Feature - The Life and Times of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog has had a turbulent history, from early moments of brilliance to massive disappointments, fans have run the gamut of emotions since 1991

With the announcement coming from Sega last monthof an all new Sonic title in Sonic Boom, it's as good a time as any to take a look back at the life of Sega's flagship hero, chronicling his rise to promince, followed by a descent into mediocrity. Despite some flashes of brilliance with Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, the Blue Blur has never quite recaptured his peak form, leaving many wondering whether it's best Sega just dumps him altogether...

Depending on where you look the origins of Sonic can be quite different. However the general consensus is that the actual character design was the work of Sega employee Naoto Oshima, Yuji Naka was the lead developer of the original and Hirokazu Yasuhara took the role of level designer. To say that one played a bigger role than the others would be unfair, because it was a combination of the efforts of each of the trio which led to Sonic becoming the worldwide hit he came to be.