Plot notwithstanding, it's pretty obvious that Knuckles as a playable character was meant to be a hidden extra, unlocked after getting a good ending in Sonic's game in the complete Sonic 3. His run through the zones were merely a bonus "epilogue" to the main story.
Of course, we know how things eventually ended up.
Zeta wrote:Don't start with the parallel universe theories.
Not exactly what I meant. Alternate simply meant that they were the same story, but told differently. Similar to SA2, where you chose the Hero or Dark side, they pretty much both ended the same way, leading to the Last stage.
Except that doens't really make sense at all, considering that Sonic never attacks Knuckles or anything during Knuckles' scenario. In fact, he's totally absent . . . plotwise, the only thing the two games have in common are the stages, and Knuckles himself. Oh, and Metal Sonic - but the role he plays in each is vastly different.
I had always thought that Knuckles' game showed what Knuckles was doing when he wasn't dropping Sonic down holes, punching boulders, and (worst of all!) dimming the lights. Like it turned out he was really quite busy on his own and the whole rock-punching thing was something he only rarely had time to partake in.
I came to the same conclusion after playing and completing both games way back when. But it never sat right how they could have neglected adding in all the mischief Knuckles causes Sonic. Truly, I wanted to be the bad guy for a change and take out Sonic in some fashion, be it dropping rocks on him or having him blown into the air by huge vents.
Once I started to notice the missing details in the backgrounds (like the Death Egg, for starters) the "at the same time" plot device/gameplay gimmick sorta fell through.
I had always thought that Knuckles' game showed what Knuckles was doing when he wasn't dropping Sonic down holes, punching boulders, and (worst of all!) dimming the lights. Like it turned out he was really quite busy on his own and the whole rock-punching thing was something he only rarely had time to partake in.
Again, as I said - that doesn't hold water. The whole reason Knuckles is dropping Sonic down holes and such is because he thinks Sonic is evil and Eggman is good.
That reasoning makes absolutely no sense if a robot clone of Eggman is trying to blow Knuckles up, and Eggman's army is trying to kill the pissed-off Echidna.
It WOULD problably make sense if it was Metal Sonic instead of EggRobo pulling the crap - because Knuckles is stupid enough to not be able to tell the difference, but alas . . .
But the Death Egg is missing in the background during Knux's game. That means his game has to take place AFTER the Death Egg has launched, which means after Sonic's game is over.
Wow, what with his destiny and all it must really suck to be him.
But I always thought that Chaos broke out of the Master Emerald by himself for reasons not ever fully explained.
But how did the Master emerald get stolen again after Sonic destroyed the Death Egg? Is Knuckles just that bad at his job?
It must have been stolen right at the end of Knuckles' game. If the theft had occured earlier, then Angel Island would have fallen into the sea by the time Knuckles reached Sky Sanctuary. (Plus, the Master Emerald is still present in Hidden Palace when Knuckles plays the special stages).
Wow, what with his destiny and all it must really suck to be him.
But I always thought that Chaos broke out of the Master Emerald by himself for reasons not ever fully explained.
I think Eggman released him, by cracking open the Emerald with a laser (The Eggcarrier appears just at the start of Knuckles's story).
