Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Genesis

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 follows in the same speedy footsteps as the original masterpiece, Sonic the Hedgehog. Once again, players run, jump, and spin the blue hedgehog through a bizarre world of metal robots created by Dr. Robotnik, avoiding obstacles, trouncing enemies, and collecting rings and the elusive Chaos Emeralds. (Earning all seven emeralds turns Sonic into Super Sonic). While the basic action remains essentially the same, the levels are longer, the colors are brighter and more varied, all the zones are new (including the dazzling Casino Zone and the inventive Aquatic Ruin Zone), and the game introduces a new character: Tails the fox. Tails is relatively useless in the standard game (he simply follows along, helping collecting rings and defeating the occasional enemy), but he is a playable character in the special two-player split-screen race mode -- which is marred by slowdown, but remains a fairly enjoyable diversion. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also introduces a new move (the Spin Dash) and a new special stage: a challenging, pseudo-3D race through tubes to collect rings. < -- Book -- > ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide