Editing Sonic the Hedgehog series (section)

==Common features==
These are elements present in most ''Sonic'' video games since the series' creation.

===Rings===
{{main|Rings}}

===Giant Rings===
{{main|Giant Ring}}
A variety of the normal Rings, the '''Giant Rings''' are hidden in the games' stages and designed to be jumped through, which would transport the character to a [[Special Stage]], where the character could collect one of the [[Chaos Emerald]]s or, in certain circumstances, [[Super Emerald]]s. They were used for this purpose in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]] [[Sonic & Knuckles|& Knuckles]]''. ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' used the [[Star Post]]s instead. In [[Sonic 3 & Knuckles|''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'']]'','' if all the Emeralds had already been found, these Rings would be collected as a normal one, granting 50 normal Rings each, allowing the characters to immediately tap into the power of the Chaos Emeralds (usually becoming [[Super transformation|Super]], or [[Super transformation|Hyper]] in ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' if the player has collected all the [[Super Emerald|Super Emeralds]] as well). Since ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]],'' they have taken the place of the old [[Goal Plate]] as the end level marker and touching it would end the stage.

===Shuttle loops===
{{main|Shuttle Loop}}
Shuttle loops are circular loop-de-loops of unknown origin that the player runs through as part of the main path during a stage. While the player will often be required to input quick acceleration to get through them in the 2D games, this is often not the case in 3D installments, as the character will usually be launched into them with a set speed once they get near the structure, generally not allowing to backtrack the level.
[[File:SFSBChaosEmeraldsArtwork.PNG|thumb|202x202px|The seven Chaos Emeralds, from ''[[Sonic Forces: Speed Battle]].'']]

===Chaos Emeralds===
{{main|Chaos Emerald}}
The '''Chaos Emeralds''' are seven emeralds with mystical powers which are a recurring feature in ''Sonic'' games. They are important in most of the games' plots, and the player is often required to collect them all to fully defeat Dr. Eggman, and achieve the games' "good endings", [[Super transformation|Super form]]s, or both. The method used to acquire the Emeralds varies from game to game in the series. Most early games require the player to find them in [[Special Stage]]s. In some games, such as ''[[Sonic R]]'' and the 8-bit versions of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', they can be found in hidden locations within the main levels. In later installment games, the Chaos Emeralds are usually obtained by the characters throughout the games' story modes and do not need to be "found" by the player themselves.

A counterpart to the Chaos Emeralds, known as the [[Sol Emerald]]s, appear in the ''Sonic Rush'' games.

In ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', it is possible for the seven Chaos Emeralds to be enhanced and possess even greater power, which they will become the [[Super Emerald|Super Emeralds]].

===Master Emerald ===
[[File:Master Emerald Runners.png|thumb|244x244px|The Master Emerald, from ''[[Sonic Runners]]''.]]
[[File:SonicTailsKnucklesHPZ.PNG|thumb|right|[[Doctor Eggman|Dr. Robotnik]] steals the [[Master Emerald]] to power his [[Death Egg]], from ''[[Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]''.|181x181px]]
{{main|Master Emerald}}
The '''Master Emerald''' resides in a shrine on [[Angel Island]] and is guarded by [[Knuckles the Echidna]]; it contains an infinite amount of power, much greater than the seven Chaos Emeralds themselves, and is used to keep the Angel Island afloat in the sky. This giant, powerful green Emerald also has the power to fully control everything that the Chaos Emeralds do, including the ability to negate the energy of the Chaos Emeralds, as seen in ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' and ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]'', or [[Super Emerald|empower]] them, as seen in ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles''. The Master Emerald can also be used to power mechanical devices, and has been coveted by Dr. Robotnik since his discovery of it. The doctor once used the Master Emerald to power the [[Death Egg]] after stealing it from Knuckles in ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles''. During Knuckles' final boss fight in said title, [[Mecha Sonic Mark II]] powers up using the Master Emerald into a [[Super Mecha Sonic Mark II|short-lived Super State]]. In earlier media, the Master Emerald was sometimes called an "eighth Chaos Emerald", but this association has been lessened in later games, making it a separate but related entity. 

While it was featured prominently in earlier games, more recent entries have diminished the number of appearances of the Master Emerald.

===Special Stages===
{{main|Special Stage}}
Usually, a Chaos Emerald may be earned in a '''Special Stage''' or '''Special Zone'''. Special Stages usually take place in surreal environments and features alternate gameplay mechanics to the standard platforming of the main levels: the 16-bit ''Sonic the Hedgehog '' consisted of a giant rotating maze (which many considered a major technical achievement);<ref>{{Cite journal|date=September 2001|title=The making of... Sonic The Hedgehog|journal=[[wikipedia:Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|issue=101|pages=121|accessdate=9 February 2007|quote='''[[Yuji Naka]]''': ...the Mega Drive allowed this stunning demonstration of rotation during the bonus stages. This was said to be impossible on the hardware at the time.}}</ref> ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', ''[[Sonic 3D Blast]]'', ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'' and ''[[Sonic Rush]]'' featured "in your face" segments with the hedgehog running along a long tunnel, with a variant of this used for ''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]'', ''[[Sonic Advance]]'', and ''[[Sonic Advance 3]]''; 3D "collect items" levels, as in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' ''[[Sonic & Knuckles|&amp; Knuckles]]'', which used the same perspective but had Sonic collecting all the [[Blue Sphere|blue-colored orbs]] on the surface of a giant sphere and a different version, the 3D ring-collecting Special Stage, used in ''[[Sonic Advance 2]]''. ''[[Sonic Chaos]]'' (''Sonic & Tails'' in Japan) utilized a variety of gimmicks for its levels.

Some games include Special Stages, but not as a means of collecting Chaos Emeralds. As the Emeralds of the 8-bit version of ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' were hidden in the main stages, the game's spring-filled Special Stages were used to obtain [[1-Up]]s and [[Continue]]s. Similarly, ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]] [[Sonic & Knuckles|&amp; Knuckles]]'', in addition to their main Special Stages, featured entirely optional [[Bonus Stage]]s, one of which combined the rotating maze of the 16-bit ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' with the pinball gambling of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]],'' and ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'' had an alternate Special Stage for earning lots of extra lives, very much like the one in which Chaos Emeralds are collected, but with the objective being to get to the Goal Ring before time ran out, rather than catching up to the Chaos Emerald at the end of the tunnel.

Just as the design of the Special Stages has changed, so has the means of accessing them. In ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', [[Giant Ring]]s were hidden in levels to take the player to the Stages, but most other titles involve the collection of a certain number of rings, usually fifty. In both the 8 and 16-bit versions of ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', they were reached by finishing a level with more than fifty Rings; the player would then have to jump inside the giant ring that would appear just after the goal post. In the 16-bit ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', reaching a Star Post when they held this number would create a warp of stars which would take a player to the Special Stage when jumped through. ''[[Sonic 3D Blast]]'' required the player to deliver rings to [[Knuckles the Echidna|Knuckles]] and [[Miles "Tails" Prower|Tails]], who could be found within each level. ''[[Sonic Chaos]]'' changed the figure, with access to a Special Stage being the reward for collecting a hundred Rings, although only when playing as Sonic.

===Super transformation ===
{{main|Super transformation}}
[[File:Sonic Art Assets DVD - Super Sonic - 1.png|200px|thumb|[[Super Sonic]]]]
Since the 16-bit version of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'', Sonic has had the ability to transform into the faster and practically invulnerable '''Super Sonic''' once all seven Chaos Emeralds are collected. After that, Super Sonic can be used in any of the following levels once fifty rings have been collected, although one ring is lost for every second Sonic remains in this empowered form.

In the ''Sonic Adventure'' titles, the Special Stages were omitted entirely and Chaos Emeralds were collected in non-interactive cutscenes as part of the story, with Super Sonic only appearing in the climactic final boss fight. This received criticism by many fans, who appreciated the additional replay value offered by retrying a game's Zone levels with Super Sonic's additional advantageous abilities as seen in the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games. Despite several games since returning to the emerald-collecting of the 2D platform titles (including the ''Sonic Advance'' series, ''Sonic Heroes'', and ''Sonic Rush''), Super Sonic was again only playable at the end of the game. <!-- I don't have a source for this next line, so commenting it out until I do: When confronted with the question as to why this was, all Naka would say was "The fans like it better this way." -->

However, ''[[Sonic Colors]]'' and ''[[Sonic Lost World]]'' returned the ability to access a super transformation in normal levels. They were also some of the few recent games to omit a Super transformation from the final boss battle.

Other characters have also been able to utilize the super transformation. In ''Sonic & Knuckles'', [[Knuckles the Echidna]] could also transform into '''[[Super Knuckles]]'''. By locking-on ''Sonic & Knuckles'' to ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'', '''[[Hyper Sonic]]''', '''[[Hyper Tails]]''' and '''[[Hyper Knuckles]]''' also become available, by collecting all seven Super Emeralds in addition to the seven Chaos Emeralds. In the collection game ''[[Sonic Origins]]'', ''[[Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]'' is only available in the locked-on form. This collection added [[Super Tails]] to the game, which is the super transformation of Tails as seen in ''Sonic Heroes''. In ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]'', '''[[Super Shadow]]''' also appeared at the end of the Last Story, who fought alongside Super Sonic to destroy the [[Biolizard]], and he himself fought [[Black Doom]] in ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog (game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]''. In ''[[Sonic Rush]]'' and ''[[Sonic Rush Adventure]]'', '''[[Burning Blaze]]''' appears for the extra boss, similar to the end of ''Sonic Adventure 2''. She uses the term "Burning" instead of "Super" as she uses the [[Sol Emerald]]s instead of the Chaos Emeralds. In [[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006)]], '''[[Super Silver]]''' appears along with Super Sonic and Super Shadow.

A feature unique to Sonic is his ability to use super transformations using different sources of power other than the Chaos Emeralds, each with its own unique abilities. For ''[[Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'', Sonic used the World Rings to become '''[[Darkspine Sonic]]'''. In ''[[Sonic Unleashed]]'', Sonic had the ability to turn into '''[[Sonic the Werehog]]''' from the power of [[Dark Gaia]]. In ''[[Sonic and the Black Knight]]'', Sonic transforms into '''[[Excalibur Sonic]]''' using the power of the sacred swords. Unlike the traditional Super States, however, Sonic is not invincible in those forms. In ''[[Sonic Prime]]'', Sonic harness the [[Prism Energy]] from the [[Paradox Prism]] to transform into [[Shatter Sonic|'''Shatter Sonic''']]. In ''[[Sonic Frontiers]]'', Sonic learns to control his [[Cyber corruption]] and use it to transform into an evolved Super form named [[Super Sonic 2|'''Starfall Super Sonic''']]. He later goes all out and completely harness the Cyber corruption briefly becoming [[Super Sonic Cyber|'''Super Sonic Cyber''']].