Sonic Forces

With Sonic Prime season 2 fresh off the Netflix press, more fans have been pouring in to see what the rest of the franchise is about. Sonic the Hedgehog is a long-running name, and there are plenty of games out there with vastly different styles that can appeal to just about anyone. Whether you're into 2D, 3D, mobile, or even RPG titles, there's something out there involving the Blue Blur that probably can pique your interest. We'll be focusing mainly on the 3D titles in this article, so these will be easier for you to get your hands on, as most are able to run on either PC or relatively easy-to-own consoles. Sonic titles vary in playstyle, presentation, and quality. Over the years, there have been plenty of both good and bad games in the hedgehog's roster. Sonic Prime very much focuses on a modern rendition of Sonic, along with his friends and the various alternate versions of them that float around in Shatterspaces. If you loved Sonic Prime enough to catch the second season, we have a few titles to recommend that are guaranteed to offer a great time. Not only that, but they also serve as a robust introduction to some of the series' greatest characters. Related: The 10 best Sonic the Hedgehog games, ranked Every Modern Sonic Game In Release Order Image by Sonic Team When it comes down to choosing which of the many Sonic games to play, especially after watching Sonic Prime, it can be a tough choice. We have a few titles to help you get started, in order based on the release date. Sonic as a franchise has had massive ups and downs throughout the 3D era, despite belonging there pretty soundly. Some games made their mark on the community, cementing themselves as favorite and iconic titles forever. Others established key gameplay features, changing the course of how the games would play out forever. While not every game in the modern era of Sonic the Hedgehog is a knock out of the park, they certainly have their intended audiences. Even games from the storybook series of Sonic the Hedgehog, like Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic and the Black Knight, despite not doing well saleswise, made an unmistakable impact on the community. Such games are praised for their unique take on the series and deserve their place on any list. Below we have a table for you, listed by date from earliest 3D title to latest. We'll also get into a more focused picture below about some of the best 3D titles in the series below, ones you'll definitely not want to miss out on if you want to know everything about the characters you're dealing with in Sonic Prime. Game TitleAvailable SystemsRelease DateSonic AdventureDreamcast/GameCube/Steam2001Sonic Adventure 2Dreamcast/GameCube/PlayStation 3/Xbox/Steam2001Sonic HeroesGameCube/PlayStation 2/Xbox/Steam2003Shadow the HedgehogPlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox2005Sonic the HedgehogXbox 360/PlayStation 32006Sonic and the Secret RingsWii2007Sonic UnleashedXbox 360/PlayStation 2/PlayStation 3/Xbox 3602008Sonic and the Black KnightWii2009Sonic ColorsWii/Nintendo Switch/PlayStation 42010Sonic GenerationsXbox 360/PlayStation 3/Nintendo 3DS/Steam2011Sonic Lost WorldWii U/Nintendo 3DS/Steam2013Sonic ForcesNintendo Switch/PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Steam2017Sonic FrontiersNintendo Switch/PlayStation 4/ PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Xbox Series XS/Steam2022 Sonic Generations Image by Sonic Team Sonic Generations is a wonderful 3D Sonic title, probably the best there is out there. While the best title is, of course, subjective, fans can't criticize Generations for one thing: its scope. No other game did all the groundbreaking work that Generations did, helping encapsulate an entire previous generation's (pun intended) worth of Sonic content for a modern audience. It wasn't simply a remake or remaster; Sonic Generations offered a brand new coat of paint on tons of stages that had been some of the best parts of Sonic's history. Related: All Sonic characters appearing in Sonic Prime If you could only play one Sonic game, Generations would be the biggest title where you would experience the most of what made Sonic great. Alongside this was the work of talented music artists with instructions to remix some of the greatest tracks that the franchise has known. Playability-wise, as a Sonic game it stands tall, being one of the most feature-rich, smooth sailing games to grace the Modern Sonic era. Sonic Adventure 2 Image by Sonic Team It's imperative that Sonic Aventure 2 get a top spot for a mention concerning Modern Sonic titles, or any 3D Sonic title in general. While Sonic Adventure, the previous game in the series, did set a high bar and many of the second game's mechanics, Sonic Adventure 2 took that adventure a step further. Sonic's transition into 3D was far from rough, with Adventure 2 expanding the character roster considerably and giving fans another round of Modern Sonic as he was originally written. Featuring the voice talent of great actors such as Deem Bistrow, David Humphrey, and Ryan Drummond, Sonic Adventure was an all-star scenario where some of the best voice actors in the franchise brought talent to a well-written and properly developed game during the height of a new Sonic era. Related: What is Sonic.EXE? The Sonic creepypasta, explained Sonic Heroes Image by Sonic Team Sonic Heroes is another phenomenal Sonic game that turned the 3D Sonic gaming formula on its head. While many mechanics from previous games remained, such as the homing attack, other features were added that ultimately solidified Heroes as a prime entry in the eyes of fans. The unique gameplay combining three characters at once made for a fun and replayable game format, easy to grasp for all ages. Because of the three-man team system, Heroes had the license to add more beloved characters onto the roster, introducing lovable faces like Cream and Big, as well as some fan favorites like Omega. This was also the last mainline title that featured the voice actors from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, making it effectively the end of a short-lived, but memorable era. Had the Sonic Team not split just after the rise of Sonic Heroes and into the mid-2000s, maybe the future of Sonic into his 3D era would have turned out differently. However, as history dictates, shortly after the games would go through multiple trial-and-error experimental games, drifting away from the first three mainstay examples of 3D Sonic: Adventure, Adventure 2, and Heroes. However, with Generations, Sonic fans not only saw a celebration of the Sonic game franchise, but a particularly sharp return to good 3D-level design, and a boost system that worked more effectively than ever. Even Sonic Frontiers, with all its good features, still has something to be jealous of concerning Generations, a game over ten years older. The history of successes within the Sonic franchise are many yet far between. However, with Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Prime, and the recent movie releases, the Blue Blur's future may be looking far more certain than it has in years.

Sonic Forces

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