Now that I covered a number of games in the classic series, only left to wrap up this strong series of classic games with the ‘big’ one.
This game is a pure classic and hands down one of the finest 2D platformers I’ve ever played. Next to CD, its my favorite Classic Series game. But to be fair, every Classic era Sonic game rocks, so you always win XD!
This game is playable through the following:
Wii: VC release/Sonic Mega Collection/Wii U: VC release
360: Digital Release with Lock-On features restored
PS3: Sonic Genesis Collection; Both Sonic 3 & S&K are on it but Lock-On isn't working
Genesis/Mega Drive: Original version
Nintendo DS: Sonic Classic Collection; Lock On Restored
Saturn: Sonic Jam (lock-on works)
Okay, will speed up my comments man. Wait a minute buddy
.
The games origin stems from Sonic 3 being a massive project for Sonic Team. Yuji Naka wanted it to be a 3D platformer originally but after that idea crashed and burned, they went back to the idea of a 2D platformer like 1, 2 and CD. Interesting that we still got 3D Blast out of this though, a game I will cover in the future.
Gaffer Man God also pointed out a reason why we got two games out of this, so will share his findings. Thanks man!
Anyway, they made so much content for Sonic 3, it couldn’t fit on the cart! Sega saw this and thought of an amazing idea; why not cut the game up in half, and release each part six months from each other? Even better, make the Sonic & Knuckles part of the game lock-on to other 2D Sonic’s and add more replay value for those.
But the biggest point of this as once you lock on Sonic 3 with Sonic & Knuckles…..the full game was unlocked!
This was magic for many during this time; no game ever did this before and the only prior case was maybe the Game Genies or Action Replay carts for the NES/SNES/Genesis at the time. This never happened for a major game release, so this was really impressive. Will fully explain how this works latter on but this is one of the many, many great qualities to this classic.
The story for Sonic 3 & Knuckles is of Sonic and his buddy Tails visiting Angel Island on the hunt for Robotnik after hearing wind of him going there for some reason. Along the way, our boy Knuckles knocks Super Sonic out and takes the Emeralds from him, laughing in Sonics face before running off.
So starts the long, epic 12 Zone adventure with Sonic & Tails exploring Angel Island’s locations to find the emeralds, fight Robotnik and find out what is Knuckles beef. Love this story as, its acted out through gameplay.
Every major scene before boss fights, major story beats toward the Sonic & Knuckles half of the game, and more are done really well and give natural transitions between the different acts within zones.
Having fire overtake Angel Island after fighting a robot at the end of Act 1, having the ground rumble and shift around during Act 2 of Marble Garden Zone, the entire last three zones as a whole; it feels cinematic but it doesn’t detract from the quality Sonic gameplay we come to love and enjoy from past 2D Sonic’s.
The gameplay is almost 1-to-1 with Sonic 2; Sonic can spin-dash, roll and jump like before in addition to core level design being what Sonic 2 tried to but further fleshed out with longer paths and more rewards for exploration. Basically, it nails the balance between Sonic CD and Sonic 2, leading to a really strong game.
Some differences is through the Elemental Sheilds, Tails, and Knuckles. The Elemental Shields are special shields that everyone can use….but Sonic has some unique abilities when using them.
Water: Gets the ability to breath underwater (everyone), bounce attack when pressing jump in the air (Sonic only)
Fire: Walk over lava/fire (everyone), Air Dash when pressing jump in air (Sonic only)
Electric: Draws in rings (everyone), Double Jump when pressing jump in air (Sonic only)
This gives Sonic far more versatility and really pushes the exploration aspect; it feels great using these and it makes some sections all the more better (no worrying about hunting for bubbles in Hydrocity Zone!).
Tails returns from Sonic 2 but he can fly in the air this time out. Even better, you can plug in a second controller for player two and they can pick up Sonic and help him fly to higher spots. This rocks, as it can be really helpful with trickier platforming sections.
Lastly comes our boy Knuckles. Unlike Sonic, he doesn’t chuckle and is quite powerful! He can glide in the air and climb walls, making him great for exploration like Tails. In addition, he can smash through large rocks in some stages allowing you to get through paths Sonic & Tails cannot access when playing as them. Some of these extra paths are really different level design wise, making them like extra acts for plugging in Sonic 3 on-top of S&K.
This is how Sonic characters should all play; everyone having one core element making them unique but still controlling how Sonic does. Tails and Knuckles can spin dash, roll and jump with no problem, making them added replay value for the game when you are done as Sonic/Sonic & Tails.
The levels are all great with some creative themes. For example, you don’t start out in a green hill location but a tropical jungle, having new swinging gimmicks and some underwater sections if you explore enough. Another example is Ice Cap, as you start out snowboarding on hills, then you explore ice-filled caves. My favorite levels are Ice Cap, Angel Island and Lava Reef for how dynamic and fun they are.
Sonic 3&K has a lot to offer outside of the main story though. One case of this is that you can collect the seven Chaos Emeralds like in past games but you also have the Super Emeralds, which you can only get when playing S3&K. They allow Tails to use a super form and it gives Sonic a bit of a power boost as Hyper Sonic.
Another example is a MP mode, which Sonic 2 had (and I glossed over) but here its more interesting. You have more stages to play, racing modes are really fun and I love how the levels lop during the racing mode.
Now I will cover the soundtrack and we got a bit of a history with this one. Sonic 1 & 2 were composed by a JP musician, so it makes sense that Sonic 3 would do this as well. Pop Icon Michel Jackson helped compose a few tracks (Ice Cap, Sonic 3 Ending theme, Carnival Night) and the only reason he wasn’t credited was because he wasn’t too happy with how it sounded. The Sega Sound Chip wasn’t the strongest thing in the world, so sadly he didn’t want his name linked to the game.
But that doesn’t mean the game sounds bad, as it sounds great! So many of the themes are iconic and sound awesome.
Angel Island Zone
Hydrocity Zone
Ice Cap Zone
Flying Battery Zone
Lava Reef Zone
Sky Sanctuary Zone
Doomsday Zone
Sonic 3&K’s score is still remembered today for it being so high quality, so its great to see some of these tracks like Sky Sanctuary, Angel Island, and Flying Battery used in newer games.
One last thing to cover is the lock-on technology, as it works different per Sonic game:
-Sonic 1: Blue Sphere – Due to emulation issues at the time, they couldn’t put Knuckles or Tails in Sonic 1. So despite the menu giving you this:
You can end up playing hundreds of special stages based on Sonic 3&K’s version of them. If you loved them with your time with them, then it’s a nice way to kill an hour or so.
-Sonic 2: Knuckles in Sonic 2 – You can play as our boy Knuckles in Sonic 2’s levels. The game doesn’t change too much but some level design is changed a bit to support his gliding ability and his special stages are easier.
-Sonic 3: Sonic 3 & Knuckles – You can play the intended game Sega and Sonic Team set out to create. You as Knuckles in every Sonic 3 stage while you can also play as Tails in every Sonic & Knuckles stage. This also unlocks the Doomsday boss fight (if you got the Chaos Emeralds or Super Emeralds) and access to the Super Emerald Special Stages.
Overall, this is a classic and I really like this game a lot. Revising the Classic series has me appreciating them a lot and hopeful that the anniversary game coming this year remembers these classics.
I have a set plan for these threads, as I wanted to cover more of Sonic’s 2D ventures before going back to 3D with Adventure…..but after reading that recent Sonic Movie thread, I want to cover one specific game to show people that Sonic isn’t dead and that after a massive bomb, it came back swinging.
Hope you all enjoy this coming thread in the future. It will be a howling good time.
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Edit: Want to close the thread with a bang, so why not an even LONGER poster on why Sonic 3&K is a masterpiece of a game? J@hranimo brought to my attention a really, really great post on why this game rocks, so I have to share it here. Here is the link to Cool Guy Sami's thoughts on Sonic 3&K. If you are reading this, that is such a good post and something everyone should a read !
This game is a pure classic and hands down one of the finest 2D platformers I’ve ever played. Next to CD, its my favorite Classic Series game. But to be fair, every Classic era Sonic game rocks, so you always win XD!
This game is playable through the following:
Wii: VC release/Sonic Mega Collection/Wii U: VC release
360: Digital Release with Lock-On features restored
PS3: Sonic Genesis Collection; Both Sonic 3 & S&K are on it but Lock-On isn't working
Genesis/Mega Drive: Original version
Nintendo DS: Sonic Classic Collection; Lock On Restored
Saturn: Sonic Jam (lock-on works)
Okay, will speed up my comments man. Wait a minute buddy
.The games origin stems from Sonic 3 being a massive project for Sonic Team. Yuji Naka wanted it to be a 3D platformer originally but after that idea crashed and burned, they went back to the idea of a 2D platformer like 1, 2 and CD. Interesting that we still got 3D Blast out of this though, a game I will cover in the future.
Gaffer Man God also pointed out a reason why we got two games out of this, so will share his findings. Thanks man
! Anyway, they made so much content for Sonic 3, it couldn’t fit on the cart! Sega saw this and thought of an amazing idea; why not cut the game up in half, and release each part six months from each other? Even better, make the Sonic & Knuckles part of the game lock-on to other 2D Sonic’s and add more replay value for those.
But the biggest point of this as once you lock on Sonic 3 with Sonic & Knuckles…..the full game was unlocked!
This was magic for many during this time; no game ever did this before and the only prior case was maybe the Game Genies or Action Replay carts for the NES/SNES/Genesis at the time. This never happened for a major game release, so this was really impressive. Will fully explain how this works latter on but this is one of the many, many great qualities to this classic.
The story for Sonic 3 & Knuckles is of Sonic and his buddy Tails visiting Angel Island on the hunt for Robotnik after hearing wind of him going there for some reason. Along the way, our boy Knuckles knocks Super Sonic out and takes the Emeralds from him, laughing in Sonics face before running off.
So starts the long, epic 12 Zone adventure with Sonic & Tails exploring Angel Island’s locations to find the emeralds, fight Robotnik and find out what is Knuckles beef. Love this story as, its acted out through gameplay.
Every major scene before boss fights, major story beats toward the Sonic & Knuckles half of the game, and more are done really well and give natural transitions between the different acts within zones.
Having fire overtake Angel Island after fighting a robot at the end of Act 1, having the ground rumble and shift around during Act 2 of Marble Garden Zone, the entire last three zones as a whole; it feels cinematic but it doesn’t detract from the quality Sonic gameplay we come to love and enjoy from past 2D Sonic’s.
The gameplay is almost 1-to-1 with Sonic 2; Sonic can spin-dash, roll and jump like before in addition to core level design being what Sonic 2 tried to but further fleshed out with longer paths and more rewards for exploration. Basically, it nails the balance between Sonic CD and Sonic 2, leading to a really strong game.
Some differences is through the Elemental Sheilds, Tails, and Knuckles. The Elemental Shields are special shields that everyone can use….but Sonic has some unique abilities when using them.
Water: Gets the ability to breath underwater (everyone), bounce attack when pressing jump in the air (Sonic only)
Fire: Walk over lava/fire (everyone), Air Dash when pressing jump in air (Sonic only)
Electric: Draws in rings (everyone), Double Jump when pressing jump in air (Sonic only)
This gives Sonic far more versatility and really pushes the exploration aspect; it feels great using these and it makes some sections all the more better (no worrying about hunting for bubbles in Hydrocity Zone!).
Tails returns from Sonic 2 but he can fly in the air this time out. Even better, you can plug in a second controller for player two and they can pick up Sonic and help him fly to higher spots. This rocks, as it can be really helpful with trickier platforming sections.
Lastly comes our boy Knuckles. Unlike Sonic, he doesn’t chuckle and is quite powerful! He can glide in the air and climb walls, making him great for exploration like Tails. In addition, he can smash through large rocks in some stages allowing you to get through paths Sonic & Tails cannot access when playing as them. Some of these extra paths are really different level design wise, making them like extra acts for plugging in Sonic 3 on-top of S&K.
This is how Sonic characters should all play; everyone having one core element making them unique but still controlling how Sonic does. Tails and Knuckles can spin dash, roll and jump with no problem, making them added replay value for the game when you are done as Sonic/Sonic & Tails.
The levels are all great with some creative themes. For example, you don’t start out in a green hill location but a tropical jungle, having new swinging gimmicks and some underwater sections if you explore enough. Another example is Ice Cap, as you start out snowboarding on hills, then you explore ice-filled caves. My favorite levels are Ice Cap, Angel Island and Lava Reef for how dynamic and fun they are.
Sonic 3&K has a lot to offer outside of the main story though. One case of this is that you can collect the seven Chaos Emeralds like in past games but you also have the Super Emeralds, which you can only get when playing S3&K. They allow Tails to use a super form and it gives Sonic a bit of a power boost as Hyper Sonic.
Another example is a MP mode, which Sonic 2 had (and I glossed over) but here its more interesting. You have more stages to play, racing modes are really fun and I love how the levels lop during the racing mode.
Now I will cover the soundtrack and we got a bit of a history with this one. Sonic 1 & 2 were composed by a JP musician, so it makes sense that Sonic 3 would do this as well. Pop Icon Michel Jackson helped compose a few tracks (Ice Cap, Sonic 3 Ending theme, Carnival Night) and the only reason he wasn’t credited was because he wasn’t too happy with how it sounded. The Sega Sound Chip wasn’t the strongest thing in the world, so sadly he didn’t want his name linked to the game.
But that doesn’t mean the game sounds bad, as it sounds great! So many of the themes are iconic and sound awesome.
Angel Island Zone
Hydrocity Zone
Ice Cap Zone
Flying Battery Zone
Lava Reef Zone
Sky Sanctuary Zone
Doomsday Zone
Sonic 3&K’s score is still remembered today for it being so high quality, so its great to see some of these tracks like Sky Sanctuary, Angel Island, and Flying Battery used in newer games.
One last thing to cover is the lock-on technology, as it works different per Sonic game:
-Sonic 1: Blue Sphere – Due to emulation issues at the time, they couldn’t put Knuckles or Tails in Sonic 1. So despite the menu giving you this:
You can end up playing hundreds of special stages based on Sonic 3&K’s version of them. If you loved them with your time with them, then it’s a nice way to kill an hour or so.
-Sonic 2: Knuckles in Sonic 2 – You can play as our boy Knuckles in Sonic 2’s levels. The game doesn’t change too much but some level design is changed a bit to support his gliding ability and his special stages are easier.
-Sonic 3: Sonic 3 & Knuckles – You can play the intended game Sega and Sonic Team set out to create. You as Knuckles in every Sonic 3 stage while you can also play as Tails in every Sonic & Knuckles stage. This also unlocks the Doomsday boss fight (if you got the Chaos Emeralds or Super Emeralds) and access to the Super Emerald Special Stages.
Overall, this is a classic and I really like this game a lot. Revising the Classic series has me appreciating them a lot and hopeful that the anniversary game coming this year remembers these classics.
I have a set plan for these threads, as I wanted to cover more of Sonic’s 2D ventures before going back to 3D with Adventure…..but after reading that recent Sonic Movie thread, I want to cover one specific game to show people that Sonic isn’t dead and that after a massive bomb, it came back swinging.
Hope you all enjoy this coming thread in the future. It will be a howling good time
.
Edit: Want to close the thread with a bang, so why not an even LONGER poster on why Sonic 3&K is a masterpiece of a game
? J@hranimo brought to my attention a really, really great post on why this game rocks, so I have to share it here. Here is the link to Cool Guy Sami's thoughts on Sonic 3&K. If you are reading this, that is such a good post and something everyone should a read !
