Sonic Team
The initial team formed in 1990 and was composed of developers from Sega's Consumer Development division, including programmer Yuji Naka, artist Naoto Ohshima, and level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara. The team took the name Sonic Team in 1991 with the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog" for the Sega Genesis. The game was a major success that contributed to millions of Genesis sales. The next "Sonic" games were developed by Naka and Yasuhara in America at Sega Technical Institute, while Ohshima worked on "Sonic CD" in Japan. Naka returned to Japan in late 1994 to become the head of CS3, later renamed R&D #8. During this time, the division took on the Sonic Team brand but developed games that do not feature Sonic, such as "Nights into Dreams" (1996) and "Burning Rangers" (1998).
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Reviewers praised the large levels, colorful graphics and backgrounds, increased characters, enemies, and music. GameSpot stated that "time may have eroded Sega's prominence, but it hasn't done much to diminish how sweet "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" is," and, along with other reviewers, commented on how it is still a fun game to play. "Electronic Gaming Monthly" named it the best Genesis game of 1992. In 2000, "Game Informer" ranked "Sonic 2" number 61 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time" list, calling it "the most challenging and finely polished "Sonic the Hedgehog" title." "Mega" placed the game at #36 in their "Top Sega Mega Drive Games of All Time" list. Critics also enjoyed the faster gameplay in comparison to its predecessor, as well as its new features. Lucas Thomas of IGN praised the new "spin dash" ability.