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Sonic the Hedgehog 3
-- Intro --
This is the big one, kids: the pinnacle of Sonic's previous life in the world
of two dimensions. For my money, the combined package of Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the best 2D
platformer ever, and the culmination of the entire 2D era. There are those who argue that
Sonic CD is the ultimate 2D Sonic game, but to me, it lacks the speed and in-your-face
grace that comes as a result of Yuji Naka's magical touch. (But don't misread that and think I
don't adore Sonic CD.) Sonic 3 is the true evolution of the series and frankly, I don't
think it could get much better than this on the 16-bit level.
-- Story --
The story picks up right on the heels of Sonic 2. After being knocked clean
out of the sky, Robotnik's Death Egg crashes smack into a mysterious floating island: it's the
legendary Angel Island, suspended in the sky. Angel Island is pushed with the Death Egg into the
sea, creating a massive tsunami but leaving the island floating safely on the ocean's surface.
Days later, Tails detects strong Emerald readings on his Jewel Radar from the
direction of the floating island's crash site. Wondering if it has something to do with the
tsunami he witnessed a few days prior, Tails gears up the Tornado and prepares to check it out.
Sonic, meanwhile, is chilling on the beach when he notices a Ring with strange
carvings wash up. The Ring reminds him of a legend he'd once heard. The legend of a mysterious
island that was once part of the main continent. The island was inhabited by a powerful race of
people who had built a strong civilization using the power of "the mighty stone." The peace was
shattered, however, when a faction of elders attempted to syphon the power of the "mighty stone"
for their own selfish purposes. The stone apparently exploded, wiping out the entire
civilization. Time passed, and one day a god descended from the heavens and restored a part
of the ancient civilization to Angel Island. Sonic and Tails, having nothing better to do, head
out on their latest adventure.
As soon as Super Sonic dashes into the neighborhood, however, he's given a rude
greeting by the local welcoming committee...which consists solely of Knuckles the Echidna.
Knuckles socks the seven Chaos Emeralds clean out of Sonic's grasp and makes off with the
precious stones before Sonic can say: "How do I get to South Island from here?" The fact is that
Dr. Robotnik has duped rad red into believing that Sonic and Tails are the villains. Being the
guardian of Angel Island and its BIG secret, Knux immediately goes about giving the intruders a
hard time. While Sonic and Tails are preoccupied with Knuckles, Robotnik's busy repairing the
Death Egg, as well as investigating a few of Angel Island's secrets...
-- Gameplay Info --
It's 35% Sonic 1, 35% Sonic 2, 30% new stuff, and 100% awesome! Naturally,
you're still running from one side of the level to the other in under ten minutes, doing the
usual Ring collecting and whatnot. But the levels this time are HUGE. No more dashing past the
Bonus Panel in under 30 seconds, plan to spend minutes upon minutes exploring the intricate
environments. Forget the Badniks and obstacles, the time limit frequently proves to be your
biggest enemy in Sonic 3.
The Spin Dash is back, the Peel Out is gone; but there's another new move in
Sonic's arsenal: the Insta-Shield. For a split second, it protects Sonic from taking damage as
well as increasing his attack radius. Tails is also playable, and can now be commanded to fly
at will, giving him access to several areas which Sonic cannot reach. (This ability transfers
to swimming when underwater.) When playing Sonic and Tails together, Tails can give Sonic a
lift, although he can't fly quite as far with his hedgehogness in tow. (And trying to swim with
Sonic obviously doesn't work...)
This time, instead of spinning the Bonus Panel at the end of each Act, it
falls from the top of the screen. Bounce it around for points, and if it lands at the right
spot, an item will pop up. Uh...but don't think getting to the Bonus Panel will be as easy as
it used to. New to the Sonic mix are sub-bosses: Robotnik's toughest Badniks. Like bosses, they
take eight spins a piece.
If you've got 50 Rings when you whack a Starpost, that lovely Star Circle will
spin around above it. Jump in and you're flashed away to the bonus stage, a giant gumball
machine that doesn't need quarters! No bubble gum anywhere, but plenty of goodies for the
taking so long as you've still got springs to bounce off:
- Barrier Shield -- Balls with a "B" on them. Blue signifies a Water Shield, red denotes a
Flame Shield, and tan scores you a Lightning Shield.
- Spring Barrier -- Balls with the phrase "REP" on them. It replaces the springs at the bottom
of the pit.
- Super Ring -- Worth ten Rings
- 1Up -- You get an extra chance
- Bumper Gumball -- They bounce you back, then pop
- Clear Gumball -- Nothing happens
The giant Rings return as the Special Stage gates, only this time you can
find 'em hidden all over each level, and you don't need 50 Rings to get in. They're still 3D,
but gone are the half-pipes...now you're running over checkered mini-planets, with the object
being to tag all the Blue Spheres. Once you've tagged a bluey, it turns red...touch a Red
Sphere, and you've blown it, buddy. White spheres with stars on 'em serve as bumpers. If you
circle in a group of Blue Spheres with Red Spheres (usually done by running around the edges of
a square of blueys), they'll all turn into Rings. Collect all the Rings in a stage to score a
Perfect and gain a continue. Once you've cleared all the blue spheres, you're rewarded with one
of those pretty rocks, the Chaos Emeralds. Be careful as you advance, though...the longer you
spend in a stage, the faster Sonic runs...
The new levels consist of:
- Angel Island -- Starts off nice and pretty in a lush rainforest...until Robotnik nukes the
whole thing halfway through Act 1. From that point on, the level is a giant tropical inferno,
home to: RhinoBot, Monkey Dude, Bloominator, and Catakiller Jr.
- Hydrocity -- You're in a massive underground (and mostly underwater) arena or something.
Home to Turbo Spiker, Bugernaut, Jawz, Blastoid, Mega Chopper, and Pointdexter.
- Marble Garden -- There's all kinda steep slopes and cool gadgets scattered around these
mountainous ruins. Tunnelbot pops up here and there to get the Earth a-quakin'. Home to Mantis,
Spiker, and Bubbles.
- Carnival Night -- It's like Casino Night, except it's a massive, colorful carnival rather
than a casino (hence the name). There's not much pinball action going on, either, but it's
darn freaking MASSIVE. The clock is your biggest enemy. Home to Batbot, Clamer, and Blastoid.
- IceCap -- The first frosty Zone in Sonic history (if you don't count Ice Cave from Arcade).
Act 1 sees Sonic blasting in on a snowboard, and is mostly in icy caverns. Act 2 is mostly out
on the slopes, but a good portion is still below the surface. Home to Penguinator and Star
Pointer.
- Launch Base -- The station for the Death Egg's reparation. It's halfway underwater as well.
Home to Flybot 767, Orbinaut, Corkey, Snale Blaster, and Ribot.
Sonic 3 also introduced a Sonic first: the save feature, capable of holding six
games at once! The classic five-flavor assortment of items is here, along with a few newbies:
- Super Ring -- Worth 10 Rings
- Invincibility -- Makes you invincible for a short time
- Power Shoes -- Temporarily raises your speed
- Flame Shield -- Protects from one hit; repels projectile attacks; absorbs all fire damage;
enables the Fireball Spin Dash (only as Sonic); dissipates in water
- Water Shield -- Protects from one hit; repels projectile attacks; allows breathing
underwater; enables the bubble bounce attack (only as Sonic)
- Lightning Shield -- Protects from one hit; repels projectile attacks; attracts Rings like a
magnet; enables the double jump (only as Sonic); dissipates in water
- 1-Up -- Gives you an extra chance
- Robotnik -- You take a hit!
The two-player versus mode returns, this time sporting its own original Zones
to dash through. Unfortunately, they're incredibly short...just little courses with some
obstacles and stuff, but at least they aren't distorted like the Sonic 2 set. Three laps across
each decides the winner. Players can choose between Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles, but the
difference between racers is minimal. (Sonic is fastest, Tails can fly, Knuckles can stop on a
dime.) The five versus Zones are: Azure Lake, Balloon Park, Chrome Gadget, Desert Palace, and
Endless Mine. Set items on, and you'll run across the following goodies & baddies circling in
the air:
- Ring -- You get a Ring
- Banana Peel -- Drop it on the course to slip up your opponent
- Power Shoes -- Temporarily raises your speed
- Gray Shoes -- Temporarily reduces your speed
- Badnik -- Sends a speedy Badnik dashing across the ground
There are three ways to play versus mode: Grand Prix Mode, a race across all
five courses against an opponent or the clock. Match Race, a race across the course of your
choice against an opponent or the clock. Time Attack, a one-player practice race against the
clock. You'll discover that certain characters work better in different courses...
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Information
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Review By:
Green Gibbon
Debut:
February 2, 1994 (Sonic the Hedgehog 3)
Players:
2
Publisher:
SEGA
Developer:
Sonic Team & Sega Technical Institute
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Codes & Cheats
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Change Identities
Use the debug mode cheat. Start any level that has a special stage ring. Next turn into your favorite object. As an object go to the center of a ring. Now hit B twice quickly. When you get out of the special stage you will look like that object for the rest of the level.
Debug Mode
Enter the Level Select code, then press A + START to choose your starting level. Once the action starts, press C to create an item, B to toggle between items, and A to select items.
Different Battle Music
Just before Before you fight Robotnik in the Hydrocity Zone, act 2, the boss music will come. Keep Sonic's head under the shallow water until he is about to drown, then pop out of the water. You will hear the boss music from Sonic and Knuckles.
Easy Emeralds
To gain all the chaos emeralds, enter the Level Select code, then highlight "Special Stage" and press C + Start. After receiving the emerald, press A + Start and repeat the process until you have them all.
Alternatively, enter the Sound Test code and play sounds 2, 4, 5, 6 in order. If you did it correctly, the Emerald sound will play.
Extra Lives
To do this trick you must get to the first level of the Launch Base Zone. Set off the first alarm, stop Sonic in the middle of it, and do a Spin-Dash attack. The flybots will continue to attack, and eventually their value will increase to 10,000 points! Every five flybots will gain you a life and, if you're patient enough, you can earn up to 99 lives!
Extra Rings in Debug Mode
Enter Debug Mode then select a stage. Next press B, A (you must have Sonic and Tails on-screen.) When your cursor changes into a ring, paste it on Tails. Repeat this process and you can gain up to 900 rings and several 1-ups.
Level Select
This code requires a Sonic 2 cartridge. Insert Sonic 2 and enter the Sonic 2 Level Select (play sounds 19, 65, 09, and 17). Return to the title screen, hold A and press Start. To transfer this to Sonic 3, hold A and carefully remove the cartridge without turning off the Genesis. Insert Sonic 3 and press Reset. Finally, release A and press Down twice at the main menu.
Note: You might notice a few levels you haven't seen before, but you can't select them. Those levels were originally intended for the game, but were pulled in order to release the game on time.
Mecha Sonic and Tails
Use the Debug Mode code in Launch Base act 2. Beat the game. When Sonic or Tails jumps towards you, activate Debug Mode and get out of it immediately. You will be able to use Sonic or Tails in the background for a short time, but they will look like robots.
Play at Night
Enter the Level Select code, then press C + Start to choose your starting level.
Random Starting Location
Enter the sound test menu choose a level. Look for a star post, touch it and hold A and press START. Then choose another level. If done correctly the title of the zone will change. Beware you might start out in a wall so use debug mode to fly out.
Secret Special Stage
For a bonus stage, enable Level Select, then play tune 1F. Finally, highlight stage 2 and hold A while pressing Start.
Slow Motion
First enable Level Select. While playing, you can pause the game and press A to restart, B for slow motion, and C for frame advance.
Sound Test
Enter the Debug Mode code, then press UP at the main menu to reveal the Sound Test option.
Super Sonic
To become Super Sonic without getting all the Chaos Emeralds, first enable the level select and debug mode. When the game begins, create a power-up box. There should be an 'S' on the box. Jump on it to grab 50 rings and become Super Sonic!
Super Tails
Enable Level Select, then press Down to make sure you have the sound test (don't select it yet). Start a one-player game and choose Tails in the Data Select screen. When the timer appears, press RESET.
Enter the Sound Test menu and choose any zone. Hold A and press Start. You should be Tails and be in debug mode. From here press B, then press A until you see a box. Press C to select it, then press B to return to Tails.
To enable Super Tails, jump on the box. Tails will look weird and can not be hurt or lose any rings. He can still get squashed and drowned, though, so be careful in the Ice Cap zone. You will have do this at the beginning of each zone. Robotnik can hurt him at the very end of Launch Base zone-act 2.
Unlimited Bonus Stages
Enter the Level Select code, then highlight the "2P Vs" option and press START. You will enter a series of bonus stages that last until you reset the system or press A+START.
View Animations
Enter Debug Mode and press B + C. You'll be treated to a view of Sonic and Tail's moves.
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Music |
Angel Island Zone: Act 2
Hydrocity Zone: Act 2
Marble Garden Zone: Act 1
Carnival Night Zone: Act 1
Carnival Night Zone: Act 2
Ice Cap Zone: Act 1
Ice Cap Zone: Act 2
Launch Base Zone: Act 1
Launch Base Zone: Act 2
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Pictures
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#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
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