"Sonic the Hedgehog" was praised by critics, with scores above 90% from most video game magazines at the time. It was considered Sega's answer to Nintendo's widely popular "Mario" series, as it was a platformer featuring the company's mascot. Paul Rand of "Computer and Video Games" compared the two in depth and characterized "Sonic the Hedgehog" as being faster, with brighter colors, and "Super Mario World" as having more "depth of play". Frank Ladoire of "" believed "Sonic the Hedgehog" was part of a new generation of games that demonstrate that the Genesis is capable of "beautiful things" in the technical department.