It’s been almost 30 years since one of gaming’s most iconic mascots, Sonic the Hedgehog, sped his way onto the Sega Genesis (or the Sega Mega Drive, for our European readers). Since then, the blue blur has had a career as chequered as the peculiar land masses that make up Green Hill Zone – the meteoric mammal has seen comebacks galore after some truly terrible attempts at running the waves of the zeitgeist.
Whether you came to love Sonic and his friends from the games that shunted him into the limelight, from the comic books that bore his name, his very 1990s TV show, or from the various other mixed media appearances that have helped him stay relevant for 30 years, you’ll be pleased to know his fourth decade in the business is likely to be his biggest yet.
Fresh off the back of some unlikely Hollywood success (thanks, in part, to Jim Carrey’s pitch-perfect take on Dr Robotnik), Sega plans to commemorate Sonic’s 30th anniversary in style this year with a year-long celebration that will include a new game announcement, more ‘digital content’, a series of events, and more besides. To help you get in the mood for the year of the Hedgehog, we’ve put together a list of some essential items you can buy to get you up to speed with Sonic and his pals.
