SONIC AND KNUCKLES (GENESIS)

SONIC AND KNUCKLES came out the same year as Sonic 3. What makes this game interesting is the fact that they somehow added ‘lock-on’ technology to the cartridge and allowed folks to ‘lock on’ the cartridge of Sonic 2 or Sonic 3. What this did was allowed you to play as Knuckles through the levels of Sonic 2 and Sonic 3. Even more interesting, is there were parts of levels designed on purpose in Sonic 3 that are only accessible when playing as Knuckles, via his wall-climbing abilities. It’s a great gimmick and allowed for extra-replay through the older titles. Even on its own though, Sonic and Knuckles still has its own story, gameplay, and levels if one doesn’t want to utilize the backwards tech for Sonic 2 and 3. If fans of the older titles, you will get more of the same though this time you have the option to play as Knuckles and, like parts of Sonic 3, you’ll have access to different parts of levels that Sonic wouldn’t have access to. The game is great and some of the music has never been better. (Sandopolis anyone?). At this point, if you’re not a fan of the series, this one won’t do much to win you over but for fans of the series, this caps off a great run to the original ‘quadrilogy’ from the Genesis before Sonic started getting more complex. And I still get nightmares from those damn ghosts in the sand level...

GAMING SCORE: 9/10