the Genesis version but I didn't care, it was fast, colorful, and fun for a game on a portable. To this day it still is one of my favorite handheld Sonic titles, it's not as good as the more current handheld titles but I love it because of the nostalgia. I'll always remember that cart.

2 years later I think, my family and I as well as some relatives of my dad went with us to Mexico for vacation once. We stopped in a house in Texas one night to take a rest from the long drive. I don't know who the house or the people were, but I assume they were relatives or friends of the relatives we were traveling with. That morning in that house, a kid was playing a video game in his living room and the game in question was Sonic the Hedgehog.

I didn't exactly know what Sonic it was, either 1,2, or 3 but it had Sonic in it. The kid told me if I wanted to give it a go and I said sure. It was awesome and it looked even better than the one on my Gamegear. It was fast, fun, and I died on my first try. I passed back the controller back tot he kid because it was time to go. I thanked him and will never forget that. I was also exposed to the NES for the first time in years when we finally were in Mexico. But I'll talk about that some other time.

Some time after I think I had already forgotten about Sonic. I had an N64 and some games, I had a Gameboy Color for the sole purpose of Pokemon. Life was great but I was wondering what Sonic had been up to all this time. It was around 2001 when I saw the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time on Toon Disney. I assumed it was a new thing at the time but I loved it. I know it was weird, wacky, and didn't make sense all the time but it was hilarious and always made me laugh. Plus Dr. Robotnik was a comedic genius, he was hilarious and was the reason I always looked forward to when I saw the cartoon.

             

                                      How can you not like a guy with a face like that?

It was around 2002 that I got a Gamecube for christmas and I wanted one for Super Mario Sunshine since that's the main reason I get Nintendo consoles for. I'll talk about that at some point but let's fast forward to 2006.

Me and my brother were looking to try some new games on the Gamecube since we had pretty much tried all the important first-party stuff. We came across a Gamestop booklet ad and were flipping through the pages at home. I came across something interesting. A Sonic game on the Gamecube. A Sonic game on a Nintendo console. Back then in the 90's, this was unheard of. I couldn't believe it, the thing me and my friends used to joke around about finally became a reality. I couldn't believe it was over, Sega lost but found a new home I guess and that a new console war was brewing. You see I never had a computer till 2008 so I never knew that Sega left the hardware business. I knew there was the XBox and the Playstation 2 but never knew about the new consoles wars till I read a magazine. I didn't care but couldn't believe it was finally over. After that I thought it was a good idea to (re)introduce my brother to Sonic. He watched Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog with me but he was really little at the time so he didn't remember Sonic.

The first Sonic he tried was Sonic Adventure DX on the Gamecube and he loved it so much. I got Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and loved it  as well. We then got to try as many as we could, my brother got the Mega Collection on the Gamecube and I got Gems Collection game. Those were pretty good and a great way to brush up on Sonic's History. My brother then got Sonic Advance/Pinball or whatever it was called and he also got Sonic Advance 3. He couldn't find Advance 2 till he got it new in 2011. I got Sonic Riders on the Gamecube and thought it was pretty cool. I then got some money on my birthday and bought Shadow the Hedgehog for the Gamecube. I know this game get's alot of hate but I liked it since Shadow is my favorite character from the Sonic series.

It also came at a good time because something hit my family really hard in 2006 so it was a tough time. Shadow the Hedgehog, the game helped me escape all of what my family was going through. I was scared but I toughed it out. It was hard staying happy in a dark time so the games gun sequences and shooting helped me release all the stress, anger, and all the sadness I was feeling. We finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel around october that year. One day I'll fully talk about this.  

                            

                                                It was all thanks to Shadow. All hail Shadow.

Then years later it became 2009 and that's when it happened. An event that happened to me that I want to forget but never will. All I can say is that I was in a sickbed and had to stay in the hospital for most of the year. In 4 different ones at that. I was ill and it seemed like a nightmare you could never wake up from. It hit our family hard, it hit me hard. I knew I was sick and suffering, but I was more interested in what my family was going through. I can imagine they feel as awful as I do. Sure they don't feel the pain or suffering as I do, but I can tell by the look of their eyes that they were suffering as well. It was really hard because 2 of these hospitals were pretty far away from our house, my mom and my 2 younger brothers tried their best to visit me. I also often got get well soon gifts. My brother one day came with my dad and brother and they got me Sonic Unleashed on the Wii. Gamestop was having a sale on games and they got that for me. I know alot of people also hate on it but I liked it for what it was. I liked the running stages the most but never thought the werehog stages were that bad. Heck the slower platforming was good for me since my body felt weak and I wasn't that good at games with fast-paced movement.

            

                                                        Hairy or not, he's still the same guy

I did get better towards the beginning of October and the worst was over. I'll one day talk about this. Sonic always seems to come to me in my life when times are really bleak. It sort of helps me overcome all the hardships my life has. Either if it's a black hedgehog with amnesia and angst against the world or seeing our blue hedgehog friend transformed into a beast but still trying to save the world.

Sonic games haven't been as great as they used to be, but despite that I try my best to play them. Besides my brother is the Sonic guy of the house and if he gets them, I get to try them too. Sonic Colors was a step in the right direction, Generations was short, but it was what a Sonic fan could ever want, Lost World was different but you can't fault it for trying. And Sonic Boom looks like Sonic Heroes 2.0 and what it should of been. It looks funny and really fun. My brother is getting it so I can't wait.

Also one Sonic song that always resonates with me well is this one because no matter what happens, it really doesn't matter as long as you don't give up hope:

                            

I don't know where Sonic is going, we don't know what Sega has planned next for Sonic after Sonic Boom. But all I know is that despite his ups and downs, Sonic is still fast, funny, and unstoppable after all these years. Happy 23rd Anniversary Sonic. Thanks for being there when times looked really bleak. Now if you excuse me, I think it's about time I play a Sonic game for ol' times sake...