I review this as part of the Sonic Plus Mega Collection, available for the PS2(not the Sega console this was made for... not sure if that's even around anymore, and now the company make titles for the machines of others). It contains much of the series leading up to its release, with added bonuses, such as hints, artwork, and the ability to save your progress at any point(possibly for all of the titles, certainly for most of them, making beating them considerably easier) with a maximum of ten open slots per Memory Card. This is where this franchise begins, and as such, part of the success is due to this. It's the initial impression most of the original fanbase got. And judging it based on that, I am somewhat underwhelmed. Let's compare this to a few of its peers(platformers where you fight evil and rescue good guys that have a light tone and are in general geared towards kids from about the same year), Super Mario Land(a side-scroller) and the second trilogy of Commander Keen(more dynamic, and unlike the other two, you fight using an energy gun). Like the former, enemies are dispatched by you jumping on top of them(in fact, it feels like they stole the idea from that... at least this does have the addition of it only being when you're in a ball, although that can prove annoying as it sometimes doesn't seem willing to do so...), you go to a handful of different worlds with several relatively similar levels to each(in this, they get to be rather repetitive, making it look pretty lazy) ending in a climactic boss battle(one of the few true strong suits of this, every one of them has something special to it), and there are secrets and hidden areas for people who want to spend the time looking for them. Both have fairly little replayability other than last-mentioned aspect(and a score that I'm not sure is listed anywhere, no Top 10 that lead to bragging rights), with one difficulty setting and little, if any, randomization(obviously, you may have to try several times to get good enough to beat it, as you have to do so in one go, or did, back when these came out). And the short, pudgy Italian plumber wins(unbeaten two full years later), and this feels like a plagiarized version of it(what this has on it is color, and that is nicely done in this, bright without being blinding or obnoxious). Moving on to the latter, it has the most AI of all three, its camera follows your movements like in this, there are more varied environments, the story and universe is grander and more memorable than the other two, and with its responsive controls and smooth game-play, it's seldom frustrating and feels more intense and fast(in short, I'd advise you to check out those before this). Isn't that the real kick in the teeth with this? Those last two terms really should apply to it. The image Sonic has always had, what it has on the other icons of this subgenre, is one of speed(part of why particularly his(and not his aforementioned brother, or slightly illegitimate father) rebirth in 3D has been so messy and unsatisfying so far(and will probably remain so), it doesn't allow for that as well as 2D when it comes to this kind of thing). This is pretty slow, and jumping, running and the like come off choppy, with you having to really make an effort to get our lead moving(similar to the Disney Hercules VG, or Mech simulators). Sure, it flies by at times, but those don't tend to be Bluey's fault as much as springs, vaccuums, etc. in his surroundings. To be fair, this does have different situations, something the others do not particularly. You'll go underwater(be sure to keep a lookout for air bubbles, lest you end up drowning in a surprisingly disturbing sequence), you run around in a circle briefly defying gravity(one of the things we love about these, and something that everyone recognizes from them), and there are occasional simple puzzles(push a block or step on a button to enable yourself to proceed). We have the usual moving platforms, and you have to find your way through the places(not something that will keep you up at night). There are a lot of dangers around, and spots where you can't stand still, and this can be challenging. This would be less annoying if you could move faster. There is a fine amount of enemies, and some of them do seem to react to your presence, popping out or doing some scripted attack when you approach(...yeah, that's about the extent of it), and the designs of them are OK(not much that you really remember long after). The audio is nice, with mild, "soft"(not quite cartoonish) sound FX of good quality(the age taken into consideration), and the music is slightly catchy, and certainly not irritating, in spite of being midi *and* intended for people with one digit to their age. This has quite well-done graphics, no colors clash, the locations look distinct from each other and certain things, including our titular hero, look great and you won't forget them anytime soon(you can tell why Mr. S has gone with no face-lifts for two decades). Several of the biggest draws of these don't show up in this, not until the sequels, starting with the next one... Tails, the helicopter-style flying fox, Knuckles the... badass(it's an animal, look it up), and the swiftness. Heck, even the bounce and the additional power to the power-up bubbles(invincibility, protection... oh, yeah, that's it for this one). This is just really basic, and doesn't lift itself beyond its competition in much of any way. Some say that the biggest crime is mediocrity. Perhaps they're right. There is essentially no objectionable, off-putting or offensive content in this, other than a thing or two that look unsettling. I recommend this to fans of classic arcade games, and the primary-colored hedgehog. 7/10