<s>
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
platform	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
SNK	O
and	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
borrowing	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
stage	O
themes	O
and	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
,	O
but	O
featuring	O
unique	O
stage	O
layouts	O
,	O
elements	O
from	O
other	O
Genesis	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
games	O
,	O
and	O
extra	O
game	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
Yuji	O
Naka	O
and	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
supervised	O
over	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
felt	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
was	O
a	O
faithful	O
adaptation	O
of	O
the	O
traditional	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
formula	O
,	O
most	O
importantly	O
not	O
making	O
any	O
sacrifices	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
among	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
's	O
library	O
and	O
commended	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
SNK	O
's	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
SNK	O
development	O
team	O
later	O
formed	O
Dimps	O
which	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
several	O
more	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
for	O
handheld	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
is	O
a	O
platform	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
the	O
classic	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
games	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
heavily	O
based	O
on	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
,	O
while	O
also	O
using	O
concepts	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
(	O
1991	O
)	O
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
3	I-Application
(	O
1994	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
bonus	O
stages	O
are	O
also	O
borrowed	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
AllGame	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
a	O
slightly	O
dumbed	O
down	O
port	O
"	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Official	O
Dreamcast	O
Magazine	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
essentially	O
an	O
adaptation	O
of	O
Sonic	O
2.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Sonic	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
features	O
some	O
exclusive	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
also	O
supports	O
two	O
competitive	O
two-player	O
modes	O
with	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
Neo	O
Geo	O
Pocket	O
link	O
cable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
puzzle	O
mode	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
assembles	O
portraits	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
characters	O
using	O
hidden	O
puzzle	O
pieces	O
found	O
within	O
the	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
1999	O
,	O
SNK	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
collaborating	O
with	O
Sega	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
game	O
for	O
their	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
handheld	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
SNK	O
,	O
with	O
supervision	O
from	O
Yuji	O
Naka	O
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
at	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
marked	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
Sega	O
was	O
directly	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
for	O
a	O
non-Sega	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
planned	O
for	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
to	O
be	O
a	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
classic	O
2D	O
gameplay	O
style	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
many	O
game	O
design	O
and	O
visual	O
elements	O
are	O
borrowed	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
background	O
music	O
tracks	O
are	O
also	O
8-bit	O
renditions	O
of	O
music	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
&	I-Application
Knuckles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
was	O
released	O
first	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
December	O
4	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
of	O
the	O
SNK	O
staff	O
members	O
who	O
developed	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
went	O
on	O
to	O
form	O
Dimps	O
in	O
2000	O
—	O
a	O
new	O
team	O
funded	O
by	O
Sega	O
,	O
Sony	O
,	O
and	O
Bandai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
company	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
Sonic	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
(	O
2001	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
and	O
several	O
more	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
for	O
handheld	O
systems	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
believed	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
killer	O
app	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
,	O
giving	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
10	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
filled	O
the	O
platform	O
game	O
role	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
library	O
was	O
so	O
desperately	O
missing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Dreamcast	O
Magazine	O
called	O
it	O
SNK	O
's	O
raison	O
d'être	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
retrospect	O
,	O
IGN	O
called	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
a	O
system	O
seller	O
and	O
a	O
proving	O
ground	O
for	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
,	O
as	O
many	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
staff	O
would	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
several	O
more	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
for	O
handheld	O
systems	O
as	O
Dimps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
included	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
on	O
their	O
wishlist	O
of	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DSi	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Color	I-Application
was	O
not	O
commercially	O
successful	O
,	O
Retro	O
Gamer	O
still	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
fantastically	O
playable	O
"	O
machine	O
with	O
Sonic	B-Application
Pocket	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
being	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
library	O
and	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
catalog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamesRadar	O
listed	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
number	O
six	O
among	O
their	O
list	O
of	O
top	O
25	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
