This Is The Best-Selling Sega Genesis Game Of All Time

The Sega Genesis faced a difficult challenge upon release. With Nintendo asserting major dominance in the console landscape by helping the market recover from the video game crash of 1983, Sega hoped to create its own home system that could stand against the competition. This proved no easy task, but Sega managed to hold its ground and deliver the first console that landed a hit on Nintendo.

Thanks to its adolescent-leaning marketing that centered on titles for older audiences (and a few shots fired at Nintendo), Sega played its part in what would be one of the first true console wars in the history of gaming. While the Genesis was outsold by Nintendo's 16-bit counterpart, the SNES, it still achieved major success and remains one of the most popular retro consoles on the market. Its highest-selling game set the tone for the company's future, creating a mascot that would persist long after Sega exited the console space.

To date, "Sonic the Hedgehog" remains the highest-selling Sega Genesis game. Bundled with the console, it reportedly sold more than 15 million copies, while its sequel, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," sold over 6 million copies as a standalone title (via VGChartz). This was just the beginning. With the release of several new games, along with a massive multimedia push that resulted in a pair of theatrical films, Sonic continuously affirms his place as Sega's mascot.

Created to compete with Mario, "Sonic the Hedgehog" brought a number of new ideas to the platformer genre. Featuring a main character with attitude, increased movement speed, and multiple pathways to discover, "Sonic the Hedgehog" proved a fresh competitor to the "Super Mario" franchise. The success of "Sonic" helped Sega compete with the SNES, and established one of gaming's most recognizable protagonists.