Sonic Origins (S3K) $30
-Glitches
-Blurry Pixels (before update)
-No Lives in anniversary mode
-Shitty new music

Sonic 3 AIR Free
-No Glitches
-Pixel Perfect
-Lives optional
-Original Music

5/5 - Amazing

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, and especially it's fan made remake, Sonic 3 A.I.R (or the Origins version, great too), is the perfection of the Classic Sonic formula. This game is an evolution in every aspect. It takes the core of what made Classic Sonic what it is - the physics, the momentum, the alternate paths, the skill ceiling - and it cranks everything up to 11.

The levels in this game are among the most unique seen in the Classic series. Almost every stage is excellently designed, and made more memorable then ever before - Sonic 3's levels are all full of unique gizmos, special gimmicks and mechanics to help them stand out. And the 2 acts are also more unique then ever - alternate aesthetics, different gimmicks, their own minibosses and even remixes of the first act's song give them their own unique identity. These blend perfectly with some tightly crafted layouts that always get better the more you play them. Sonic 3 never gets old as you traverse it's colorful stages that have you bounce, flip, fly, roll, crash and burn, with amazing flow.

The excellent level design and memorability are far from Sonic 3's only great traits, however - this game pushes Classic Sonic to new heights: the visuals and animations are immensly detailed and varied, pushing the Genesis to it's limits, the music is among the best on the entire system and outdoes all Sonic games that came before, the game features a grander scope with new act and zone transitions, more cutscenes, the affortmentioned unique act 2 aesthetics and songs, new power ups that make exploration even more rewarding, special stages that are the most fun both to find and to play, and a large quest that's bigger than almost any 2D platformer from that era.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is just marvelous, and I never get tired of it. I love almost every stage, it feels amazing to play and perfect, it's endlessly replayable with it's 3 unique characters, many alternate paths to take and different endings and collectables to find, and it feels immensly deep and complete. It's main detractors are a few stages I dislike such as Sandopolis Zone, but I even like levels like Marble Garden Zone with it's fun contraptions and wacky slopes, Carnival Night Zone and it's crazy bouncy feel, or Death Egg Zone and it's deadly but exciting traps - and those are among the game's weakest, in an all star roster of unforgettable locations.

The remake makes the game even better with additions like widescreen, the amazing drop dash move, and many new modes and settings, letting you tailor the Sonic 3 experience. But they're not even needed to win me over. This game is a winner.

Level design peaked here. Even the slower moments of this game feel tense and flow like a stream. Has very few "bad" zones; the only ones I don't like are Marble Garden and Sky Sanctuary. Soundtrack and presentation are top notch. Really, my biggest problem is the inconsistent bosses. Some are fantastic, including the true final boss, while others, such as both Ice Cap Zone bosses, are abysmal. Luckily once you have super forms the bad bosses are easy to brute force. Lastly, the special stages are pretty good. I know blue sphere is divisive but let's be real what sonic special stages aren't, other than mania's. Personally, I'm a fan; I just wish there were more chances to get the super emeralds. Overall though, yeah it's a masterpiece.