i don’t use the word peak lightly but,,, what can i say
A few "what the hell do I do here" moments--usually the fault of being stuck somewhere where the only way out is a mechanic you haven't been taught but are expected to figure out on your own--and the removal of Ice Cap Zone's iconic soundtrack are the only things I can even imagine complaining about here. On the other hand, the Origins release of Sonic 3 & Knuckles fixes the glaring lives problem of the Genesis Sonic games on top of rebuilding the game engine to allow for proper widescreen gameplay. This all but eliminates any of the quibbles I had with platforming in classic Sonic. The balance in this release is tipped well in favor of fun over frustration.
While it's hard not to compare the shiny new Origins versions of these games with the near-flawless Sonic Mania, the coherent narrative and flow between levels help to make up the difference. A greater serving of personality is a fine tradeoff for Mania's meticulous polish. With the improvements Sonic Origins adds, it makes Sonic 3 & Knuckles a serious contender for the best Sonic game.
The blue spheres mini game is my fatal weakness. I must have found a couple dozen rings in my playthrough, but only ever got three Chaos Emeralds.
While it's hard not to compare the shiny new Origins versions of these games with the near-flawless Sonic Mania, the coherent narrative and flow between levels help to make up the difference. A greater serving of personality is a fine tradeoff for Mania's meticulous polish. With the improvements Sonic Origins adds, it makes Sonic 3 & Knuckles a serious contender for the best Sonic game.
The blue spheres mini game is my fatal weakness. I must have found a couple dozen rings in my playthrough, but only ever got three Chaos Emeralds.
My favorite classic Sonic game. I love almost everything about it, it is the best version of the classic gameplay in my opinion. Only nitpick is that Tails can be super helpful, or super annoying. It fun to use him to get to places Sonic shouldn't, but his AI will take air from you, and killed me twice during the final boss. I love this game tho. (Played on Sonic Origins, with modded music lol)
(Moving this review from the 1994 version since I logged it under the wrong one - written in June 2022)
It's great to finally be able to play these games as one big playthrough as intended. I do think the zones in this game vary wildly in quality, you can see my (very very) short comments on them here and here.
Luckily the bad stages don't seem quite as bad when they're no longer 1/6th of the entire game. And by adding them all together you may just get away with quantity over quality anyway.
What else is there to really say about this game that wasn't covered in either of the first 2 reviews? Well Hyper Sonic of course is a huge new addition. Essentially doing all 7 special zones in both 3 & Knuckles. It's a faster, higher jumping version of Super Sonic that glows multiple colours. It's pretty cool. But I haaaate that when you start collecting the Super Emeralds you can no longer use regular Super Sonic. Why punish players like that? Also Hyper Sonic can breath underwater while Super Sonic can't despite the fact I'm pretty sure there's zero sections in the game where you can get Hyper Sonic that also contain water.
Basically both games are very clearly 2 halves of another game, so this version is the only way to feel like you're getting the true experience.
It's great to finally be able to play these games as one big playthrough as intended. I do think the zones in this game vary wildly in quality, you can see my (very very) short comments on them here and here.
Luckily the bad stages don't seem quite as bad when they're no longer 1/6th of the entire game. And by adding them all together you may just get away with quantity over quality anyway.
What else is there to really say about this game that wasn't covered in either of the first 2 reviews? Well Hyper Sonic of course is a huge new addition. Essentially doing all 7 special zones in both 3 & Knuckles. It's a faster, higher jumping version of Super Sonic that glows multiple colours. It's pretty cool. But I haaaate that when you start collecting the Super Emeralds you can no longer use regular Super Sonic. Why punish players like that? Also Hyper Sonic can breath underwater while Super Sonic can't despite the fact I'm pretty sure there's zero sections in the game where you can get Hyper Sonic that also contain water.
Basically both games are very clearly 2 halves of another game, so this version is the only way to feel like you're getting the true experience.
historia? perfeita, acho incrivel esses jogos que mostram e não ficam te falando direitinho, narrativamente incrível.
gameplay? perfeito
graficos? perfeito.
boss battles? perfeitos.
não tem o que falar, é um dos melhores jogos de plataformas ja feitos.
gameplay? perfeito
graficos? perfeito.
boss battles? perfeitos.
não tem o que falar, é um dos melhores jogos de plataformas ja feitos.
Sandopolis makes me want to cry
Melhor Sonic dessa trilogia clássica.
despite its musical changes, it is still the best Sonic game ever made. i played through the whole thing as Amy this time around and its a blast. the widescreen and removal of lives almost make this the definitive way to play
I am not the biggest fan of the Genesis Sonic games and this entry did little to change my mind. I will admit there are some really cool segments in the game and I enjoyed the boss fights, but most of the time I found myself frustrated by poor platforming mechanics, hidden enemies or traps, underwater levels, etc.
It's the best 2D Sonic... Even with Origins' butchered music
Still the goat, happy it got a remaster. 2nd time I’ve beat this game this year.