Sonic 3 is where the series started to go downhill.

DackAttac · Post by **DackAttac** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:48 pm

1Up is the gaming equivalent of Pitchfork Media.

S3&K was more about taking gradual challenge and stretching them over a two-part length game rather than making very steep challenges. I mean, I love Sonic 2 for challenging me, but I like having a game I can go back to and not have to worry about taking on the final boss without a single cocksucking ring. It's always been about the ride, S3&K just has a less bumpy ride. The first title was a relatively happy medium, though. If it was a little slicker, it would probably be my favorite.

Am I the only one who loved the S3&K soundtrack? Flying Battery, Hydrocity, Ice Cap, Lava Reef... all solid.

Arcade · Post by **Arcade** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 5:51 pm

DackAttac wrote:1Up is the gaming equivalent of Pitchfork Media.

S3&K was more about taking gradual challenge and stretching them over a two-part length game rather than making very steep challenges. I mean, I love Sonic 2 for challenging me, but I like having a game I can go back to and not have to worry about taking on the final boss without a single cocksucking ring. It's always been about the ride, S3&K just has a less bumpy ride. The first title was a relatively happy medium, though. If it was a little slicker, it would probably be my favorite.

Am I the only one who loved the S3&K soundtrack? Flying Battery, Hydrocity, Ice Cap, Lava Reef... all solid.

The S3&K soundtrack kicks ass, but this topic is about Sonic 3 ALONE and about when was the time Sonic (And maybe Sega) started to go downhill

DackAttac · Post by **DackAttac** » Fri Nov 23, 2007 6:01 pm

Oh, well, no shit.

Trying to play Sonic 3 without Sonic & Knuckles is like trying to have sex with a torso.

cjmcray · Post by **cjmcray** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:30 am

Sonic Spinball is when the series started to go downhill.

Isuka · Post by **Isuka** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 8:37 am

That would make the Sonic series one of the few to actually start going downhill after a spin-off title.
That said, I didn't like it either.

Sniffnoy · Post by **Sniffnoy** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:35 pm

Well, if by "downhill", you mean simply "worse than what came before it", then yes.

If it weren't for the overly long and unfun final level, though, it would be a good game. Short, but not bad. Still, the idea's not bad - essentially just taking the "pinball" levels of Sonic to the obvious extreme - and for the first 3 levels, it's pretty good.

Ngangbius · Post by **Ngangbius** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:54 pm

At the time, I found Spinball disappointing not just because of the gameplay, but also the art was terribly ugly compared to the first two Sonic games.

DackAttac · Post by **DackAttac** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 9:39 pm

As a kid, I was such a devoted Sonic fan. Loved the series so much.

Even I didn't buy Spinball.

cjmcray · Post by **cjmcray** » Sat Nov 24, 2007 11:36 pm

The only thing I liked about Spinball was the first boss, the title screen, and the boxart. (Not the version with the AoSTH-style Eggman)

Shadow Hog · Post by **Shadow Hog** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:16 am

I rather liked that The Machine level, actually. Unlike pretty much every other level in the game, there was only one real place you could die (in the starting area); the rest of it simply sent you back down a level or two, meaning all you had to do was work your way back up. Plus its level art was apparently ripped from concept art for Genocide City (much like Toxic Caves' background is very similar to Sonic 2's Hidden Palace), which would otherwise go down in history as a level of naught but repeating tiles and a bottomless pit.

Otherwise, I didn't really care for Spinball. Thing's hideous. Graphically it's rather bland; I suppose the level art is decent, but the sprites themselves are pretty lame and Sonic himself is modeled after Mohawk!Sonic from the Dic cartoons, which Sonic 2's special stages alone prove was not the case. Sound effects are pretty lame, with none of the classic Sonic sounds we know and love (although I'll give them credit for being the only Genesis Sonic game with a unique ring sound - speaking of, that thing's getting a bit tired, why not try redoing it occasionally, like how Mario's coin sound is different every game?). Controlling Sonic in the mercifully short platformer segments is about as bad as (dare I say it?) Sonic 2K6, if not worse, in that they're slow, clunky, seem to have some sort of control delay and generally lack any polish at all. Music's alright, but that instrument they try to pass off as "rock guitar"... ugh.

And no, DackAttac, you're not the only one to love Sonic 3&K's soundtrack; I for one think it's the best of the three main Genesis games. Maybe even the best Genesis soundtrack, period (although Streets of Rage 2 is a pretty strong contender).

Isuka · Post by **Isuka** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:11 pm

Do not forget Ristar, guys. That really was one kick-ass soundtrack.

Aside from the looks, what really put me off about Spinball was the terribly awkward animation; even if the pinball mechanics worked acceptably well, the animations were so horribly bad that I thought most of the deaths were unfair because the game just felt like pushing me towards the acid/ lava/ electricity pool for 1 fucking pixel and bad momentum, or something. A serious pain in the ass.
Ironically, the bonus rounds have really good animation (yeah, because it's just a standard pinball table).

Majestic Joey · Post by **Majestic Joey** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 1:01 pm

What about shinobi 3's sondtrack?

Ngangbius · Post by **Ngangbius** » Sun Nov 25, 2007 1:46 pm

Phantasy Star IV's soundtrack was one of the best on the system too.

sonicobsessive516 · Post by **sonicobsessive516** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:45 pm

I personally like Sonic 3... I do agree with most, it's most fun when played with Sonic and Knuckles. I like both the music and graphics as well.

Yami CJMErl · Post by **Yami CJMErl** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:53 pm

O_o The hell? When did we start getting new members again?

sonicobsessive516 · Post by **sonicobsessive516** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:55 pm

Just yesterday.. I finally found a decent forum with active users.

DackAttac · Post by **DackAttac** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:13 pm

Wow. New people. Such a foreign concept.

Well, Isuka had a pretty good run as the fresh meat. Six months, was it?

Isuka · Post by **Isuka** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:09 pm

And twelve days.
God, I feel like I just turned from a hot 16 year old Japanese schoolgirl to an 80 year old Chinese man in panties.

So, "welcome to the club"... ?

DackAttac · Post by **DackAttac** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:11 pm

Speaking from one 80-year-old Chinese man in panties to another, yes, welcome aboard, and that color doesn't quite suit you.

Isuka · Post by **Isuka** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:19 pm

How about this, dear?

DackAttac · Post by **DackAttac** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:24 pm

Oop, shit, that was just a panty joke. I was actually rather fond of your last avatar, despite being clueless what it was from.

The Ghost Of Ember · Post by **The Ghost Of Ember** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:31 pm

Cripes. Wouldn't have realized registration had opened up had it not been for this topic. Weird finally posting here after lurking for so long.

Personally I preferred Sonic 3 as a child. The style suited me better I guess. Maybe I was a bit too enamored by the concept of the save system, which made collecting the chaos emeralds an accomplishable feat for me (without cheating, anyways).

Yeah, I suck, I know.

In retrospective, the fact that it was basically half a game makes it seem not as worth the money my parent spent on it. But I didn't feel gypped at the time.

Sonic Spinball I never bought, though I played it as a loaner from a friend. It was sort of acceptably mediocre. I wouldn't have payed money for it, but I didn't completely regret playing it. Just a little regret.

FlashTHD · Post by **FlashTHD** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 11:34 pm

Play Spinball some more guy. I think it can be an acquired taste.

When I first had a Genesis in 1998 (I was a real late comer), I was stuck with just basic Sonic 3 and - after I got over my 10-year-old fright of the screen erupting in flames in Angel Island - loved the hell out of it like all the other Sonic games I had. I blissfully didn't know the difference until maybe a year later or so when I completed the collection and got S&K, so I got to completely miss out on this letdown that some of you apparently had to put up with. On the other hand, a good portion of that bliss came from me sucking/not having the time then and not being able to beat it.

I still think the seperate versions of Sonic 3 and S&K are worth some credit; they're the right length for curiosity playthroughs and when I don't quite feel like injecting S3&K's misc. bonuses into the mix. Not a VC endorsement, mind.

Isuka · Post by **Isuka** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 3:11 pm

DackAttac wrote:Oop, shit, that was just a panty joke.

And I just freely interpreted it so as to have a fancy excuse to change my avatar. Whatever, it was from a kinda crappy game anyways.

FlashTHD wrote:When I first had a Genesis in 1998 (I was a real late comer), I was stuck with just basic Sonic 3 and - after I got over my 10-year-old fright of the screen erupting in flames in Angel Island - loved the hell out of it like all the other Sonic games I had.

You were able to get through the infamous drum of Carnival Night 2 on the first try, Flash? In fact, did anyone here get through it on their first try?
I also got stuck really bad in Sandopolis 2 back then.

Oompa Star · Post by **Oompa Star** » Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:07 pm

I was able to beat Sonic & Knuckles (without Sonic 3 locked on) as Sonic long before I was able to get past that CN drum. I remember back then, a friend told me he was able to get past the thing by mercilessly using Water Shield's bounce attack until he could squeeze through.

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Sonic 3 is where the series started to go downhill.

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