Sega removed Sonic the Hedgehog – the worst Sonic game 10 years ago, but now it’s back on Xbox 360.
There was a time when Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the first video game franchises in the industry, with each installment selling well and receiving rave reviews from critics. That changed in 2006 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, a disaster often considered one of the worst Sonic games ever made, but also one of the best. Worst game ever created.
Sonic the Hedgehog – also known as Sonic 06 to distinguish it from the original game, was made by a relatively small team of developers at Sonic Team and rushed to the shelves so it could be released in time for the holiday season. . The end result is a mess of bugs with unwieldy camera angles and a host of other issues that make it unplayable in some cases. It was a flaw on Sonic the Hedgehog that some have said caused permanent damage to the green hedgehog’s reputation, but now it’s back, in limited numbers.
In an effort to make the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom forget about Sonic 06, Sega removed the game from digital stores along with other poorly reviewed Sonic games in an attempt to improve the brand’s image. But for unknown reasons, Sonic 06 is back on at least one digital storefront, more than a decade after it was initially delisted.
As spotted by Sonic Stadium, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 is now back on the Xbox 360 market and is now available for digital purchase. It’s not clear why this is so, and it’s quite possible that it was by mistake. After all, this wouldn’t be the first time Xbox has accidentally relied on games it shouldn’t have for purchase, and since Sonic 06 isn’t backwards compatible with newer Xbox consoles, that seems like the most likely explanation.
Then again, maybe this was a deliberate move by Microsoft at Sega’s request. Perhaps the company decided that over 10 years was long enough for Sonic the Hedgehog to forget how Sonic 06 burned them and might no longer be interested in keeping it hidden from the public. The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is currently enjoying a lot of goodwill thanks to the well-received Sonic the Hedgehog movies, so perhaps Sega no longer has concerns about Sonic 06 tarnishing the brand’s reputation.
Any Xbox 360 gamer looking to experience Sonic 06 for whatever reason should buy it while it’s still available in stores, as it’s unlikely to last long in the market. In the meantime, those interested in the new Sonic the Hedgehog gaming experience have Sonic Frontiers to look forward to later this year.
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