Happy Birthday Sonic & Knuckles

[ZeroAX]

20 years ago from today, Sega released that last true Sonic game on its Mega Drive console. It would be an amazing game, that fixes all the problems its predecessor had (Sonic 3) and continues on the different path that it had taken to differentiate itself from what is by many considered the best in the series, Sonic the Hedgehog 2.



It's also a very special game for me, a game that defined my gaming tastes for a very long time, and the game that managed to turn a Nintendo fanboy like me into a Sega fan, even if it only lasted for 1 generation of consoles.



Sonic Team always had this obsession with multiple characters in Sonic games, and that always got in the way of the games they made, with the low point of that of course being Sonic Adventure with Knuckles, Amy, Gamma and Big the Cat having unbearable gameplay.
But if Sonic Adventure is the low point of the multiple characters gimmick, then Sonic and Knuckles was certainly the high point. 3 characters who played differently, on the same stages but with exclusive paths for each one and most of all they were all a blast to play as. And if Tails was maybe the weakest link among the 3, Knuckles who was the only playable character who ever made me feel like playing as him instead of Sonic.



Also no one could ever forget the memorable boss battles. Dr. Robotniks mechas reached screen feeling size and it made the fight feel more epic. Specially that last boss fight on the Death Egg Zone, or the extra boss if you get all chaos emeralds in doomsday zone. Which reminds me, this was the first Sonic game that gave us actual reason to collect all Chaos Emeralds, unlocking an adrenaline rush of a final stage.



Lastly I should mention the amazing music, including the killer beat on the Flying Battery Zone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7hdIh-gtw
The soothing sounds of Lava Reef Zone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL33L5Lm2Aw
Bonus track: fan remix of Lava Reef Zone with balad lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36fBjDCKrfE
And lastly a killer main theme that's way better than the Sonic 3 one and compares great to the original Sonic theme from Sonic 1 and 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEUa3xs-98I



So....yeah....happy birthday Sonic & Knuckles and thank you for the memories . Tonight I'll be celebrating by doing a marathon run of the game as both Sonic AND Knuckles.....cause that's the name of the game .

[Gunstar Green]

Hard to believe it's been 20 years since I first experienced this game. It's also responsible for turning me into a die-hard Sega fan. The combined Sonic 3 & Knuckles is in my opinion one of the 16-bit era's finest masterpieces.

Not only was the combined game huge and full of secrets and alternate pathways but it maintained the speed that Sonic was known for as well the unique level set-pieces, enemies and fantastic music composition with eye-popping graphics that were amazingly detailed and colorful for the hardware.

I remember the first time I beat it as a kid I was literally shaking at the end, what an adrenaline rush. It's one of my favorite games of all time and one I wish I could go back and experience it again for the first time because I've beaten it so many times that I can rush through it today, practically with my eyes closed.

[Flake]

I remember the advertising campaign for this game. As a child I was absolutely wowed by the advanced cart lock-on technology. Even today it's still a really neat approach to patching a rom!

[ZeroAX]

I remember the advertising campaign for this game. As a child I was absolutely wowed by the advanced cart lock-on technology. Even today it's still a really neat approach to patching a rom!

If only the cool looking cart didn't end up super lame when another one was locked on to it .

[Gunstar Green]

I remember the advertising campaign for this game. As a child I was absolutely wowed by the advanced cart lock-on technology. Even today it's still a really neat approach to patching a rom!

If only the cool looking cart didn't end up super lame when another one was locked on to it .

If only I could find the box to it so it wouldn't stick out in my collection like a sore thumb.

I got it as a pack-in with my Genesis 2 so I never had the box. To make matters worse it's a later game with a damned paper box.

[Sload Soap]

I remember not long after it came out about 20 kids in my class busting into my best friends house to just sit and watch him play it. I'd biked about a mile outside where I was allowed to get there. Got grounded I think. Totally worth it.

I think I'll pop in Sonic Jam later and give it another blast.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I love Sonic 1, 2, and CD but I'm gonna be a buzzkill and say that 3 and Knuckles were two really weak entries in the classic Sonic series. That lock-on technology is cool as shit though.

I still need to play that Knuckles 32X game. Been on my wishlist for awhile now.

[Flake]

I love Sonic 1, 2, and CD but I'm gonna be a buzzkill and say that 3 and Knuckles were two really weak entries in the classic Sonic series. That lock-on technology is cool as shit though.

I still need to play that Knuckles 32X game. Been on my wishlist for awhile now.

You do more than kill the buzz. You go back in time and murder the buzz' grandparents. The buzz never existed; it's all your fault. Also, Sonic CD may be on par with Sonic 3 but there's no way that it was superior to Sonic and Knuckles. Sonic CD < S&K. To think otherwise is to hold a demonstrably wrong opinion.

[ZeroAX]

I got it as a pack-in with my Genesis 2 so I never had the box. To make matters worse it's a later game with a damned paper box.

yeah, but it's not exactly uncommon. Just a tad bit more expensive than Sonic 1-3.

[samsonlonghair]

I love S&N. This is one of my favorites. It's one of the few Genesis games I owned in my childhood and one of the reasons I still love Genesis today.