Sonic the Hedgehog 3

"Sonic 3 & Knuckles" is one of the most epic games I've ever played. Knuckles' story tends to be more dramatic, what with the 'shadowy Dr. Eggman' (Dr.Eggman/Robotnik with a helmet on), fighting Metallix (AKA Mecha Sonic, AKA Metal Sonic) twice and finding fun hidden passages around the ruins of Angel Island that Sonic and Tails can neither access (unless you're using the handy-dandy debug setting). There isn't an act in the game that I don't love, but my absolute favorite is The Doomsday Zone Act 2 in which starts out in silence with Sonic/Tails/Knuckles spinning through one of the reverse polarity machines (Which turns the sprite of your choice upside down). Many SNES "Donky Kong Country" fans hate the soundtrack to this game because DKC had more dimension. I, for one, wish that a composer and a DJ would collabarate and turn the tunes into music preformed by live instuments.

I feel influences of Michael Jackson's "Keep it in the Closet" in the Carnival Night Zone theme and I'm feeling a bit of Phil Collins' 'Both Sides' album style and Genesis' 'We Can't Dance' album style mixed in the 2-player selection music. A lovely mix of music and epic gaming that after 10 years I still cannot put down.

I would have greatly preferred to have reviewed this and "Sonic & Knuckles" as "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" (as one game) instead of doing them separately, but I guess it's nobody's fault except the limitations of the otherwise awesome Sega Genesis. With that said, I'll do my best in reviewing them both concisely. Anyway, after the monumental heights Sonic 2, it was a bit tricky to determine how to bring the blue blur to even higher heights. Sonic 2 already balanced the great level design and speed, as well as did everything else wonderfully. What could be done? Well, it appears that the answer was to just go nuts and go all out. Make the game as big as can be and make it unforgettable.

And, if you ask me, they not only did it, but also made, if you ask me, the absolute best game(s) on the console, period. The visuals are a lot more varied and full of life than ever before, the music is some of the most diverse and jam packed in a Sonic game ever, the levels are, in my opinion, some of the best ever designed in a Sonic game, the boss battles are inspired and fun to take down, and the blue sphere special stages are easily the best in a Sonic game to date.

While the half pipe special stages in Sonic 2 were fun in their own right, I really wasn't a fan of how big the difficulty spike was. I thought it made the game feel a bit too unbalanced (especially at the end), making for some slightly artificial difficulty, which I cover more about it in my Sonic 2 review. Shameless plug aside, none of these complaints apply here, as the blue sphere special stages have a near perfect difficulty curve. That's not to say they don't get really hard (they most definitely do by the end), but not one of them felt like they were asking too much of the player at once, and the way each blue sphere level is designed is not only fun, but also gradually more challenging with each stage, and is incredibly satisfying to fully grasp and complete-something that I can't quite say about any of the special stages in past games.

Speaking of which, how do you access these ones? Well, instead of hoping you have enough rings at a checkpoint (which still grants you access to mini games for power ups and rings in this game(s)) you find secret areas in each level where you can access the special stages. This brings me to level design. In my eyes, this game(s) has the best levels in any Sonic game to date. Because not only does it focus on speed, but it also incorporates exploration and thoughtful tropes like the wonderfully executed elemental shields that not only protects the player from one hit, but also gives them an ability based off of that element. They're not only fun, but also fit perfectly with the more natural environment aesthetic this game has, and it's a shame that we'd have to wait until "Sonic Mania" to see them again.

All of this helps each level to work wonderfully, as they're not only big and fun to speed around in, but they're consistently interesting, and if you mix that with the fun special stages that'll hook you to keep trying again, these levels are just excellent all around.

Really, the only "flaw" I can think of is that this game, on its own, feels maybe a touch too small (not by a lot, this would still be an okay length if this were it). Though, because this is all technically one half of a much more grand package, I don't really think it counts nowadays, especially what with how easy it is to play the full thing.

Overall, up until "Sonic Mania", this and "Sonic & Knuckles" together would be the closest to perfection the blue blur has seen yet. Sure, one could argue they'd rather just go super fast and not worry too much about exploration like in Sonic 2, but I feel all of what this game(s) brings and improves upon, this game(s) still reigns supreme as one of the best of all time. Plus, who doesn't like Knuckles, who would become one of the most iconic, memorable, and kickass video game characters of all time?

"SONIC 3" (1994) is a fast, vibrant game that boasts incredible level designs, a soundtrack with plenty of texture, new and interesting special stages, and a lot of abilities for players to get their teeth into. Although the levels are bigger and more elaborate than the first two games "SONIC 3" should give any Sonic The Hedgehog fans much of the same stuff they enjoy.

This was the first game I ever completed 100% and it means a great deal to me but I have to say it isn't as complete a package as it's predecessors. Somehow it doesn't have the lovable soul that "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG" (1991) and "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2" (1992) had and that's sad. The music, while very good in the moment, isn't as memorable or fun. The levels are often very fiddly, getting in the way of speed.

But it's still a great entry into the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise and I certainly recommend it.

Sonic 3 takes off exactly where the second phenominal game ended, like the back the future movies, where we land on Angel Island after the Death Egg gets blown to pieces, and there's the sweet music playing, where all the animals fly to paradise. This game has Knuckles, an annoying cocky enemy who picks on Sonic, and is was convinced here that Sonic's his enemy. This games the shortest and easiest in the series, and back in the day I would of been so excited to own it, it's my least favorite in the series, although there's a new sound when you get an extra life, and when you get the spheres that make it so nothing can hurt you temporarily. The final boss on Launch Base zone is easy. first he's Robotnik going up and down with a few small moons, then he comes back big, with a pointed long spike claw that can grab you and take all your rings away, and continues are hardest to get here, you have to save the game. There are six zones, with only two acts: Angel Island, Hydrocity, Marble Garden, Carnival, ice Cap, and Launch Base zone. On Ice Cap zone, is the most amazing, special level on the game, you get to go extreme skiing into an ice cave, which is the level.

For some reason, the third Sonic game doesn't pack the same punch as the first two. Sonic and Tails are back and the game offers new things: more new robots, new power ups and a brand new enemy, Knuckles. The game even takes place in a new setting. However, the game is just not as fun as the first two. Something appears to be lacking here and the game becomes boring very quickly. Might as well skip this one in the Sonic series.