Sonic Advance 3

"This game is proof that Sega listened to the criticism."

Sonic Advance 3 will probably be the last Sonic game for Game Boy Advance, so Sega decided to make it count. They dropped the format from the other Sonic Advance games, but kept the gameplay, so we are left with a game that is proof that Sega has done something right.

SA3 starts out simply enough. Eggman has used Chaos Control (see Sonic Adventure 2) to break the world into 7 parts, and it is up to Sonic and Tails to break through the world barriers and stop him. Along the way he runs into Knuckles, Cream, and Amy. That's pretty much it, really. There is some dialog boxes that appear when one of Sonic's friends appear, but other than that there is pretty much no story.

As for the graphics, you can see the other Sonic Advance games. Sonic & Co. still have the same sprites as normal. Detailed, cartoony, good animation, just like the other games. Also like the other games are the level design. Sonic Team has gone out of their way to make each level as independent as possible. There are levels like Route 99 (a city level), Sunset Hill (Green Hill Zone at sunset, complete with music), and others that I'm too lazy to think of now. There is a lot of attention to detail in this game, and it fits Sonic just fine.

Like all Sonic games, I think the music is great in SA3. There are several new, catchy tunes, (like Route 99 I mentioned earlier) and there are a few remixes of old tunes (like the Green Hill remix in Sunset Hill). It doesn't try too hard to stand out, so it doesn't disrupt gameplay, but all the music was composed very well. As for sound effects, all the ones from previous games are here. Sonic's jumping, sliding, grinding, is present, along with the sound effects from other characters. Everyone still says something like "woah" when they get hit, and there are a few voice bits (like "All right!" when you finish a level). The music and sound effects in the game are great.

Finally, the gameplay portion of the game. This is where the game has changed the most, and for the best. When you first play the game, you will notice there is now an overworld map (kind of similar to that of the Kirby games, if you have played those). Here Sonic can run from level to level, as well as search for hidden chao, mini-games, and the boss. After this, the most noticable improvement is that there are now THREE acts per zone than two. This make for a total of 21 levels, instead of the 14 in previous SA games. The levels have not dropped in length, either. They are still giant maps, filled with springs, enemies, and rails. There are also chao to find in each level (you should know what chao are if you've played any Sonic game since Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast). The point of the chao? To unlock the hidden stages. There are 10 chao in each zone (that means spread out across 3 levels and an overworld map). Upon finding the chao, a special stage appears in which you try to get a Chaos Emerald. I haven't gotten any emeralds as of the time that this review was written, but I'm working on it. Now, the biggest change in the game is one I haven't mentioned yet: The partner system. Veteran Sonic fans will notice that Tails follows Sonic in all of the levels, like he does in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 for the Genesis. He plays a more important role than just following along, though. By pressing and holding the R button, then releasing it, Tails can through Sonic up heights, or fly him to safety. When you unlock the other characters, there are several combinations of teams to experiment with. These partner abilies are not all that change with each pairing, though. Sometimes a character's stats change, and not always for the best. When Tails is paired with Knuckles, his flight ability is swapped for a slow glide. However, when paired with Amy, Tails can use Amy's Piko Piko hammer while flying, which makes for a lethal animal.

Even though Sonic has slowed down a bit in this game, it's still hard in my opinion. It took me about a week to beat the main game (and you only have to beat it with one team), but I still haven't gotten ANY emeralds. If you are a completionist that plays a game until there's nothing left to unlock, go ahead and get this game. If you're a Sonic fan, pick this game up if you wish. I'm not pushing anyone to run out and get it. This is his best game in a while, and I'm not feeling Sonic DS. Go get Sonic's games while their good, and this one is good. (Okay, that last line was lame)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/10/04