From its pixelated 16-bit beginnings, to its startling 3D gameplay, Sonic theHedgehog has long since occupied a soft spot in the cultural heart of gaming. In 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog began its life as one of the most criticallyacclaimed franchises of the decade, and over the past three decades (throughtrial and tribulation), Sonic has time and time again proven itself as a forceto be reckoned with. The Sonic franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary nextmonth, so today we'll be celebrating with a recap of the speedy hedgehog'sgreatest hits. Photo credit: Albertpop via Sonic Fandom[https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_games?file=Sonic1.png].With the rise ofthe gaming industry in the 1980s, there appeared one clear forerunner: Nintendo.Having spent the better half of a decade creating one groundbreaking game afteranother, including (but not limited to) fan favorites such as Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros., it was clear that the gaming market essentially belonged toNintendo. However, they were not without competition. Throughout the late 80s,Sega made attempts to expand its demographics with a series of games targeted atslightly older players with graphics that were, at the time, revolutionary.While these efforts proved moderately successful, it wasn't enough to challengeNintendo's lovable cast of characters and user-friendly interface. Soon, Segarealized they needed to take their game design a step further, and address thecompetition head on. Thus, Sonic was born. Originally created to compete directly with Nintendo's main character, SuperMario, on June 23, 1991 Sega released the Genesis-exclusive Sonic: The Hedgehog. With a new bright and colorful tone, Sega introduced the Sonic character: ananthropomorphic blue hedgehog whose strength grew from his incredible quickness.Indeed, one of the game's most unique selling points was its emphasis on speed.At this point in video game history, save files were an uncommon phenomenon.This meant that most players were forced to run through the beginning levels inorder to make any progress, often memorizing the levels and completing them asfast as possible. Programmer Yuji Naka of Sega realized this fact could add toSonic's character, and incorporated it into Sonic's mechanics and design. Ratherthan having the player gain speed by pressing a run button, Sonic gained speedsimply by running forward and gaining momentum over time. Photo credit: The List Love[http://thelistlove.com/10-best-gaming-eras-of-all-time/].It was thisspeed-based design, combined with Sonic's mischievous demeanor and advancedprocessing power of Sega's Genesis console that skyrocketed the game to theforefront of the gaming industry. However, the competition was not yet over.While the original Sonic game proved a hit, the franchise was a bit, well,uncoordinated. Throughout the years, Sega continued to release sequel aftersequel, often experimenting with interface and format in ways that consumersdidn't always approve. Ultimately, the series met what's widely regarded as itsrock bottom in 2006, with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006. Originallyintended to be a reboot for Sonic's 15th anniversary, the attempt to return toits origins was misguided by the glitch-ridden, seemingly unfinished game.Though now infamous, the game averaged out at a whopping 4.5/10 stars. Thankfully, Sega has since reclaimed their glory in the name of their titularhedgehog. After many more experimental Sonic iterations, they finally foundtheir footing with the release of the 2010 game Sonic Colors. The gamerepresents a successful return to Sonic's form, and was heavily praised upon itsrelease.Photo credit: Gameinformer.com[https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/05/27/sonic-colors-ultimate-sprints-to-modern-platforms-this-september].Today, the Sonic franchise has undoubtedly become a huge commercial successsince its inception: as of 2013, the franchise had sold more than 140 millionunits, making the series the 5th best-selling video game franchise of all time.As of 2020, over one billion cumulative units have been sold. Check out this article[https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/gaming/1442068/Sonic-30th-Anniversary-live-stream-start-time-Collection-Sonic-Adventure-3-rumours] to learn more about the 30th anniversary celebrations.