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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released 20 years ago

Sonic 3 came out when I was unemployed and not far from possibly becoming homeless. I went and sold some stuff so I could buy a copy. To this day I actually wish I kept some of the stuff I sold, so I can't honestly say "no regrets". But fuck it... NO REGRETS.
 
I still remember getting this game on launch day, easily my favorite Sonic (Although S&K + 3 technically takes the cake. Hydrocity & Flying Battery Zone music = ecstasy)

And I was amazed to find out years later how much trouble people had with that barrel on Carnival Nights. My 9 year old self figured it out within about 1 minute and blasted through the rest of the game. Granted, I can understand how people had trouble with it, it wasn't something you had to do in a Sonic game before.
 
I'm actually surprised that more people didn't get confused with how to damage the 3rd boss as Tails, considering the barrel and what not.

Unfortunately we have to wait six months to get the GOAT Sonic game anniversary.
 
The best Sonic game (when put with &K ofc but I consider it one game). What people forgot afterwards because of Sega.s marketing campaign was that Sonic was a game of exploration and momentum rather than speed. The amount of hidden secrets and alternative paths make it one of the most replayable games of all time, the difficulty is never cheap and bosses provide a reasonable challenge unless you have a cheese strat like an elemental shield that is immune to it. The seamless transitions between stages and small cutscenes toward the end make the game feel more alive and flowing. And that soundtrack, damn is it good, one of the greats. The level of depth is what makes most of the tunes great, they aren't just a catchy melody like so many of their peers that also get fame, but fully fleshed out pieces with plenty of layers. Maybe someday the team will get together and do a live instrument remix album, in my dreams anyway.
 
Forget Sonic the Hedgehog 3! Go play the Sonic 3 complete hack from Sonic Retro. :P
I would link to their wiki page for the hack, but I don't know what the rules are on linking to pages that host ROM hacks. I assume thats against TOS?

Also, fuck that barrel in the second half of Carnival Night Zone Act 2.
 
Missingno255 said:
Forget Sonic the Hedgehog 3! Go play the Sonic 3 complete hack from Sonic Retro. :P
I would link to their wiki page for the hack, but I don't know what the rules are on linking to pages that host ROM hacks. I assume thats against TOS?

Also, fuck that barrel in the second half of Carnival Night Zone Act 2.
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Against the ToS, yes.
 
Got given an old Mega Drive with both Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles as a gift a couple of years ago. I love these games so much.

The credits theme for Sonic 3 is just too good. The one thing I didn't like about Sonic 3 and Knuckles was that it used the S&K themes for things like Invincibility and the Title Screen, which I didn't like as much. I loved the New Jack Swing style (at least I think it was New Jack Swing, I'm no expert) music that Sonic 3 solo had.
 
Missingno255 said:
Forget Sonic the Hedgehog 3! Go play the Sonic 3 complete hack from Sonic Retro. :P
I would link to their wiki page for the hack, but I don't know what the rules are on linking to pages that host ROM hacks. I assume thats against TOS?

Also, fuck that barrel in the second half of Carnival Night Zone Act 2.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. It's the definitive Sonic experience. If you can (legally) try it, go do it now!
 
Ath said:
Got given an old Mega Drive with both Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles as a gift a couple of years ago. I love these games so much.

The credits theme for Sonic 3 is just too good. The one thing I didn't like about Sonic 3 and Knuckles was that it used the S&K themes for things like Invincibility and the Title Screen, which I didn't like as much. I loved the New Jack Swing style (at least I think it was New Jack Swing, I'm no expert) music that Sonic 3 solo had.
Click to expand...

They got Michael Jackson to compose the score for Sonic 3.

Michael fucking Jackson.

God damn what a great soundtrack. The Final Boss theme is one of the best in all of games.
 
That's Knuckles hiding behind the bush on the box art?!?!? wtf.

all of these years I thought it was some random bush badnik enemy or some shit
 
People should check out the Project Chaos fan remix album btw. It's got some stinkers but also some really great stuff, well worth looking at.
 
In this topic, we all feel old. :/

I could never get the level select code for this game to work. I did it once. ONCE. ... And I had been looking away from the screen and couldn't duplicate the effort. ...
 
I almost made this thread because groundhog day reminds me of the promotional materials in north america every single year.
Thanks to this advertisement in particular.

I had paper thin tastes in games as a kid, Sonic, Megaman and almost anything related to Ninja turtles. That's pretty much it. I think actually, it wasn't long after Sonic and Knuckles came out that my tastes started to broaden a little.
 
*nods to MJ*

i know Sonic 2 sold like billions but i don't get why 3 doesn't get as much love, it had great levels, music, animation & bosses (mostly). granted, if it came later with S&K built in somehow it'd prolly get its due...also, i liked the chaos emerald minigame infinitely better than the halfpipe of 2.
 
Holy shit, I've never even noticed Knuckles on the cover before. I don't even think I've ever noticed the eyes.

And now I feel old.
 
Best 2D Sonic game and probably the best Sonic game when paired with S&K. I can only see Sonic CD rivaling it.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is just amazing.

The progression is perfect. Hopping from a jungle infested act to it being burned down from Eggman's robots to you falling into an underground water facility, to ruins, to a carnival, to an arctic cave/glacier, to Eggman's Death Egg launch area, and so on. Its crazy and awesome how they keep you interested through the environments that also match with the environment. Like how there are no bottomless pits in any zone that is based on the ground. There are a few exceptions to the rule, though. One aspect is how loop-de-loops behave in different zones. You rarely get the same experience from how the loops are implemented in the zones. The game is timeless and will be one of the pinnacles of Sonic.

There is so much I can say about this game, but it will be a huge wall of constant fangasming.
 
I highly recommend any fans of this and S&K to play the Sonic 3 Complete fanhack. It's basically Sonic 3 & Knuckles with a lot of fine tuning here and there. For example, it lets you customize which of the two's soundtracks you want to use (or a mix of both, such as Knuckles' 3 theme with the S&K invincibility); it adds in a cutscene between the Launch Base boss and Mushroom Hill (consisting of the pseudo-3D animation from the S&K title screen), restores the Big Arms final boss, allows you to power off your Super/Hyper state, and other neat things.
 
Anth0ny said:
They got Michael Jackson to compose the score for Sonic 3.

Michael fucking Jackson.

God damn what a great soundtrack. The Final Boss theme is one of the best in all of games.
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NihonTiger90 said:
Which, of course, later became the base beat for Stranger in Moscow.

Totally agreed; it's a great credits song.
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Yup, Stranger in Moscow is one of my favourite Michael Jackson songs too.

Dangerous is one of my favourite MJ albums and Sonic 3's music (Ice Cap and Carnival Night in particular) really does remind me of it. Whatever his actual level of involvement in the final work was, the music totally has his influence.

Another little thing I really liked in Sonic 3 was the level transitions. From falling into Hydrocity Zone to Tails dropping you off in Carnival Night, each zone really felt connected.
 
RIP to the box art designer Greg Martin. This and sonic 2 USA box art are some of my most memorable box arts.
 
I got it when it came out in the UK, actually I think I got it early from some retailer.

I remember being a bit disappointed with it when it came out, can't remember why.

Not sure why they changed the great sonic sprite into this weird chubby one.
 
War Raichu said:
I highly recommend any fans of this and S&K to play the Sonic 3 Complete fanhack. It's basically Sonic 3 & Knuckles with a lot of fine tuning here and there. For example, it lets you customize which of the two's soundtracks you want to use (or a mix of both, such as Knuckles' 3 theme with the S&K invincibility); it adds in a cutscene between the Launch Base boss and Mushroom Hill (consisting of the pseudo-3D animation from the S&K title screen), restores the Big Arms final boss, allows you to power off your Super/Hyper state, and other neat things.

*snip*
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We just established this was against the TOS a few posts above you, dude. You better remove that.
 
A masterpiece. I remember playing the PC version way back when, and then experiencing the real deal with the much better music. Good times.

Bring on the Taxman version
 
Cody_D165 said:
tumblr_lxr965tPX71r9zabzo1_400.gif
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My fucking god... I remember being stuck in that level for a month as a kid. I just couldn't get past that stupid ass spinning can until one night I glitched past it somehow (I squeezed through the small tight space under) but I ended up dying near the end because I ran out of time. FUCK everything about this. That was the only time I ever threw my controller and broke it. Seriously. Fuck this.

Andrew. said:
Least favorite Sonic. 2 was the pinnacle for me.
Click to expand...

I found out about Sonic when I caught the commercial of the 3rd one on TV. It was friday and school was out. I was done with my exams. My parents took me to the mall with my brother and went to the videogame section. I grabbed Sonic 3 and my brother, Sonic 2. I played Sonic 3 first and loved it to death, but Sonic 2 wasn't nearly as fun for me.

I even had dreams about being in the Hydrocity. First time I ever got this obsessed with a video game. I love the level designs in the 3rd one MUCH better than the 2nd one. The way it transitions in between the levels is brilliantly done as well.
 
Legendary game (S3&K)!

Still tied with Sonic 2 as my fav. 2d Sonic!

Can't believe it's been twenty years! I remember playing it as a young'un.
 
One of the best 2D platformers ever period, along with Sonic 2. I played Sonic 3 way late though, played a ton of Sonic 2.

On top of that was the whole MJ thing with the soundtrack.

And I STILL cannot believe that people getting stuck on the bouncing platform is a thing.
 
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