If you guys are anything like me, you just might have been in the mood to play some Sonic the hedgehog classic games after checking out the recent movie. Well my friends Sega Ages has you conveniently covered by recently releasing one of the best games in the series in my opinion. For those of you that don't know Sega Ages is the name of the retro brand and under this label Sega has been releasing ports and collections of its classics since the Megadrive days. Recently, Sega Ages has been focusing its efforts on the Nintendo Switch which have led to some great ports of classic Sega hits like Phantasy Star, Out Run, and the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
The latest releases from Sega Ages for the switch include Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Puyo Puyo 2. Now, I've loved Sonic the hedgehog since it debuted all the way back in 1992 I've played through them all countless of times over the years including ports on all kind of different systems and versions.
You could already play a version of Sonic on the switch with the Sega Genesis Collection along with other classics but in my opinion the Sega Ages version is the best way to play on the switch. This Sega Ages port plays great. Sonic 2 looks and feels as clean and smooth as it does from my memories. You also have the extra options you’d expect from a retro port these days, things like save states and screen filters but this version of Sonic 2 comes with some nice bonuses. You can use the Drop Dash ability introduced in Sonic Mania. This move lets you start a Spin Dash straight after jumping. It speeds up gameplay a lot, as you don’t need to spend time charging up a Speed Dash on the ground. I usually like to be closest to the original when it comes to ports, but I had a lot of fun playing through Sonic 2 with the drop dash. Also if you really think it’s bad to use it, you can turn the move off.
You can also play through the game as Knuckles. This is a feature that used to require locking in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 cartridge onto the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge on your Sega Genesis. Many Genesis compilations, including the one for Switch, don’t include any version of Sonic & Knuckles. That means you can’t play as Knuckles in Sonic 2. But this Sega Ages version thankfully gives you that ability. It also includes online
and a mode that lets you play as Super Sonic throughout the entire game (normally, you would have to spend a lot of time and effort collecting chaos emeralds unlocking this invincible version of Sonic).
All together, this may be the definitive way to play Sonic 2, and it’s certainly the best way to play this classic on a portable system. I hope Sega Ages keeps going, because now I’m ready for Sonic 3, Sonic CD, and Knuckles Chaotix to be on the Switch.