To start, a link to my other Sonic R/LTTPs:
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Heroes
Sonic 06
Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic the Hedgehog Game Gear
Sonic 2 Game Gear
Sonic Chaos
Sonic Blast
Sonic Labyrinth
Tails Adventure
Tails' Sky Patrol
Sonic Spinball Game Gear

So, now that I'm finally done with the mess that is the Game Gear games, I decided to go back and finally beat Sonic 3D Blast. I admit to probably being way too nostalgic for this game, as it was definitely one of the first games that I got that was mine and not my older brother's. I actually distinctly remember going to the store and seeing it, and that they had some kind of offer where you got a T-shirt branded with the game if you bought it. I actually still had that shirt and it somehow lasted and stretched long enough to be a pajama shirt until a few years ago, and I'm actually still kind of bummed remembering the time I realized it didn't make it through the wash.

But anyway, despite loving the game more than I probably should have, I actually never beat it before. It's probably the game where I've most engrained the memory of having to turn off a game in progress. I once managed to get all the way to the boss of the volcano (I usually either had to turn it off or lost in the third zone with the semi-carnival theme), but I had to tragically cut it short in order to go visit my grandmother. I was SO sad/mad. And it's also a centerpiece in my anger at the Nomad, as I somehow managed to unknowingly activate the level select code and chose the final battle. And then, part way through when I was super excited... the Nomad randomly reset on me. Darn that piece of junk!

But fast-forwarding to today, I was actually a little worried to revisit this one. Despite it being a game I'm super nostalgic for, it doesn't really have a very good reputation, far as I can tell. And I'll admit, it's not a great game. But there's still something about it (maybe it's the awesome soundtrack!) Sure, it takes a bit to get used to the isometric controls, and that jumping Flicky can get stuck in annoying places. And the collision detection made the Gene Gadget boss way more annoying than it should've been. And the gimmicky conveyer belts in Panic Puppet slowed things down way too much. And the rings are a pain to pick up again after they drop more so than they should be.

And yet I still kind of enjoyed it. Sure, a lot of it's nostalgia. But it's still a neat little game, and at the very least it's never as annoying as the truly terrible Sonic games. And hell, I can't help but be a little charmed when I have five little flickies following me (each with their own little shield) and hop on a spring, only for them to flip up and grab a Sonic head for me. At the very worst, this is a far, far better take on what Sonic Labyrinth was trying to do in the first place (which is admittedly not a great plan for a Sonic game, but still...)

Oh, and unfortunately neither my childhood memories or this recent playthrough relate to the apparently superior version, and are both just the Genesis version.

Probably the 2nd Sonic game I played after Sonic 2, must've played it not even a year or two after it came out b/c I remember getting my PS1 in '98 and not touching my Genesis again (lock me up).

I had fond memories with it, but being a kid then, I was probably much more forgiving. It's still an impressive technical accomplishment especially the Genesis version, tho.

If it makes you feel any better I've never beaten 3d blast all the way through either. Which is pretty amazing considering how many times I've ran through Sonic 1/2/3. I have used the cheat to get to the end however. But I think the lack of a Super Sonic transformation killed my enthusiasm back in the day.

I was blown away by the 5 sec CG intro on the genesis version lol

PC & Saturn versions are superior. Better special stages, better music.

Green Slime said:

PC & Saturn versions are superior. Better special stages, better music.

Click to expand...

Disagreeing with you on the bolded part. Sonic 3D genesis music is about the only thing that saves the game.

I didn't like it when it first came out, but in retrospect it wasn't that bad, especially compared to what came later.

I rented this game way back in... I guess 6th grade. I remember not liking it very much but I got pretty far on my first playthrough so I didn't want to turn the system off. I believe this was one of, if not the first games I played where I wasn't having fun but I kept playing on some gamer cred nonsense. Anyways, I got a game over and that was the end of it.

Still love the soundtrack of the Saturn version.

Some very memorable tunes.

Sonic 3/4 Overhead View Blast

The music was good, especially the first acts of Volcano Valley and Diamond Dust.

That's about all the good I can say for it though.

I think it's probably one of the most visually impressive games on the Genesis, next to Vectorman. The game isn't really bad but it's not really great either. An isometric perspective and speed don't really go together all that well, so I don't really think it had to be a Sonic game.

I owned this and beat it once, and never again. God the game was ass. The perspective discouraged going fast ever.

One thing I can add is that I always thought this game was like some weird hybrid of Sonic and the Flicky game, just in isometric 3D. You control Sonic, and there's Sonic staples... But it's weird that the game goals are directly from the game Flicky, where you collect animals, avoid getting hit, and deliver them off, with the more you deliver to get points.

I always thought that maybe the game started as a 3D Flicky game but Sonic was added to make mass appeal, or two projects merged together or something.

The PC version lets you save, which is why it's the best version -- this game is a bit too long to not have a save system, which it doesn't on the Genesis and Saturn. It's really annoying. The PC version doesn't run properly on modern computers though, so I guess Genesis or Saturn emulation is the best way to play the game, unless you have an older computer or several hours to dedicate to the Genesis or Saturn versions...

Anyway though, yeah, I like Sonic 3D Blast. It's a good game I quite enjoyed. I have all three versions now, but I've only actually beaten it on Genesis; I had to leave the system on for quite a while because of how tediously long the game is (such a slow-paced game should not require you to play it in one sitting...), but otherwise, it was pretty good. The bonus stages are different in each of the three versions, which is interesting. I like the bonus stages in the Genesis version quite a bit, but the Saturn and PC bonus stages are cool too... less original (it's basically a couple of redos of the Sonic 2 bonus stages, with polygonal graphics on Saturn and sprites on PC), but good.

One great thing about 3D Blast are the level designs. Isometric platforming can be difficult because of the perspective, but 3D Blast does a pretty good job of making it all doable. The game doesn't throw many instant death pits over jumping puzzles at you, if it has any at all, which is great; in this perspective that could be a major problem, but they avoided it. I like the large, open levels, and it's a fun game to play and explore through. Good level designs and gameplay.