22 things you didn't know about Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic 2's level select is Yuji Naka's birthday

19, 65, 09 and 17. Thats the sequence of numbers indelibly branded onto my brain, for its the sequence of sounds in the Sonic 2 sound test you have to play in order to unlock the level select. But its that sequence for a reason. September 17, 1965, is Yuji Nakas date of birth.

He introduced the console world to DLC

Sonic Adventure featured the first DLC on console, with the Dreamcast Launch Party for Sonic Adventure in the US, followed by the Reebok Challenge in Europe. Other consoles like SNES and Mega Drive had allowed gamers to play games through the internet, but never offered additional content available to download. Or, more accurately, unlock. The trainers hunt was pretty fun, but the Christmas in Station Square pack was better, allowing you to sit under a Christmas tree and listen to Boyz II Men's acapella rendition of Dreams Dreams from Christmas NiGHTS.

Sonic 1s title screen relies on graphical limitations to display properly

If you've ever see an emulated version of Sonic 1, youll often see the bottom of Sonics tummy overlapping the title ribbon, thanks to the sprites overlapping in ways the Mega Drive could not display. Sounds like a minor thing (and it is) until you see mainstream media like the Guinness Book of World Records Gamers Edition, which proudly shows the glitched version. Either theyre emulating Sonic for their grabs, or nicking it off Google without knowing the difference.

Everyone knows about Madonna, right?

I reckon the fact that Sonic was in a rock band and had a human girlfriend named Madonna is so well-known, I didn't include it. But he was, and he did. You knew that, right? In fact, if you know anything else that I've missed out (about Sonic, obviously), then let me know in the comments. It'll be awesome.

And if you're looking for more, check out The highs and lows of being a real Sonic fan and 7 reasons Sonic the Hedgehog hates modern life.