Sonic the Hedgehog 3

While I don't agree with the sentiment that this standalone Sonic 3 game is better than Sonic 2, this one is pretty fucking fire. There are a few nuances to this game that makes it different (and harder) than if you play Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The ending of this game clearly is supposed to continue to Sonic & Knuckles instantly, though at the same time doesn't make it feel like an unfinished ending alone. My only major complaint is how utterly hard it is to get level select enabled, I have no idea what they were thinking when considering the abundance of lag frames of the intro scene.

This is the first half of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, as such this is only half a game that was released months later which is an early example of rushed development in gaming. I suggest checking out my reviews of Sonic 3 and knuckles for more details on why I love this game, however the cliff notes version is as follows, the level design is brilliant, it lets you play as Tails and even Knuckles, and the music is the best in the franchise.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is extremely well made and polished. It's refreshing after playing Sonic CD where the level design was extremely inconsistent and sloppy

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was meant to be Sega's magnum opus for the Genesis Sonic series. It was gonna be twice as long as any other Sonic game prior, it was gonna have stunning new visuals and an interesting story. However, due to hardware limitations, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was split into two games. I'll be reviewing the first half. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is insanely good. None of the Zones felt stupid and were all consistently good.

This game introduces the Master Emerald, Angel Island, and the newest addition to the cast, Knuckles The Echidna who serves as a semi-antagonist since he was manipulated by Dr. Robotnik into believing that Sonic and Tails are after the Master Emerald, something he must protect.

Tails is playable here and is an easy mode. But he also can tag along with Sonic as he did in Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Knuckles is also playable. He is the slowest, but he can glide and climb walls which makes him the most traversable character.

After collecting the 7 Chaos Emeralds (Which can be done by finding hidden rings), you can become Super Sonic like in the Sonic The Hedgehog 2. However, Tails and Knuckles also have Super forms this time around

The music is also really well done and some of it was worked on by Michael Jackson (Which is a huge reason why we don't see this game re-released as much as the others). Still a great soundtrack but I wouldn't say it is better than Sonic CD.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is a fantastically made game filled to the brim with personality and charm. Truly it is the best 2D Sonic game yet

Sonic 3 really is somewhere between Sonic 1 and 2, while 3 does make improvements and is pretty much a direct sequel to 2, at the same time I just didn't find it as good. The level design wasn't quite as memorable, the game was way too short for its own good, and I didn't find the soundtrack as memorable. I know maybe not growing up with this one might have some to do with that, but I feel like Sonic 2 was such a memorable game that this had a lot to expect, and it overall is a good Sonic game, but not as good as 2. Hell I'll even call this the 2nd best Sonic game in the series, but it still leaves a lot to be desired.