If you love to play video games and if you grew up in the 90s, you probably know who Sonic The Hedgehog is. He's the fastest thing alive, the "Blue Blur," and he's friendly... yet cocky as well at some points! Sonic made his debut back in June 23, 1991 with his game "Sonic the Hedgehog" on the Sega Genesis, a 16-bit console system made by Sega, and it revolutionized the world of gaming at the time. Not only it sold millions of copies worldwide and was bundled in with ever Genesis sold, but it also started the biggest rivalry in video game history, Sonic vs. Mario/Nintendo vs. Sega, and it still continues today. Which of the two do you prefer?

Me... I'm a hardcore Sonic fan! I've started playing his video games back in 2002. I was visiting Dad one weekend, and we had to go to my Auntie Debbie's house for a picnic. Throughout the time we were there, I would hang out with my brother and cousin, Chris and Kevin, downstairs in the family room, where they had the Nintendo GameCube plugged in. I would watch them play games like "SSX Tricky" and "Super Smash Bros. Melee," but then Kevin allowed me to play one game that he thought would be right for me. The game that he chose was "Sonic Adventure 2: Battle..." and I was glad he made that chose for me!!! Why? The music was amazing, the graphics looked clean and crisp, the three gameplay mechanics (High-Speed Platforming, Mech Shooting, and Treasure Hunting) were fun to play, and it was just an enjoyable game to me! To this day, it's my favorite Sonic game of all time. Even though this means I mainly grew up with Sonic's 3D games, it doesn't mean I don't enjoy his 2D games... I'll still take "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" any day!!!

Anyways, we are now in the middle of 2016... which means it's officially Sonic's 25th Anniversary! Although it's exciting to say that... Sonic's still a hit or miss, in terms of his anniversary games. First, we had "Sonic Adventure 2," an amazing game, for his 10th anniversary! Then, we had "Sonic '06" and "Sonic Genesis" (a Game Boy Advance port of "Sonic 1 for the Genesis") for his 15th anniversary... which were terrible! Finally, we had "Sonic Generations," a great game and a nostalgic throwback, for his 20th anniversary! So far Sonic is like a mixed bag, but can he improve himself this year?

Well, after watching "Sonic's Lifestream Party" a couple of days ago via Twitch, we have some new games and other stuff that will involve our beloved blue hero! So, let's take a look at the little things first, shall we?

1. "Sonic in LEGO Dimensions"

In terms of video games... I'm not a huge fan of the LEGO series and it's something that I wouldn't take time off my schedule to play, but I still hear a lot of great reviews about it. Now, Sonic is going to make an appearance in the game, "LEGO Dimensions!" In the game, not only you get to use the "Blue Blur" himself as a playable character in the world of LEGO, but you'll also have some more worlds that are based off of Sonic's history. I'm talking about Green Hill Zone, Emerald Coast, and Angel Island! If that still wasn't enough, you can even play as Super Sonic! "LEGO Dimensions" may be out now, but Sonic will speed his way into the world of LEGO this November... and I'm definitely going to get the game when that happens as well! Also, I laughed so hard when Sonic stole the ring that Smeagol found in his teaser trailer for this game!

2. "Classic Sonic Joins Sonic Dash"

"Sonic Dash" is played as an endless runner, similar to the Temple Runvideo games. In the game, the player directs Sonic through levels, collecting rings and avoiding obstacles and enemies. Unlike other games in the series, Sonic automatically moves forward at all times. The game features other characters like Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, and Rouge. Now, in honor of Sonic's 25th Anniversary, Classic Sonic joins the fun and brings Green Hill Zone along with him! I highly recommend download this app, especially for this cool new feature. You'll have a lot of fun! Alright! Now, with the little things out of the way, it's time to talk about the three Sonic games that everyone was curious about. One is a sequel to an existing series of spin-off games while the other two are the nextgames in the main series

3. "Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice"

Let me start off by saying that I had the same reaction as other Sonic fans when I heard the first announcement of this game... "Is it just me or is making a sequel to the one game that pretty much ruin the franchise seem like a bad idea?" For those who don't know, Sonic Boom had two games that came out in October of 2014, "Rise Of Lyric" for the Wii U and "Shattered Crystal" for the Nintendo 3DS! Overall, spin-off or not, both of those games are still terrible, unpolished, and poor excuses for Sonic games! But... I guess the 3DS version sold better than the Wii U version because this sequel is actually happening. However, from the gameplay footage that I saw on YouTube and reading news updates, this game might actually be better than the first Sonic Boom game. Not only it has the Fire and Ice mechanic added to the gameplay, but I also heard that they're going to cut the exploration part out of the game and focus on speed. Right now, I still have my fingers crossed for this one, but I'll still rent it and try it when it comes out September 27. If it's good, I'll keep it... Otherwise I might trade it back after my first play-through!

4. "Sonic Mania"

Let's just say that I felt like a seven year-old again when I saw the trailer for this game!!! Returning to the style of the original Sega Genesis games (A.K.A. what made Sonic great in the first place), "Sonic Mania" is a 2D side-scrolling platform game in which players control Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles as they race through various levels. The game will consist of remixed levels from past games, such as Green Hill Zone from the original "Sonic the Hedgehog," alongside new ones. Visually, this game will take you back the 16-Bit days of Sonic The Hedgehog. In terms of the development team, Also, Sega now has Christian Whitehead to help create this game, and he made the best versions of "Sonic 1," "Sonic 2," and "Sonic CD" for Playstation, Xbox, PC, and mobile devices! Now that he's doing this brand new game with Sega, we already know we're in good hands because he knows his programming! This is going to be a fun game and what the sequel to "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" should've been in the first place! I'm so going to waste my money on it when it comes out in the Spring 2017!

5. "Project Sonic 2017"

If Sonic Mania wasn't enough to tickle your happy and funny bones, this teaser trailer for the next 3D Sonic game will! This upcoming game installment in the Sonic The Hedgehogseries under the production title "Project Sonic 2017" and it's set to be released during the holidays of 2017. The only thing that we know is that this will mark the return of the collaboration between both Classic and Modern Sonic since the 20th Anniversary game, "Sonic Generations." Despite initial popular belief though, this title will not be "Sonic Generations 2." This game will not only be released on the Xbox One, PC, and the Playstation 4, but also the upcoming Nintendo NX, a new handheld system by Nintendo coming out next year!

Overall, Sonic's 25th Anniversary lineup of games is off to a pretty good start, and it will bring Sonic back up to the top! But for now...only time will tell.