When Sonic the Hedgehog first hit the scene in the early 1990s, he was one of the most beloved and adored computer gaming characters of all time. In the follow up game, Sonic 2, he was joined by Tails (also known as Miles) a flying fox and then by Knuckles, an anti-hero with his own agenda and a few new special moves. But although the earlier new characters brought new life to the series, Sega desperately tried to flood the Sonic universe with an array of colorful creatures to help keep the waning franchise afloat; instead, they confused and annoyed gamers to such an extent, Sonic titles went from bad to worse. Below are some of the worst offenders who dragged Team Sonic’s name through the dirt.
10. Nack the Weasel: First appeared in Triple Trouble (Game Gear), 1994.
Nack was the treasure hunting Weasel/Wolf hybrid from the Game Gear’s Triple Trouble title. A generic fiend who wanted the Chaos Emeralds simply to sell them for a little cash.
9. Tikal: First Appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast), 2001
Daughter of Chief Pachacamac, she was sealed up with the Chaos Emeralds for 1000s of years, acting as their Guardian…their cute, weak and useless Guardian.
8. Mighty The Armadillo: First Appeared in Knuckles’ Chaotix (Sega 32X), 1995
Not such a crappy character, as he liked nature and hiking, but his “part-time pacifism” was pretty dumb, especially as he was so kick-ass.
7. Rouge the Bat: First Appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast), 2001
The sassy Bat who rivaled Knuckles in the attitude department, but was on the wrong side of creepy, being busty, 3 foot tall and…well, a talking bat. Her flashing robots in later Sonic installments was just plain weird (sadly, we didn’t make that up).
6. Amy Rose: First Appeared in Sonic CD (Mega-CD), 1993.
Starting off as a damsel in distress ala Princess Peach, she “evolved” as a character to pine after Sonic and take on enemies with her “Piko Piko Hammer.” Slow, cumbersome and annoying, no wonder Sonic steers clear.
5. Charmy Bee: First Appeared in Knuckles’ Chaotix (Sega 32X), 1995
A character modeled after the inoffensive idols that parade on Japanese TV; sickly sweet, energetic and undeniably stupid. Made with “kawaii” in mind and little else.
4. Maria Robotnik: First Appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast), 2001
The cousin of Dr. Robotnik and granddaughter to Gerald Robotnik, her being terminally ill caused her grandfather to look for a cure…by genetically creating Shadow the Hedgehog…WTF?
3. Vector the Crocodile: First Appeared in Knuckles’ Chaotix (Sega 32X), 1995
A controversial choice to have so close to the top spot, as there is very little wrong with Vector, except that he is the leader of the Chaotix gang and is a loser by association; if he could beat a little sense into Charmy, he would be off the list in a flash.
2. Cream the Rabbit: First Appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast), 2001
Another annoyingly cute character, Cream ranks so highly as she is not only useless, she is forever accompanied by her Chao, Cheese…together they make Cream Cheese…why Sega, why?
1. Big the Cat: First appeared in Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast), 1998
The useless purple blob from the Dreamcast’s Sonic Adventures. This lumbering character would grind the game to a halt as you waddled through his narrative, why Sega thought the break-neck speed of Sonic would mesh well with an obese, fishing cat is beyond comprehension.