Sonic Advance 3

"This game has everything a sonic game should have...."

I'm not normally the kind of person to be so generous as to give 10/10 for a review, but in this case I'll make an exception.
When Sonic was first released it was a massive hit and I made sure that I got all the games that hit the Sega MegaDrive (Genesis) as soon as possible. I feel Sonic lost its impact on its generation when the MegaDrive died. When the Gameboy Advance brought out its version of the game I wasn't sure it was worth going out to get it but after trying it on a friends GBA I found it had most of the fun features that it originally had on the MegaDrive. It doesn't have the same feel as it originally did but then again it can't be compared to the originals. The sequel was good and the bosses were hard but challenging, it was just as impressive, if not better than its prequel. Now Sega have a brand sequel to the sequel and its set to be better than both of the prequels, plus some!

Story - 9
It's interesting how Sonic Team have put together the story, most would think that its basically just another beat Eggman and get the emeralds, and yes it is but with the addition of some kind of re-incarnation of Emerl from Sonic Battle called G-Mel. Sounds nice doesn't it?
The story goes that Eggman has found the remains of Emerl and the chaos emeralds, he has used Chaos Control (Controls time and space) to separate Sonic's world and enhance the powers of the machines that he has created. The story is good but it's a let down that you still have to do the old 'get Eggman and the emeralds' routine. But if you can you are greatly rewarded for the effort....

Controls - 10
The controls have greatly improved since Sonic Advance 2, there is no need for 'R' button that was used for an extra jump in midair. That's all been scrapped for the new 'Team Tag' move as I like to call it. Basically you choose your main character and then choose an extra character that when using different combinations can enable you first character to do a special move when the 'R' button has been charged. An example of this would be choosing Sonic as your main character and then choosing Tails as your second. Now, when you hold 'R' button you can make Tails give Sonic a major boost (A LOT bigger than Sonic Advance 2's) up into the air. Different combinations of different characters can get surprising results you'll find those out for yourself.

Music - 10
This is a really great part of the game. If you like Sonic 1's Green Hill zone music then you'll love the nostalgic remix that they have in this game. Some of the music that is new to this game is great and on a side note there's a zone called 'Chaos Angel Zone', how cool a name is that???

Replay Value - 8
This area of the game lacks in comparison to the rest of the review. After beating the game with all the emeralds and with all the characters there is not much to do. There is no Tiny Chao Garden which were featured in Sonic Advance 1 and 2 which to some may or may not be an advantage depending on whether you like it or not. But I would say that beating the game with all the emeralds and with all the characters is a challenge anyway. Good luck!

Pros and Cons?

+ New ‘tag team' action
+ Nice new over world layout
+ Great music
-- Not original story
-- Not much replay value
-- Quite hard for beginners

Rent or Buy?
Definitely buy! If you liked Sonic Advance 1 and 2 then you'll love this and if you loved Sonic on the MegaDrive then give this a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/10/04, Updated 06/24/04