There are a number of major anniversaries this year, one of which is Sonic the Hedgehog's 30th year. SEGA is celebrating this year with events like an upcoming Sonic Symphony, various cameos and the upcoming release of Sonic Colors Ultimate. Of course, fans are getting involved with their own celebrations as well.

The video above, from GTV Japan, is a rather enjoyable one hour retrospective that reflects on Sonic's history and the character's importance in gaming history. It's easy to forget now, but there's a time when Sonic was at the vanguard of SEGA's extremely effective promotion of the Mega Drive / Genesis, which triggered the original 'console wars' with Nintendo. For those of us that grew up in the era it was a memorable time.

Sit back with a refreshing beverage and check it out!

[source youtube.com]