Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that can help answer the question.
Query: Was there a Sonic game on the Sega Genesis?
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series. It is published by Sega, with entries developed by Sega, Sonic Team, Dimps, SIMS Co., Ltd., BioWare, and Sumo Digital. The series debuted in 1991 with the video game, Sonic the Hedgehog, released for the Mega Drive video game console (named Genesis in North America). Most Sonic the Hedgehog games have either been platform games or released for Sega video game consoles and handheld game consoles (handhelds) dating from the Genesis to the eighth generation of video game consoles (2012–present). However, some of the original games were ported into versions on third-party home consoles and developed by several companies. As of February 2013, the series has collectively sold over 85 million copies worldwide across both the platform games and spin-offs.[1]
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions) is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment and published by Sega for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The compilation features 48 Sega games (49 counting two versions of "Altered Beast") which were previously released for the Sega Genesis (including most of the "Sonic the Hedgehog" titles released for the system), arcades and the Master System. It is the sequel to the "Sega Genesis Collection" released previously for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, however it is similar to that compilation because it contains 16 (in NTSC regions) more games (including unlockable extras).
The Genesis library was initially modest, but eventually grew to contain games to appeal to all types of players. The initial pack-in title was "Altered Beast", which was later replaced with "Sonic the Hedgehog". Top sellers included "Sonic the Hedgehog", its sequel "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", and "Disney's Aladdin". During development for the console, Sega Enterprises in Japan focused on developing action games while Sega of America was tasked with developing sports games. A large part of the appeal of the Genesis library during the console's lifetime was the arcade-based experience of its games, as well as more difficult entries such as "Ecco the Dolphin" and sports games such as "Joe Montana Football". Compared to its competition, Sega advertised to an older audience by hosting more mature games, including the uncensored version of "Mortal Kombat".
Numerous Sega video game compilations feature "Flicky". The Genesis version was compiled into "Game no Kanzume Vol. 1" (1994), a Sega CD compilation in Japan which featured CD quality remixes of the original soundtrack. The Genesis port was also featured in "Sonic Mega Collection" (2002), "Sega Genesis Collection" (2006), "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" (2009), "Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection" (2010), and even Genesis-based plug and play devices. The arcade version has been released in Japan on the "Sega Ages: Memorial Collection Vol. 1" (1996) for the Sega Saturn, and the "Sega Memorial Selection" (1998) for Windows"." "Flicky" has also been ported to mobile devices. The first port was in 2001 for the "Sega Ages" line in Japan. In March 2003, a similar variant appeared on the Sonic Cafe service, again exclusive to Japan. In 2007, the Sonic Cafe port was upgraded with better graphics and ported to North America for the Sega Mobile service. The Genesis port was released on Steam in 2010.
The Flicky character has made cameo appearances in several other Sega arcade games, effectively becoming a mascot for Sega's early arcade years. In "Teddy Boy Blues" (1985), she appears as a shooting target among other Sega mascots such as Pengo. In the puzzle game "Bloxeed", she can be used as a special weapon to drop blocks on the playing field. She is also playable in "SDI" (1987) with the use of a cheat code. Flicky has a minor cameo appearance in "Flash Point", where she will wish the player good luck before each round, and in the racing game "Super Monaco GP" (1989), where she appears on the racetrack banners and the game over screen. Flicky has also become an entire species and reoccurring minor character in the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series and is featured most prominently in "Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island" (1996). Flicky has continued to have minor cameo appearances in other Sega titles, including "Shenmue" (1999), "Gunstar Super Heroes" (2005), and "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" (2007).
Although Katz and Sega of America's marketing experts disliked the idea of Sonic, certain that it would not catch on with most American kids,[18][69] Kalinske's strategy to place Sonic the Hedgehog as the pack-in game paid off.[2][70] Featuring speedy gameplay, Sonic the Hedgehog greatly increased the popularity of the Sega Genesis in North America.[50] Bundling Sonic the Hedgehog with the Sega Genesis is credited with helping Sega gain 65% of the market share against Nintendo.[1]
Sonic Gems Collection is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the features and errors of their initial releases with minimal edits. Player progress is rewarded with demos of other "Sonic" games, videos, and promotional artwork spanning the history of the "Sonic" franchise. While its 2002 predecessor, "Sonic Mega Collection", comprised the more popular "Sonic" games, "Gems Collection" focuses on more obscure games, such as "Sonic CD" and "Sonic the Fighters". Other non-"Sonic" games are included, but some, such as the "Streets of Rage" trilogy, are omitted in the North American localization.
Vectorman is a series of run and gun platform games developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The first game in the series was released on October 24, 1995 in North America and on November 30, 1995 in Europe. The games have since appeared on several game compilations, including the "Sega Genesis Collection" for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, the "Sonic Gems Collection" for the Nintendo GameCube, and "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. "Vectorman" was added to the Wii Virtual Console on February 27, 2007, in Japan and April 5, 2007, in Europe, and in North America on September 22, 2008. It was also released on the digital distribution service Steam as part of the "SEGA Genesis Classics Pack" and as a standalone title. Vectorman was ported to iOS and Android in 2018 as part of the Sega Forever service.
The game was developed by the American staff of Sega Technical Institute, as the Japanese staff was occupied with developing "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and "Sonic & Knuckles". When Sega management realized that "Sonic 3" would not be completed in time for the 1993 holiday shopping season, they commissioned another "Sonic" game that would be. The game was hastily designed amid time constraints, with most work taking place over two months. "Sonic Spinball" was released for the Sega Genesis in November 1993, and for the Game Gear and Master System in 1994 and 1995, respectively.
"Sonic Mega Collection" features twelve to fourteen complete games in one retail unit. All games are ports of their original versions on the Sega Genesis. High-resolution instruction manual scans are included for each game. Also included is an "Extras" section featuring over 100 scans of "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic covers, illustrations of "Sonic" characters throughout the franchise's history, and a handful of videos promoting other "Sonic" games, including the beginning and end sequences to "Sonic CD". In addition to the seven default games, three unlockable games are included that recreated the "Sonic & Knuckles" "lock-on technology" by allowing players access to new gameplay features and special stages by opening the hatch of the "Sonic & Knuckles" Sega Genesis cartridge and inserting another compatible cartridge, in this case each of the first three games in the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series. Also, four games published by Sega but not in the "Sonic" series could also be unlocked (two in the North American version).
Compilations that include the game are "Sonic Compilation" (1995) for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis; "Sonic Jam" (1997) for the Sega Saturn; "Sonic Mega Collection" (2002) for the Nintendo GameCube; "Sonic Mega Collection Plus" (2004) for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC; "Sega Genesis Collection" (2006) for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable; "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" (2009) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; and "Sonic Classic Collection" (2010) for the Nintendo DS.
"Sonic 3D Blast" was the final "Sonic the Hedgehog" game produced for the Sega Genesis, and was developed as a swan song for the system. Sega had discontinued official support for the Genesis in 1995, but intended to produce the game for the 16-bit console because games typically sell for one to two years after their platforms' discontinuation. The game's basic concept was conceived by members of Sonic Team during the development of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", but most of the programming was done by the British studio Traveller's Tales because Sonic Team was developing "Nights into Dreams". According to founder Jon Burton, Traveller's Tales had just finished developing a "Toy Story" game and wanted to start developing games for 32-bit systems such as the Saturn and PlayStation. Sega, impressed with their work on "Toy Story" and "Mickey Mania", approached them with "3D Blast"; as "Sonic" was extremely popular at the time, the concept "got [their] attention". In retrospect, Burton stated that he believed the game was commissioned because "Sonic X-treme", in development for the Saturn at the time, was struggling, and Sega wanted to bring Sonic into the 3D era of gaming.
"Sonic Gems Collection" is a compilation of obscure video games published by Sega for various consoles, such as the Sega CD, Sega Saturn, and Game Gear. It primarily focuses on "Sonic the Hedgehog" games, such as "Sonic CD" (1993) and "Sonic the Fighters" (1996). It also includes six of the twelve "Sonic" games released for the Game Gear. These games encompass various genres, such as platforming, fighting, pinball, and puzzle. Additionally, players can unlock several Sega Genesis games unrelated to "Sonic", including the two "Vectorman" games (1995 and 1996). Four games in the international version, "Bonanza Bros." (1990) and the "Streets of Rage" trilogy (1991—1994), are not included in the North American version. Each game is mostly identical to its initial release, but some were changed; for example, "Sonic R" runs at a higher frame rate.
Due to the success of "Sonic" games on the Sega Genesis, the series was introduced to the Master System and the Game Gear. Sega began by releasing "Sonic the Hedgehog", a 2D platform game, in 1991. The game featured Sonic's ability to run and to jump at high speeds like its Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart but with notably different level design and music. Sega later released "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" another 2D platform game, in 1992. The game differed from its Genesis counterpart with different levels and music and by not including a "spin dash" maneuver. It also featured a different storyline in which Doctor Robotnik kidnaps Tails, who is non-playable in the Master System/Game Gear version. "Sonic Chaos"/"Sonic and Tails" (Japan), released in 1993, was similar to the earlier two Sega Master System/Game Gear "Sonic" games, but featured Tails as a playable character. A sequel, "Sonic Triple Trouble"/"Sonic and Tails 2" (Japan), a 2D platform game, was released in 1994 for the Game Gear and introduced a new character, Nack the Weasel, who, along with Knuckles and Doctor Robotnik, raced to collect the Chaos Emeralds. One of the last games for the Sega Game Gear, "Sonic Blast", was released in 1996 and featured prerendered sprites.
"Sonic R" is the third "Sonic" racing game, and the first in 3D. It was the second collaboration between Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team and was developed over nine months, designed to take advantage of the Saturn hardware. "Sonic R" was the only original "Sonic" game released for the Sega Saturn; "Sonic 3D Blast" is a port of the Sega Genesis game, and "Sonic Jam" is a compilation of the first four "Sonic" games.
Among the titles released for the Sega CD were a number of FMV games, including "Sewer Shark" and "Fahrenheit". Well-known titles include the critically acclaimed "Sonic CD" and "", as well as the controversial "Night Trap", which resulted in Congressional hearings on video game violence. The Sega CD also received enhanced ports of games from the Genesis, including "Batman Returns" and "Ecco the Dolphin". Included in this library are six games which, while receiving individual Sega CD releases, also received separate versions that utilized both the Sega CD and Sega 32X add-ons. In particular, "Sonic CD" has been noted for its excellent graphics and new time travel elements without changing the traditional "Sonic" formula. However, given the large amount of FMV games and Genesis ports, the Sega CD's game library has been criticized for its lack of depth. Full motion video quality was poor on the Sega CD due to poor video compression software and the system's limited color palette, and the concept never caught on with the public. Likewise, most Genesis ports for the Sega CD added in additional full motion video sequences, extra levels, and enhanced audio, but were otherwise the same game as the Genesis release. The video in these sequences have also been criticized, with the quality being considered comparable to an old VHS tape.
Dave Sanner of Sega Technical Institute, who was also behind the game "Sonic Spinball", came up with the concept for "The Ooze" and was its lead programmer. "The Ooze" was originally intended to be bundled with the Sega Nomad, a handheld Mega Drive/Genesis. Instead, the game was released near the end of the Genesis's lifecycle. The game was later included as a built-in game for the Arcade Legends Sega Genesis 2 and in the compilation game "Sonic Mega Collection Plus". It is also unlockable in the Japanese version of "Sonic Mega Collection".
In addition to the "Sonic" series, the company has developed other games for Sega, such as "Nights into Dreams" (1996) and "Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg" (2003). The 1991 release of "Sonic the Hedgehog" is considered significant in video game history, as it increased the Sega Genesis's sales and Sega displaced Nintendo as the leading video game company. Some of Sonic Team's games, such as the Genesis-era "Sonic" games and "Nights", are considered by critics to be among the greatest video games ever released.
In August 1999, SNK announced that they were collaborating with Sega to develop a "Sonic the Hedgehog" game for their Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld system. The game was developed by SNK, with supervision from Yuji Naka and Sonic Team at Sega. This marked the first time Sega was directly involved in the development of a "Sonic" game for a non-Sega platform. The team planned for "Sonic Pocket Adventure" to be a return to the classic 2D gameplay style found in the "Sonic" games on the Sega Genesis. In particular, many game design and visual elements are borrowed from "Sonic 2". The game's background music tracks are also 8-bit renditions of music from "Sonic 3". "Sonic Pocket Adventure" was released first in North America on December 4, 1999. SNK released a system bundle with the game included for the holiday season. The game was released in Japan two weeks later, and in Europe in February 2000.
Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske wanted reassurance that the character would not fail. The global head of marketing, Al Nilsen, became involved, and playtested the game across the United States with Mario fans: they were shown "Mario" and then played "Sonic the Hedgehog". 80 percent preferred "Sonic the Hedgehog", and the game was shown at the 1991 Summer Consumer Electronics Show. It was released in North America on June 23, 1991, and in the PAL regions and Japan the following month. Sega of America packaged it with American Genesis consoles, replacing "Altered Beast". This tactic enabled Sega of America to sell 15 million Genesis units. Genesis owners who bought their consoles before the switch could request free copies of "Sonic the Hedgehog" by mail. Sega of America created a large-scale marketing campaign, promoting Sonic as its mascot.
During his keynote speech at the 2006 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced that Sega would make a number of Genesis/Mega Drive games available to download on the Wii's Virtual Console.[159] There are select Sega Genesis games available on the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade, such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 2,[160] as well as games available via the PlayStation Network[161] and Steam.[162]
The initial team formed in 1990 and was composed of developers from Sega's Consumer Development division, including programmer Yuji Naka, artist Naoto Ohshima, and level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. The team took the name Sonic Team in 1991 with the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog" for the Sega Genesis. The game was a major success that contributed to millions of Genesis sales. The next "Sonic" games were developed by Naka and Yasuhara in America at Sega Technical Institute, while Ohshima worked on "Sonic CD" in Japan. Naka returned to Japan in late 1994 to become the head of CS3, later renamed R&D #8. During this time, the division took on the Sonic Team brand but developed games that do not feature Sonic, such as "Nights into Dreams" (1996) and "Burning Rangers" (1998).
The Sega Genesis has often ranked among the best video game consoles. In 2009, IGN named it the fifth best video game console, citing its edge in sports games and better home version of Mortal Kombat, and lauding "what some consider to be the greatest controller ever created: the six button."[175] In 2007, GameTrailers named the Sega Genesis as the sixth best console of all time in their list of top ten consoles that "left their mark on the history of gaming," noting its great games and solid controller, and writing of the "glory days" of Sonic the Hedgehog.[176] In January 2008, technology columnist Don Reisinger proclaimed that the Sega Genesis "created the industry's best console war to date," citing Sonic the Hedgehog, superior sports games, and backward compatibility with the Sega Master System.[177] GamingExcellence also gave the Sega Genesis sixth place in 2008, declaring, "one can truly see the Genesis for the gaming milestone it was."[178] At the same time, GameDaily rated it ninth of ten for its memorable games.[179]
In 1994, Sega released the Sega Pico, an "edutainment" device powered by the same hardware used by the Genesis. The system was designed appear similar to a laptop, a stylus called the "Magic Pen", and a pad to draw on. As Sonic had become Sega's mascot, Sega released two educational games featuring characters from the "Sonic" franchise, "Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld" and "Tails and the Music Maker". "Gameworld" was developed by Aspect Co., the studio that produced the majority of the Game Gear "Sonic" games. Another educational game, "Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio", was released for the Genesis in 1994. Though it is not a "Sonic" game, Sonic does feature in it.
The Genesis library was initially modest, but eventually grew to contain games to appeal to all types of players. The initial pack-in game was Altered Beast, which was later replaced with Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991.[19] Top sellers included Sonic the Hedgehog, its sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Disney's Aladdin.[117] During development for the console, Sega Enterprises focused on developing action games, while Sega of America was tasked with developing sports games. A large part of the appeal of the Genesis library during the console's lifetime was the arcade-based experience of its games, as well as more difficult entries such as Ecco the Dolphin, and sports games such as Joe Montana Football.[19] Compared to its competition, Sega advertised to an older audience by hosting more mature games, including the uncensored version of Mortal Kombat.[19]
Sega Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Collection in PAL regions) is a compilation of video games developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Sega for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The collection includes twenty-eight Sega Genesis games from a variety of genres, as well as unlockable classic Sega arcade games, with different sets of arcade games for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions. A sequel was released in 2009 called "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.