Editing Sonic the Hedgehog series (section)

==Reception and legacy==
The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series became an instant success, both commercially and critically, throughout the videogame industry. During its first decade of existence, it hit a mega-sensation and became one of the most popular media franchises worldwide, rivalling and drawing comparisons to Nintendo's ''[[Mario]]'', which had made a similar impact in the 1980s. Sega, capitalizing on this success, also made ''Sonic'' venture outside video games and into other media, such as television shows, comic book series, films, and [[List of toy companies|toys]]. Sale estimates for the ''Sonic'' series range from 80 to 100+ million copies sold through the span of its history; this figure amounts to a total of 350 million when counting mobile downloads and purchases, reaching the list of best-selling video game series. In 2020, [[Sega Sammy Holdings|Sega Sammy]] revealed in their annual investors report that the franchise has sold over 1.14 billion cumulative units, including physical sales and downloads.

The series has gained international recognition for its music, covering a wide variety of genres including rock, pop, metal, ska, hip hop, ambient and orchestral. The online publication ''Tom's Guide'' wrote that "from ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2|Sonic 2]]'', to ''[[Sonic and the Secret Rings|Secret Rings]]'', to ''[[Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity|Zero Gravity]]'', to ''[[Sonic Mania Plus|Mania Plus]]'', Sonic's always brought an S-Rank performance to his games' musical stylings".<ref>{{Cite web |first = Robert |last = Carnevale |date = 29 August 2018 |title = The 16 Best Video Game Soundtracks |url = https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/1561-best-video-game-soundtracks.html |work = Tom's Guide |accessdate = 7 October 2023}}</ref> The music of [[Green Hill|Green Hill Zone]] has been described as one of the most memorable melodies in pop culture and one of the greatest of all time,<ref>{{Cite web |first = Carl |last = Anka |date = 22 December 2015 |title = The 10 Best Video Game Soundtracks Of All Time |url = https://sabotagetimes.com/life/halo-4-10-other-great-original-videogame-soundtracks |work = Sabotage Times |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081506/https://sabotagetimes.com/life/halo-4-10-other-great-original-videogame-soundtracks |archivedate = 29 July 2018 |accessdate = 7 October 2023}}</ref> with ''GamesRadar+'' noting that remixes of the track are continuously released on YouTube to this day.<ref>{{Cite web |first = Justin |last = Towell |date = 16 April 2008 |title = Sonic's 2D classics re-reviewed: Page 4 |url = https://www.gamesradar.com/sonics-2d-classics-re-reviewed/4/ |work = GamesRadar+ |accessdate = 7 October 2023}}</ref> The soundtrack of [[Star Light Zone]] was one of nineteen tracks from popular Japanese video game franchises to be used during [[Wikipedia:2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|the opening ceremony]] of the [[Wikipedia:2020 Summer Olympics|2020 Summer Olympics]] in Tokyo, Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |first = Michael |last = McWhertor |date = July 23, 2021 |title = Olympics 2021 Opening Ceremony: Tokyo Olympics video game music list |url = https://www.polygon.com/22590146/olympics-2020-games-athletes-parade-of-nations-video-game-music-dragon-quest-kingdom-hearts |work = Polygon |accessdate = 7 October 2023}}</ref>

Through its history, the ''Sonic'' franchise has been nominated and won several awards as well. It won "'''Outstanding Contribution'''" by the Golden Joystick, the first ever to win that prize. The franchise also got onto the '''Walk of Game,''' and has had several graphic, gameplay, sound, and "game of the year" accolades per year. It was awarded seven records by the ''Guinness World Records'' in Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. The records include "'''Best Selling Game on Sega Systems'''", "'''Longest Running Comic Based on a Video Game'''" and "'''Best Selling Retro Game Compilation'''" (for ''[[Sonic Mega Collection]]''). In the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2010, the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series was listed number '''15 out of the top 50 videogame franchises'''. In December 2006, IGN ranked ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' as the '''19th greatest series of all time''', claiming that "although recent 3D entries in the series have been somewhat lacking, there is no denying the power of this franchise".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/749/749077p2.html|date=07 December 2006|title=The Top 25 Videogame Franchises|publisher=[[Wikipedia:IGN|IGN]]|accessdate=03 October 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207162233/http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/749/749077p2.html|archivedate=07 December 2006}}</ref>

Besides this praise, the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series has attracted criticism, especially in recent years. A common complaint has been that the variant gameplay styles found in recent three-dimensional titles have strayed from the original formula of the series. Specifically, the series' jump to 3D has been noted as a declining point. A strong point of controversy also hits the ''Sonic'' fanbase, claimed to be particularly "annoying" by several people. In late 2010, Sega de-listed ''Sonic'' titles with "mixed" or "negative" scores in review aggregator Metacritic, such as the poorly received [[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006)]], in order to increase the value of the ''Sonic'' brand after positive reception for games such as ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 4]]'' and ''[[Sonic Colors]]''. Some video game magazines and critics have also been very critical of the franchise.{{Citation needed}}

Despite some of its more scathing contenders, the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series still maintains a global position in the gaming world, continuing to perform well commercially, and with a very supportive fanbase that has continued to run strong up to this day.{{Citation needed}}