Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Sonic the Hedgehog 2!
One of the main criticisms of the first Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The sequel was set to include many more aspects of the Sonic franchise rather than the basic structure that the first film provided. Now that Sonic 2 is out, the film has delivered on the first movie's promise, being much closer to the games.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 picks up with Dr. Eggman finally escaping the Mushroom Planet, an alien world he was stranded on by Sonic at the Sonic the Hedgehog. Through an elaborate plan, Eggman enlists Knuckles to help him return to Earth, with the promise of finding the all-powerful Master Emerald and finally defeating the titular blue blur. With the help of his newfound friend Tails, Sonic once again has to defeat Eggman and his new sidekick in order to save his family and his world.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 delivers the promise by including things like more new characters that were absent from the first film, such as Tails, Knuckles, and the Master Emerald. It even uses the same voice actress for Tails that the games do, Colleen O'Shaughnessey. Sonic 2 also fixes elements that were present in the original, such as fine-tuning Sonic's personality and giving Dr. Eggman a much more accurate design. With the introduction of Tails and Eggman's new design during the first 's ending, the film promised a more game-accurate sequel, something that Sonic 2 definitely pulled off.
Not only was Sonic 2 more accurate on a surface level, but things like the plot were closer to that of a Sonic game as well. The film revolves around the characters searching for the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds inside it. While the Master Emerald works differently, searching for these emeralds has been the plot of almost every Sonic game, and Sonic 2 clearly took inspiration from that. One thing Sonic 2 changed from the first movie to make it more accurate was its incorporation of the human characters. Tom and Maddie, the human couple Sonic lives with, played a very central role in the first Sonic. In Sonic 2, though, they are mostly sidelined (with the exception of a few scenes. The movie places a much bigger emphasis on Sonic, Eggman, and the other animated characters, all of which are beloved elements from the games.
Sonic 3. In Sonic 2's finale, the trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles do a Sonic Heroes-style fight against Robotnik's Death Egg, a popular boss from the games. After this, the Master Emerald breaks, sending the Chaos Emeralds flying away. Instead of only going for one emerald, Sonic 3 may be a globe-trotting race to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds, which is directly done in the games. The film also sets up Shadow the Hedgehog and GUN, promising a backstory ripped straight out of Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is far more accurate to the original games than its predecessor, setting up a future for the franchise that pays tribute to the video games in many big ways.
