You know, despite ALL the bullshit, the Dimps pits, the instant death traps, the drawn-out boss fights, all these things I was dreading going into this, I had a hell of a time. The stages at first are abrasive and punitive, but on a second playthrough the genius in their design and challenge is much more apparent and enjoyable. The flow state you enter is one of the most satisfying in the series, all about the balance of using boosts while also performing tricks to keep your boost meter up, all while the game is constantly checking you to make sure your not going into autopilot. The style of the game also helps this immensely, with one of Hideki Naganuma's best scores ever and the honestly impressive low-poly 3D on display throughout. And Blaze the Cat is introduced, one of the coolest characters the series has ever produced, although she sadly would never see a role this prominent ever again outside of the direct sequel to this and a bizarre, inexplicable role in Silver's campaign in Sonic 06. Nothing about this game is fully perfect, but I was so happy with how it all turned out, being much better than I could have anticipated. I even ended up enjoying the nightmarish Final Zone boss that took me 4 hours to successfully beat once. Now that I no longer fear the name Dimps, I think I'll give more handheld Sonic games a try, I definitely need to check out the Advance series at some point.