Sonic Cake

If you're a Sonic fan in North America or Europe then today has a little significance - it was 24 years ago, on 23rd June (not July as we originally wrote), that the original Sonic the Hedgehog on SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive was released. Sonic had previously appeared as a decoration in the arcade release of Rad Mobile, but we're not sure that actually counts.

It's another birthday for the blue blur, then, and he's at a tough time in his life. His youth is fading and he needs to make plans for his future, get serious and forge a healthy adult life. Thanks to recent entries, be they runners on smart devices or the rather unpopular Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric on Wii U, Sonic's in that unfortunate phase where he's working a dead-end job as his fans plead with him to make something of himself. He had such promise as a youngster...

Yet still, all is not lost. We'll have Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice this year on 3DS - a follow-up to the tolerable Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal - and our SEGA hero will be heading to the Olympics with Mario. Perhaps in the next year or two he'll sharpen up, get himself into shape and be a winner again.

For many, though, that original 16-Bit game will always be special. It was a game that blew this writer's young mind when released, and was the tipping point - in that case - of establishing a passion for video games.

Happy Birthday Sonic, we await your return to form.

Image Credit: The Biker Baker

Thanks to Knuckles (the Nintendo Life reader, not THE Knuckles) for the heads up!