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Sonic has been around for awhile and hasn't slowed down much in his 23 years

We all know Sonic the Hedgehog. He's one of the biggest names in gaming today. But how did he come to be? How did Sega manage to hit the sweet spot with their mascot? And how has the blue blur fared throughout the years? Well, it's time to take a look back over the last few decades and see for ourselves. Sonic's history certainly has its ups and downs, but as you'll see, it's fast and frenzied, just like the shoe-wearing hedgehog himself. Before we get to Sonic, however, we have to go back to the very beginning.

B.S.--Before Sonic (1973-1990)

Sega's very first game was Pong Tron (1973), a very simple Pong knock-off. This propelled them into making more acrade games, such as Pong Tron II, Hockey TV (1973), Bullet Mark (1975), and Heavyweight Champ (1976). Sega released its first console, the SG-1000, in the summer of 1983, but it couldn't compete with Nintendo's NES. Due to this, Sega released the Mark III in 1985, then the Master System in 1986. But these new systems still couldn't compete with the big gray box called the NES. While Sega thrived in the arcade scene (with hits like Space Harrier and Out Run), it struggled to find a foothold in the home market, where NES was king.

During this time, a young Yuji Naka joined Sega to help port their arcade games to home consoles. The first game which Naka headed up was Girl's Garden (1984) for the SG-1000, which was a garden simulator for girls. He was also instrumental in creating the psuedo-3D effects in Phantasy Star (1987) for the Master System. The Sega Genesis was released in 1989, and Sega felt the need to come up with a mascot character to star in his own game (instead of having another arcade port). Naka came up with the idea of a speeding animal, a blue hedgehog, who could change into a ball and zoom around. Sonic was born, and he couldn't have come at a better time.

The Golden Years (1991-1996)

The first Sonic game was something completely different from typical platformers, causing Genesis sales to increase. Seeing this, Sega quickly made Sonic the Hedgehog a pack-in game with the Genesis, which helped Sega gain 65% of the market share against Nintendo. Sega of America put out ads making Sonic look cool and fast while throwing mud at Mario. It was Sonic who carried the Genesis on his shoulders. Sonic games came out left and right on the Genesis, each one bigger and better than the previous one. Sonic got his own TV cartoon (two, actually, which aired on TV during the same years).

For the first time, Sega succeeded in the console market, and it was all thanks to Sonic. During this time, Sonic also had several games on Sega's handheld, the Game Gear, which was the second best-selling handheld of its day. Sega tried to stay ahead of Nintendo by releasing new hardware and add-ons constantly, but most of these were unnecessary and actually hurt Sega in the long run. Sonic was found on everything Sega put out. In the end, 40 million Genesis consoles were sold worldwide, whereas 49 million Super NES consoles were sold. That's a big chunk which Sega took away from the big N, and most of that chunk can be attritubed to Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic Speeds into 3D (1996-2006)

Sega's 3D console which competed with Nintendo's N64 and Sony's Playstation was the Sega Saturn. Surprisingly, Sonic didn't have a big new game on the Saturn; instead he was in a game called Sonic Jam, which had Sonic 1, 2, 3, and Sonic & Knuckles, plus "Sonic World" mode, which allowed you to control Sonic in a small 3D world. The first real 3D Sonic game was Sonic Adventure (1998) for the Dreamcast. It was exciting to zoom through the levels from a behind-the-back perspective. The sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, was also released for Nintendo's Gamecube, making it the first Sonic game to be released on a non-Sega console. Despite these great Sonic games, the Dreamcast sold poorly and Sega stepped out of the console market altogether. Their flagship character, however, still had his work cut out for him. Sonic would keep running on other consoles.

2D and 3D ports of Sonic games were released on the Game Boy Advance, Gamecube, and Playstation 2. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) was released on Microsoft's Xbox to celebrate the blue blur's 15th anniversary, but the game was highly criticized for multiple problems and bugs. Sonic and the Secret Rings (2006) was released exclusively for Nintendo's newest console, the Wii. This would be the first of many Wii Sonic games. The Sonic franchise was now 15 years old, and it was showing signs of slowing down, giving us games to grumble about instead of enjoy. But Sonic wasn't ready to quit.

Crossovers (2007-2008)

Gamers finally got something they had wanted to happen for a long time in 2007. Sonic and Mario, gaming's greatest rivals, were put head-to-head against each other in the same game! Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for Wii allowed gamers to have several characters from both franchises compete in Olympic events. This was truly a historic moment in gaming. However, something even better happened the next year: Sonic was included as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii). Finally Sonic fans could see the blue blur punch Mario in the face! Sonic and Mario would go on to appear in more Olympic games, and Sonic is also in the newest Smash Bros. game. Such a crossover of gaming giants is something which many gamers dreamed of happening for years, and who says dreams don't come true?

Sonic is Still Running (2008-present)

The last six years Sonic has starred in more games than Nintendo's plumber. Not only so, but each game is unique and distinct. Sonic Unleashed (2008, Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360) used a day/night mechanic, having the day levels use Sonic as usual and night levels as a werehog Sonic. The game received mixed reviews mostly for the sluggish werehog sections. Sonic and the Black Knight (2009, Wii) took Sonic into mideival days where he fought knights; the game was received with mixed reviews, some saying the gameplay felt broken. Sonic Colors (2010, Wii, DS) focused more on speed, and received quite a bit of praise, possibly being the best Sonic game in the last ten years. Sonic Generations (2011, Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, Windows) was complete fan service, having both old and new Sonic in the same game; it was also received with mostly positive reviews. Sonic: Lost World (2013, Wii U, 3DS) goes back to focusing solely on speed, but the game was received with mixed reviews, most reviewers citing control problems and design decisions. Perhaps Sonic needs to slow down; his games have been hit and miss for too long.

Sonic Does what Mario Does

Sonic was originally created as the anti-Mario, and indeed he was. Sonic seemed to do everything different from Mario, and he was blazing his own path. However, as time went on, Sonic simply followed Mario's own path. What I mean by that is that Sega copied much of what Nintendo was doing with Mario by making Sonic do the same. "That's not true," you say, but let me prove it to you.

The first copycat Sonic game was Sonic Drift (1994, Game Gear), which was a Mario Kart clone. Sonic Shuffle (2000, Dreamcast) was a party game in which Sonic characters move around on a board and play mini-games, just like Mario Party. Sonic Chronicles (2008, DS) is an RPG starring the blue blur, an exciting first for the hedgehog, but Mario beat him to the punch with RPGs like Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi. Sega Superstars Tennis (2008, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, DS) is a tennis game starring many of Sega's characters, just like the Mario Tennis games. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, DS, PC, iOS) is another Mario Kart-style racer involving many of Sega's characters in carts. So to a certain degree, Sonic has been a copycat; all of these games I mentioned were released after the corresponding Mario games.

A Very Blue Future

Sonic games are awesome and fun, and I'm glad that the hedgehog is still around. But you have to wonder, what does the future hold for Sonic? He started out as the anti-Mario, but the ironic thing is, the last two years Sonic has appeared exclusively on Nintendo consoles. This means the old saying "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" must be true. Sonic seems to be most at home on his biggest rival's consoles. Sonic's games over the last ten years have been hit and miss; will Sega be able to finally hit their stride with the blue hedgehog?

Sega is apparently doing a reboot of Sonic with Sonic Boom (to be released on Wii U and 3DS in November), which puts a new design on Sonic characters. A Sonic Boom TV series will also be starting in November, and a comic book series right along with it. But will all of this live up to the hype, or will it be received with more mixed reviews? It seems that Sonic will never regain the glory he had in the Genesis days, meaning he has a blue future ahead of him. His battle against Mario was fought valiantly, but he lost. Still, only time will tell how Sonic will fare in his future games and other media, so don't count this hedgehog out yet; his greatest comeback may be right around the corner.