By Cameron Smith, Staff Writer

Graphic design by Tej Shah

About Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Sonic the Hedgehog, collectively referred to as “Sonic ‘06,” is a 3D action-adventure platformer game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 game systems on November 14, 2006 and January 30, 2007 as a tribute to the 15th anniversary of Sonic. 

As a last-minute release, Sonic ‘06 was voted as one of the worst video games of all time, and was a critical failure upon its release, prompting its removal from retailers due to its mostly negative reviews from critics.

Gameplay: B

In Sonic ‘06, play through three distinct storylines to solve the mystery of Solaris, an omnipotent god of the town of Soleanna. Play as either Sonic, Shadow or Silver as they travel through the past, present and future to save Soleanna from Dr. Eggman!

Plot: A+

Dr. Eggman is hot on his new plan to use the Chaos Emeralds to awaken the mysterious god Solaris and use its power to conquer the world. However, the mystery proves to have disturbing consequences for both time and space. Can Sonic, Shadow and Silver stop Solaris from emerging and destroying the universe?

Sonic the Hedgehog

Our fan-favorite hedgehog is on a mission to save Soleanna’s princess, Elise, from Dr. Eggman! With his best friend and sidekick Tails and hot-headed buddy Knuckles by his side, can Sonic keep Elise safe from Eggman?

Shadow the Hedgehog

Sonic’s stoic look alike and G.U.N agent Shadow the Hedgehog is investigating Eggman’s arctic base, but awakens Mephiles the Dark, a malevolent spirit that has taken the appearance of Shadow. Can Shadow, with teammates Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega beside him, stop Mephiles’s plan, whatever it may be?

Silver the Hedgehog

Young hedgehog Silver, living in an apocalyptic future, gets a chance to change the fate of his world by finding the “Iblis Trigger,” the perpetrator of the freedom of Iblis, the beast that ravaged his city, revealed to have been a trick by Mephiles to kill Sonic. With Blaze the Cat and Amy Rose accompanying him, will Silver realize the error of his ways and save his home?

Multiplayer Mode

Sonic ‘06’s multiplayer mode has two-player games such as 1-on-1 battles and races. More multiplayer content was released as DLC in 2007.

Reception: D

Critics gave a widespread of severely negative reviews toward Sonic ‘06 because of its long loading time, controls, level design, camera view and bugs and glitches during the release. Game Informer, who gave an overall 6.75/10 on the game, also criticized its difficulty, which was mainly due to the camera view. The storyline was also criticized because of the “inappropriately dark” plot buildup and the budding romance between Sonic and Elise, to whom the latter was especially criticized toward as well.

References in Future Games and Other Media

Despite its reception, Sonic ‘06 was forever etched into the pages of the history of Sonic. One of the game’s levels, Crisis City, and a mini-boss battle against Silver, was remastered in the 2011 game, Sonic Generations. Silver, who was first introduced in this game, also became a permanent character in other Sonic mainline and spin off games, such as Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, Sonic Forces, and Team Sonic Racing. The theme song of Sonic, His World, was also sampled for Drake’s single, KMT.

Soundtrack: A

The soundtrack of Sonic ‘06 was mainly orchestral or electronic background music for hub worlds, levels, and bosses. Theme songs included Sonic’s His World, Shadow’s All Hail Shadow, and Silver’s Dreams of an Absolution, as well as the ending song My Destiny.