3RRSG Sonic 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Another classic gem from the series that just
keeps on giving. The 4th sonic game on the genesis (the third was
spinball in 1993) this one took the graphics, sound , and story to a new
level. Tons and tons of new additions made this one a worthy follow up
to the great Sonic 2. Here we meet Knuckles and his Angel Island for
the first time. Also Sonic team included an all new save feature. Now
you didn't have to play the game in one sitting (or use level select
codes to get to your favorite level). Put in all the traditional sonic
speed, with some great 2d graphics, wonderful characters, and
memorable music (Ice cap zone anyone?) and you have got a winner.
By the way my favorite zone of all time is in this game. Wonder which
one? I'll tell 'ya later.

The game takes place right after sonic 2. Super sonic and Tails are just
flying over the ocean when they run into a floating island. Sonic rushes
in, only to be greeted by a hot headed red echidna named Knuckles.
Knuckles steals all of Sonic's 7 chaos emeralds and hides them all
over the island. (He didn't know Sonic was a good guy, as Knuckles
was being tricked by Eggman). Now stranded, and without the
emeralds, Sonic and Tails have to get to the bottom of who Knuckles is
and why he stole the emeralds. But Sonic and Tails quickly notice that
just like before there are many robotic animals roaming around. It
could only mean one thing. Eggman had survived their encounter in
space. So Sonic sets off to put an end to the madman once and for all.
The addition of Knuckles, who is a favorite character among many
sonic fans, is a definite plus for the story. But we never actually saw
the death egg in the 2nd game, it was only mentioned…would we see it
here?

Ok first things first. The new save feature is great. You get around 6 or
so files to save on. Play as Sonic alone, Tails alone, or both. There are 6
zones overall in this game, and the size and scale of them have
increased since sonic 2. There's a new bonus game to play to get
emeralds, which is a 3d sphere, where you lead sonic around gathering
blue orbs, but touch a red one and its game over. Get all the blue orbs
to get the emerald. But the special stage is not found in a lamp post
anymore. Now there are hidden giant rings scattered around the
various levels. Jump in one and the special stage starts. The new
special stage is much harder then sonic 2's 3d pipe, but with practice
you should be able to get the hang of it. Lamp posts now hide different
mini bonus games where you can get rings and powerups.

Speaking of powerups, Sonic can get some new ones on Angel Island.
Now he can have different sorts of shields instead of the generic blue
one. There are fire, electric, and bubble shields. Each one has its own
special unique twist. The fire one can launch sonic in red flame. The
electric one pulls nearby rings towards you. Finally the bubble one lets
you bounce, and breathe underwater. Also you'll note when sonic
jumps in the air and presses the "A" button again, he will have a little
mini shield thing surround him for a second.

The two player mode is back. In this mode you can also play as
Knuckles. Some of the levels in this mode are exclusive to it, and are
not in the 1 player adventure.

Tails has learned a few new tricks as well. Now when you (or a friend)
control him, you will notice he can now fly for a certain amount of time.
Sonic can then jump and grab on to Tails, as he transports Sonic to
new parts of the level that Sonic normally would not be able to reach.
But eventually the little fox will get tired and he'll land. This was a
really neat addition. The boss fight in Marble Garden zone is set up in
the air so Tails will carry Sonic around and you'll have to jump off to hit
Eggman. Don't worry, Tails will catch you.

Once again the graphics have improved. Levels now have even more
detail to them, and are all around not as linear. There are multiple
paths to beating the levels now. More mini cutcenes are scattered
throughout the game that usually feature Knuckles, and him trying to
put a stop to Sonic. The 3d special stage also looks very nice. With six
(large) levels, they are varied enough. Angel island, Hydrocity, Marble
Garden, which may remind you of green hill, Labyrinth, and Marble
zone, but they are much larger and detailed. There's even another new
theme park casino level! (Instead of Casino night zone it's Carnival
night zone.) But ice cap zone stands out as being the most original of
them all. That zone starts off with sonic snowboarding down a
mountain with great music! I don't really like Marble Garden zone,
because it's one of the more difficult stages and the music is not up to
par with the rest of the tunes.

Speaking of the music, it was no longer being done by the group
Dreams Come True. But SonicTeam still has a winner here. With the
exception of Marble Garden zone, I liked all the other tracks. Many love
Ice cap's music, but my favorite is the second zone. Hydrocity zone. It
is my favorite one to play, and it has the best music. Sonic 3 now also
has different music for each act. Sometimes it's very similar (Ice cap)
but in the case of Hydrocity zone, the second act has some of the best
sonic music ever! Many of the classic jingles still remain so the music
is still just as good as ever. Not as much music as Sonic 2 but still
great.

Replay is like any other sonic. Play it again to get all the chaos
emeralds and go super sonic. Or you could get a more power version of
Tails. Try flying around with Tails to find parts of the levels you
normally wouldn't go to with Sonic. Or use the debug code. Once you
beat the game, you are able to use level select, to replay your favorite
levels again without going through the entire game. The final boss is
good and dramatic, but it doesn't reach the same level of intense and
coolness that Sonic 2's final boss had. Not even close.

The only real problem is the length. The story and sound and graphics
are all classic Sonic. Sonic 2 would have really benefited from the save
feature much more. But this is really only about half of the game. Later
in 1994 the next Sonic game would be released that would change
everything. This one is better than Sonic 1, but on its own it can't top
Sonic 2. And dust off that Sonic 2, you'll wanna play it again for the
next review. But for now (or rather then) we were happy with Sonic 3. If
it proved one thing it was that Sonic games are fun, and that Sonic's
legacy will never be forgotten.

Reveiw by: Orochi Sonic