O Sonic 2D definitivo. Visuais bem detalhados e vivos para um jogo do megadrive. Trilha sonora espetacular composta por verdadeiros gênios da composição e do sound design.
Os controles são simples e extremamente intuitivos. Os jogos clássicos do Sonic aparentam serem simples plataformers 2D, só que mais rápidos, porém, eles possuem um diferencial dos outros plataformers da época, isto é, sua física bem complexa, que reflete na maneira que a movimentação do jogador interage com o terreno, aprofundando bastante a gameplay e criando uma mesclagem perfeita entre um jogo de pinball e um plataformer. Dito isso, o design dos levels de Sonic 3 & Knuckles, diferente de outros Sonics da trilogia clássica, acomodam quase que perfeitamente a gameplay, além de oferecerem uma exploração satisfatória, o que geram fases com um fator replay magnífico que proporcionam horas de diversão ao jogador. Por falar em fator replay, não só o jogo oferece um minigame extra para 2 jogadores, como também possui 2 personagens extras com habilidades únicas que mudam a forma que você joga os levels, um desses personagens tendo uma expansão da história original e percussos totalmente novos. A história do jogo é simples, mas bem legal de se acompanhar. O jogo possui cutscenes in-game e sem diálogos, mas ainda sim consegue apresentar a história ao jogador de maneira muito boa.
Dito isso, concluo a review dizendo que não me restam dúvidas de que esse é o melhor jogo do Sonic e um dos melhores plataformers 2D já criados, recomendo para qualquer um.
Os controles são simples e extremamente intuitivos. Os jogos clássicos do Sonic aparentam serem simples plataformers 2D, só que mais rápidos, porém, eles possuem um diferencial dos outros plataformers da época, isto é, sua física bem complexa, que reflete na maneira que a movimentação do jogador interage com o terreno, aprofundando bastante a gameplay e criando uma mesclagem perfeita entre um jogo de pinball e um plataformer. Dito isso, o design dos levels de Sonic 3 & Knuckles, diferente de outros Sonics da trilogia clássica, acomodam quase que perfeitamente a gameplay, além de oferecerem uma exploração satisfatória, o que geram fases com um fator replay magnífico que proporcionam horas de diversão ao jogador. Por falar em fator replay, não só o jogo oferece um minigame extra para 2 jogadores, como também possui 2 personagens extras com habilidades únicas que mudam a forma que você joga os levels, um desses personagens tendo uma expansão da história original e percussos totalmente novos. A história do jogo é simples, mas bem legal de se acompanhar. O jogo possui cutscenes in-game e sem diálogos, mas ainda sim consegue apresentar a história ao jogador de maneira muito boa.
Dito isso, concluo a review dizendo que não me restam dúvidas de que esse é o melhor jogo do Sonic e um dos melhores plataformers 2D já criados, recomendo para qualquer um.
after replaying this i definitely get why its beloved status is contested among some, it's probably the easiest of the mega drive games to actually finish but it's designed in a way that encourages mastery a lot more - ultimately a very good thing but after sonic 2 it can feel a little slow if you aren't familiar with these levels! that flow state is much harder to achieve here, but it's by far the most rewarding and tightly paced of these games. so massively impressive and detailed for its era, 90s sega were insane
They say that Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are solid games on their own, but combined, they form what may very well be the greatest game of the classic series. Honestly, this doesn't make much sense to me. Two lukewarm beers do not make a cold and refreshing one.
Both halves of this game have some admittedly solid zones (I'd argue that Sonic & Knuckles more-so), and some really vibrant backgrounds that makes it stand out from the previous two games. Unfortunately, the attractive package is severely hampered by plenty of other subpar, and even downright terrible zones (I'm looking at you Carnival Night). The problem is made even worse by the fact that most of the zones are just too damn long. I actually ran out of time while doing one of the Acts in Carnival Night. That has never happened to me before in a Sonic game.
Y'all can laugh all you want and say it's skill issue (hell, I didn't even know you could jump in the special stages until someone pointed it out), but I still beat it, didn't I? I just really don't think the level design is up to par with what I expect from a good Sonic game. It's ambitious, I'll give it that. And you certainly get a lot more content than your average classic Sonic title. This game is like crab legs, though. If you wanna enjoy the meaty bits, you gotta really work for it, and I honestly don't think it's very much worth it. I'll just go back to the superior game: Sonic 2.
P.S. I'm not a big fan of seafood.
Both halves of this game have some admittedly solid zones (I'd argue that Sonic & Knuckles more-so), and some really vibrant backgrounds that makes it stand out from the previous two games. Unfortunately, the attractive package is severely hampered by plenty of other subpar, and even downright terrible zones (I'm looking at you Carnival Night). The problem is made even worse by the fact that most of the zones are just too damn long. I actually ran out of time while doing one of the Acts in Carnival Night. That has never happened to me before in a Sonic game.
Y'all can laugh all you want and say it's skill issue (hell, I didn't even know you could jump in the special stages until someone pointed it out), but I still beat it, didn't I? I just really don't think the level design is up to par with what I expect from a good Sonic game. It's ambitious, I'll give it that. And you certainly get a lot more content than your average classic Sonic title. This game is like crab legs, though. If you wanna enjoy the meaty bits, you gotta really work for it, and I honestly don't think it's very much worth it. I'll just go back to the superior game: Sonic 2.
Oh boy, 3&K. The game everyone and their grandmother declares as “the pinnacle of 2D Sonic”, better yet, “the pinnacle of Sonic in GENERAL!”
So of course I think the opposite 😃
Full disclosure though, I don’t hate this game. I don’t even think it’s mediocre or just ok/average, I genuinely do like this game and think it has a lot going for it, but after replaying and 100%ing it again via Sonic Origins it is an incredibly bloated overrated Sonic game in my eyes.
Before I start to rag on it for being Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, let me go over what I loved about it. First off, may seem like a minor detail but the ability to control yourself in the air after jumping from rolling or spindashing is HUGE, it makes me miss this feature so much when playing the other classic games, having control ripped away from you and being at the mercy of where the ramp or whatever flung you from just never felt right, it felt restrictive. Second, the usual things Classic Sonic games get right are here and accounted for: creative zone themes, catchy af music, gorgeous spritework, tight controls, everything in this regard is as it should be. Lastly, I want to touch up on the visual storytelling, it stuck out a lot to me compared to the previous times I’ve played this game. Technically this is something they started doing more and more as the games went on but 3&K is the culmination of this multiplied tenfold. The way the environment changes throughout your playthrough of a level, the expressions of the characters, the background elements all combine into something I was actually kinda getting into more and more the more I noticed it.
I also like the instashield. While it’s not as fun or as useful as the drop dash, it works fine for what it does: make annoying enemies killable no matter what (though I do think if they just didn’t feel the need to make annoying enemies in the first place then this skill would be redundant, but I digress). I still don’t like the blue spheres special stages but I’ve gotten way better at them the more I play the game so they really aren’t that big of an issue for me, though some of the Super Emerald blue spheres stages still kinda suck.
The level design though…I’m so torn. The main gist is that 3&K segments its level design into two different factions: speed and platforming. Rarely do these 2 elements mix: you have wishy wooshy automated sections where you just kinda hold forward and watch Sonic rocket through loops, corkscrews, and so on for pure adrenaline dopamine, then on the other end of the spectrum you have really slow rather simplistic platforming sections to slow the pace down (lava reef act 2 in particular is just nothing but staircases). This type of structure works fine enough but I don’t think the levels in 3&K have a satisfying sense of flow because of it, and it doesn’t help that some of these levels just straight blow. Marble garden and Carnival Night are thoroughly unenjoyable for me and the levels noticeably degrade in quality during the & Knuckles portion of the game, so much of it just sitting and waiting in place before you can continue. I also think that the game as a whole is odd in terms of pacing, it puts me in a bit of a predicament. Individually these games are too short to be remarkably satisfying to play through but combined the game feels far too bloated to be enjoyed in a full sitting. The bosses don’t help either, they’re pretty terrible. A part of why I always go after Super/Hyper Sonic is so I don’t have to deal with these tedious waiting game bosses and can just wail on them whenever I want (apart from the lava reef final boss or the first sandopolis boss, you’re just kinda out of luck with those no matter what lol).
All in all I’m left with an experience that is certainly good, just not great. Sonic 1 and Mania still remain king of the classics for me.
So of course I think the opposite 😃
Full disclosure though, I don’t hate this game. I don’t even think it’s mediocre or just ok/average, I genuinely do like this game and think it has a lot going for it, but after replaying and 100%ing it again via Sonic Origins it is an incredibly bloated overrated Sonic game in my eyes.
Before I start to rag on it for being Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, let me go over what I loved about it. First off, may seem like a minor detail but the ability to control yourself in the air after jumping from rolling or spindashing is HUGE, it makes me miss this feature so much when playing the other classic games, having control ripped away from you and being at the mercy of where the ramp or whatever flung you from just never felt right, it felt restrictive. Second, the usual things Classic Sonic games get right are here and accounted for: creative zone themes, catchy af music, gorgeous spritework, tight controls, everything in this regard is as it should be. Lastly, I want to touch up on the visual storytelling, it stuck out a lot to me compared to the previous times I’ve played this game. Technically this is something they started doing more and more as the games went on but 3&K is the culmination of this multiplied tenfold. The way the environment changes throughout your playthrough of a level, the expressions of the characters, the background elements all combine into something I was actually kinda getting into more and more the more I noticed it.
I also like the instashield. While it’s not as fun or as useful as the drop dash, it works fine for what it does: make annoying enemies killable no matter what (though I do think if they just didn’t feel the need to make annoying enemies in the first place then this skill would be redundant, but I digress). I still don’t like the blue spheres special stages but I’ve gotten way better at them the more I play the game so they really aren’t that big of an issue for me, though some of the Super Emerald blue spheres stages still kinda suck.
The level design though…I’m so torn. The main gist is that 3&K segments its level design into two different factions: speed and platforming. Rarely do these 2 elements mix: you have wishy wooshy automated sections where you just kinda hold forward and watch Sonic rocket through loops, corkscrews, and so on for pure adrenaline dopamine, then on the other end of the spectrum you have really slow rather simplistic platforming sections to slow the pace down (lava reef act 2 in particular is just nothing but staircases). This type of structure works fine enough but I don’t think the levels in 3&K have a satisfying sense of flow because of it, and it doesn’t help that some of these levels just straight blow. Marble garden and Carnival Night are thoroughly unenjoyable for me and the levels noticeably degrade in quality during the & Knuckles portion of the game, so much of it just sitting and waiting in place before you can continue. I also think that the game as a whole is odd in terms of pacing, it puts me in a bit of a predicament. Individually these games are too short to be remarkably satisfying to play through but combined the game feels far too bloated to be enjoyed in a full sitting. The bosses don’t help either, they’re pretty terrible. A part of why I always go after Super/Hyper Sonic is so I don’t have to deal with these tedious waiting game bosses and can just wail on them whenever I want (apart from the lava reef final boss or the first sandopolis boss, you’re just kinda out of luck with those no matter what lol).
All in all I’m left with an experience that is certainly good, just not great. Sonic 1 and Mania still remain king of the classics for me.
I played this as Knuckles this time while watching Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy and it was better than both of them so THERE.
Hyper Sonic is the best thing to happen to this series (aside from the drop dash)
Want to know how old I am? I still remember the commercial for this with the two elves hanging out in a bougie-ass McMansion and one of them was the actor who played the Black Lodge version of MIKE from Twin Peaks and they were pitching this game to Santa “with new technology! Lock-on technology! So you can play as Sonic AND Knuckles!” but Santa was such a Nintendo cuck he just laughed at them so they sold the whole idea to Sega. You know, the idea for the third sonic game, the next installment of sega’s signature franchise, they went ahead and sold it to Sega. Good for them, though. I wonder how they’re still doing, especially in light of the pandemic
Peak 2D Sonic, maybe shouldn't be your first Sonic if you"re bad but after you get your feet wet with Mania this is the best Sonic game in general to me, the way they were able to tell a story without any dialogue is still insane to me, the ending Sky Sanctuary arc was and still is peak.
Sonic 3 and Knuckles was my favorite Genesis game before I played Treasure's Alien Soldier and for good reason. Sonic Team did a rare thing here and actually learned the lessons from the development of Sonic 1, 2, and CD and gave us the most consistently fun 2D Sonic game. I think the game can trip up in areas such as Sandopolis zone, but overall it's easy to return to this game and have a good time where I don't revisit the other classic Sonics nearly as much, or even the 3D sonic games to be honest.
this was the best sonic game before mania, though I much prefer sonic 3 over & Knuckles.
One of the first truly blockbuster video games. Back when being cool for Sonic meant a massive adventure with over dozen levels, dense level design, awesome music, and a complete story; not just having an unfunny snarky twitter account.
The third time's the charm. A great 2D Sonic game that doesn't really have any major flaws in the same vein as the previous games. There's no zones that I consider to be poor or frustrating, and I found it to be enjoyable the whole way through despite being longer than the others. My only complaint is that I wish the special stages weren't quite so challenging, but I don't consider that to be too much of an issue since they're optional. Also the music in this game is really damn good.
Sonic Marathon List
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played Sonic 3 A.I.R port
Been a while but continuing with my Sonic marathon with S3&K as my next stop and just like I said for Sonic 2, holy fuck this is yet again how you do a sequel right.
First off the music, it's so fucking good. Some of my favorites being Ice Cap, Flying Battery, Carnival Night, Sky Sanctuary, Sandopolis, etc.. Like just so so many great tracks for each and everyone of the stages I feel (Note: Haven't listened to the prototype ones). Each theme just fit the stage it was meant for and really made them stand the hell out in a good way.
Stages are so beautiful looking as well, each mainline Sonic game so far has just improved on the stage design really nailing the aesthetics and appearance, honestly I feel that S3&K has the best looking stages of the mainline Genesis ones so far. Plus it's wild watching how they looked in Sonic 1 (which was not bad at all! they were great there too!) and seeing how each game has improved on them. Also again god it's so fun just blasting through the stage with Super/Hyper Sonic/Knuckles once I rank enough and just absolutely cheesing bosses. And the regular bosses themselves I love how each act has it's own unique one that doesn't feel like a repetitive romp or anything (Mecha Sonic in Knuckles and the Death Egg Zone's in Sonic's being some of my favs).
The special stages I feel are at their best with Blue Sphere too. Yeah Blue Sphere could be challenging at times, but it was a fun challenging. Plus the bonus stage additions are great too, my favorite ones being the slot and gumball machines that I'd use to rack up rings and get shields.
The story too while it's another simple stop Eggman, I love how they've added things such as the little cutscenes, showing how they get from one stage to another, and how even in the most minuscule details like how Knuckles never actually faces Eggman is his run and only his robots because Eggman is tricking him as if he's on his side. Little things like that I honestly appreciate cause they didn't have to go that hard but they did.
For negative points, it's only one really. That being some of the stages go on way too long. Carnival Night Zone (In Sonic's run) and Sandopolis stand out here. The former I actually timed out my first time going through with Sonic and just wanted it to end, the latter I just disliked in general esp. Act 2, Sandopolis is just a boring ass stage. Plus, I didnt like the Glowing Sphere bonus stage, I always hated when it gave me that one, not even like it's hard it's just I get better rewards from the other two. But that's really all the negative points I could give with S3&K.
All in all, I had a great ass time with S3&K, it improved yet again on what Sonic 2 laid out and gave a fun and awesome romp to go through (Holy shit I sucked at playing Knuckles tho lol) and is so far my favorite Sonic game.
To rank the stages,
1. Angel Island Zone - Yeah yeah I know it's the first stage, but it's prob the best one in my opinion. I love how it transitions from a peaceful island to everything being on fucking fire, I love how it introduces you to all three of the new shields and hidden rings, plus it's just a fun stage in general.
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2. Mushroom Hill Zone - Similar to Angel Island being the first of the S3&K half, but still great as well. Great places for speed, I love the seasonal transition, and visually beautiful as well.
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3. Sky Sanctuary Zone - A great stage with awesome music, great boss battles, and again just looking so fucking good visually.
_
4. Ice Cap Zone - Even though I had a little trouble with Act 1's puzzle at first, it's such a fun fucking stage. The music is great, the platforming is mixed well with the speed, and I love the snowboarding section on Sonic's side.
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5. Lava Reef Zone (+Hidden Palace Zone) - Fun late game stage, I love the boss in Act 1 on Sonic's side and I love how Act 2 has a completely different vibe from Act 1's. Plus it was funny cheesing Knuckles with Hyper Sonic that was hilarious.
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6. Marble Garden Zone - I really liked this stage, the tops were a fun idea and speeding through the level was always a blast.
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7. Hydrocity Zone - Not the biggest fan but it was still a fun stage and I loved how it was completely easy to avoid the water if you knew what to do actually. Still not the biggest on water stages though.
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8. Flying Battery Zone - Good stage, a bit hard on Knuckles side but didn't have a bad time with it. Had a creative boss fight that was ok.
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9. Launch Base Zone - Fine stage to end off the Sonic 3 portion of things, goes on a bit but it's not bad. Seeing Knuckles fall off the oil rig was fun plus the boss fight on his side was fun too. Not much else I have to say for this stage tbh.
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10. Doomsday Zone - It's fine, I love how it ends the game off. Just this low tbh since not much happens outside of fighting Eggman as Super/Hyper Sonic.
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11. Death Egg Zone - The boss is fun if challenging at first, but stage wise meh, wasn't the biggest on it. Kinda liked it more in Sonic 2.
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12. Carnival Night Zone - I didn't like this stage, unlike Casino Night Zone from Sonic 2 which this one was clearly trying to capture the same vibe of, it didn't do too good outside the music. Yeah you can speed through but god this stage tends to drag, Act 2 I actually timed it out when I played as Sonic/Tails. Playing as Knuckles made this stage a way better experience but even still I'm still not a big fan of this stage. Also no I didn't have issues with the drum I already know how to deal with that.
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13. Sandopolis Zone - I have nothing good to say about this stage aside from music. Yeah I had my complaints with Carnival Night but at least I had fun doing it as Knuckles, Sandopplis is just boring. Act 1 is ok I guess, the boss is a sludge, but then Act2 it just drags and drags and drags and drags. I nearly timed out playing as Knuckles and had to restart the act cause there was no way I could beat the boss on time, and I was bored pretty much going through it with either set. The ghost shit was annoying as hell too.
Prev | | Next
played Sonic 3 A.I.R port
Been a while but continuing with my Sonic marathon with S3&K as my next stop and just like I said for Sonic 2, holy fuck this is yet again how you do a sequel right.
First off the music, it's so fucking good. Some of my favorites being Ice Cap, Flying Battery, Carnival Night, Sky Sanctuary, Sandopolis, etc.. Like just so so many great tracks for each and everyone of the stages I feel (Note: Haven't listened to the prototype ones). Each theme just fit the stage it was meant for and really made them stand the hell out in a good way.
Stages are so beautiful looking as well, each mainline Sonic game so far has just improved on the stage design really nailing the aesthetics and appearance, honestly I feel that S3&K has the best looking stages of the mainline Genesis ones so far. Plus it's wild watching how they looked in Sonic 1 (which was not bad at all! they were great there too!) and seeing how each game has improved on them. Also again god it's so fun just blasting through the stage with Super/Hyper Sonic/Knuckles once I rank enough and just absolutely cheesing bosses. And the regular bosses themselves I love how each act has it's own unique one that doesn't feel like a repetitive romp or anything (Mecha Sonic in Knuckles and the Death Egg Zone's in Sonic's being some of my favs).
The special stages I feel are at their best with Blue Sphere too. Yeah Blue Sphere could be challenging at times, but it was a fun challenging. Plus the bonus stage additions are great too, my favorite ones being the slot and gumball machines that I'd use to rack up rings and get shields.
The story too while it's another simple stop Eggman, I love how they've added things such as the little cutscenes, showing how they get from one stage to another, and how even in the most minuscule details like how Knuckles never actually faces Eggman is his run and only his robots because Eggman is tricking him as if he's on his side. Little things like that I honestly appreciate cause they didn't have to go that hard but they did.
For negative points, it's only one really. That being some of the stages go on way too long. Carnival Night Zone (In Sonic's run) and Sandopolis stand out here. The former I actually timed out my first time going through with Sonic and just wanted it to end, the latter I just disliked in general esp. Act 2, Sandopolis is just a boring ass stage. Plus, I didnt like the Glowing Sphere bonus stage, I always hated when it gave me that one, not even like it's hard it's just I get better rewards from the other two. But that's really all the negative points I could give with S3&K.
All in all, I had a great ass time with S3&K, it improved yet again on what Sonic 2 laid out and gave a fun and awesome romp to go through (Holy shit I sucked at playing Knuckles tho lol) and is so far my favorite Sonic game.
To rank the stages,
1. Angel Island Zone - Yeah yeah I know it's the first stage, but it's prob the best one in my opinion. I love how it transitions from a peaceful island to everything being on fucking fire, I love how it introduces you to all three of the new shields and hidden rings, plus it's just a fun stage in general.
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2. Mushroom Hill Zone - Similar to Angel Island being the first of the S3&K half, but still great as well. Great places for speed, I love the seasonal transition, and visually beautiful as well.
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3. Sky Sanctuary Zone - A great stage with awesome music, great boss battles, and again just looking so fucking good visually.
_
4. Ice Cap Zone - Even though I had a little trouble with Act 1's puzzle at first, it's such a fun fucking stage. The music is great, the platforming is mixed well with the speed, and I love the snowboarding section on Sonic's side.
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5. Lava Reef Zone (+Hidden Palace Zone) - Fun late game stage, I love the boss in Act 1 on Sonic's side and I love how Act 2 has a completely different vibe from Act 1's. Plus it was funny cheesing Knuckles with Hyper Sonic that was hilarious.
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6. Marble Garden Zone - I really liked this stage, the tops were a fun idea and speeding through the level was always a blast.
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7. Hydrocity Zone - Not the biggest fan but it was still a fun stage and I loved how it was completely easy to avoid the water if you knew what to do actually. Still not the biggest on water stages though.
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8. Flying Battery Zone - Good stage, a bit hard on Knuckles side but didn't have a bad time with it. Had a creative boss fight that was ok.
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9. Launch Base Zone - Fine stage to end off the Sonic 3 portion of things, goes on a bit but it's not bad. Seeing Knuckles fall off the oil rig was fun plus the boss fight on his side was fun too. Not much else I have to say for this stage tbh.
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10. Doomsday Zone - It's fine, I love how it ends the game off. Just this low tbh since not much happens outside of fighting Eggman as Super/Hyper Sonic.
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11. Death Egg Zone - The boss is fun if challenging at first, but stage wise meh, wasn't the biggest on it. Kinda liked it more in Sonic 2.
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12. Carnival Night Zone - I didn't like this stage, unlike Casino Night Zone from Sonic 2 which this one was clearly trying to capture the same vibe of, it didn't do too good outside the music. Yeah you can speed through but god this stage tends to drag, Act 2 I actually timed it out when I played as Sonic/Tails. Playing as Knuckles made this stage a way better experience but even still I'm still not a big fan of this stage. Also no I didn't have issues with the drum I already know how to deal with that.
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13. Sandopolis Zone - I have nothing good to say about this stage aside from music. Yeah I had my complaints with Carnival Night but at least I had fun doing it as Knuckles, Sandopplis is just boring. Act 1 is ok I guess, the boss is a sludge, but then Act2 it just drags and drags and drags and drags. I nearly timed out playing as Knuckles and had to restart the act cause there was no way I could beat the boss on time, and I was bored pretty much going through it with either set. The ghost shit was annoying as hell too.
This was certainly a journey. It had many ups and downs...first, i want to start with the pros:
Soundtrack: I absolutely loved the soundtrack, they really added onto the experience and fit the theme of the stages really well, it is definitely the strongest soundtrack out of the classic sonic games.
Characters: The idea of having different storylines between sonic/tails and knuckles is really enjoyable and adds extra levels of replayability
Special Stages: I think the special stage minigame is exciting and captures a trial-and-error system well. Minus the fact I struggled against 1 stage for the super emeralds in particular it felt rewarding to get the emeralds. However, the way to get special stages becomes a con for me.
Shields: I love this system! The idea of having different elemental shields was so enriching for the experience. not only does it add an extra hit, but it also adds extra bits of situational advantages to the gameplay, such as the bubble shield adding water breathing and a BOUNCY effect to a lightning shield magnetizing rings to sonic and granting a double jump and resistance to electric attacks and lastly the fire shield granting invulnerability to fire-based attacks and granting a dash. The shields feel at home in this title, especially because of how HUGE the stages are in comparison to previous entries.
Boss battles: DEFINITELY the best bosses out of the previous entries, adding a variety of different gimmicks the bosses utilize the theme of the stages to grant a positive challenging experience. There is also mini-bosses in act 1 that are just as enjoyable.
CONS
Getting special stages: I didn't really like the idea of having to search all over an already huge act within 10 minutes to find giant rings to access these special stages. Sonic 2 had a system that rewarded players for collecting 50 rings and avoiding obstacles with precision once they reached a checkpoint to grant them the opportunity to get a chaos emerald that felt more natural and within the flow of a speedy game, this game. However, it forces you at multiple times to take it slow to check a wall that may break and reveal a big ring just so you may get a chaos emerald which just rubbed me the wrong way
Obstacle placement: I think some of the obstacles in this game were out to get me just outrageously, however not as bad as sonic 1 level design and sonic 2's Metropolis zone.
Soundtrack: I absolutely loved the soundtrack, they really added onto the experience and fit the theme of the stages really well, it is definitely the strongest soundtrack out of the classic sonic games.
Characters: The idea of having different storylines between sonic/tails and knuckles is really enjoyable and adds extra levels of replayability
Special Stages: I think the special stage minigame is exciting and captures a trial-and-error system well. Minus the fact I struggled against 1 stage for the super emeralds in particular it felt rewarding to get the emeralds. However, the way to get special stages becomes a con for me.
Shields: I love this system! The idea of having different elemental shields was so enriching for the experience. not only does it add an extra hit, but it also adds extra bits of situational advantages to the gameplay, such as the bubble shield adding water breathing and a BOUNCY effect to a lightning shield magnetizing rings to sonic and granting a double jump and resistance to electric attacks and lastly the fire shield granting invulnerability to fire-based attacks and granting a dash. The shields feel at home in this title, especially because of how HUGE the stages are in comparison to previous entries.
Boss battles: DEFINITELY the best bosses out of the previous entries, adding a variety of different gimmicks the bosses utilize the theme of the stages to grant a positive challenging experience. There is also mini-bosses in act 1 that are just as enjoyable.
CONS
Getting special stages: I didn't really like the idea of having to search all over an already huge act within 10 minutes to find giant rings to access these special stages. Sonic 2 had a system that rewarded players for collecting 50 rings and avoiding obstacles with precision once they reached a checkpoint to grant them the opportunity to get a chaos emerald that felt more natural and within the flow of a speedy game, this game. However, it forces you at multiple times to take it slow to check a wall that may break and reveal a big ring just so you may get a chaos emerald which just rubbed me the wrong way
Obstacle placement: I think some of the obstacles in this game were out to get me just outrageously, however not as bad as sonic 1 level design and sonic 2's Metropolis zone.
Sonic 3 is good, sonic and knuckles is good, however sonic 3 and knuckles as a complete game is the epitome of sega genesis era gaming. Multiple pathways multiple characters with different abilities even today I find new goodies I didn’t see before.
sonic 3 & knuckles sits in a very weird spot within the genesis tetralogy (yes cd counts) for me, and i suppose it always will. sonic 1 and 2, i played to death on genesis and the mega collection, cd i bought gems collection to play alongside sonic r (which isn't really as bad as people make it out to be, by the way) and of course drooled over the 2011 remaster, and sonic 3 & knuckles kinda becomes the outlier. i played each game a good bit independently on the mega collection but i can't recall having unlocked the full title on that set. i think i first regularly started playing this game as intended via emulation, especially when i started hearing early youtube gaming guys and all the gaming magazines i read calling this the holy grail of the series. at this point in my life, i think i've been able to set the nostalgia glasses aside and after completing this game 3 times this year, as recently as today, i feel ready to share my earnest opinions on sonic 3 & knuckles - which from now on, i'll just call s3&k.
with all the improvements this game brings to sonic 2 - 3 playable characters, more bonus stages, a ton of levels, the insta-shield, to name a few - functionally speaking, yes, this is the most realized a genesis sonic game has ever been. the story is told subtly but effectively via short unplayable sequences or background effects, and it's pretty neat. the music, ever a point of copyright controversy, is incredible - while not my favorite of the era (cd's japanese soundtrack wins out by a gargantuan deal) there are some absolute masterpieces here. the spritework looks incredible and i think knuckles and tails look their best here - still more of a fan of sonic's 2 design though. even so, can i say that i feel this is the BEST of the genesis games? well... yes, and no.
yes, to the extent that this is unquestionably THE game the series was building up to and it masters that on almost all fronts. if you were to have someone play any of the genesis sonics, this is almost certainly the one to go with, even with its issues. the 'no' comes from the fact that considering its rocky development, it's very obvious that s3&k isn't one cohesive adventure - it's two rushed chapters smashed together to create a single comprehensive experience, and for being that, it's fantastically executed.
the game could've trimmed its two weakest stages -sandopolis and marble garden - and been better for it. the stage order makes sense when considering the sonic 3 stages and the sonic & knuckles stages individually, but when combined, it kind of feels off. why is mushroom hill halfway into the game? why is ice cap in the first half? there IS a cohesive, say 14 stage, dipless masterpiece here, but the rushed execution to promote sales shoots the game in the leg from being just shy of pristine. another point of contention is blue sphere, the chaos emerald-nabbing minigame, just not being all that engaging or fun - maybe not sonic 2 half pipe bad, but nothing enjoyable. i'm also sort of let down by the obvious rushed moments in the soundtrack where an act 2 remix will simply strip or swap instruments from the act 1 theme. this game's soundtrack is too good for those moments.
the more i think about it, the more grateful i am for sonic mania; sure, it might repeat stages from previous titles a little bit too much, but i really feel it delivers on the promise of the cohesive, story-driven, long-haul, fillerless masterpiece s3&k comes JUST shy of fulfilling.
with all the improvements this game brings to sonic 2 - 3 playable characters, more bonus stages, a ton of levels, the insta-shield, to name a few - functionally speaking, yes, this is the most realized a genesis sonic game has ever been. the story is told subtly but effectively via short unplayable sequences or background effects, and it's pretty neat. the music, ever a point of copyright controversy, is incredible - while not my favorite of the era (cd's japanese soundtrack wins out by a gargantuan deal) there are some absolute masterpieces here. the spritework looks incredible and i think knuckles and tails look their best here - still more of a fan of sonic's 2 design though. even so, can i say that i feel this is the BEST of the genesis games? well... yes, and no.
yes, to the extent that this is unquestionably THE game the series was building up to and it masters that on almost all fronts. if you were to have someone play any of the genesis sonics, this is almost certainly the one to go with, even with its issues. the 'no' comes from the fact that considering its rocky development, it's very obvious that s3&k isn't one cohesive adventure - it's two rushed chapters smashed together to create a single comprehensive experience, and for being that, it's fantastically executed.
the game could've trimmed its two weakest stages -sandopolis and marble garden - and been better for it. the stage order makes sense when considering the sonic 3 stages and the sonic & knuckles stages individually, but when combined, it kind of feels off. why is mushroom hill halfway into the game? why is ice cap in the first half? there IS a cohesive, say 14 stage, dipless masterpiece here, but the rushed execution to promote sales shoots the game in the leg from being just shy of pristine. another point of contention is blue sphere, the chaos emerald-nabbing minigame, just not being all that engaging or fun - maybe not sonic 2 half pipe bad, but nothing enjoyable. i'm also sort of let down by the obvious rushed moments in the soundtrack where an act 2 remix will simply strip or swap instruments from the act 1 theme. this game's soundtrack is too good for those moments.
the more i think about it, the more grateful i am for sonic mania; sure, it might repeat stages from previous titles a little bit too much, but i really feel it delivers on the promise of the cohesive, story-driven, long-haul, fillerless masterpiece s3&k comes JUST shy of fulfilling.
fucking riiiiiiiiips. the timer doesnt accomodate for how long some of the levels are and some of the last bosses are absolute garbage (what else is new from 2d sonic) but what a fucking masterpiece. idk if level design gets better than this ngl
"Sonic was never good"
Bro what
Bro what
Fuck Sonic Origins.
EASILY the best classic Sonic title. It practically perfects everything that the past games attempted and even more. Controls are tight and the level of creativity and gimmicks thrown into a great majority of the levels is just so impressive.
Rarely ever do I see a sequel address every flaw people had with the original game. God bless McDonald’s for being the reason sega decided to create the lock on-technology compatibility for this . Doomsday zone goes harder than anything I’ve ever seen
Childhood favorite that I've played at LEAST 8 or 9 times already. Admittedly the zone selection is a mixed bag; Marble Garden & Launch Base have too many 'gotcha' obstacles that completely impede pacing, and most of S&K's levels besides Mushroom Hill are too slow. I somehow always have a good time with this game in spite of that tho.
"sonic 2 is better!" i refuse to hear it
Considered by many to be 2D Sonic's best, it's easy to see why, Sonic 3K is a fantastic game filled with fun level design, with Character Specific Areas, that gives you an incentive to expand and try out other Characters, fun upgrades with the Elemental Shields, free insurance mode known as Hyper Sonic, Super/Hyper Knuckles, and Super Tails. The Soundtrack is amazing, and there's just so much to love about Sonic 3K. Albeit, I do have issues with the game's pacing at points, as some levels can feel pretty long and others pretty short, especially in the Sonic and Knuckles half of the game. Other than that I don't have much issues with it, play this game if you haven't already.
I still slightly prefer Sonic 2, mostly due to how this game does tend to slow down here and there, but this is still easily one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games that really builds upon the original formula with big, expansive levels that do a great job of allowing for exploration, as well as how they are designed around the game’s multiple playable characters and abilities, plus some good gameplay additions like the Elemental Shields and stage transitions. Overall, a fine evolution of the classic formula and a game that feels pretty big for the time and even now.
I’m not gonna deny that there are problems with this game, however not only are they few and far between but it legitimately has some the best content in any Sonic game to date, the only one really competing with it for me is Adventure DX. I also played the Origins version and while I will not deny that that version has issues and you’re better off playing one of the fan remakes on PC, It was a supremely fun time playing this on my Switch and I’ll even admit I got a bit of a nostalgia rush. My Dad got me a model 1 Sega Genesis that I could use to play Sonic 3 and Knuckles and playing it for the first time ever was legitimately one of the best days of my entire life. Since then, Sonic 3 and Knuckles was a go to game for me as I could always pick up and play it and my mood was significantly improved, and finally being able to do that on the one console I mainly play video games with combined with the 16:9 aspect ratio, crisp graphics and all of the features that Anniversary Mode added to the game was a huge treat. Please, go and play Sonic 3 and Knuckles, you won’t regret it.
cara, um ÓTIMO fim para os jogos do mega drive
esse jogo pegou tudo que era bom, aprimorou, e adicionou mais coisa ainda, eu to mt surpreso que esse jogo foi feito no mega drive
Os escudos são uma adição mt boa pra a série (thunder > todos), o knuckles, mesmo sendo um boneco que parece ser chato no começo, vira um personagem mt bom (se vai se aprimorar ao decorrer dos jogos), o level design está impecável, a jogabilidade mt boa tbm, e a soundtrack INSANA MEU DEUS COMO EU ADORO ELA, e olha q tem músicas diferentes pra o act 1 e o 2, as boss fights, mesmo que fáceis pré ou pós pegar super sonic, ainda são bem criativas e legais de enfrentar, e os últimos bosses são mt delícias (mesmo que igual ao seu antecessor, não tenha nenhum anel) e o final com o hyper sonic é mt daora
Sandopolis não é tão ruim assim (ainda é)
joguem joguem JOGUEM JOGUEM
esse jogo pegou tudo que era bom, aprimorou, e adicionou mais coisa ainda, eu to mt surpreso que esse jogo foi feito no mega drive
Os escudos são uma adição mt boa pra a série (thunder > todos), o knuckles, mesmo sendo um boneco que parece ser chato no começo, vira um personagem mt bom (se vai se aprimorar ao decorrer dos jogos), o level design está impecável, a jogabilidade mt boa tbm, e a soundtrack INSANA MEU DEUS COMO EU ADORO ELA, e olha q tem músicas diferentes pra o act 1 e o 2, as boss fights, mesmo que fáceis pré ou pós pegar super sonic, ainda são bem criativas e legais de enfrentar, e os últimos bosses são mt delícias (mesmo que igual ao seu antecessor, não tenha nenhum anel) e o final com o hyper sonic é mt daora
Sandopolis não é tão ruim assim (ainda é)
joguem joguem JOGUEM JOGUEM
Yeah this is like the best game ever made I don't think there's much discussion to be had here.
Rather than going into excessive detail about everything that it does right I'm just gonna say that I think it's incredibly sick how every single boss fight against Robotnik across all the Classic games ends with him running away in the Egg Mobile after you destroy the bigger machine surrounding it, only for this game to finally give you the catharsis of actually hitting him in the last moments of the final boss where you chase him down as his biggest machine yet - the whole previous level and the arena you're currently standing on - crumbles around you.
It's fantastic payoff and really gives this game a sense of finality that it earns twenty times over.
Rather than going into excessive detail about everything that it does right I'm just gonna say that I think it's incredibly sick how every single boss fight against Robotnik across all the Classic games ends with him running away in the Egg Mobile after you destroy the bigger machine surrounding it, only for this game to finally give you the catharsis of actually hitting him in the last moments of the final boss where you chase him down as his biggest machine yet - the whole previous level and the arena you're currently standing on - crumbles around you.
It's fantastic payoff and really gives this game a sense of finality that it earns twenty times over.
I HAD A MOD INSTALLED WHERE SONIC JUMPS OFF THE LEVEL AND DIES AFTER WAITING 2 MINUTES AND HE FUCKING KILLED HIMSELF DURING THE CREDITS
A sus ordenes general Naka...