Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sega Genesis
When I was a kid there was very little that was more exciting to me than the release of a new Sonic the Hedgehog game. I liked the original Sonic game, I LOVED its sequel Sonic 2, and I had very high hopes for the third game in the series. Leading up to its 1994 release date, I read all about it in the video game mags. While it looked like more of the same, the game did offer up a few new twists. You could control Tails like in Sonic 2, but this time around you could use him to fly Sonic around to otherwise unreachable areas. The bonus levels were revamped. There was a big hyped up skiing level (this turned out to be a bit of a disappointment). But most importantly the game would introduce a new villain named Knuckles. I had nothing against Doctor Robotnik, but the introduction of a new antagonist (and one that had a lot in common with the main character himself) was a much needed change to the series.
I got the game shortly after it hit the shelves. While at first the game blew me away with its colorful graphics, clever level design, and brand new bonus stages, I ended up feeling a little let down. First of all, I beat the game in one sitting. That's right, one sitting. It was no challenge to me at all. In addition, the hyped up skiing level turned out to be a major dud. You don't even control Sonic as he zooms down the slopes. You just watch as he goes down the slope collecting rings. Eventually he hits a wall and you fall out of the skis and back down to the ground. You CAN jump while skiing down the slope, but it serves no purpose at all other than to make you miss all the rings scattered down the snowy slope. Another thing I didn't like was that Knuckles ended up being a piss poor villain. You don't even fight him! He just shows up now and again to block your path and then disappear till he pops up to block your path again later on in the game. Rinse and repeat.
Don't get me wrong - I liked Sonic 3. It was a good game, but it was just too much of the same. I wanted MORE.
Over time my opinion has changed a bit. It really is a fun time, no matter which way you look at it. Sure, it doesn't offer much that the first two Sonic games don't offer already, but it is still an entertaining game to play. What jumps out at me right off the bat are the game's graphics. Sonic 1 and 2 were ahead of their time as far as graphics go, but I feel Sonic 3 puts them to shame. Everything looks so bright, so vibrant, so colorful and so ALIVE in this game. The animations are spot on too.
While the musical scores in the first two games are some of the best of the 16 bit Genesis era, I feel Sonic 3 comes up a bit short in this regard. Sure the game sounds great, I just prefer the music from the other games. I miss that classic Sonic theme song. Overall, however, the game still sounds very impressive. Combine the solid musical score and sound effects with the game's bright and cartoony look and feel, and you get one really solid immersive game. You can't argue that Sonic 3 is technically very impressive.
The game's level design also sets it apart. There are only two acts per stage, but those acts are pretty darn big. You can easily spend five or more minutes navigating each of them. Don't expect to fly through them in two or three minutes like in games past. There is not just one linear path to follow either. As is tradition with Sonic games, there are multiple paths you can take to get to the finish line. Sonic 3 feels bigger somehow. You can play through the game multiple times and take a different path each time, and it would almost be like you are playing through a different game. Almost.
Not only are the acts bigger than the acts in past Sonic games, you can really tell that the game makers at least tried to do something different with each act. For example, the first stage seems like your typical tropical island level. Then at the end of the first act Robotnik bombs the island and sets it aflame. For the second act, you are racing through a burning inferno. One of the stages has you navigating a brightly lit carnival zone. Halfway through the act, Knuckles kills the power and all of a sudden you are zipping through a dark, powerless maze of dead carnival machinery.
There are all kinds of other different wrinkles added to each stage as well. One stage allows you to ride on spinning tops that help you fly through the air and crash through walls. The same stage later has you racing against time as an earthquake threatens to destroy the ruins you are navigating through, crushing your character if you aren't fast enough to escape. There is the aforementioned skiing segment. The carnival act has these rotating poles that you must cling on to, ride upon, and then jump off to launch yourself to safety. There are also bumpers and springs aplenty that bounce you around all over the place. I could go on and on. But really, each stage gives you a LITTLE something different to break up the monotony. The game is still very similar to past Sonic games, but like I said at least they tried to make it different.
Other changes are minor but appreciated. Instead of just your typical shield which protects you from one hit, you can get three different types of shields in this game. The lightning shield, which draws rings in towards you. The water shield, which allows you to breathe underwater and also to bounce along the ground if you tap the jump button in mid air. And then there is the fire shield which protects you from fire attacks. If you tap the jump button in mid air, Sonic launches himself forward like a missile and takes out any enemies in front of him. If you hit the jump button in mid-air without a shield, Sonic flashes for a split second and can't take any damage during that short time frame. This move is essential to beating the game's final boss.
There are also many changes to the game's bonus stages. If you hit a checkpoint with 50 rings, you can jump into a circle of stars that appears above your character. This drops you into a gumball/pinball hybrid type game where you bounce off of bumpers on the sides of the screen, attempting to jar special items loose from a gumball machine. This game can be kinda fun, but ultimately a little useless. In fact, I skip over the chance to play this minigame most of the time I trigger it.
Like Sonic 1 and 2, this game contains Chaos Emeralds. Also like in Sonic 1 and 2, these things are a pain to collect. Each act has several giant gold rings hidden in it. If you find these rings and jump inside them, you are transported to a behind-the-back minigame that has you racing across the surface of a giant orb, collecting blue spheres as you go. If you see a cluster of blue spheres, you can collect the ones on the perimeter to turn the rest into coins. If you collect the maximum number of coins available, you score a perfect and gain an extra continue. Collect all the blue spheres and you get a Chaos Emerald. This is easier said than done though. If you touch a red sphere, you are out of the game. The pace of the minigame picks up the longer you dilly-dally. It gets to the point where you are moving so fast it makes things very very hard to control. This minigame can get frustrating at times, but I still prefer it 10 times more than I do the minigames in Sonic 1 or 2. Collect all the Chaos Emeralds, and you can transform into Super Sonic: a gold, super fast, undamageable version of the hedgehog himself.
Other cosmetic changes include the option to save your game and pick it up from where you left off. The game really isn't that long, so this option is a little useless. But it is nice in the sense that if you collect all the Chaos Emeralds you can go back to the beginning and play again with all of them in your possession this time. This also comes in handy if you are playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles (which we will get into when I play and review Sonic & Knuckles) as that version of the game is pretty long and a lot more challenging.
You are given the option to play as the tradition Sonic and Tails duo or either character by himself. It was interesting playing as Tails and flying through the levels, getting things that are unattainable to you if you are just playing as Sonic. Really though, this option doesn't change the game a whole lot.
This game does have a 2 player mode. You can either play the story mode with one player controlling Sonic and one controlling Tails, or you can play the game's special Vs mode. I didn't play Vs mode on my last playthrough, but I remember I used to play it with my brother and step brothers all the time. Basically this is a split screen mode where you race through a series of brand new stages. The goal is to collect items and run through the stage faster than your opponent. It has been about 17 years since I've played 2-player mode, so my memory on how it works is a little hazy. I remember it being very simple, but fun at the same time.
Random Dan trivia: the last time I played 2 player mode was actually against my very first girlfriend back in late 2000/early 2001. I lost my virginity to this girl after playing this game, as a matter of fact. Before we broke up, I didn't think I needed my Genesis anymore and I knew she had a sad home life with nothing to do at her house, so I ended up giving her my system and my last handful of games so she had something to occupy her time at home. I ended up never seeing her again. So sweet but so naive on my part.
Back on topic: my review!
So while my initial thoughts on this game were disappointment due to its short length, my opinion has changed on Sonic 3 over the years. I consider it to be one of the best games of the series. Better than Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3D Blast easily. Better than Sonic 1 or 2? Iiiiiiiiii don't know. Those games had real sentimental value to me. So I'm gonna say no. But still, is it an upper echelon Sonic the Hedgehog game and a real treat to play? 100% yes.
Overall:
B+
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