This thread is a sequel to my Halo: CE vs. Metroid Prime thread from last week.

The idea here is to compare two games from the same time period that share some things in common, whether mechanically or storywise or whatever.

This week's match-up is Super Mario World and Sonic the Hedgehog, two games that sold their respective systems in the early 90s.

Why compare these two games? Well, in North America, they arrived within two months of each other. They each star what would become (or already was) a mascot for Nintendo and Sega, respectively. They were both bundled with systems at some point, and they both belong to the platform genre, although Mario is a slower-paced and longer game and Sonic is fast-paced but relatively short.

So what's your favorite?

P.S. Please obscure any spoilers with the spoiler_text style.

i liked Super Mario World better, the long levels and world map made it one of the best Mario games of all time, it had so much content!

i loved Sonic too, but the game felt a little short....

Can't decide which is my favourite 2D platformer out of SMW and Yoshi's Island, anyway SMW is pure perfection and it trumps Sonic in every way.

Super Mario World feeled more like an adventure. Sonic 1 is still a great game. But Mario World (with Yoshi's Island) is the best 2D Platformer, the controls and levels und music and everything are just so perfect.

Super mario world without a doubt! It had a lot of content and secrets! It was really awesome. Sonic was also good but it was a bit short and I didn't enjoy the first one as much as their sequels!

Mario.
Sonic suffered from the problem Sonic games have always had; when it was fast, it was more of a movie than a game, and when it was slow, it was clumsy.

    Super Mario World easily. I love the Genesis Sonic games specially Sonic 3 and Knuckles, but SMW has that special feel you don't get in many games.

Sonic all the way. My problem with Mario became ever so clear with SMW, the slow paced action felt kind of boring for me compared to the more arcadey style of Sonic. The first Sonic was a bit short but made up for it with some amazing levels.

Super Mario World by far. Bigger game, you could actually save, and more complex gameplay with better platformer. At least use Sonic 2 or 3 to make it somewhat even.

I had to go with Super Mario World for these reasons: Art Style, GREAT SOUNDTRACK, lots of content and challenge. Great as Sonic was, it felt a bit too much on the easy side for my taste, specially if you could always pick a ring to stay alive. Also, I never liked the original soundtrack, specially with the so many great ones Sega had given us up to that time (i.e., Shinobi and others). But I loved Sonic too.