Format: Cartridge
Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega

Sonic 3 almost completely eschews the surrealism of the first two titles, and opts for more life-like locations, like tropical jungles and icy tundras. While the atmosphere of the title suffers due to this decision, the quality of the art direction remains high, and the glowing presentation that the series has become known for is maintained here.

Masato Nakamura was replaced for this title with a host of musicians, several of which that had Michael Jackson connections, and the result is a soundtrack slightly inferior to those from the first two titles. Despite its inferiority, it is still very strong, and features a pop influence more in line with what Sonic Team had been looking for all along.

The level design is a bit less consistent than even Sonic 2's, with some of the stages being so long that the ten minute level timer actually becomes an issue. Due to better pacing and perhaps some less tangible factors however, most of the zones are more enjoyable than those in the second title, and their design seems a bit more thought-through as well.

Between its highly enjoyable map layouts, its ever-strong art direction and soundtrack, and the fact that Sonic Team added modernizing features like save game support, Sonic 3 is an absolutely fantastic entry to the series.