“A BLAST PROCESSING SHOCKWAVE, THREE DECADES OUT”

Starting to reach a Genesis-era Sonic homeostasis.

As much as I appreciate what the original Sonic games represent, the nostalgia has long since worn off. I firmly believe Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the first really good one, although fans nowadays will take care to remind you: it’s only one half of the complete package.

My first exposure to Sonic 3 was through Sonic Mega Collection Plus on PS2 and, believe it or not, you actually had to unlock Sonic 3 & Knuckles! There were a few more unlockable games, but in hindsight it’s a little strange they did this.

Anyways, considering Sonic 3 as a standalone title… this one has the sauce.

Aesthetically, I think Sonic CD will always be my favorite looking and sounding 2D Sonic game (EU/JP soundtrack is an all-timer), but Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) is the peak of the Genesis era titles for me. There’s a level of spectacle and polish in this one that makes the whole thing pop. Consider those Genesis commercials where they’d have Super Mario World on one screen and Sonic the Hedgehog on the other. Yeah, Sonic 1 was flexing the hardware, but Sonic 3 is straight up overclocked. The sprite work, pseudo-3D depth of the stages, scripted sequences, everything here is cooked to perfection.

Each zone retains its two-act structure, but this time with an additional mini-boss between stages, and extra music arrangements for Acts 1 and 2 respectively.

The original soundtrack is so good that its substitution in the latest Sonic Origins collection actively hampers my enjoyment of that version. If you want to play Sonic 3 the way God intended, mod the original soundtrack into Origins, or use an emulator, or play it on any of the numerous Sonic/Genesis-era collections Sega has released over the years.

Mechanically, this is still Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic 3 introduces the insta-shield, an attack which I didn’t fully grasp when I was younger; now that I’m older, however, I think the insta-shield is one of the series’ many understated strokes of genius, and it’s surprising this mechanic wasn’t carried over into future titles (save for a select few).

Sonic 3 also introduces the elemental shields which may be the most important gimmick in the series’ history, which also wasn’t carried over into future titles (except for the electric shield, which also appears in a few 2D and 3D titles). I genuinely believe the elemental shields are the lynchpin holding Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) together. Each one alters Sonic’s insta-shield ability, and each one is fun to play with. The bubble shield – which also allows players to breathe underwater – adds an extra oomph to levels like Hydrocity.

Despite being the shortest Sonic game on the original Genesis (with only six zones, two acts each), Sonic 3 also introduces a save system. This is appreciated! Quitting the game and reloading a save file, however, resets a player’s score and extra lives. Again, it’s appreciated, but Sonic 3 is so short and the handicap for loading a game is so severe that a save system feels unnecessary.

One thing I prefer to the other Genesis titles by a country mile are the special stages. Instead of attempts being limited to the end of a level, or checkpoints, or depending on the amount of rings players collect, the special stages are separated into giant rings that can be found throughout levels. Personally, I really enjoy this approach to special stages because it rewards exploration, and experienced players will have no trouble collecting all seven chaos emeralds early on – I’m usually able to get all of them by Marble Garden.

Blue Sphere is probably my favorite special stage, but not by a wide margin. It’s the least frustrating, but sometimes the sensitivity/responsiveness feels a little off, which can lead to some frustrating deaths. I would say the frequency of this happening is few and far between, and something more experienced players would likely have an easier time putting to text. I think it’s fine.

Honestly, I think one of the reasons I have such fond memories of Sonic 3 specifically is because it was so easy to get all the chaos emeralds in this one compared to Sonic 1 and especially Sonic 2. Blue Sphere isn’t hard at all, and there’s plenty of opportunities to find giant rings hidden throughout a level. It’s still fun to breeze through the latter stages with Super Sonic, but I do wish there was a better way to turn it on and off. It’s crazy that nobody even thought of this until Sonic Mania almost 25 years later.

Also, I think it’s probably easy to discount the latter half of Sonic 3 because it’s so easy to collect the chaos emeralds before the halfway point. As much as I love the sound and aesthetic of stages like Carnival Night and Ice Cap, these levels honestly aren’t great!

Carnival Night Zone Act One is okay, but Act Two feels really uninspired. Just more of the same, but also it’s a water level now, too. I don’t even hate the barrel anymore, but also like, yeah, how is any new player supposed to figure that one out??

Ice Cap Act One starts with an iconic snowboard set piece, and the rest of the level is just super claustrophobic, tons of linear corridors, endlessly looping Labyrinth Zonesque slides… nothing fun happens. Act Two has some verticality with the trampoline things, but that’s about it.

Launch Base Zone feels appropriately difficult for a final level, and it’s probably the best of the final zones compared to Scrap Brain and Metropolis/Wing Fortress – but it still has too many instances of cheap enemy placement, instant death traps, obstacles that are nearly impossible to react to.

The final boss is separated into three discrete phases, phase one and two are separated by a minute long unskippable cutscene(!) where the timer keeps ticking(!!) and then concludes on phase three which, if you’re playing the & Knuckles version, is removed entirely.

The third and final phase is a lot more difficult, requiring precise jumps to deal any damage. This boss feels like an appropriately difficult final challenge. As Sonic, you can even use your mastery of the insta-shield ability to damage Eggman when he’s underneath you (if you time it just right).

Comparatively, the back half of Sonic 3 feels much harder to play through as Tails. Not only does he lack Sonic’s insta-shield, collecting all seven chaos emeralds does not grant him a super form. For the record, I did collect all seven chaos emeralds as Tails, and I did finish the game as Tails.

Though if we’re critiquing this game as is, without comparing it to anything released afterwards, I think that Sonic 3 is a great sequel and a great Sonic game. For me, it feels like the most quintessentially arcadey Genesis-era Sonic title. It’s still fun to blast through as Sonic, although Tails’ route leaves much to be desired.

Still a treat 30 years later.

To quote a fellow reviewer:

"Michael Jackson."

In all seriousness, S3 is some good good shit. If Sonic CD was fun thanks to its alternate interpretation of what a Sonic game could be like in terms of structure, Sonic 3 is fun simply by virtue of it being S1 and S2 on crack. THIS game is where blast processing almost became a real thing lmao

Docking half a star because I don't really like Sonic's new sprite? The animations are great, but his face is considerably more punchable compared to S1/CD Sonic.

Also, again: Michael Jackson.

It's insanely easy in today's context to write off vanilla Sonic 3 and to only play the lock-on version, but there's a very important thing you're missing out on, and that's getting to hear the mini-boss music that's exclusive to this version.

It's such a funny ass song to use as a boss fight theme especially in the context of a forest getting napalmed, it'd be like if you fought Maruyama/Trouble Bruin in Dynamite Headdy to his appearance theme instead. That second-and-a-half-long introduction that's essentially a baseball organ doing a board game jingle that leads straight into a bit crushed "C'MON" voice sample with tapdancing noises and a funk beat behind it is somehow simultaneously the funniest and hardest shit I ever heard in my life. The only way you could escalate this, would be if you had a dopey-ass three second long french horn that went straight into extreme sludge metal. If I had to use entrance music that wasn't Maruyama's theme it'd be this. This is like top three music to interrupt someone cutting a promo with. Imagine if people got to reel in terror at the sound of the goofy baseball organ during Smackdown as if The Undertaker's gong went off.

God, so fuckin' good. The comedian who designed Carnival Night Zone Act 2 will be hearing this music very soon, I assure you.

Sonic 3 conseguiu manter e melhorar tudo oque sonic 2 trouxe, vamos iniciar das coisas novas que sao poucas mas bem interessante eu diria, bem uma das coisas novas adicionadas foram as fases bonus de argola que faz voce realmente querer explorar o mapa pra pegar todas as esmeraldas, eu consegui pegar todas as esmeraldas e virar super sonic e irado demais, as fases melhoraram ainda mais com o complemento de continuidade entao parece que não tem carregamento e a fase expande com coisas novas pra se aventurar, as musicas não perderam o ritimo porem tem algumas que meu deus da raiva depois que voce escuta por muito tempo e por fim os chefes que nesse jogo sao ate que bem desafiadores comparados aos 2 ultimos jogos que pareciam mais faceis do que qualquer coisa

Nota: 10

I didn't personally have the chance to play this game for a long long time, but man was i missing out. Sonic 3 is essentially what works about Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 jumbled together in a near perfect package of fun and speedy gameplay that games after could only dream of capturing. Levels are more packed with paths and secrets, just ripe for replaying. the soundtrack perfectly encapsulates each respective stage. The controls are as tight as ever and gameplay feels more refined thanks to the addition of elemental shields and the instashield. It truly is a perfect end to this respective trilogy of Sonic.

Played on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection on PS3.

I played the vanilla version of the game. I went from the easiest classic Sonic game to the hardest. I love there's actually a save system unlock the other Genesis games, but that's offset by how brutal the levels are. There are a few mechanics like the cylinders in the 4th zone and the tops in the 3rd zone that do not effectively teach the player how to use them. The level and boss design really exacerbates the issues I had with the entire classic series thusfar. There are 3 buttons on the standard Genesis controller, why is only one used? Why can't one of them be for the spindash? Zone 2 act 2 really made me angry when I was trying to spindash, but couldn't because I wasn't at a complete stop and I end up jumping instead. The hit and hurt boxes on everything in this game isn't really intuitive, I just kind of have to guess.

The thing that made me the most upset were the glitches. All of the games I played had glitches, but I got to the point where I felt like I was almost softlocked in Sonic 3. These 2 glitches only occurred during my Tails playthrough and I'm not sure if this is something that happens on original hardware, if it's the version I'm playing, or even if it's something wrong with my disc. First up, when I was doing my 4th special stage, the game started playing like a slide show. It was pause and start randomly, and the special stage became basically unplayable. The second glitch I encountered happened in the same act as the first. In zone 5 act 1, I got to a point where I had to collapse an ice bridge and descend, but when I did that, the screen scrolled all the way to the end of the level and took out Tails. I eventually found a workaround, but I legit thought it was impossible for me to beat the game when I got to that point. I had to hit a checkpoint, let the game take out Tails, then I would be fine to progress on my next attempt. Super frustrating.

Now on to things I liked. I liked the screen transitions between acts and zones, it makes the world and levels seem more interconnected. I liked the 3 new shields that have their own defensive properties and abilities. I really wish the abilities (double jump, forward jump, and bounce) were standard movement options for the entire game instead of being locked to the shields. Knuckles makes a strong impression in his debut. The very first thing he does is knock Sonic out of Super form at base and that's rad.

Next up is Sonic & Knuckles (base only). After that, I think that will wrap up my playthrough of the 2D Sonic games for now.

Dare I say it? I not only enjoyed a Sonic game to the credits, but this may very well be the best 4th gen 2D platformer? It's got continuity of setting, the soundtrack is packing consistent heat and it's the pinnacle of that 90's nostalgia pizza-and-soda arcade-carpet macintosh-plus aesthetic in gaming. Best of all, it saves every world, so I didn't have to use the PS2 save states as much! Don't get me wrong, it has it's hiccups (that one fucking barrel...) but they somehow feel more like the devs fucking with you than actual bad design. Sonic has fully come into his own here and I can finally understand how this blue rat became the childhood icon he is.

This is the start of greatness, the first half to the best Sonic game in the series.

It does everything 2 does but better while also looking better than ever. New ability (split second shield), new ability shields (fire, electric, and bubble), fantastic music, and level design. This is also the game where Knucles is introduced to the series.

Can't forget the Chaos Emerald bonus stages. This version is easily the best in the series with the perfect amount of challenge and fun. (Looking at you terrible Sonic 2 bonus stages)
Getting into them is also more convenient all you have to do is find the massive hidden ring (no 50 rings needed). Multiple of these are hidden in each stage. Now, if you have 50 rings and pass a checkpoint, you are treated with another bonus stage that allows you to earn rings, shields, and extra lives.

This game is a blast from start to finish. The only downside is the small number of stages (6 Zones), but don't forget this is technically half a game that gets expanded with the next release in the series.

(Part 1 of 5)

It seems so wild to me that, despite now living in a constant state of confusion, with the quality of his titles constantly going up and down like a rollercoaster, Sonic was pretty much on top of the world back when he was fairly new to the gaming scene. Not all of his games at this point were good, but for a good majority of them, Sonic had managed to knock it out of the park with high speed platforming, enjoyable challenges and bosses to take on, secrets that lead to wonderful rewards, and just a general overall sense of fun that can be seen throughout the titles, and it was clear at this point that Sega was nowhere near close to stopping. It wasn’t too long after we got a slew of Sonic titles, both main titles and spin-offs, when we would get yet ANOTHER Sonic game, but this one was important, as it was the BIG one, one that would prove to be the fastest and the best of the bunch. That game would come to be known as Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

So, truth be told, out of all my years playing this particular entry in the Sonic series, I had actually never played through the original version of the game. I had always played through the & Knuckles version of the game, which makes sense, given that it is the complete version of this game, but I figured, if I am gonna review this game correctly, I have to cover EVERYTHING about it, all the way from the original release to all the little secrets about this title. Therefore, I decided to then play through the original Sonic 3 for the first time, and what a shocker, it was a wonderful time. I wouldn’t say that this is the version of the game that you should play, nor is it perfect by any means, but for what we have here, it is still a great Sonic game on its own, and one of the best games to have for the Sega Genesis.

The story is similar to the previous games, yet somewhat mixed around, where after his defeat in Sonic 2, Robotnik and his Death Egg end up crashing into another land known as Angel Island, a floating island that manages to sink into the ocean due to the previously mentioned crash. Soon after this, he repairs the Death Egg, and Sonic and Tails can’t have that, so they go off to stop him, which is all mostly a typical story from this franchise, but it is good enough to get you on your way, as well as having a few extra elements to it that I will get to in a bit. The graphics are wonderful, being the best looking game in the series so far, making the environments as colorful and full of life as ever, while also providing great designs for all of the characters, enemies, and bosses. The music is also incredible, with there being plenty of bangers that you can listen to throughout the game, which makes sense, given that part of it was made by Michael Jackson!.... oh, wait, I’m sorry, it was “allegedly” made by him (even though we all know he did). Anyway, as for the controls and gameplay, both of these work just as well as they did before, if not better, and they have some new elements added to them to spice things up just a tad.

The game is a 2D platformer, where you take control of either Sonic, Tails, or both of them at the same time, take on six different zones through many different locations seen on Angel Island, run through each level at the speed of sound while defeating plenty of different Badniks along the way, gather plenty of rings and powerups to help you out against the many foes and traps you will find, locate special stages in order to get a chance at nabbing the Chaos Emeralds, and take on the many different machines that Dr. Robotnik has prepared for you in plenty of boss fights. Those who are familiar with Sonic at this point know exactly what they are getting into with this game, and thankfully, it just so happens to be the fastest, tightest, and most enjoyable adventure in the series so far. Not to mention, just like with every other mainline Sonic game at this point, there have been numerous additions made to this game to ensure you don’t get tired of it easily.

In terms of Sonic himself, he retains all of his moves from the previous games (except for the Super Peel Out, because fuck you), and in addition, he has a brand new move called the Insta-Shield. It doesn’t really do much, as it just creates a little barrier around the player for a brief moment, but this move can actually be pretty useful for both taking something out and getting yourself out of a bind, so I would say it is a good addition to Sonic’s moveset. Speaking of good additions, Sonic also now has new shields he can mess around with, each one of them carrying an elemental property of some sort. There is the Fire Shield, which allows him to not only dash in mid-air, but also protects himself from fiery hazards, the Bubble Shield, which lets you bounce on the ground for extra height, while also protecting you from drowning, and then there is undeniably the best one, the Electric Shield, which gives you a double jump, and it allows you to attract any lonesome ring that you pass by straight towards you. These shields, when you can get them, are very helpful against whatever you may run into along your journey, and on their own, they are pretty fun to use to see what new paths you can reach by using them.

In terms of other new additions, there is, of course, one new character that gets introduced in this game: Knuckles the Echidna, and when you first encounter this guy, you think he’s an asshole! He just uppercuts you out of nowhere, steals all of your Chaos Emeralds, laughs at you, and then runs away, which leads you to think “What a dick! When I find him, I’m gonna kill that fucker!” Unfortunately though, you don’t get to fight him at all in this game, and he just laughs at you more while making your life hell throughout the entire journey. That’s all he really does in this part of the game, but not only does he get more purpose and story in the later part that I will get to soon, but also, just like with Tails, Amy, and Metal Sonic, Knuckles does become one of the central characters of the Sonic series, not appearing as often as some characters like Tails or Robotnik, but enough to where many fans of the series will recognize him and love him all the same. And I mean, how can you not? He’s like Sonic, except infinitely cooler, obviously. Not to mention, he doesn’t chuckle. He’d rather flex his muscles.

Of course though, we can’t forget about one of the main draws of any Sonic game: getting the Chaos Emeralds, and just like with the previous games, there is a brand new method of getting them here, and in my personal opinion, this is the best method of getting them that the series has had so far. Throughout the stages, there are plenty of these big ol’ 3D rings that you can find, hidden in alcoves that are either easy to spot, or can be pretty tricky to find. Once you find them, you just simply jump right into them, and boom, you are in the special stage! No need for any 50 rings bullshit or anything like that, you are just right into it, which I prefer heavily over the alternative.

As for the special stages themselves, they consist of you running through these simplistic, 3D environments where you have to collect a handful blue balls (stop laughing), while doing your best to avoid all of the red balls that plague the levels, and once you manage to collect them all, BOOM, the Chaos Emerald has been retrieved. Yeah, it isn’t as complex, exciting, or drug-trippy as other Sonic special stages, but they are pretty damn easy in comparison to what this series has given us before, and honestly, I am all for that. What’s even better is that, once you get all seven of the Chaos Emeralds, you can now transform into Super Sonic once again, who functions basically the same as he did in Sonic 2, but who cares, because you are now a golden god, and everything cowers in sheer terror as you blaze through them, which is all that matters at the end of the day.

Would you believe it though when I tell you that, in terms of special stages, that’s not all that this game has to offer? If you do still manage to get 50 rings and pass by a checkpoint, a sparkling ring will appear above it, and when you jump into it, you can then enter one of three special minigames, with them serving the purpose of getting you more rings, power-ups, as many rings as you can carry. I don’t typically go for these types of special stages, as I usually already have plenty of rings and lives to work with, but not only can they be pretty helpful for those that need it, but once you get the hang of them, they can be pretty fun to bounce around and exploit for your own good. And finally, speaking of things I don’t typically check out, there is also the multiplayer mode of this game, returning from Sonic 2. It essentially works almost the same as that game, except now you can play as Knuckles, and you run through several stages that aren’t in the main game at all. These are pretty cool to mess around with, not just to see new content, but also to challenge your friends if you have nothing else to do, even if I myself don’t personally ever see myself trying out this mode ever again.

So yes, all of this makes for a better and more enjoyable experience when compared to every previous mainline Sonic entry, but… there is one area of the game that is severely lacking: the content. The game as a whole is pretty short, with you being able to beat it in about an hour if you know what you’re doing, which isn’t helped by the fact that there isn’t as much content here, with there being only six zones with two acts each to play through. That may sound like quite a bit, but compared to Sonic 2, which had 11 zones in total, or even Sonic CD, which had 7 zones, each with two different acts and a boss fight, that is quite a decrease in content. Of course, there is an explanation for all of this (which I will get into in a later part), but still, that does kind of suck, especially if you were one of the people who bought this game back when it first came out, and you were able to beat it relatively quickly, considering what you have to deal with.

Overall, despite the lack of stages for a Sonic game, this is still a pretty great version of this game, one that does offer plenty of content to mess around with, fun new additions that make playing through it all the more enjoyable, and that same solid gameplay that manages to still be just as fun and timeless as ever. I would definitely recommend it for those who are fans of Sonic, as well as those who just love old-school 2D platformers in general, because this is certainly one of the best ones you could find on the Sega Genesis, or from the 16-bit era in general. Although, if we are being completely honest, if you are looking for the true Sonic 3 experience, then you probably shouldn’t play this one, and you’ll soon see why……….. BUT FIRST-

Game #506