Here’s the third part of LMC staff’s trip down memory lane for their own, personal, Top 5 Sonic The Hedgehog moments. Our next selection comes from our prolific Let’s Play creator Turbo, who starts with a game he rather wants to forget.

Turbo’s Selection

(Editor: AKA “Parade – Past Memories” from SONIC  06)

Now how can I put something from [REDACTED] in this list? Granted we all want to forget [REDACTED] but even after all the pain and suffering that I endured through it all I still found some redemption when seeing Sonic in the last shot in the last cutscene of the game where Sonic stands on a rooftop looking up at the moon and as he stares up the shot fades to black. This shot is kinda poetic being that Sonic has gone through all that crap (which was all erased by the way) and stands tall in the moonlight to indicate that he will stand strong no matter what happens (which is still the case to this day with all the different games and universes that he goes through).

Bottom line I love this shot and made me forget everything that happened in [REDACTED].

It’s a little low on this list but because if I separated every Super Sonic moment that could be a top 5 in its own right. Though in there whole series nothing invokes power much like Super Sonic, granted this idea for Super Sonic is “inspired” by another franchise I like but when seeing a blue fast running hedgehog turn into a shining golden faster moving hedgehog whats not to like.

From his conception in Sonic 2 to his appearance in Sonic Lost World Super Sonic is the ultimate power up to Sonic’s arsenal it’s even his final smash in Super Smash Bros Brawl (and SSB for Wii U and 3DS) and there is even some kick ass music to accommodate his transformations and Super Sonic Bosses.

There has been many characters that has been introduced to the series some that aid the blue blur like Tails and Knuckles and some that are just there to be annoying like Marine or Charmy Bee but there is one character that was introduced to the series to team up with Sonic that I felt is one of my favs and I wish could be used more often in the series to help Sonic and friends. Blaze the Cat introduced in Sonic Rush for the DS brought some “flare” to the female roster of characters (Ed: *Slaps*)  ….Sorry.

Blaze was the first female character that I really though was as cool as Sonic if not even more cool, with her power over fire, her righteous nature and the only female character to have their very own super form being that of Burning Blaze (which is invoked by using the power of the Sol Emeralds). Granted the games she is featured in as a playable can be viewed as bad fan fiction, especially [REDACTED] but regardless I still love Blaze and I wish she could have been used more in the main series but I am not holding my breath think Sonic Team will bring her back, just got to appreciate with what I have I guess.

The game that celebrated Sonic’s 20th anniversary has got to be one of the best moments in The History of Sonic (see what I did there? :P). A game that took all that was good about the series as a whole from both the original

OK this is me kinda cheating from the rules of this list but rules are made to be broken.

See if it wasn’t for Sonic I wouldn’t have all the great moments with being part of a community that can put together some entertaining stuff (like Sonic Paradox’s Sonic Shorts series) me doing Turbo Drive Live on SEGA Sonic Radio and the crown jewel that is the ultimate community driven event Summer of Sonic where I got to be better friends with the likes of Kevin (AAUK), Adam (T-Bird), Svend (Dreadknux), Josh (Urtheart), Phil (Vger) and many more and of course all the moments at SoS will be moments that will last forever.

Max Firestorm’s Selection

When tasked with deciding their personal Top 5 Sonic the Hedgehog moments many of the staff asked what limits there were on it. For instance was it only the games? Was it only official items? Could fan sites, fan conventions or even fan games make an appearance? Max Firestorm muses at a top five which includes two of the latter.

Caution, contains spoilers for games.

This might seem a bit of a strange one… A title screen as a “top moment”? Well, it’s rather easy to explain, to be honest. It may not exactly be a top moment for anyone else, but this is the most important moment for me as a Sonic fan.

Why?

Because this was the FIRST moment. Sonic 1 on the Master System was the very first Sonic game I ever played all those years ago and I make an effort to replay that particular game every so often. So.. While it may not be as exciting as other moments I’ll be putting on this list, it’s certainly the most memorable.

If there’s one thing I really enjoy in Sonic games, it’s breaking apart all of Eggman/Robotnik’s little toys, then breaking apart a much bigger one at the end of each Zone or Act, depending on the game… With the more recent games boasting Boss Rush modes (Most memorable to me of these being Sonic Adventure 2’s All Boss Mode), I get more and more of a boss beatdown fix…

But imagine my surprise when I discovered that Eggman Hates Furries, while… Strangely titled… Is almost entirely a Boss Rush… And not just ANY Boss Rush.

It’s a Boss Rush on STEROIDS.

Granted, you have the usual fare of standard bosses; giant wheels, large drills, huge helicopter-driven claws.

But then you get some pretty amazing things near the end, even going so far as to giving Eggman a Super Form. No. I’m not making that up.

As previously mentioned, I LOVE boss fights, but there’s very few in my opinion that stack up to Doomsday Zone in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

For a start, the music is incredible; such that I keep finding myself randomly humming it every so often without realising it… Then of course, there’s the fight itself. Super (or Hyper) Sonic charging through space in pursuit of Robotnik after he stole the Master Emerald, taking down his escape craft, only to find he’s managing to escape AGAIN and Sonic having to charge after that too. It’s a damn good fight, in my opinion, and easily the best of the Classic Era.

I recently re-bought Sonic Rush after selling off my copy when I sold my old DSi a few years ago. Now that I have a 3DS, I managed to find Rush quite cheap in GAME alongside its sequel, Sonic Rush Adventure, so I snapped up both and immediately set about playing them in order.

After a few hours of gaming (and a lot of swearing at Altitude Limit), I reached the final “story” and powered through it…

Then was suddenly hit by a wave of FEELS at the last cutscene.

You see, I’d completely forgotten how feels-inducing that scene is. Replaying it again was a casual reminder (and thorough kick to the balls) that sometimes this series DOES have its emotional moments. In my opinion, this is one of the most emotion filled moments in the entire Sonic series. Plus… Ya know… The music doesn’t help you feel any better either…

As much as I would love to just leave the music to this fight here and just be done with it, I apparently have to justify WHY this is my number one moment in Sonic. Though why the music isn’t justification enough, I’ll never know…

Coming off the back of the final boss of the game, you’re rather unceremoniously flung from the battlefield and towards certain death to the ending theme from Sonic 2. But wait… What’s this…? A seventh Chaos Emerald just so happens to be streaking across the sky at the exact same moment? It shows you that using the power of both it and the six other Chaos Emeralds still in your possession from the end of Sonic 1, you can transform?

Well, sure… Why not, it’s certainly less convoluted than some other things we’ve seen in the Sonic series.

Looking at you, Sonic ‘06.

Regardless, Sonic unleashes that power, the Sonic 2 ending theme transforming into a kick-ass version of itself before you charge off to face the extra boss of the game, still accompanied by that incredible music, though now mixed with the main theme of the game. You don’t have to take my word on how awesome this is, you can watch it for yourself right here.