Hey all,
Let's take a stroll down memory lane......
In my opinion, this is one of the best Sonic games ever released. It makes up for what I believe Sonic 3 lacks. Sonic and Knuckles is actually a continuation of Sonic 3's story, and features the notorious Knuckles the Echidna as one of the main characters. You can either play Sonic or Knuckles in this game, Knuckles having a little less playing time (with fewer levels and all) and slight variations in the game (for different points of view). Let me go about my opinionated statistics:
Levels: Huge and often challenging. They're very detailed and are all extremely original (although some parts of certain levels remind me of old Sonic games, like certain things in Flying Battery Zone remind me of Metropolis Zone in Sonic 2).
Grade: 10/10
Best Level: Flying Battery Zone (2nd level), and Death Egg Zone (7th level, Sonic only)
Graphics: Beautiful, clear, and colorful. Very similar to Sonic 3.
Grade: 10/10
Bonus/Emerald Rounds: The Bonus rounds are new, one containing spheres where you spin around and try to catch rings/more lives/shields, and a slot round where you can gain/lose rings from a slot machine that you spin around it (think Casino Night Zone in Sonic 2). I like the sphere round a lot but I don't care for the slot round because you can lose rings. Also, in Sonic and Knuckles, you don't have to have 50 rings to enter a round like you do in Sonic 3. The Emerald rounds have different versions, but generally they're the same as Sonic 3 (get the blue spheres, if you touch a red sphere you're out, etc. etc.)
Grade: 9/10
Characters: Sonic and Knuckles are both interesting characters to play, although I admit I do miss Tails a lot.
Grade: 8.5/10
Music: The music I believe is one of the best parts of Sonic and Knuckles. The music is VERY catchy and I love it. The Flying Battery Zone theme, Lava Reef Zone theme, and the Death Egg Zone theme are the best in my opinion, but I believe every level theme has it's charms.
Grade: 10/10
Bosses: Some can be challenging, but I found that some of them actually are a little too easy. One thing I like though is that there's a boss after most of the zones, and not one just after every level (which is similar to Sonic 3).
Grade 8/10
The only thing Sonic and Knuckles really lacks is special features, basically having no verses mode or options menu. You cannot save games either like you can in Sonic 3. The only real special feature that Sonic and Knuckles has is it's connectability. Sonic and Knuckles in itself is a separate game, but it can also be connected to Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 for alternative games.
If you connect it to Sonic 2, it becomes Sonic 2 and Knuckles, and it's basically Knuckles playing through all the Sonic 2 levels. This might not seem very new to most people, but with Knuckle's climbing and gliding abilities, you can often explore parts of the levels in Sonic 2 that you were never able to do before.
However, when you connect the game to Sonic 3, you get possibly one of the greatest Sonic gaming experiences ever. If you play Sonic 3 and Knuckles, you are able to play through all the Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles levels with Sonic, Knuckles, or Tails. You get all the extra features of Sonic 3 (verses mode, saving abilities, etc.) With exception to the Sonic 3 level themes, all the sounds throughout the game are Sonic and Knuckles based, and you have access to all three bonus rounds (the gumball round from Sonic 3 and the sphere and slot rounds from Sonic and Knuckles), and obviously, twice as many emeralds to get. If you obtain all the emeralds, you can become either Hyper Sonic or Hyper Knuckles, which is also pretty cool. Even Tails has a Super mode! Basically, for all Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles lacks as separate games, Sonic 3 and Knuckles makes up for it with unbelieveable gaming fun! It is the epitome of Sonic gaming and is the model for all Sonic games.
It's unfortunate that Sonic and Knuckles is so rare now, but I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who's into Sonic gaming. Get one now before it's too late!
Overall game review: 10/10
Keep it real.....
Let's take a stroll down memory lane......
In my opinion, this is one of the best Sonic games ever released. It makes up for what I believe Sonic 3 lacks. Sonic and Knuckles is actually a continuation of Sonic 3's story, and features the notorious Knuckles the Echidna as one of the main characters. You can either play Sonic or Knuckles in this game, Knuckles having a little less playing time (with fewer levels and all) and slight variations in the game (for different points of view). Let me go about my opinionated statistics:
Levels: Huge and often challenging. They're very detailed and are all extremely original (although some parts of certain levels remind me of old Sonic games, like certain things in Flying Battery Zone remind me of Metropolis Zone in Sonic 2).
Grade: 10/10
Best Level: Flying Battery Zone (2nd level), and Death Egg Zone (7th level, Sonic only)
Graphics: Beautiful, clear, and colorful. Very similar to Sonic 3.
Grade: 10/10
Bonus/Emerald Rounds: The Bonus rounds are new, one containing spheres where you spin around and try to catch rings/more lives/shields, and a slot round where you can gain/lose rings from a slot machine that you spin around it (think Casino Night Zone in Sonic 2). I like the sphere round a lot but I don't care for the slot round because you can lose rings. Also, in Sonic and Knuckles, you don't have to have 50 rings to enter a round like you do in Sonic 3. The Emerald rounds have different versions, but generally they're the same as Sonic 3 (get the blue spheres, if you touch a red sphere you're out, etc. etc.)
Grade: 9/10
Characters: Sonic and Knuckles are both interesting characters to play, although I admit I do miss Tails a lot.
Grade: 8.5/10
Music: The music I believe is one of the best parts of Sonic and Knuckles. The music is VERY catchy and I love it. The Flying Battery Zone theme, Lava Reef Zone theme, and the Death Egg Zone theme are the best in my opinion, but I believe every level theme has it's charms.
Grade: 10/10
Bosses: Some can be challenging, but I found that some of them actually are a little too easy. One thing I like though is that there's a boss after most of the zones, and not one just after every level (which is similar to Sonic 3).
Grade 8/10
The only thing Sonic and Knuckles really lacks is special features, basically having no verses mode or options menu. You cannot save games either like you can in Sonic 3. The only real special feature that Sonic and Knuckles has is it's connectability. Sonic and Knuckles in itself is a separate game, but it can also be connected to Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 for alternative games.
If you connect it to Sonic 2, it becomes Sonic 2 and Knuckles, and it's basically Knuckles playing through all the Sonic 2 levels. This might not seem very new to most people, but with Knuckle's climbing and gliding abilities, you can often explore parts of the levels in Sonic 2 that you were never able to do before.
However, when you connect the game to Sonic 3, you get possibly one of the greatest Sonic gaming experiences ever. If you play Sonic 3 and Knuckles, you are able to play through all the Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles levels with Sonic, Knuckles, or Tails. You get all the extra features of Sonic 3 (verses mode, saving abilities, etc.) With exception to the Sonic 3 level themes, all the sounds throughout the game are Sonic and Knuckles based, and you have access to all three bonus rounds (the gumball round from Sonic 3 and the sphere and slot rounds from Sonic and Knuckles), and obviously, twice as many emeralds to get. If you obtain all the emeralds, you can become either Hyper Sonic or Hyper Knuckles, which is also pretty cool. Even Tails has a Super mode! Basically, for all Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles lacks as separate games, Sonic 3 and Knuckles makes up for it with unbelieveable gaming fun! It is the epitome of Sonic gaming and is the model for all Sonic games.
It's unfortunate that Sonic and Knuckles is so rare now, but I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who's into Sonic gaming. Get one now before it's too late!
Overall game review: 10/10
Keep it real.....
