Editing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (section)

==Promotional==
[[File:S2b_title.png|thumb|225px|The title screen of one of the best known prototypes of ''Sonic 2'', named the "[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Nick Arcade prototype)|''Nick Arcade'' prototype]]". It was famously showcased in the ''[[Wikipedia:Nick Arcade|Nick Arcade]]'' television series in early 1992.]]
Marketing for ''Sonic 2'' was aggressive; promotion began in early 1992. At the time, the Nickelodeon show ''[[Wikipedia:Nick Arcade|Nick Arcade]]'' was one of the most popular video game-centered shows. Seeing an opportunity to promote the then-upcoming game, [[Sega]] sent [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Nick Arcade prototype)|a very early copy]] of ''Sonic 2'' to ''Nick Arcade'' to showcase it. This build was only shown a few times, one of which was during a special show where ''[[Wikipedia:Clarissa Explains It All|Clarissa Explains It All]]'' actors [[Wikipedia:Melissa Joan Hart|Melissa Joan Hart]] and [[Wikipedia:Jason Zimbler|Jason Zimbler]] were competing. However, it did not go well, and the two struggled to play since they did not know about the [[Spin Dash]].<ref name="Prototypes">{{Cite web |first=Heidi |last=Kemps |date=15 July 2020 |title=7 Sonic The Hedgehog Prototypes You Were Never Meant To Play |url=https://kotaku.com/7-sonic-the-hedgehog-prototypes-you-were-never-meant-to-1844382305 |work=Kotaku |accessdate=19 April 2023}}</ref>

As ''Sonic 2'' was Sega's biggest 1992 game, its marketing team sought to make its release be "as much a celebration as it was a product launch", with the company confidently betting big that the game would be a massive success.<ref name="GameInformer" /> In Japan, a VHS titled {{Nihongo|"'''''Sonic Panic'''''"|ソニックパニック|Sonikku Panikku}} was released to promote the title. It started with [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]] being humilliated by [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] and [[Miles "Tails" Prower|Tails]] - a sign of the strong rivalry between Sega and [[Nintendo]] at the time - and featured content such as [[Yuji Naka]] revealing a few details about the development and new features of the game.<ref name="SonicPanic" /> Tails was frequently featured in teasers of the game due to being a new playable character, and promotional posters bore the line "Are you up 2 it?". ''Sonic 2''{{'}}s international box art, featuring Sonic and Tails standing in front of a giant "''2''" with [[Doctor Eggman|Dr. Eggman]] peering over it, was drawn by [[Greg Martin]], who had previously drawn the Western key art for [[Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (8-bit)]]. The Japanese artwork was illustrated by Akira Watanabe, who also made the cover artworks for many of Sega's mainline games at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Ayden_ |date=3 April 2022 |title=L'histoire des boitiers et jaquettes du jeu vidéo : Artistes, mystères et anecdotes |url=https://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/1551322/l-histoire-des-boitiers-et-jaquettes-du-jeu-video-artistes-mysteres-et-anecdotes.html |language=French |publisher=Jeuxvideo.com |accessdate=19 April 2023}}</ref>