This article is about first Sonic game and the series that followed.
For Sonic the character, see Sonic.
Sonic the Hedgehog was Sega's answer to Nintendo's Mario 3 and Super Mario World, and ignited an intense mascot rivalry between Sonic and Mario that lasted for more than a decade. The series was represented in the Game Contest of 2004 by Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but it wasn't represented particularly well; Mario World blew it out of the water in the second round of the tourney. There was a push to have 2D Sonic represented by Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in the next Game Contest, which most hoped would fare better. It didn't.
The classic Sonic series was also involved in the Series Contest of 2006, where it looked strong in blowing out Devil May Cry before running into a brick wall named Super Smash Bros. Initially SSB's easy win was considered a disappointment for Sonic, but after SSB shocked the world in the following matchup by going toe to toe with Super Mario Bros., Sonic ended up looking great in the X-Stats, even better than his blue rival Mega Man.