Sonic the Fighters

Sonic the Fighters, released outside Japan as Sonic Championship, is a 1996 fighting game developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for their Model 2 arcade system. The game pits players in one-on-one battles with a roster of characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Sonic the Fighters was made using the fighting engine for Fighting Vipers (1995), and was the first 3D game in the Sonic series. The idea for a Sonic fighting game was conceived when a Sega AM2 programmer experimented with a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog model in Fighting Vipers, its animation impressing and convincing the Sonic Team to approve the project. A home console port for the Sega Saturn was announced but ultimately canceled, resulting in the game staying an arcade exclusive until 2005, when it was released as part of the Sonic Gems Collection for GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was re-released again in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, featuring new playable characters and an online versus mode. It has since been included as a bonus game in the Yakuza series. Sonic the Fighters received mixed reviews. Critics praised the graphics, especially the cartoon-like animations, but criticized the gameplay as rudimentary. It was ultimately regarded as disappointing for fans of the fighting game genre, but an obscure novelty for Sonic fans.