It's fun to see a thread like this up. 2024 was a good year for Sonic, in my opinion, and it's nice that the internet's opinion of Sonic has become less hostile in recent years. That's probably because the number of autism magnets on the internet has grown exponentially since the early days.
Favorite Game
Currently that title goes to Sonic & The Black Knight. I've played the Adventure games and they would normally take the cake, but I emulated Black Knight recently and really enjoyed it. Removing motion controls made the game really fun, and the characterization of everyone involved is mint. If I wanted to introduce Sonic as a character to someone I would probably show the cutscenes from this game.
Favorite Character
A tough one, but I have to go with Sonic. I love the carefree nature and the constant adventuring, just the freedom of it. It really is tough to choose since, despite popular belief, most everyone in the games is fun.
Zone
Thinking back on it, Lost World from Sonic Adventure has to be my favorite level. The exploration is fun, there's a mix of steady platforming and speeding down corridors, and the atmosphere is very mysterious and compelling. I think I had the most fun playing through the zone.
Music
I'll give two tracks for two different reasons: The Doom from Shadow the Hedgehog and With Me from Sonic & The Black Knight. The Doom is a great jungle dnb piece, and With Me is the signature rock with the lyrics providing perspectives into the story it accompanies. Both serve their respective purposes very well.
Trivia
Linkin Park's Chester Bennington had surprisingly close ties to Sonic's music. Members of Julien-K, who contributed to the soundtracks for Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes, ended up forming their own band with him in 2005. They called it Dead by Sunrise and released a single album, Out of Ashes, which is pretty good. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Chester's vocals and Julien-K's work with Sonic.
