Sonic 2 puts the blue hedgehog on a globe-trotting adventure. As he teams up with new friend Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Sonic must thwart the plans of Dr. Robotnik, a mad scientist who resides in a mushroom planet and is attempting to steal the Master Emerald.
Paramount’s follow-up to last year’s smash hit Sonic the Hedgehog is filled with jokes at a frantic pace, but also makes a few more serious stabs at peppering its characters and plot with deeper elements of the series’ lore.
Gameplay
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a brilliant game, with great level design, music and controls. It is one of the best games on the Sega Genesis and a great example of the SEGA games we love today.
The gameplay in 123 movies sonic 2 is a lot of fun, and the addition of Tails (Miles Prower) was a welcome change. This cute fox was a huge improvement to the character, and he became a fan favorite.
The only complaint I have is that a few of the levels seem to try to work against Sonic’s trademark speed. For instance, the Aquatic Ruins Zone includes a few enemies that pop out of walls or obstruct the foreground, making it difficult to get to the rings and progress further in the stage.
Characters
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 introduces several new characters. The first of these is Shadow the Hedgehog, a character from the 2001 game Sonic Adventure 2.
As one of the original game characters, Shadow is an intriguing addition to this sequel. He could usher in the crazier, more modern side of the Sonic franchise to the big screen.
Knuckles the Echidna is another new character who makes his debut in this movie. He’s played by Idris Elba and joins Robotnik and his assistant, Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), as they seek a powerful Master Emerald.
While Knuckles and Robotnik’s plots are fun, the film’s jumbled storyline ultimately bites off more than it chews. Its attempts to teach kids about teamwork and responsibility inevitably get lost in the fray.
Soundtrack
Music is a key part of the Sonic series, tying players together and getting them emotionally engaged with each stage or boss battle. Each composer has mastered this, and it’s one of the main reasons fans expect their favorite games to have great soundtracks.
With its frantic speed and attitude, Sonic 2’s soundtrack is one of the best in the series. Masato Nakamura’s score for the Sega Genesis version is particularly outstanding, with tracks like Casino Night, the mechanical Metropolis, and Mystic Cave all capturing the atmosphere of each level with incredible attention to detail.
Composer Tom Holkenborg (known as Junkie XL) was already familiar with the Sonic franchise, having composed music for the first film. His soundtrack for the sequel is another rollercoaster ride from start to finish. It features the infamous Sonic theme, as well as a new motif for Robotnik, the film’s main antagonist. And the game’s end credits song, “Sweet Sweet Sweet,” was reworked into a ballad.
Special Stages
Special Stages are a type of level that can be accessed by collecting 50 rings or more. They are available in the main game as well as in 2 Player VS mode.
The 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog featured some special stages that resembled those of the 16-bit games, but were more colorful and had more complex designs. These stages were similar to half-pipes, but also included a variety of obstacles (such as spiked traps) to avoid.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles’ Special Stages also had these types of structures, and they were a bit more complicated than the levels in the 16-bit versions. However, they did not have Chaos Emeralds, which were only found in hidden areas around the normal zones.
Chaotix’s Special Stages were also unique in that they required more rings to successfully complete them. As each stage only held a certain amount of rings, the more you collected at once, the easier it would be to get through.