Let's face it: Sonic was created by Sega as an answer to Super Mario and never quite achieved the genius in level design and addictive simplicity of Nintendo's mascot. But it was a terrific platformer with a lot of charm and style. And it was cutting-edge back in 1991. For a lot of '90s kids with a brand new Genesis/Mega Drive system, this game felt like having an arcade at home: The colorful design, the bright colors, the distinctly japanese kawaii sensibility... And of course, it had a well-thought platforming system that incorporated fun elements like speed, pinball-like contraptions, and the original way of managing death: Sonic loses all rings when damaged (but does not die), and you have a chance to recover some of those same rings.