History YMMV / SonicTheHedgehog2

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
** The ending where Tails saves Sonic from his fall.
** Sonic being the only person who actually finds Tails good and not bad; apparently even the developers cried about Tails' backstory.

** The iOS/Android port mitigates several of the criticisms some have had of the original game, such as making Tails' AI in the Special Stages quicker and more responsive (making collecting the seven emeralds with Sonic & Tails far easier), having Super Sonic be activated after tapping the button twice as opposed to simply jumping once in the air (making it so you don't automatically turn into Super Sonic once you get 50+ rings) and even gets rid of the infamous spike trap in Mystic Cave Zone Act 2 in favor of an [[spoiler:secret entrance to Hidden Palace]], amongst other tweaks.

** "The Drill Car" for the game's opening boss, the Egg Mobile-D/Drill Eggman, a truck with a drill attached to its front. As a result of its inclusion in ''VideoGame/{{MUGEN}}'', it's also referred to as the "Stupid Little Drill Tank".

** Sonic can't be hurt by the otherwise nasty Water Eggman boss in Chemical Plant Zone if he kneels, making it ''much'' easier to defeat. Interestingly, this doesn't work if you play as Tails. Also in Chemical Plant, there's one point where Sonic can go so fast that he can ''outrun the screen''.

* MemeticLoser: The Egg-Drill is widely mocked for being regarded as the easiest boss in the entire series.

** While not ''terribly'' difficult, Catcher Eggman at the end of Casino Night Zone is pretty tricky. Not only is hitting him very hard due to the layout of the room being reminiscent of a pinball machine, but due to how fast you'll likely be careening around the room, it isn't terribly uncommon to run into one of the mines he occasionally drops. Oh, and if you get caught underneath him while on the flippers, he'll lunge into you for unavoidable damage. With all these factors in consideration, it can be hard to beat him with all your rings still intact by the end. Aggravating all this is that this is the Zone where you can earn ''hundreds'' of rings if you can get lucky with the slots, so unless you are playing the M2 ports for 3DS and Switch in Ring Keep mode, expect Robotnik to throw your 300+ rings in the trash. The easiest way to beat the boss is to avoid using the flippers altogether, stand on either side of the arena, wait for Robotnik to stop to drop a mine, and then spin dash up the side and hit him that way. However, this method consumes a lot more time — and you might not have a lot of it if you spent a lot of time playing slots.
** Drill Eggman II, the boss of Mystic Cave Zone, causes stalactites that are rather hard to avoid to rain down from the ceiling. Even so, it's not overly challenging if you have rings... but if you activate the checkpoint directly preceding the boss fight and then either die to the boss or enter a Special Stage from that checkpoint, you'll be forced to do the fight without ''any'' rings, as the ledge above the checkpoint will be just out of your reach.
** Flying Eggman, the boss of Metropolis Zone, which is ThatOneLevel, so you've probably lost most of your rings before you reach him. You have a very narrow window to hit him due to the clones rapidly orbiting around him, and mistiming your jump means you take damage. At least the battle becomes easier as you destroy the clones.
** The Wing Fortress Zone boss (Barrier Eggman), as you have to watch out for randomly moving spike platforms and a laser all at once, with limited space to move around. Dodging the laser is easy enough, but avoiding taking damage from the spike platforms isn't so easy. The platforms' movement patterns are difficult to memorize, and you have to jump on them to reach the laser and get a hit. Have fun if you manage to lose all your rings.

** "Silver Sonic" or "Robo Sonic" for the Sonic robot fought in Death Egg Zone. Its official name is "Mecha Sonic", but this creates confusion with the distinct robot in ''Sonic & Knuckles'' that shares the same name. "Silver Sonic" is taken from the 8-bit ''Sonic 2'' manual (which actually describes yet ''another'' distinct bot from that version of the game) and was used in the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Archie comics]], while "Robo Sonic" was used in its non-canon ''VideoGame/LegoDimensions'' appearance.

** In addition, while the game ''does'' still have spiritual likenesses to Marble's more intricate underground platforming and Labyrinth's underwater trekking (eg. Hill Top Zone or Aquatic Ruin Zone respectively), they are generally kept more in tone with Sonic's typical fast paced platforming and aren't nearly as long drawn and tedious.
** The iOS/Android port mitigates several of the criticisms some have had of the original game, such as making Tails' AI in the special stages quicker and more responsive (making collecting the 7 emeralds with Sonic & Tails far easier), having Super Sonic be activated after tapping the button twice as opposed to simply jumping once in the air (making it so you don't automatically turn into Super Sonic once you get 50+ rings) and even gets rid of the infamous spike trap in Mystic Cave Act 2 in favor of an [[spoiler: secret entrace to Hidden Palace]], amongst other tweaks.

** [[spoiler: Hidden Palace Zone in the remake, mostly for the novelty of finally getting to play one of the most famous DummiedOut levels in gaming history]].

** Casino Night Zone has lots of opportunities to collect rings, making it a good level for picking up Chaos Emeralds. Downplayed due to its instant death squishing hazards and formidable boss.
** Sky Chase Zone, an easy and relaxed level with lovely, gentle music as you fly through the sky. Helps that it's after the horror that is the [[ThatOneLevel Metropolis Zone]].

* GenreTurningPoint: While the game by itself wasn't as disruptive for the industry as much as its predecessor's was, ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' was a turning point in how video games were released, marketed, and perceived in the entertainment industry at large. Up until the early '90's, most video games didn't have strict release dates, often trickling out to retailers over the course of a month or two. With ''Sonic 2'', Sega instead created a huge marketing push around a definite release date of Tuesday, November 24th, 1992, which they dubbed "Sonic 2sday", generating enormous amounts of hype from people who couldn't wait to purchase the game on that day. While this huge launch presented logistical challenges to Sega and retailers, it paid off when ''Sonic 2'' became one of the fastest selling video games up to that point, with many comparing the launch to that of a new album from a major artist or a blockbuster film. It set a standard for definitive release dates for video games going forward, and helped propel video games into becoming an important branch of the entertainment industry.

(The following tropes apply to the 16-bit [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis/Mega Drive]] game. The equivalent page for the 8-bit game also called ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' is [[YMMV/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit here]]).

* DemonicSpiders: All the badniks in Metropolis Zone are GoddamnedBats, but the Slicer badniks are a step into being even rougher. Shellcrackers can be avoided by jumping over the large claw. While Asterons explode at the worst of times, they have spikes that fly out straight in a star pattern and thus can be avoided. Slicer's claws, however, are quite large, have the annoying ability to home in on Sonic, and are usually placed right in trial-and-error spots. Needless to say, they will get you at least once unless you are [[SuperMode Super Sonic]]. Small wonder why many considered it the most hated badnik in the game, if not the most hated badnik in the Genesis-era ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games.

** While not ''terribly'' difficult, Catcher Eggman at the end of Casino Night Zone is pretty tricky. Not only is hitting him very hard due to the layout of the room being reminiscent of a pinball machine, but due to how fast you'll likely be careening around the room, it isn't terribly uncommon to run into one of the mines he occasionally drops. Oh, and if you get caught underneath him while on the flippers, he'll lunge into you for unavoidable damage. With all these factors in consideration, it can be hard to beat him with all your rings still intact by the end. Aggravating all this is that this is the Zone where you can earn ''hundreds'' of rings if you can get lucky with the slots, so unless you are playing the M2 ports for 3DS and Switch in Ring Keep mode, expect Robotnik to throw your 300+ rings in the trash.
** Drill Eggman II, the boss of Mystic Cave Zone, causes stalactites that are rather hard to avoid to rain down from the ceiling. Even so, it's not overly challenging if you have rings... but if you activate the checkpoint directly preceding the boss fight and then either die to the boss or enter a Special Stage from that checkpoint, you'll be forced to do the fight without ''any'' rings. The easiest way to beat the boss is to avoid using the flippers altogether and stand on either side of the arena and wait for Robotnik to stop to drop a mine, and then spin dash up the side and hit him that way, though that way is more time-consuming.

** The Wing Fortress Zone boss (Barrier Eggman), as you have to watch out for randomly moving spike platforms and a laser all at once, with limited space to move around. Dodging the laser is easy enough, but avoiding taking damage from the spike platforms isn't so easy, and you have to jump on the platforms to reach the laser and get a hit. Have fun if you lose all your rings.
** The final boss, the Death Egg Robo, while not extremely difficult strategy wise, can be a bit difficult due to its very particular collision. Due to its spike armoured arms, trying to jump into its weak point is hard besides its landing recoil, at which point you have to quickly avoid it firing its arms a great distance at you. Even worse, if you hit him from the wrong angle, you can sometimes fall inside him instead of bounce off, killing you. You can also damage him by hitting him in the back above the flame on his jetpack, though getting behind him can be dangerous as he'll shoot out mines if he lands and boxes you in too close to the edge of the screen. Knuckles' stunted jump height means this boss is ''huge'' DifficultySpike for him after most of the game being much easier as him as you can only damage the boss when he lands and can't damage him from the rear at all.

** Chemical Plant Zone Act 2. You know it's a wake-up call when Sonic Team themselves (or at least, the members who developed the ''Sonic Gems Collection'') [[http://www.soniczone0.com/games/sonic2/chemicalplant/#miscnotes had trouble with this level]]. Aside from being a water level (without any air bubbles), there's one segment where you must climb up a series of rotating stair blocks as water rises. You can potentially get crushed, or (heaven forbid) fall back down into the water and have to do it all over again.

** Oil Ocean Zone starts the DifficultySpike of the endgame thanks to its clunky layout. The Aquis and Octus badniks that shoot at you are extremely hard to avoid, making the whole level a bit of a headache if you're trying to retain your rings. The Aquis can also fly at you from out of nowhere.

** One of the most common complaints about the infamous ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' was its glitchiness. While nowhere near to the same extent and still being a fairly solid game otherwise, Sonic 2 is also a fairly glitchy game as a result of being ChristmasRushed, even having some [[GameBreakingBug Game-Breaking Bugs]]. For instance, jumping at the end of a level while having all Chaos Emeralds and 50 or more rings [[UnwinnableByMistake softlocks the game, forcing the player to reset and lose all progress]], while landing on certain objects such as the Rexon enemy the wrong way can crash the game altogether.

** ''Sonic 2'' would start the trend of every major title introducing at least one new character, in this case Tails. This initially wasn't a problem since Tails lacked the common writing problems and GameplayRoulette that plagued future characters, but with each game that passes by with a new residential BaseBreakingCharacter or [[TheScrappy Scrappy]], the novelty wore off and now any implication of adding a new character in the latest ''Sonic'' title [[BrokenBase can cause fans to lose it]].

** The final boss, the Death Egg Robo, while not extremely difficult strategy wise, can be a bit difficult due to its very particular collision. Due the it's spike armoured arms, trying to jump into its weak point is hard besides its landing recoil, at which point you have to quickly avoid it firing its arms a great distance at you. Even worse, if you hit him from the wrong angle, you can sometimes fall inside him instead of bounce off, killing you. You can also damage him by hitting him in the back above the flame on his jetpack, though getting behind him can be dangerous as he'll shoot out mines if he lands and boxes you in too close to the edge of the screen. Knuckles' stunted jump height means this boss is ''huge'' DifficultySpike for him after most of the game being much easier as him as you can only damage the boss when he lands and can't damage him from the rear at all.

** The final boss, the Death Egg Robo, while not extremely difficult strategy wise, can be a bit difficult due to its very particular collision. Due the it's spike armoured arms, trying to jump into its weak point is hard besides its landing recoil, at which point you have to quickly avoid it firing its arms a great distance at you. Even worse, if you hit him from the wrong angle, you can sometimes fall inside him instead of bounce off, killing you. Knuckles' stunted jump height means this boss is ''huge'' DifficultySpike for him after most of the game being much easier as him.

** Drill Eggman II, the boss of Mystic Cave Zone, causes stalactites that are rather hard to avoid to rain down from the ceiling. Even so, it's not overly challenging if you have rings... but if you activate the checkpoint directly preceding the boss fight and then either die to the boss or enter a Special Stage from that checkpoint, you'll be forced to do the fight without ''any'' rings.

!!The 16-bit game:

(The following tropes apply to the 16-bit [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis/Mega Drive]] game and the 2022 film of the same name. The equivalent page for the 8-bit game also called ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' is [[YMMV/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit here]]).

!!The 2022 film:
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The orchestrated arrangement of Emerald Hill in the teaser trailer is short, but absolutely sweet to hear.
* UnexpectedCharacter:
** While Tails was expected to appear given the stinger of the previous film, not many expected to see Knuckles in the film, as most were expecting him in a potential 3rd film (keeping in line with the original Genesis trilogy).
** On-set pictures have revealed that G.U.N. is gonna appear in the film, which took many fans by surprise. Especially since the mainline games have largely ignored the agency after ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations''.

(The following tropes apply to the 16-bit [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis/Mega Drive]] game. The equivalent page for the 8-bit game also called ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' is [[YMMV/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit here]]).

* MemeticLoser: The Egg-Drill is widely mocked for being regarded the easiest boss in the entire series.

** The iOS/Android port mitigates several of the criticisms some have had of the original game, such as making Tails' AI in the special stages quicker and more responsive (making collecting the 7 emeralds with Sonic & Tails far easier), having Super Sonic be activated after tapping the button twice as opposed to one (making it so you don't automatically turn into Super Sonic once you get 50+ rings) and even gets rid of the infamous spike trap in Mystic Cave Act 2 in favor of an [[spoiler: secret entrace to Hidden Palace]], amongst other tweaks.

* EvenBetterSequel: Widely considered to be a massive improvement over the already decent ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', for being longer and more varied, improving the level design to accommodate speed, and introducing series staples like Tails, the Spin Dash, and Super Sonic. It's frequently a contender for the best "classic-era" ''Sonic'' game and one of the best titles in the whole series.

** The use of track 10 for [[spoiler:Proto Palace was likely meant to make up to fans who are disappointed that it wasn't used in Hidden Palace proper]].

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: While the 2013 remake has received considerable acclaim, some fans have taken it to task for adding in elements that they deride as gimmicks (such as including the elemental shields from ''Sonic 3''), using a slightly modified version of the Simon Wai prototype's Hidden Palace Zone rather than trying to recreate the speculated original vision of it being where Sonic learns how to access his SuperForm after collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking not using Track 10 for Hidden Palace]].
* ToughActToFollow: The 2013 remaster became the gold standard of ''Sonic 2'' ports due to the wide range of features it added, as well as throwing in Hidden Palace Zone as the icing on the cake. As a result, the ''SEGA AGES'' port for Switch ended up being panned by many fans for missing a lot of these features and not being done by the same [[MyRealDaddy Taxman-Stealth partnership]], despite being an otherwise solid port by [=M2=], a studio with an excellent reputation for Sega and shmup ports, that backports in the [[VideoGame/SonicMania Drop Dash]] and retains the option to play as Knuckles.

** The iOS/Android port mitigates several of the criticisms some have had of the original game, such as making Tails' AI in the special stages quicker and more responsive (making collecting the 7 emeralds with Sonic & Tails far easier), having Super Sonic be activated after tapping the button twice as opposed to one (making it so you don't automatically turn into Super Sonic once you get 50+ rings) and even gets rid of the infamous spike trap in Mystic Cave Act 2 in favor of an secret entrace to Hidden Palace, amongst other tweaks.

** Hidden Palace Zone in the remake, mostly for the novelty of finally getting to play one of the most famous DummiedOut levels in gaming history.

* BrokenBase: Whether the Hidden Palace Zone in the remake should've used the DummiedOut track instead of Mystic Cave Zone's 2-player music. Some feel that Hidden Palace deserves its own track, while others consider its theme to be SoundtrackDissonance. The Mystic Cave Zone 2 Player music was always Hidden Palace's music in the beta, but the unused level in the final uses the unused song.

** The iOS/Android versions has Knuckles integrated in without needing ''Sonic & Knuckles'', a Boss Rush mode, an extended vs. mode, an updated soundtrack, and both a finished version and a secret beta version of Hidden Palace. The game also has a couple new visual effects (most evidently the Special Stage, which has a very smooth framerate). This is due to being built on a new, custom engine designed to port classic ''Sonic'' games.