Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game) Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game) The game's development began in 1990 when Sega ordered its in-house development team to create a game featuring a mascot for the company. After considering a number of suggestions, the developers decided on a blue hedgehog with spikes along his head and spine and named themselves "Sonic Team" to match their character. "Sonic the Hedgehog", designed for fast gameplay, was influenced by the games of "Super Mario" series creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. "Sonic the Hedgehog" uses a novel technique that allows Sonic's sprite to roll along curved scenery, which originated in a tech demo created
Sonic the Hedgehog player to control him in a limited fashion. This game also introduced Sonic's "spin dash" maneuver, an ability which allows Sonic to burst forwards quickly from a complete standstill, unlike the previous game, where Sonic could only gain speed with momentum. "Sonic 2" was followed in 1993 by an arcade game, "SegaSonic the Hedgehog", featuring new characters Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. The next console game, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", was released in 1994. The game introduced a temporary shield maneuver, often called the "insta-shield", added new shield types to the series, and allowed Tails to be