Sonic the hedgehog 3, a Sega first-party game originally for Genesis and the Mega Drive, is a welcome addition to the Virtual Console on the Wii. Odd as it feels to be controlling Sonic with a Nintendo controller, the muscle memory from the 80s and 90s makes the transition just fine. One immediately remembers how to 'super-spin', shield jump, speed through the courses, and foil the venerable yet infamous Robotnick along with his metal hordes. The immediate worry with a game as departed from it's original hardware is that it will perform poorly. This is absolutely NOT the case with VC Sonic 3. No matter the enemies onscreen or how fast one traverses the course, frame rate and responsiveness remain consistent. Players of the original will likely remember that if one had hundreds of rings and lost them with lots of enemies onscreen, the original game would sometimes slow. This reviewer has not encountered this in the least with the VC port. Content-wise, Sonic stands the test of time. There are little or no pop-culture references that would date or antiquate this game, and fun factor is just as potent as it has always been. The game is challenging enough to want to play through but not tedious or tiring. All the game modes made the jump, including regular levels, signpost bonuses, and chaos-emerald special worlds. Super Sonic makes his appearance when all the emeralds are acquired, just as expected. Game save works fine, and post-completion level select on saved games is retained. There are two downsides that were encountered, both involving the extended functionality in the original cartridge game. Firstly, the up up, down down, up up up up cheat at the Sega screen seems to have been removed. Secondly, Sonic & Knuckles is not currently available on the Virtual Console. Old-timers will recall that one could connect S&K and S3 for a complete game and Knuckles as a playable character. This seems problematic in a VC setting, and more so when S&K isn't available. These aren't deal-breakers for this reviewer, but are departures from the apparent compatibility mindsets of the developers. All told, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still a great gaming experience, even in the Nintendo setting.GRAPHICS AND PRESENTATION:
Nothing improved from the cartridge version. Still colourful and visually engaging.
SOUND AND MUSIC:
Another in the tradition of magical and memorable Sonic music. This reviewer felt nostalgic in every level.
GAMEPLAY:
Flawless. One has to marvel at the animations, sense of weight, and balance of games past, and Sonic 3 is grounds for inspiration.
REPLAY FACTOR:
Considerable, but after 100% completion it becomes too easy (as Supersonic is available and the chaos-emerald special worlds are unavailable).
OVERALL RATING: 8.5 out of 10
(Review by: Jeremy Hardin)
