Vimm's Lair: Genesis Reviews - Sonic The Hedgehog 3
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Genesis
Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
8.81
8.89
8.83
8.91
Votes: 53
Reviews: 2


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Reviewer: clinton bowman Date: Apr 6, 2006
Sonic 3...one of the classics. I revived my Sonic days when i picked up Sonic Mega Collection for the Nintendo GameCube last year. As it is a perfect conversion from the Sega Genesis, I can simply tell you, anyone that says that this game is not that great, must be on something!

Graphics: 9
The graphics in this game are cool. I give it's respect because it's back in the Genesis/Super Nintendo era. Join me in a chorus of...Great Game, Great Graphics!

Sound: 7
The soundtrack of this game is off the wall. It actually has something to do with the stages. The mid-boss music of act 1 isn't the real music due to the fact that Sega was on a deadline and didn't want to make Sonic 3 "VaporWare."

Gameplay: 8
Basic Sonic...that's all I have to say...plus the difficulty has been upped due to the speed traps in the game. It tells the player to slow down and be careful.

Overall: 7
This game is one of the best. Just leave it at that. With the Sonic and Knuckles lock-on, you get to play the full Sonic 3. The misconception was that Sonic 3 was made for the lock-on. It wasn't. But the first half of STH 3 is still on it's grind.

Simply put, this game doesn't leave much to be desired. I want to commend Sega for keeping deadline, but they could have waited a full 3 months to release the full game...

 

Reviewer: Seth Koopa Date: Apr 14, 2005
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was, undeniably, a tough act to follow. But at least Sega tried. The attempt didn't really pay off though. As a matter of fact, this third instalment in the Sonic series is, in my honest opinion, the worst of all four original Sonic games. Okay, I'll get my hands dirty and try to explain...

Graphics: 9
Now, the graphics are certainly the best thing about the game - sadly. They've been improved greatly from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, allowing for more colourful and imaginative environments and enemies. But that's not enough.

Sound: 6
The effects are decent enough, but the music... thumbs down. Very disappointing music indeed. Especially the Act 1 boss music is agony to listen to. Doesn't suit the game at all. Sonic the Hedgehog 2's music is great, as is the music of Sonic & Knuckles, but Sonic the Hedgehog 3's music doesn't cut mustard. Tut, tut.

Gameplay: 6
It's not enough for a videogame to have good graphics. It needs to be an imaginative, enjoyable game to play. And this, sadly, ultimately fails on both levels. I have a feeling Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were simply split into two games to allow for the 'lock-on' feature... though it may just be me being completely cynical. Sonic & Knuckles may work as a stand-alone game, but this one certainly doesn't. It just feels so... drab, it has to be said. With exceptions, mind you. The first three levels are promising, but the gameplay begins to go downhill from there. And the final boss battle is very, very disappointing indeed. There's none of the imagination of the first two Sonic games. And the story doesn't even end there, which brings a question to mind as to why the game ends here.

Overall: 7
Decent, but that’s it. The other three Sonic games, namely #s 1,2 and Knuckles, are much, much better than this. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are, in my opinion, one game. If that had been the case, this might have got a higher score. But it isn't, and as a stand-alone title, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is simply a big promise turning out to be a big disappointment.

The save game feature is a nice enough touch, but for such a short game it really is unnecessary, and only proves truly useful when the game is 'locked on' to Sonic & Knuckles.