Sonic the Hedgehog (Live Arcade)

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 48
  3. Negative: 0 out of 48

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  1. Jipa
    Dec 7, 2014
    7
    This is sonic the hedgehog. The first game in the franchise and it started it pretty well. I hated scrap brain and labyrinth zone but every other stage was good. This is where Sonic started and it ended with Adventure 2.
  2. RedXIII
    Jul 17, 2007
    8
    I am glad they kept this game exactly how it came out all those years ago, it was great then and it is great now. Definitely worth the 400pts, a lot of fun, some of the achieves are hard, but achievements aren't everything.
  3. Aaace5
    Jul 23, 2007
    9
    I've been disappointed with most of the XBLA games, but I am glad Sonic came down the pipe! I give this game a nine not because it's one of the only decent games to come out for Live Arcade, but because I actually had fun with this game after all these years. I can't wait for more games like this to come out. And the price is perfect as well!
  4. JON_RYO
    Oct 18, 2011
    10
    Ah this is where 16 bit sonic began..... A sonic masterpiece, it's these 16 bit (even the 8 bit master system games also) that keep old sonic fans hoping for the release of another sonic classic..... which we might get with Sonic generations. Until then these classic 16 bit sonics are a must buy for any fan and even those who haven't played the old 16 bit games for the price you just can'tAh this is where 16 bit sonic began..... A sonic masterpiece, it's these 16 bit (even the 8 bit master system games also) that keep old sonic fans hoping for the release of another sonic classic..... which we might get with Sonic generations. Until then these classic 16 bit sonics are a must buy for any fan and even those who haven't played the old 16 bit games for the price you just can't go wrong.… Expand
  5. SawnikAdventure
    Dec 12, 2011
    10
    What kind of fool DOESN'T like this game? It is, quite simply, a masterpiece. It shone a LOT more brightly than the 16 bit games around at the time, and honestly, every 16 bit Sonic game WAS the best. Such a shame that the franchise went down hill after Sonic Adventure, so nobody remembers legends like these anymore. Long live this fantastic game.
  6. FreedomFighters
    Mar 4, 2018
    8
    Mario's original "rival," Sega's mascot's first game is often seen as one of the most significant titles of the 16-bit era, as it helped push the "platformer with an animal as the star" type of thing that we still see today, and it's still heralded as one of the best games of all time. While it's not one of my personal favorites, I certainly see the significance of the game and I do agree,Mario's original "rival," Sega's mascot's first game is often seen as one of the most significant titles of the 16-bit era, as it helped push the "platformer with an animal as the star" type of thing that we still see today, and it's still heralded as one of the best games of all time. While it's not one of my personal favorites, I certainly see the significance of the game and I do agree, it's a really enjoyable title.
    "Sonic the Hedgehog" helped push 2D platforming even further back in the day, as it took the idea of a straightforward 2D side-scroller and turned that around, giving us a platformer with more freedom of exploration, thus giving us more than one way to get from point A to point B. Throw in some incredibly lush, detailed environments and a character that runs at the speed of light and you've got a fun, fresh platformer that holds up to this day! The game is still fast, the controls still feel great, the graphics, even after over 20 years, still look magnificent, and the music is fantastically memorable and really great.
    The game does have a few minor flaws, however, that come from the age. Sonic's limited form of combat (he only has a homing attack) makes enemies kind of cumbersome to deal with, the overwhelming difficulty can be a back-breaker to some, and for a game where the point is to go fast, it sometimes feels like it's a bit better to move at a slower, more careful pace. Maybe that's just me, but sometimes, running too fast could too easily lead to death, which doesn't help matters when, again, the difficulty spikes are real.
    All that said, I greatly enjoyed "Sonic the Hedgehog," and even after 26 years, this game is still a blast to play. If you haven't played this classic...well, 1. you haven't lived, 2. you're probably too young and your parents didn't teach you about video games correctly, and 3. you need to fix that.
    Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"    … Expand
  7. yoshistar456
    Mar 19, 2016
    8
    The first game in the franchise, and it's certainly... good. People say this is the best Sonic game out there, but to me, this game is just good. It's a great start to the franchise, but just like the original Super Mario Bros, it's pretty simple. Future titles (Future Classic Titles) are better than this game. If you like Mario, then you're gonna love this game. If you're a Sonic fan likeThe first game in the franchise, and it's certainly... good. People say this is the best Sonic game out there, but to me, this game is just good. It's a great start to the franchise, but just like the original Super Mario Bros, it's pretty simple. Future titles (Future Classic Titles) are better than this game. If you like Mario, then you're gonna love this game. If you're a Sonic fan like me, you may or may not be disappointed after playing Sonic 3&Knuckles or Sonic 2 first.… Expand
  8. JPK
    Aug 19, 2018
    10
    And The Buggest Mascot Rivalry Began
    This Game Is An Undeniable Classic That Lives Up Even To This Day.
  9. MPReviews
    May 6, 2018
    9
    The one that started it all. Not the 2006 game, not the gba game, this is the original sonic the hedgehog for the sega genesis. And it is a fantastic start for the blue blur. The graphics are amazing, being very vibrant and colorful and its one of the best looking games on the system, the music is some of the best I’ve ever heard and in my opinion is the best sound track out of any segaThe one that started it all. Not the 2006 game, not the gba game, this is the original sonic the hedgehog for the sega genesis. And it is a fantastic start for the blue blur. The graphics are amazing, being very vibrant and colorful and its one of the best looking games on the system, the music is some of the best I’ve ever heard and in my opinion is the best sound track out of any sega genesis game, the controls are near perfect, and the game is just a total blast to play. My problems with the game are mostly minor nitpicks, but the one big issue I do have with the game is labyrinth zone, which while not an entirely bad zone, its just too slow and monotonous for me to really enjoy that much. But with that said, sonic the hedgehog gets a 9/10. Its a fantastic game that is one of the best examples that SEGA DOES WAS NINTENDON’T!! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.) Defintely a must play.… Expand
  10. Criti-Wise
    Jul 4, 2019
    9
    A timeless classic for everyone to remember. My only complaint is that some levels just don't feel that great to play.
  11. fuyuyuki
    Sep 15, 2020
    6
    great gameplay and soundtrack but with poor level design that makes a few levels a chore to replay
  12. Resetto
    Sep 6, 2022
    5
    I’ve played the version on Mega Collection for the GameCube, but good God so many of the levels other than Green hill just have waiting and are slow as hell. The core gameplay is good bc it’s a 2D Sonic game, but it is not great
  13. E8BitLuigi
    May 23, 2022
    8
    Sonic The Hedgehog 1 is a pretty timeless platformer and holds up well today. Sonic shows a whole lot of personality in the game, probably even more than Mario in the 8 years he existed up until the release of the original Mega Drive/Genesis game. Enough of that, though, let's get into the actual game. The gameplay is relatively standard for a platformer, main difference being that SonicSonic The Hedgehog 1 is a pretty timeless platformer and holds up well today. Sonic shows a whole lot of personality in the game, probably even more than Mario in the 8 years he existed up until the release of the original Mega Drive/Genesis game. Enough of that, though, let's get into the actual game. The gameplay is relatively standard for a platformer, main difference being that Sonic can go fast, but not as fast as you might think as there is actually a "speedcap" in the game. Anyway you run and jump on enemies, and if you hold while jumping from a high enough distance you can recoil higher than if it wasn't held, which is handy for getting to the end faster. If you collect 50 rings and keep them til the end of a level you have a chance to grab what's known as a Chaos Emerald. And collecting six of them gets you the good ending. Yes, I said six, NOT seven. Now that that's explained, I'll cover each and every zone, First up is Green Hill Zone. And I'm pretty sure we all know about this zone. There's good areas to speed across, and there's good amounts of platforming too. At the end of act 3 we get introduced to the main villain of the game, Dr. Robotnik/Eggman. (Unless you read the manual or something) It's a pretty easy boss, jump up and hit him without getting hit by the swinging boulder. Next up is Marble Zone which is fairly controversial. I don't dislike it as much as others do, but I still don't really love it. Hardly any speed sections and is just slow and tedious. Spring Yard Zone is next Andy this is a much better Zone than the last, it has a decent amount of speed Andy platforming with a new stage gimmick being these bumpers which bounce you away from them. There's also these elevator kinda things that go up and down that can crush you if you're not careful. Then we are on to Labyrinth Zone and oh boy, if this isn't the definition of a bad Sonic level I don't know what is. This is literally just Marble Zone electric boogaloo except its worse than Marble because it's a damn water level. Why is that so bad? Well Sonic's speed literally disappears if you go into the water making you slow to a crawl. And there are so many hazards and very little air bubbles to keep you alive, which is what makes you survive underwater. But after that we get to Starlight Zone which is one of my favourites. There's a new stage gimmick with a seesaw and a spike that can bounce you up and down depending on what side of the platform you're on. These are used for a really cool boss at the end of the act which might just be my favourite in the game. You use the seesaws to either launch spikes at Robotnik or launch yourself up to him. And now we are at the last Zone of the game, Scrap Brain Zone, which for some odd reason is kinda one of my favourites. Can't put my finger on it though. There are lots of hazards exactly like Labyrinth Zone except this time you're not as slow as a snail so you can actually avoid them. One of the new hazards are these fire spitting pipes that are in the ground you have to avoid. Then we get to act 3 which is Labyrinth Zone all over again. It's really bad, barely any air bubbles to keep you alive for long. Fortunately there's a shortcut you can take for a much quicker path if you ran ahead fast enough. Then we get to the Final Boss, aka Final "Zone" Which is honestly not that challenging as long as you react quick enough. And that's Sonic The Hedgehog. I liked it a lot from start to finish and it's aged pretty well. It was a really solid start for the series and I doubt they couldn't have done any better for the hedgehogs first outing. Overall, It's an 8 out of 10 for me.… Expand
  14. FireBroFilms
    Aug 15, 2022
    7
    ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎
  15. LittleSticker
    Aug 26, 2022
    10
    the first game I ever beat
    the game that made me the tall, handsome, charismatic, gigachad, smart, sexy, kind and loving man I am today
  16. SonicFan20
    Sep 6, 2022
    8
    The Beginning. Of An Icon

    Very Good Starting point. Sonic 1 is a very good Game. But you should start with Sonic 2 because Its Better,Faster,And Easier For Starter Players. Sonic 1 Has You Explore Through Labyrinths, Green Hills, Yards Made Out Of Springs, And Many More. Its Very Good. Amazing Physics And Sprites. Lush Environments. And Amazing Soundtrack. The First Sonic Game Is    The Beginning. Of An Icon

    Very Good Starting point. Sonic 1 is a very good Game. But you should start with Sonic 2 because Its Better,Faster,And Easier For Starter Players. Sonic 1 Has You Explore Through Labyrinths, Green Hills, Yards Made Out Of Springs, And Many More. Its Very Good. Amazing Physics And Sprites. Lush Environments. And Amazing Soundtrack. The First Sonic Game Is Amazing. But Get Sonic 1 Forever On PC Becauase They Delisted This One But I Got It Before It Was Delisted. I Give It a 8/10    … Expand
  17. Robot2000K
    Mar 16, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This Game is almost perfect, let me explain, I will complain about Labyrinth yes, but this game is great, Green Hill is great, the zone is fast and fun with unique enemy’s such as the Buzzy Bombers. I won’t go in to depth of course but the zone is a almost perfect introduction zone and shown why SEGA was a enemy to Nintendo. But then it’s Marble Zone it’s slow and miserable compared to Green Hill the platforming is slow and a redeeming quality though is that you can explore the underground a bit and the boss drops fire balls on top of you. Spring Yard is fast and is fun, the vertical platforming is fun and challenging. No less there’s a creative enemy by the name of spike who is a hermit crab and the boss removes blocks to make you fall. Labyrinth is a questionable zone which annoying traps, enemy’s, and a annoying boss. But another redeeming part is Star Light, a perfect zone it has great music that is chill, there is platforming but it won’t make you rage, plus the boss is creative and you have to use the see-saw to attack him. Finally we have Scrap Brain a decent zone it is somewhat mediocre zone it has good difficulty level but guess who’s back, Labyrinth zone it’s not fun. But finally Eggman has the the ultimate device he try’s to flatten you or kill you with electricity and once you finish him the ending plays the game is done. 7/10… Expand

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2007
58
#58 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2007
84
#84 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Eurogamer
    90
    For your 400 points you get an absolute nailed-down classic that is, in many respects, just as much fun today as it was back when it was released.
    Read full review
  2. IGN
    74
    This isn't the best of the side-scrolling Sonic games, but it still plays great. Even after all these years, I get a thrill running through the old, familiar levels. It's a shame that SEGA and Backbone didn't think to add any bonuses for longtime fans.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    70
    It's still Sonic the Hedgehog, and though it's not quite the quintessential Sonic experience, it's still a classic.
    Read full review
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