Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the greatest game I never played. I love it because,
1. Having never played this game, nor seen screenshots of it, I lack the knowledge of what this game looks like, allowing me to envision a stunningly colorful and rich world stylized to make itself unique and tight controls which allow 2D and 3D perspective switching to create a seamlessly smooth environment.
2. I do not know what the music is for this game but I can imagine its a thrilling orchestral piece, which stunned the world by utilizing blast processing to bring in realistic musical sounds instead of midi's or 8-bit solely. Heavy precession and soulful piano pieces blend with electric guitars to create as soundtrack for the ages.
3. While no doubt a departure from the first game, the integration of fully voice characters delivered a massive step up from previous games of that decade. Enlisting the voice talents of such actors as Mark Hamill and Elizabeth Daily lending their voice to Sonic and Amy is spot on, and Garry Chalks Eggman was surprisngly menancing even by todays standards.
4. The Entire water sequence in which I imagine sonic liberated an atlantis archetype from eggmans hold was astondingly deep, bringing up the philisophical question of subservience to evil in the face of destruction. Despite the boss battle at the end of the cities destruction, the deep moral questioning of player choice is not diminished.
5. It wasn't Sonic Boom or Sonic 06, nor did it involve shadow trying to assassinate the president.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2