SONIC THE HEDEGHOG 3 (GENESIS)

By the time SONIC 3 burst onto the scene, Sonic was already a staple of the Sega name. After two successful entries, what more can be done? Well, a lot it turns out! We get the familiar fun gameplay returning, with Tails, along with a new enemy: Knuckles! Knuckles is a pink echidna which is some real animal (admit it, you hadn’t heard of one before or since). While Robotnik is still the main villain at the end of each level, Knuckles shows up throughout the game to cause confusion and levels to change in/out. In terms of creativity, what the game makers did was actually build in secret areas in some of these levels that neither Sonic or Tails can have access to; that will be touched on in a different game review. Standing on its own, Sonic 3 allows you to play as either Sonic OR Tails. Tails can fly throughout the level, and Sonic has been given a new ‘Insta-shield’ attack where when you bop on enemies, by double pressing any ‘jump’ button in mid-air gives you a split-second shield. It’s a great addition and makes the game a bit easier, but still not too easy. Sonic 3 also has the best chaos emerald stage yet; it’s an infinite 3-D maze that requires you to gobble up all the blue spheres while avoiding red ones…and the levels only get faster and crazier the more you advance. Sonic 3 continues the tradition of a classic icon, bringing back the fun 2-player split-screen competitive mode, and surpasses Sonic 2 in terms of new features and creative levels. 90s nostalgia at its best. Ice Cap zone music and level for the win!

GAMING SCORE: 10/10