Sonic the Hedgehog is a platform video game developed
by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega
Genesis console in 1991. The game was released in North America, Europe
and Australia on June 23, 1991, and in Japan the following month. It stars Sonic
the Hedgehog in a quest to defeat Dr. Robotnik, an evil scientist who
has imprisoned animals in robots and stolen the magical Chaos Emeralds. Sonic
the Hedgehog's gameplay involves collecting rings as a form of health and
a simple control scheme, with jumping and attacking controlled by a single
button.
The game's development began in 1990, when Sega ordered its AM8
development team to create a game featuring a mascot for the company.
After considering a number of suggestions, the developers decided on a blue
hedgehog with spikes along his head and spine and renamed themselves
"Sonic Team" to match their character. Sonic the Hedgehog,
designed for fast gameplay, was influenced by the games of Shigeru Miyamoto. It
uses a novel technique that allows Sonic's sprite to roll along curved scenery,
which originated in a tech demo created by Yuji Naka.
The game was well received by critics, who praised its
visuals, music, and speed of gameplay. The game was also commercially
successful, establishing the Genesis as a key player in the 16-bit era and
allowing it to compete with Nintendo and their Super Nintendoconsole.
It has been ported a number of times, and inspired several clones,
a successful franchise, and adaptations by other media.
Source: wikipedia.org