| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | |
|---|---|
 US cover art by Greg Martin | |
| Developer(s) | Sega Technical Institute |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Masaharu Yoshii |
| Producer(s) | Shinobu Toyoda |
| Designer(s) |
|
| Programmer(s) | Yuji Naka |
| Artist(s) | Yasushi Yamaguchi |
| Composer(s) | Masato Nakamura |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Sonic the Hedgehog 2[a] is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. Players control Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station. Like the first Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), players traverse side-scrolling levels at high speeds while collecting rings, defeating enemies, and fighting bosses. Sonic 2 introduces Sonic's sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower and features faster gameplay, larger levels, a multiplayer mode, and special stages featuring pre-rendered 3D graphics.
After Sonic the Hedgehog greatly increased the popularity of the Genesis in North America, Sega directed STI founder Mark Cerny to start Sonic 2 in November 1991. Members of the original development team—including programmer Yuji Naka and designer Hirokazu Yasuhara—moved from Japan to California to join the project. Sonic 2 was intended to be faster and more ambitious than the first game. The development suffered setbacks, including cultural differences between the Japanese and American staff, and numerous levels were cut due to time constraints and quality concerns. As with the first game, Masato Nakamura, a member of the J-pop band Dreams Come True, composed the soundtrack.
Sonic 2 was widely anticipated, and Sega backed it with an aggressive $10 million marketing campaign. It was released in November 1992 to acclaim and received numerous year-end accolades, including two Golden Joystick Awards. Critics considered Sonic 2 an improvement over the first game and praised the visuals, level design, gameplay, and music, though the low difficulty level and similarities to its predecessor were criticized. Sonic 2 grossed over $450 million and sold six million copies by 2006, making it the second-bestselling Genesis game behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic 2 solidified Sonic as a major franchise and helped keep Sega competitive during the console wars of the 16-bit era in the early 1990s; it continues to receive acclaim and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. The game was followed up by both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles in 1994. Sonic 2 has been rereleased on various platforms via compilations and emulation; this includes a remake released for mobile platforms in 2013 and since then remastered to other platforms as part of Sonic Origins. A number of Sonic 2 prototypes have leaked since the release; the first, discovered in 1999, played a significant role in the development of a game datamining community.
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