Summary
Sonic the Hedgehogis a large and relatively old franchise that has seen many game releases over 30 years of gaming history. From handheld consoles to the first 3D systems, manySonicgames are beloved among players for the nostalgia they inspire, as well as the colorful roster of characters and very impressive graphics for their time.
TheseSonic the Hedgehoggames stand out as some of theSonic games with the best graphics, especially in the context ofthe era these games were released. Whether they were critically acclaimed for their visuals or not at the time, it’s fair to say that these games still hold up today in their own way, and some even boast graphics, frame rates, and art styles that still blow players away to this day.
Released 17 months after the original,Sonic the Hedgehog 2is widely seen as a fan-favorite titlethat built upon the already high standards set by the original game. Sonic’s first game was a groundbreaking release and showed off the Sega Genesis’ graphical capabilities, whereasSonic 2went above and beyond.
For the Classic Era,Sonic 2’s character animation is top-notch, perfectly capturing the personalities of Sonic and Tails, and Sonic’s iconic idle pose even received new additions. The backgrounds are colorful, vivid, and extremely detailed for the era, something many critics upheld at the time and still uphold today.
7Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble (1994)
Praised For Its Graphics
Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Troubleis a fan favorite Sonic game initially released on Sega’s Game Gear. The Sega Game Gear was notable for being an early handheld gaming platform with games in full color, meaningTriple Troubledefinitely showed off impressive graphics for this era of 8-bit gaming consoles.
Triple Troubleintroduced fans to exciting new gameplay features among the 8-bit Sonic titles and also marked the debut of Fang the Sniper,a beloved yet underrated character. This game stands out as more refined compared to the Sonic Game Gear games that preceded it, and combined with its critical acclaim for its esthetics, stands out as among the best games for the system.
Sonic Adventurewas the first 3D and first 128-bit resolutionSonicgame, an impressive feat for the time. Even though most of the cutscenes are far from ideal by today’s standards, the game sported a pleasing visual style with rich colorful environments, some even modeled off real-life locations: the Knuckles Clan’s temple was inspired by ancient Mayan temples such as ‘Tikal’ in Central America, which the in-game character, Tikal, gets her name from.
The Dreamcast was capable of producing very realistic water graphics, which Sonic Team sought to capitalize on for many of the game’s elements. As such, locations like Emerald Coast, Ice Cap, and Twinkle Park were very esthetically pleasing, and the game’s primary antagonist, Chaos, was a visually stunning achievement for the time. The game’s sequel,Sonic Adventure 2, also featured lush environments and visually intriguing areas, this time largely set aboard a space colony.
Developed using the Havok engine for what was, at the time, the next generation of video game hardware,Sonic 06has a completely unique art style all its own. With a large display of rich and different environments,Sonic Team used a more cinematic toneand darker color palette to make the environments feel very realistic. The characters themselves were revised subtly, and combined with other esthetics, served to make the game feel in line with a more mature storyline set in the human world.
The game had some frame rate issues, but boasted beautiful visuals, highly polished CG cutscenes, and even showed off some novel new abilities for certain characters such as Silver the Hedgehog. Overall, these features were impressive for the time.
Sonic Unleashedwas released in two different versions, to meet the different needs of the Nintendo Wii and PS2 and the more advanced PS3 and Xbox 360. The latter’s version, in particular, has amazing graphics that still feel like new, even to this day. As players traverse the globe restoring each continent shattered by Eggman, they are met with beautiful visuals and vivid colors, in both the levels and hub worlds.
From the game’s dramatic opening cutscene to the grand finale in Perfect Dark Gaia, the many cutscenes are of such a high quality that they are a joy to watch.Sonic Unleashedalso boasts a very smooth frame ratewhilst blasting through the different settings, and each location sports a lot of attention to detail.
Of all theSonicreleases on the Nintendo Wii,Sonic Colorsstands out for many as the most beloved, taking place in one of the most wacky and unique locations in the franchise, though arguably the storyline is much shallower than the franchise’s previous titles. Though the Wii hardware was limited compared to its nearest rivals, this game, as the name implies, had an array of vivid and very colorful environments, which certainly were not hindered by graphical limitations.
Sonic Colors' doesn’t suffer from frame rate issues, which is perfect for the high-speed obstacle courses the levels are. Certain locations in particular, like ‘Starlight Carnival’,combined with the beaty music, both look and feel exhilarating to play through. All these features were only improved upon in the remaster of the game,Sonic Colors Ultimate.
Sonic Lost Worldhas a game style all its own compared to the many titles in the franchise, being very Mario-esque and featuring completely new moves and level layouts. Upon its release on the Wii U, players could experience the game in high definition, making this one of theSonic games with the best graphics, even today.
Especially for Wii U players, the console’s GamePad made controlling Sonic a bit awkward, especially due to the novel new control features and moveset. However, the game runs very smoothly and the cutscenes are also top-notch.Sonic Lost Worldis known for its bright and vivid color palette, making the visuals varied and stunning.
Even though the originalSonic Generationshad great graphics and in-game mechanics, its remaster and new side story titledShadow Generationsbrought a graphical overhaul to the milestoneSonicgame. As well asbeing able to play as Shadow the Hedgehogin a mainline Sonic game, something that hasn’t happened in years, fans can also enjoy stellar graphics, crisp cutscenes, and highly polished remasters of iconic environments from previous games.
Sonic X Shadow Generationshas been highly critically acclaimed for its graphics, which even look incredible on weaker hardware like the Nintendo Switch. As such, this game offers lots to enjoy as well as being a visually pleasing experience.
