Rented this game so many times as a kid and I still had fun replaying this years later. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles is the shit as far as 2D Sonic goes, for so many reasons. Best zones (Angel Island, Hyrdocity, Ice Cap, Launch Base), 10/10 music, best Special Zone minigame and Bonus games, and the inclusion of the element shields. Only shortcoming is the weird length of these games when they're separated and combined. Separated, both games are kinda short. Combined, its a bit long for a Sonic game though you are able to save your progress, so its not that big of a deal.
There's even the little details like the zone music getting remixed in Act 2 and the stage scene transitions, but at the end of the day like I said, Sonic 3 and S&K are classics.
There's even the little details like the zone music getting remixed in Act 2 and the stage scene transitions, but at the end of the day like I said, Sonic 3 and S&K are classics.
This is exactly why the Sonic games are my personal favorite 2D platformers (I played 1 and 2 as a kid but just now played this for the first time): the colorful zones, the fact that it’s challenging but never upsettingly difficult, but above all else—I love the speed. Nothing is quite like flying through these labyrinthine theme parks of platforming at breakneck speeds. Oh and the music rules too.
its the best of the genesis games, its ost cums also
no real reason to play it when S3K exists
The better half.
The game feels short without the Knuckles add-on. The levels were great and Super Sonic is great to play as, but the game doesn't feel like an evolution of Sonic 2. Still the best of the Genesis trilogy, though.
It's cool
It's quite interesting to play Sonic 2 and 3 back to back. In my head, I remember Sonic 2 being the revolutionary one with its addition of the spindash, and Sonic 3 being more of the same. While it's true that Sonic 3 didn't give him any more special moves, it still made subtle refinements to its structure and mechanics that made for quite a different experience to Sonic 2.
The most obvious is that aside from some tough bosses, the difficulty level is lower in general. Sure there is some cheap enemy placement and momentum-traps, but there's probably less of that in this entire game than there was in the Metropolis Zone alone. While you will get hit quite a bit on a blind playthrough, the game also seems more forgiving, giving you plenty of rings and shield powerups. The lightning shield is especially broken; it allows you to completely cheese some bosses through double-jump shenanigans. Another small change that makes the game more forgiving is that you don't need 50 rings to enter a special stage, so getting hit in this game and losing your rings doesn't feel as punishing.
Most of the challenge in the game actually comes from trying to beat the clock; the stages are much larger than in any previous games and I did end up losing against bosses a few times, not from getting killed but from running out of time. The time limit now being a factor, and the more forgiving difficulty, forces you to constantly push yourself and take risks - you could do it in previous games of course, but this game gives you a genuine motivation to do so. It was a welcome change and great evolution from the previous games.
Unfortunately, despite its solid core gameplay, I felt that it didn't quite give me as good an experience as Sonic 2. The soundtrack was less consistently strong - Hydrocity absolutely slaps, Marble Garden was a bit of a yawner, and Carnival Night sounds like Casino Night and Mystic Cave somehow had a kid, but wasn't quite as effective as either. But mostly, for all its polish, it felt like half a game. Everything, from its 6 zones (down from 10 in the previous game), to the fact that you can use Knuckles in the racing mode but not the main game, makes the experience feel incomplete and the ending slightly anticlimactic Fortunately, its potential would be realized in the superlative Sonic 3 and Knuckles - which I'll hopefully get around to soon to see if it lived up to my childhood memories.
The most obvious is that aside from some tough bosses, the difficulty level is lower in general. Sure there is some cheap enemy placement and momentum-traps, but there's probably less of that in this entire game than there was in the Metropolis Zone alone. While you will get hit quite a bit on a blind playthrough, the game also seems more forgiving, giving you plenty of rings and shield powerups. The lightning shield is especially broken; it allows you to completely cheese some bosses through double-jump shenanigans. Another small change that makes the game more forgiving is that you don't need 50 rings to enter a special stage, so getting hit in this game and losing your rings doesn't feel as punishing.
Most of the challenge in the game actually comes from trying to beat the clock; the stages are much larger than in any previous games and I did end up losing against bosses a few times, not from getting killed but from running out of time. The time limit now being a factor, and the more forgiving difficulty, forces you to constantly push yourself and take risks - you could do it in previous games of course, but this game gives you a genuine motivation to do so. It was a welcome change and great evolution from the previous games.
Unfortunately, despite its solid core gameplay, I felt that it didn't quite give me as good an experience as Sonic 2. The soundtrack was less consistently strong - Hydrocity absolutely slaps, Marble Garden was a bit of a yawner, and Carnival Night sounds like Casino Night and Mystic Cave somehow had a kid, but wasn't quite as effective as either. But mostly, for all its polish, it felt like half a game. Everything, from its 6 zones (down from 10 in the previous game), to the fact that you can use Knuckles in the racing mode but not the main game, makes the experience feel incomplete and the ending slightly anticlimactic Fortunately, its potential would be realized in the superlative Sonic 3 and Knuckles - which I'll hopefully get around to soon to see if it lived up to my childhood memories.
Love it when it does that
best with complete version, but better than every 2d mario
Como eu disse antes, a trilogia clássica vai numa crescente. Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) pega tudo o que já foi apresentado na franquia até aquele momento e dá ainda mais polimento encerrando a trilogia com chave de ouro.
Not enough Knuckles.
Played on GC. Never played S3&K, sadly.
Otra pequeña mejora respecto al anterior, ahora los niveles son más grandes (con todo lo bueno y lo malo que eso trae). Lo único insoportable en este es el mundo Carnival, con los putos tambores.
Wowwwwwwwwww 3
On it's own (not attached to Knuckles), Sonic 3 is a little bit of a let down compared to the greatness that's Sonic 2. Level's take much longer to navigate through and it gets very annoying as they are filled with cheap obstacles. Carnival Night comes to mind the most. It feels cheap as theirs only 6 Zones meaning they tried to lengthening out the game by adding annoying stuff to it, to make it longer for you to complete it. The game still has great controls and incredibly funky music by i'm always hesitant to replay this game as I always remind myself of it's annoying little moments.
the ball mini game
that is all
that is all
SONIC 3 MAKES ME CREAM
sonic 3 will never get an & knuckles expansion
As a standalone game, this game is pretty good. Its a good followup to 2 and it adds a good chunk of things into the formula, the skills are a welcoming addition and the extra shields with the properties are really nice, they upgraded the OST to godlike levels too. My only issue (and it shows from now on sonic games) is that they try to add a bit too many gimmicks on levels, i get it though... its good to make levels feel fresh but not all of the gimmicks land well and can actually hinder your progress sometimes. Still though, innovation is a much needed thing so mad props to the team for not settling for less.
Sonic.exe rip off.
GOD DAMN NOW THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A GOOD VIDEO GAME
The gameplay, the graphics, the soundtrack it all comes together to create the magnum opus of the Classic Sonic Trilogy that has yet to be matched to this day. Launch Base Zone kinda sucks tho.
The gameplay, the graphics, the soundtrack it all comes together to create the magnum opus of the Classic Sonic Trilogy that has yet to be matched to this day. Launch Base Zone kinda sucks tho.
Half of the best Genesis Sonic game.
Here we go.
If you ask me to pick a favorite, and don’t let me count Sonic 3 & Knuckles as one game, this is probably it. It’s just everything I love about these games turned up to 11. It’s SO FREAKING GOOD, guys. Aaaaaaaaa I am so excited I finally got to this game!! I love it so much!!
This is the first Sonic game I distinctly remember being uber excited to come out. I remember devouring magazine articles about it. I remember playing a demo at some department store. I remember being so, so excited that the game had a Mobian baddie! Ugh I can totally still feel the hype for this thing and it’s making me grin like a little kid.
I love this game!!
Angel Island Zone (2/25)
Talk about starting out on a high note! Angel Island Zone is one of the best opening zones of any Sonic game. The lush rainforest is distinct from the other Green Hill-esque openers while still maintaining the same theme. And like the rest of this game, it’s just absolutely gorgeous. The developers have clearly had a lot of time to master creating these games, and I just can’t get over what a leap forward Sonic 3 is in every way.
The game opens with me and Sonic flying together in the Tornado and spotting the floating island. Sonic is excited to explore, and goes Super, zooming ahead of the plane while I smile fondly and shake my head, murmuring, “Showoff.” (Okay that one’s not explicitly portrayed in the game but you KNOW it happened.) No sooner has Sonic made landfall than the (at the time) mysterious Knuckles explodes from the ground and collides with him, somehow knocking all the Chaos Emeralds out of Sonic and forcing him out of his Super form! (IDK.) Rude!
I remember being so excited to have a new Mobian character, and for him to be an antagonist at that! Little did I know I would like him way better as a giant dork who acts tough but has a soft, squishy core that he doesn’t want anyone to know about.
Ahem. ANYWAY. Yeah, this zone rules! The mini-boss and main boss, both fire-based, are pretty great! And I love the way Knuckles is given a very impactful role both in stealing the Chaos Emeralds and in sending us plummeting to the next zone at the end of this one!
So, I kinda intentionally decided to show off as much as I could in Act 1, and the result was 227 rings, two Chaos Emeralds (with a perfect on both Special Stages), and 10 lives (as always you start with 3). Soooooo yeah. I might be kinda good at this game or something.
My performance on Act 2 wasn’t quite as impressive. For one thing from here on out I won’t really be going for perfects on the Special Stages, I kinda did that just to prove to myself that I could. Anyway, I lost all my rings like halfway through Act 2 so only ended up finishing the first zone with 12 lives. I also hecked up on one of the Special Stages in Act 2, so only added a third Chaos Emerald. Still, not bad for the first zone!!
Onward!
Hydrocity Zone (2/25)
Alright. So. I know you think you know what I’m gonna say here, and in fairness I’ve basically conditioned you to expect it at this point. But OMG THIS ZONE IS SO GOOD I kinda don’t even want to say it.
Also, like. The fact that you can get a water shield and stay underwater for an unlimited amount of time helps! Once I had one of those bad boys, I actually still found myself stopping at air bubbles, but to make sure A.I. Tails could get a breath! One time he celebrated this by spindashing off in the opposite direction, which, good job buddy. (Yes it is surreal to be patronizing towards an A.I. version of myself. Shrug!)
Oh I should say that from this point on (so, other than playing Angel Island before work) I played the entire game in one sitting last night because I just couldn’t force myself to stop playing to write these entries. So, yeah! Didn’t really keep track of lives and Emeralds and stuff. Know I finished the game with better than 20 lives and I got my last Chaos Emerald in Act 2 of Ice Cap Zone, but we’ll get to that story later!
So, yeah! Hydrocity Zone. It’s pretty! And there are so many cool features and traps and stuff! And I don’t know, it just rules! Also you get to see a ton of my swimming animation, which, HI? I think might just be the best visual representation in any of these games of how my entire deal is just TRYING REALLY HARD YOU GUYS.
The bosses for this one are pretty great! The mini boss is alright, and the major boss is iconic! Just such a great concept and execution for a water level boss.
I’m very tempted to say this is pretty easily the best water level in any Sonic game, and it honestly very well might be!
Marble Garden Zone (2/25)
This is the kind of zone in these classic Sonic games that usually bores the crap out of me! But this one doesn’t!! They took the ancient ruins theme that they usually phone in and made a genuinely interesting zone out of it with a lot of unique gameplay features! I’m hella into this!!
I think this gets into one of the biggest strengths of Sonic 3 (and Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles). There is just so much variety to the level design! And it really makes all the different zones pop!!
Also, I freaking love the boss for this zone!! The mini boss is good too, but the major boss is a flying boss and I fly and carry Sonic and IT RULES!!! and I’m kinda upset that we don’t get more bosses like that, it’s such a great concept!!
I don’t have much else to say about this zone, except that I’m sure me and Sonic have definitely explored ruins like this one and the previous zone. Specifically on Angel Island, even, I’m sure. Those Echidnas left a bunch of mysterious stuff behind!
Carnival Night Zone (2/25)
Another theme that often gets phoned in, and another genuinely terrific zone! Like a lot of people, I got stuck on Act 2 FOREVER the first few times I played this game, and when I was listening to the soundtrack on YouTube it was hella validating to see tons of comments from people being like “THAT DAMN BARREL” (the puzzle that took me forever to figure out back then). Also, Act 2 is just hella LONG! I actually timed out during the boss fight this time! And saw a lot of comments from others suggesting this is a pretty common experience.
So, yeah, Eggman is obsessed with amusement park/casino/etc type dealies, so yeah this felt familiar. It’s frustrating because like... I like amusement parks etc too, but you can’t really let yourself enjoy them here or you’re gonna fall into some kind of trap. (Yes, I’m absolutely sure this has happened to me at least once.)
Can’t say I’m too impressed with either of the bosses in this one!! The major boss is fine, I guess. The mini boss is one of those really annoying ones where it just sorta destroys itself and you just have to facilitate that, and honestly I’ve never been a fan of that kinda boss! Although, this is the first time I’ve had occasion to look up the thing’s official name, and finding out that it was called the “Self D-Struct Machine” gave me a good chuckle. Hey Eggy, you kay?
IceCap Zone (2/25)
THIS ZONE RULES.
YOU START OFF SNOWBOARDING, AND THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD, AND THE THEMING IS SO GOOD, AND EVERYTHING IS SO GOOD. WHAT THE HECK. THIS IS SO GOOD.
I don’t really know what else to say! This is one of the best zones in any Sonic game. I love it so much.
Oh, hey! Actually! I promised y’all the story of collecting my last Chaos Emerald! So, there’s a giant ring basically right before the major boss of this zone. And I got there with over 200 rings. And I got my last Chaos Emerald.
So, yeah. To reiterate. Right before the boss, I collected my Final Chaos Emerald and came out of the Special Stage with 200 rings and the ability to go Super.
Yeah. It really sucked to be that boss.
Launch Base Zone (2/25)
This is a pretty good final zone! And Act 2 ends with an A-Rank boss and TWO S-Rank bosses! So I had to be careful not to go overboard and rank this one ahead of other zones in the game that overall impressed me more, but like, don’t get me wrong! The zone itself is pretty great too. It’s just that this game is an embarrassment of riches. Like. This is the FOURTH best zone in this game! What! That’s ridiculous!
And yeah, as far as kinfeels it just does the usual “ugh Robotnik’s base, anxiety” stuff. Nothing more specific than that. Oh, the Death Egg, though. There is that. Yeah. Ugh.
Ending
Although it doesn’t have clips from the various zones like some classic Sonic games do, which is kind of tragic, it has easily the best end credits music, so that’s not nothing!
But, yeah. I love this game! I mean heck, scroll down! OVER HALF OF THIS GAME’S ZONES ARE S-RANK! Sonic & Knuckles might put up similar or better numbers, but if you play Sonic & Knuckles by itself THERE’S NO TAILS you guys! NO TAILS! So obviously if I have to pick one, Sonic 3 is gonna be my favorite. (Sonic 3 & Knuckles is my true favorite, obviously, but if I had to pick just one.)
Oh, also, I’m gonna have to abandon my “couples depicted in this game” joke from here on out, because I don’t wanna disrespect any of the Mobian polycule by actually ranking relationships!! It was a cute little joke when it was only me and Sonic together in these games, but yeah. From Sonic & Knuckles on, you at least have Knux in the mix, and then Shads joins later, and yeah. Don’t wanna be rude.
Couples Depicted in this Game
1. Sonic/Tails (S/T-Rank)
Zones
1. Ice Cap Zone (S-Rank)
2. Angel Island Zone (S-Rank)
3. Hydrocity Zone (S-Rank)
4. Launch Base Zone (S-Rank)
5. Marble Garden Zone (B-Rank)
6. Carnival Night Zone (B-Rank)
Bosses
1. Big Arm (S-Rank)
2. Flame Craft (Act 2) (S-Rank)
3. Beam Rocket (S-Rank)
4. Waterspout and Depth Charge Machine (A-Rank)
5. Jet Drill Pod (A-Rank)
6. Ball Shooter (A-Rank)
7. Flame Craft (Act 1) (A-Rank)
8. Iceball (B-Rank)
9. Swing ‘m Spikez (B-Rank)
10. Tunnelbot (B-Rank)
11. Freeze-O-Matic (B-Rank)
12. Whirlpool Machine (B-Rank)
13. Energy Ship (C-Rank)
14. Self D-Struct Machine (C-Rank)
Soundtrack
1. Final Boss (S-Rank)
2. Ice Cap Zone Act 1 (S-Rank)
3. Ice Cap Zone Act 2 (S-Rank)
4. Ending (S-Rank)
5. Major Boss (S-Rank)
6. Angel Island Zone Act 1 (S-Rank)
7. Angel Island Zone Act 2 (S-Rank)
8. Hydrocity Zone Act 2 (A-Rank)
9. Hydrocity Zone Act 1 (A-Rank)
10. Special Stage (A-Rank)
11. Launch Base Zone Act 1 (A-Rank)
12. Launch Base Zone Act 2 (A-Rank)
13. Endless Mine Zone (A-Rank)
14. Bonus Stage (A-Rank)
15. Azure Lake Zone (B-Rank)
16. Marble Garden Zone Act 1 (B-Rank)
17. Marble Garden Zone Act 2 (B-Rank)
18. Minor Boss (B-Rank)
19. Carnival Night Zone Act 1 (B-Rank)
20. Carnival Night Zone Act 2 (B-Rank)
21. Desert Palace Zone (B-Rank)
22. Chrome Gadget Zone (B-Rank)
23. Balloon Park Zone (B-Rank)
If you ask me to pick a favorite, and don’t let me count Sonic 3 & Knuckles as one game, this is probably it. It’s just everything I love about these games turned up to 11. It’s SO FREAKING GOOD, guys. Aaaaaaaaa I am so excited I finally got to this game!! I love it so much!!
This is the first Sonic game I distinctly remember being uber excited to come out. I remember devouring magazine articles about it. I remember playing a demo at some department store. I remember being so, so excited that the game had a Mobian baddie! Ugh I can totally still feel the hype for this thing and it’s making me grin like a little kid.
I love this game!!
Angel Island Zone (2/25)
Talk about starting out on a high note! Angel Island Zone is one of the best opening zones of any Sonic game. The lush rainforest is distinct from the other Green Hill-esque openers while still maintaining the same theme. And like the rest of this game, it’s just absolutely gorgeous. The developers have clearly had a lot of time to master creating these games, and I just can’t get over what a leap forward Sonic 3 is in every way.
The game opens with me and Sonic flying together in the Tornado and spotting the floating island. Sonic is excited to explore, and goes Super, zooming ahead of the plane while I smile fondly and shake my head, murmuring, “Showoff.” (Okay that one’s not explicitly portrayed in the game but you KNOW it happened.) No sooner has Sonic made landfall than the (at the time) mysterious Knuckles explodes from the ground and collides with him, somehow knocking all the Chaos Emeralds out of Sonic and forcing him out of his Super form! (IDK.) Rude!
I remember being so excited to have a new Mobian character, and for him to be an antagonist at that! Little did I know I would like him way better as a giant dork who acts tough but has a soft, squishy core that he doesn’t want anyone to know about.
Ahem. ANYWAY. Yeah, this zone rules! The mini-boss and main boss, both fire-based, are pretty great! And I love the way Knuckles is given a very impactful role both in stealing the Chaos Emeralds and in sending us plummeting to the next zone at the end of this one!
So, I kinda intentionally decided to show off as much as I could in Act 1, and the result was 227 rings, two Chaos Emeralds (with a perfect on both Special Stages), and 10 lives (as always you start with 3). Soooooo yeah. I might be kinda good at this game or something.
My performance on Act 2 wasn’t quite as impressive. For one thing from here on out I won’t really be going for perfects on the Special Stages, I kinda did that just to prove to myself that I could. Anyway, I lost all my rings like halfway through Act 2 so only ended up finishing the first zone with 12 lives. I also hecked up on one of the Special Stages in Act 2, so only added a third Chaos Emerald. Still, not bad for the first zone!!
Onward!
Hydrocity Zone (2/25)
Alright. So. I know you think you know what I’m gonna say here, and in fairness I’ve basically conditioned you to expect it at this point. But OMG THIS ZONE IS SO GOOD I kinda don’t even want to say it.
Also, like. The fact that you can get a water shield and stay underwater for an unlimited amount of time helps! Once I had one of those bad boys, I actually still found myself stopping at air bubbles, but to make sure A.I. Tails could get a breath! One time he celebrated this by spindashing off in the opposite direction, which, good job buddy. (Yes it is surreal to be patronizing towards an A.I. version of myself. Shrug!)
Oh I should say that from this point on (so, other than playing Angel Island before work) I played the entire game in one sitting last night because I just couldn’t force myself to stop playing to write these entries. So, yeah! Didn’t really keep track of lives and Emeralds and stuff. Know I finished the game with better than 20 lives and I got my last Chaos Emerald in Act 2 of Ice Cap Zone, but we’ll get to that story later!
So, yeah! Hydrocity Zone. It’s pretty! And there are so many cool features and traps and stuff! And I don’t know, it just rules! Also you get to see a ton of my swimming animation, which, HI? I think might just be the best visual representation in any of these games of how my entire deal is just TRYING REALLY HARD YOU GUYS.
The bosses for this one are pretty great! The mini boss is alright, and the major boss is iconic! Just such a great concept and execution for a water level boss.
I’m very tempted to say this is pretty easily the best water level in any Sonic game, and it honestly very well might be!
Marble Garden Zone (2/25)
This is the kind of zone in these classic Sonic games that usually bores the crap out of me! But this one doesn’t!! They took the ancient ruins theme that they usually phone in and made a genuinely interesting zone out of it with a lot of unique gameplay features! I’m hella into this!!
I think this gets into one of the biggest strengths of Sonic 3 (and Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles). There is just so much variety to the level design! And it really makes all the different zones pop!!
Also, I freaking love the boss for this zone!! The mini boss is good too, but the major boss is a flying boss and I fly and carry Sonic and IT RULES!!! and I’m kinda upset that we don’t get more bosses like that, it’s such a great concept!!
I don’t have much else to say about this zone, except that I’m sure me and Sonic have definitely explored ruins like this one and the previous zone. Specifically on Angel Island, even, I’m sure. Those Echidnas left a bunch of mysterious stuff behind!
Carnival Night Zone (2/25)
Another theme that often gets phoned in, and another genuinely terrific zone! Like a lot of people, I got stuck on Act 2 FOREVER the first few times I played this game, and when I was listening to the soundtrack on YouTube it was hella validating to see tons of comments from people being like “THAT DAMN BARREL” (the puzzle that took me forever to figure out back then). Also, Act 2 is just hella LONG! I actually timed out during the boss fight this time! And saw a lot of comments from others suggesting this is a pretty common experience.
So, yeah, Eggman is obsessed with amusement park/casino/etc type dealies, so yeah this felt familiar. It’s frustrating because like... I like amusement parks etc too, but you can’t really let yourself enjoy them here or you’re gonna fall into some kind of trap. (Yes, I’m absolutely sure this has happened to me at least once.)
Can’t say I’m too impressed with either of the bosses in this one!! The major boss is fine, I guess. The mini boss is one of those really annoying ones where it just sorta destroys itself and you just have to facilitate that, and honestly I’ve never been a fan of that kinda boss! Although, this is the first time I’ve had occasion to look up the thing’s official name, and finding out that it was called the “Self D-Struct Machine” gave me a good chuckle. Hey Eggy, you kay?
IceCap Zone (2/25)
THIS ZONE RULES.
YOU START OFF SNOWBOARDING, AND THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD, AND THE THEMING IS SO GOOD, AND EVERYTHING IS SO GOOD. WHAT THE HECK. THIS IS SO GOOD.
I don’t really know what else to say! This is one of the best zones in any Sonic game. I love it so much.
Oh, hey! Actually! I promised y’all the story of collecting my last Chaos Emerald! So, there’s a giant ring basically right before the major boss of this zone. And I got there with over 200 rings. And I got my last Chaos Emerald.
So, yeah. To reiterate. Right before the boss, I collected my Final Chaos Emerald and came out of the Special Stage with 200 rings and the ability to go Super.
Yeah. It really sucked to be that boss.
Launch Base Zone (2/25)
This is a pretty good final zone! And Act 2 ends with an A-Rank boss and TWO S-Rank bosses! So I had to be careful not to go overboard and rank this one ahead of other zones in the game that overall impressed me more, but like, don’t get me wrong! The zone itself is pretty great too. It’s just that this game is an embarrassment of riches. Like. This is the FOURTH best zone in this game! What! That’s ridiculous!
And yeah, as far as kinfeels it just does the usual “ugh Robotnik’s base, anxiety” stuff. Nothing more specific than that. Oh, the Death Egg, though. There is that. Yeah. Ugh.
Ending
Although it doesn’t have clips from the various zones like some classic Sonic games do, which is kind of tragic, it has easily the best end credits music, so that’s not nothing!
But, yeah. I love this game! I mean heck, scroll down! OVER HALF OF THIS GAME’S ZONES ARE S-RANK! Sonic & Knuckles might put up similar or better numbers, but if you play Sonic & Knuckles by itself THERE’S NO TAILS you guys! NO TAILS! So obviously if I have to pick one, Sonic 3 is gonna be my favorite. (Sonic 3 & Knuckles is my true favorite, obviously, but if I had to pick just one.)
Oh, also, I’m gonna have to abandon my “couples depicted in this game” joke from here on out, because I don’t wanna disrespect any of the Mobian polycule by actually ranking relationships!! It was a cute little joke when it was only me and Sonic together in these games, but yeah. From Sonic & Knuckles on, you at least have Knux in the mix, and then Shads joins later, and yeah. Don’t wanna be rude.
Couples Depicted in this Game
1. Sonic/Tails (S/T-Rank)
Zones
1. Ice Cap Zone (S-Rank)
2. Angel Island Zone (S-Rank)
3. Hydrocity Zone (S-Rank)
4. Launch Base Zone (S-Rank)
5. Marble Garden Zone (B-Rank)
6. Carnival Night Zone (B-Rank)
Bosses
1. Big Arm (S-Rank)
2. Flame Craft (Act 2) (S-Rank)
3. Beam Rocket (S-Rank)
4. Waterspout and Depth Charge Machine (A-Rank)
5. Jet Drill Pod (A-Rank)
6. Ball Shooter (A-Rank)
7. Flame Craft (Act 1) (A-Rank)
8. Iceball (B-Rank)
9. Swing ‘m Spikez (B-Rank)
10. Tunnelbot (B-Rank)
11. Freeze-O-Matic (B-Rank)
12. Whirlpool Machine (B-Rank)
13. Energy Ship (C-Rank)
14. Self D-Struct Machine (C-Rank)
Soundtrack
1. Final Boss (S-Rank)
2. Ice Cap Zone Act 1 (S-Rank)
3. Ice Cap Zone Act 2 (S-Rank)
4. Ending (S-Rank)
5. Major Boss (S-Rank)
6. Angel Island Zone Act 1 (S-Rank)
7. Angel Island Zone Act 2 (S-Rank)
8. Hydrocity Zone Act 2 (A-Rank)
9. Hydrocity Zone Act 1 (A-Rank)
10. Special Stage (A-Rank)
11. Launch Base Zone Act 1 (A-Rank)
12. Launch Base Zone Act 2 (A-Rank)
13. Endless Mine Zone (A-Rank)
14. Bonus Stage (A-Rank)
15. Azure Lake Zone (B-Rank)
16. Marble Garden Zone Act 1 (B-Rank)
17. Marble Garden Zone Act 2 (B-Rank)
18. Minor Boss (B-Rank)
19. Carnival Night Zone Act 1 (B-Rank)
20. Carnival Night Zone Act 2 (B-Rank)
21. Desert Palace Zone (B-Rank)
22. Chrome Gadget Zone (B-Rank)
23. Balloon Park Zone (B-Rank)
(sonic's ultimate genesis collection 24/40)
when s3&k exists there are no real reasons to do this and sonic & knuckles standalone, but for whatever reason that's the way it is in the compilation /shrug
it's the very damn solid first half of a very damn solid full game, considered by some the stronger half and by some the weaker. i don't know personally, i love the shit out of hydrocity and launch base but marble garden and carnival night are not very interesting i find (plus, carnival night act 2 is a little questionable on very early playthroughs, that shit was completely baffling when i was little. not so much now, but still)
when s3&k exists there are no real reasons to do this and sonic & knuckles standalone, but for whatever reason that's the way it is in the compilation /shrug
it's the very damn solid first half of a very damn solid full game, considered by some the stronger half and by some the weaker. i don't know personally, i love the shit out of hydrocity and launch base but marble garden and carnival night are not very interesting i find (plus, carnival night act 2 is a little questionable on very early playthroughs, that shit was completely baffling when i was little. not so much now, but still)
This is a strange case. Given that it's essentially the first half of something that had to be hastily expanded upon (the original plan was apparently for this and SONIC & KNUCKLES to be one game), it makes sense that it feels both bloated and yet incomplete.
The biggest change here is that the levels are huuuuuuge -- around two to three times bigger than usual. Unfortunately, I think this was kind of a serious mistake and it singlehandedly torpedoes the whole game. If they had had some more interesting new level ideas/gimmicks^ they might have carried it off, but as they are, most of the stages end up getting dull by the end. Sonic levels should not be pushing ten minutes long! Especially when they're just kind of ... there. Not that hard, but not that exciting either. Feels like going through the motions. For a LONG time.
^(a couple of the new level thingies are pretty cool, mostly the ones having to do with momentum and getting sprung upwards)
The graphics feel a bit uninspired -- there is no standout level, really, like Green Hill or Chemical Plant. And also, the new Michael Jackson-style music isn't very good. It mostly amounts to a lot of crappy voice samples and repetitive hooks that don't feel particularly 'Sonic'. Whether it was actually written by him or not, it's kind of a weird fit and I miss the older stuff.
There are some great new powerups and the Chaos Emerald stages are a fun new type of puzzle, but I'm surprised by how weak this one is overall.
The biggest change here is that the levels are huuuuuuge -- around two to three times bigger than usual. Unfortunately, I think this was kind of a serious mistake and it singlehandedly torpedoes the whole game. If they had had some more interesting new level ideas/gimmicks^ they might have carried it off, but as they are, most of the stages end up getting dull by the end. Sonic levels should not be pushing ten minutes long! Especially when they're just kind of ... there. Not that hard, but not that exciting either. Feels like going through the motions. For a LONG time.
^(a couple of the new level thingies are pretty cool, mostly the ones having to do with momentum and getting sprung upwards)
The graphics feel a bit uninspired -- there is no standout level, really, like Green Hill or Chemical Plant. And also, the new Michael Jackson-style music isn't very good. It mostly amounts to a lot of crappy voice samples and repetitive hooks that don't feel particularly 'Sonic'. Whether it was actually written by him or not, it's kind of a weird fit and I miss the older stuff.
There are some great new powerups and the Chaos Emerald stages are a fun new type of puzzle, but I'm surprised by how weak this one is overall.
Best classic game out of the 3 ogs
mj made this music so fucking good
Jogo cru, só fica melhor com a adição de & Knuckles.
ass final boss