Sonic the Hedgehog different media including animation, comic books, and a Hollywood film. The first "Sonic" game, "Sonic the Hedgehog", is a platform game released in 1991. Players control the anthropomorphic blue hedgehog Sonic, who can run and jump at high speeds using springs, ramps, and loops. Sonic must stop Dr. Robotnik from taking over the world using the Chaos Emeralds. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (1992) increased the overall size and speed of the series' gameplay and was the second best-selling Genesis game. It introduced Sonic's sidekick and best friend, Miles "Tails" Prower, who followed Sonic throughout the game, and allowed a second
Sonic the Hedgehog of the Mario and Sonic crossover games. The first, "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games", was released in late 2007, and featured characters from both series competing in Olympic-themed mini-games. Its sequel, "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games", was released in October 2009, and featured an emphasis on winter-based sports. "", a spin-off released in September 2008, was a turn-based role playing game developed by BioWare. During this timeframe, Sega took the franchise in a number of different directions. First was "Sonic the Hedgehog", which was released in November 2006 for the Xbox 360 and December 2006