Sonic the Hedgehog 2 GENESIS

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is Sega’s 1992 sequel, developed by a joint Japanese-American Sonic Team and released as a system-seller aimed squarely at outselling Nintendo’s holiday lineup that year. It introduces Miles “Tails” Prower as a second playable character who can fly and swim, opening up a two-player split-screen race mode alongside the single-player campaign.

Its centerpiece addition was the Spin Dash, letting Sonic build speed from a standstill instead of needing a running start — a move that became a series staple from this point forward. Backed by a marketing push built around “Sonic 2sday,” a coordinated simultaneous worldwide release date, it became one of the best-selling Genesis games ever made.