Sonic Jam 6

Sonic Jam 6 is what happens when a Taiwanese bootleg studio called Gamtec runs out of original ideas. In 1998 they took their own unlicensed Super Mario Bros. clone, Super Mario 2 1998, swapped Mario's sprite for Sonic, retitled the box "Super 1998 Sonic 6", and shipped a Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge that shows the hedgehog running through stolen Super Mario All-Stars level art. The Cutting Room Floor calls it "the flipside of Somari": instead of Sonic mechanics with Mario branding, you get Mario physics with Sonic stamped on top.

It plays exactly like the original Super Mario Bros., because that is what it is. Sonic moves through it the way Mario would. Only the Space button makes him jump, and L throws fireballs once he picks up a Fire Flower. Grab a Super Mushroom and he turns blue; lose it and he turns red. The team did not bother repainting everything either, so the giant Mario head still grins at you from inside the underground bonus rooms. Lazy or perfect, depending on how you feel about pirate carts.

There is a hidden level skip if you want to see how far the joke goes. Pause the game, then hold , either or , and Space at the same time. It works through every world, and if you ride it past the last segment of 8-4 the game loads a glitched level and falls apart. Iran's official rating board somehow gave this unlicensed cartridge a child-friendly 3+ in 2011, which tells you exactly how seriously anyone took it.

You can play Sonic Jam 6 online in your browser here. See how long the swap holds before you start wishing Sonic could just run.