Sonic the Hedgehog
Due to the success of "Sonic" games on the Sega Genesis, the series was introduced to the Master System and the Game Gear. Sega began by releasing "Sonic the Hedgehog", a 2D platform game, in 1991. The game featured Sonic's ability to run and to jump at high speeds like its Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart but with notably different level design and music. Sega later released "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" another 2D platform game, in 1992. The game differed from its Genesis counterpart with different levels and music and by not including a "spin dash" maneuver. It also featured a different storyline in which Doctor Robotnik kidnaps Tails, who is non-playable in the Master System/Game Gear version. "Sonic Chaos"/"Sonic and Tails" (Japan), released in 1993, was similar to the earlier two Sega Master System/Game Gear "Sonic" games, but featured Tails as a playable character. A sequel, "Sonic Triple Trouble"/"Sonic and Tails 2" (Japan), a 2D platform game, was released in 1994 for the Game Gear and introduced a new character, Nack the Weasel, who, along with Knuckles and Doctor Robotnik, raced to collect the Chaos Emeralds. One of the last games for the Sega Game Gear, "Sonic Blast", was released in 1996 and featured prerendered sprites.
Sega Saturn
Journalists and fans have speculated about the impact a completed "X-treme" might have had on the market. David Houghton of GamesRadar described the prospect of "a good 3D "Sonic" game" on the Saturn as "a 'What if...' situation on a par with the dinosaurs not becoming extinct." IGN's Tavis Fahs called "X-treme" "the turning point not only for Sega's mascot and their 32-bit console, but for the entire company", but noted that the game served as "an empty vessel for Sega's ambitions and the hopes of their fans". Dave Zdyrko, who operated a prominent Saturn fan website during the system's lifespan, said: "I don't know if ["X-treme"] could've saved the Saturn, but ... "Sonic" helped make the Genesis and it made absolutely no sense why there wasn't a great new "Sonic" title ready at or near the launch of the [Saturn]". In a 2007 retrospective, producer Mike Wallis maintained that "X-treme" "definitely would have been competitive" with Nintendo's "Super Mario 64". By contrast, "Next Generation" reported in late 1996 that the game did not compare well to contemporary competition, and would have harmed Sega's reputation if it had been completed and released. Naka stated that he was relieved by the cancellation, as the game "wasn't looking very good from my perspective".