All the S@nics - the end

[LunarRainbowShyGuy]

It's nice to finally see raocow get to this game. I've never been able to really get into the earlier 2D sonic games, but this one (or perhaps I should say these two) is one I enjoy. I'm yet another person who first played this on the PC collection, which is a thing I actually forgot existed until seeing people talk about it here. And now memories of me playing that are rushing back to me, like the fact that I would always play as Tails because he can fly. Anyway, this is definitely my favourite 2D sonic game, and I suspect that watching raocow play it will be a good time.

[Blivsey]

speaking of blue spheres, apparently in beta the text that shows up at the beginning of it said "GET BLUE BALLS" instead, which was thankfully changed before release

Wait, can raocow even record a screensaver using computer software? Does screen recording even work that way? Also are we really going to watch a screensaver for at least twenty minutes to see the entire default loop?

...I would.

[10204307]

While it is likely true that Michael Jackson worked on some of the music in Sonic 3, I really dislike how some people overblow that and make it sound like he wrote every song in the game, which simply isn't true. The music for Angel Island was composed by Tomonori Sawada, the music for Hydrocity (at least for Act 2) was composed by Masayuki Nagao, Marble Garden was composed by Miyoko Takaoka, etc... In fact, the music most commonly attributed to Michael Jackson, Ice Cap Zone, was actually written by Brad Buxer, the keyboardist for the band The Jetzons, and is even based on a Jetzons song called "Hard Times."

As a composer myself, it bothers me seeing people give one person credit for the (excellent) work that other people did. And, this is just my own opinion, but personally I think the songs Jackson probably did write, Carnival Night and Launch Base, pale enormously in comparison to Angel Island and Hydrocity. (IMO, one of the best features of the Sonic 3 Complete romhack is the ability to change the music for those levels to the less annoying ones found in the S&K Collection version of the game.)

[Ashan]

That balls bonus game makes me dizzy as hell, I really do not like looking at it

[KobaBeach]

Doombarrel?

yeah babey

[SAJewers]

In fact, the music most commonly attributed to Michael Jackson, Ice Cap Zone, was actually written by Brad Buxer, the keyboardist for the band The Jetzons, and is even based on a Jetzons song called "Hard Times."

since you brought it up

Should also be noted that SEGA's official comment on why this/why some songs were changed in Sonic & Knuckles Collection was that those songs couldn't be replicated in MIDI.

[Blivsey]

And, this is just my own opinion, but personally I think the songs Jackson probably did write, Carnival Night and Launch Base, pale enormously in comparison to Angel Island and Hydrocity.

But the Carnival Night and Launch Base themes must be good if they made the Act 2s the same song again!

man, it's weird seeing people praise the SKC tracks after getting so used to people up in arms over how they could dare replace such iconic music

[moogy]

After witnessing all of the... things... made between 2 and 3&K, 3&K pretty much comes across as the best game ever made. I'm glad raocow gets to play something halfway decent again...

[KobaBeach]

After witnessing all of the... things... made between 2 and 3&K, 3&K pretty much comes across as the best game ever made.

look you do not just waltz in here and diss SegaSonic and...

CD???

...

dam u right

popcorn shop reminded me that popcorn is fucking good tho

[thatguyif]

While it is likely true that Michael Jackson worked on some of the music in Sonic 3, I really dislike how some people overblow that and make it sound like he wrote every song in the game, which simply isn't true. The music for Angel Island was composed by Tomonori Sawada, the music for Hydrocity (at least for Act 2) was composed by Masayuki Nagao, Marble Garden was composed by Miyoko Takaoka, etc... In fact, the music most commonly attributed to Michael Jackson, Ice Cap Zone, was actually written by Brad Buxer, the keyboardist for the band The Jetzons, and is even based on a Jetzons song called "Hard Times."

As a composer myself, it bothers me seeing people give one person credit for the (excellent) work that other people did. And, this is just my own opinion, but personally I think the songs Jackson probably did write, Carnival Night and Launch Base, pale enormously in comparison to Angel Island and Hydrocity. (IMO, one of the best features of the Sonic 3 Complete romhack is the ability to change the music for those levels to the less annoying ones found in the S&K Collection version of the game.)

Well, the possibility that he was even involved is a fascinating thing, especially in light of that particular time period. I knew it was a team to begin with, but I also think it's essential to suss out these things to a great degree because there is, in many ways, a mystery here. Could he have created all the songs? Hardly. Could he have at least influenced them? For some, yes. Like, Hydrocity. I think the big part of the reason people cite Jackson to Hydrocity specifically was because Act 1 explicitly is very much a song in the style of new jack swing, a style of R&B dominant at the time of Sonic 3 (Think Boyz II Men if you can't think of examples of what it sounds like). Could Nagao been responsible for that master work? Possibly. But it seems like a stretch, especially when you consider Act 2 has this very weird structure to it that seems almost tacked on. Jackson, who had a big release in that style with Dangerous and whose sister helped create the style, could have certainly played a role. (For what it's worth, I never accepted Jackson did either Angel Island or Marble Gardens. Doesn't seem like his style.)

There's also the simple fact that a lot of songs got replaced. Some could be justified (the title/invincibility theme, which was okay-ish)...but others you see no rhyme or reason, especially because A. They were actually good, B. What replaced them kind of sucked. I cite both the mid-boss and Knuckles' themes as examples. And the end credits...well, that's another matter.

It's important to remember too, that a lot of video games in this time period were one-composer operations either de jure or de facto. While it wasn't rare, it wasn't common to see multi-composer projects either. It was often too expensive. So one could forgive the tendency to assign credit to one person without knowing the full extent of it.

But the Carnival Night and Launch Base themes must be good if they made the Act 2s the same song again!

So was Ice Cap, yet I don't see people complaining about that.

[Blivsey]

But the Carnival Night and Launch Base themes must be good if they made the Act 2s the same song again!

So was Ice Cap, yet I don't see people complaining about that.

gimme a second

Ice Cap Zone's music is overrated and boring and the level also isn't very good.

there ya go

[Leet]

I honestly thought the MJ stuff had been confirmed long ago

[thatguyif]

But the Carnival Night and Launch Base themes must be good if they made the Act 2s the same song again!

So was Ice Cap, yet I don't see people complaining about that.

gimme a second

Ice Cap Zone's music is overrated and boring and the level also isn't very good.

there ya go

Are you just being antagonistic for the sake of being antagonistic?

[Blivsey]

Are you just being antagonistic for the sake of being antagonistic?

Nah, that's my actual opinion. Guess I probably shouldn't have presented it in the context of a joke.

I'll get into it more when we get there but it's just not an interesting level after the first thirty seconds

[Awoo]

Are you just being antagonistic for the sake of being antagonistic?

Nah, that's my actual opinion. Guess I probably shouldn't have presented it in the context of a joke.

I'll get into it more when we get there but it's just not an interesting level after the first thirty seconds

I'd have to unironically agree that, Doom Barrel aside, Ice Cap's probably the weakest level in Sonic 3. It really doesn't do a lot other than be blue and white, pretty much in that order.

I guess originally that Flying Battery Zone was supposed to proceed it, and you were to use the door from the ship at the end of Zone 2 to snowboard down the initial hill instead of a random snowboard that Sonic encounters at the start because it's there. I know this because thanks Sonic 3 Complete!

[Heavy Sigh]

Fun Sonic Facts!

At first, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was intended to be developed using a new technology Sega was working on to counter the power of Nintendo's Super FX Chip. This was the SH-1 chip created by microprocessor producer Hitachi (to be dubbed "Sega Virtual Processor" in all marketing media) that would be placed in specific Sega Mega Drive cartridges, allowing Star Fox level 3D graphics. Naka's imagination was lit by the power of the chip, and a demo was quickly sketched out where the chip would power an isometric world for Sonic to run in (design documents specify a perspective quite similar to what was later used in Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island).

However, for once, Sega refused Sonic Team's (Naka's) requests, stating that the chip was nowhere near ready for use in the timeframe Sonic 3 had to release in. Frustrated but resigned, the development team then moved to create another traditional two-dimensional platformer, something the Mega Drive could handle without help.

But, in a twist all too indicative of SEGA management, all the work and investment spent on creating a chip to rival the Super FX ended up powering exactly one game: The Mega Drive port of Virtua Racing.

LEVEL FACTS!

An alternate version of Angel Island Zone's intro had Sonic surfing onto the island, of which some sprites still remain in the game!

[Grounder]

You can totally just trace the shape. You shouldn't be bothering to perfect them, anyway, though. There's no reward for that until Mania.

[thatguyif]

Fun Sonic Facts!

At first, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was intended to be developed using a new technology Sega was working on to counter the power of Nintendo's Super FX Chip. This was the SH-1 chip created by microprocessor producer Hitachi (to be dubbed "Sega Virtual Processor" in all marketing media) that would be placed in specific Sega Mega Drive cartridges, allowing Star Fox level 3D graphics. Naka's imagination was lit by the power of the chip, and a demo was quickly sketched out where the chip would power an isometric world for Sonic to run in (design documents specify a perspective quite similar to what was later used in Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island).

I already scooped you on that. See top of previous page

[Katazuki]

Aaaaaaaaaa too much activity in the thread! I guess this confirms just how overrated well beloved the game is!

Anyways I forgot how good the boss music in this game is, geez. Dabest.

[KobaBeach]

i cant believe you destroyed gami gami devil's gami gami robo, sonic

[Awoo]

i cant believe you destroyed gami gami devil's gami gami robo, sonic

at least the popcorn machine didn't malfunction this time

[Heavy Sigh]

Fun Sonic Facts!

At first, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was intended to be developed using a new technology Sega was working on to counter the power of Nintendo's Super FX Chip. This was the SH-1 chip created by microprocessor producer Hitachi (to be dubbed "Sega Virtual Processor" in all marketing media) that would be placed in specific Sega Mega Drive cartridges, allowing Star Fox level 3D graphics. Naka's imagination was lit by the power of the chip, and a demo was quickly sketched out where the chip would power an isometric world for Sonic to run in (design documents specify a perspective quite similar to what was later used in Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island).

I already scooped you on that. See top of previous page

Look it took me a day to think of a way to talk about sonic 3 and also make fun of Sega in novella style

im doing my best here

[thatguyif]

Look it took me a day to think of a way to talk about sonic 3 and also make fun of Sega in novella style

im doing my best here

I feel like the next time I scoop you I should go full Joseph on you

[Piesonscreations]

tæl

[Awoo]

tæl

Tatl