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You can recollect the rings after losing them, but they all disappear after 6 seconds from the time you were hit. Instead, he'll lose all of his rings and stay alive, becoming invincible for about three seconds. After collecting rings, Sonic will not die after getting hit by an enemy. Rings are found everywhere throughout the game. However, Sega revolutionizes the traditional life system by turning the most common platformer cliché - collectible items - into a health-barrier.
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If he gets hit a single time by an enemy or falls onto something sharp, he dies. Bonus points are added at the end of each zone depending on the number of rings you collected and the amount of time you had left to complete the level. Each enemy is worth 100 points, but that number is multiplied pseudo-exponentially whenever you kill multiple enemies with a single attack. Points are added to the score meter every time you kill an enemy. After reaching 10,000 points, Sonic earns a continue that allows you to continue the game after losing all lives from the zone you were last in. This attack makes Sonic instantly reach top speed in ball mode, destroying all unarmored enemies and blocks in his path. New to Sonic the Hedghehog 2 is the Spin Dash attack, which is used by crouching, pressing the jump button repeatedly, and releasing. However, Sonic can also hurt his enemies by rolling into them while in "ball mode," which you can get into by running quickly and then crouching. His jump, just like the Mario games, is also his attack. The D-PAD on the Genesis/MegaDrive is not pressure sensitive, so Sonic's speed increases gradually as you held left or right for a period of time. Sonic's movement (left, right, crouching, and looking up) is controlled by the D-PAD. Sonic the Hedgehog 2's goal is no different than before: make it to the other side of the level in less than ten minutes. It features 3D special stage, the first of a trend that will appear throughout the series.
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This by far the longest game in the Genesis/Megadrive series with a total of 11 zones. It was the first game to feature Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic's (mutated?) fox buddy. Sonic the Hedgehog 2, commonly referred to as "Sonic 2," is considered by many fans to be the best game of the entire series. Sonic World :: Game Info Archive :: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)
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