Why is Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) your favourite sonic game?

[RemyC]

Over the last while their have been a bunch of "Top/Favourite" lists, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles is always mentioned. I cant understand why.
The level designs are all terrible. It is far too easy to collect all the chaos emeralds. The bonus stages, while enjoyable, don't belong....pretty everything was done so much better in the first two.
So if someone could explain to me why number 3 (& Knuckles) is the best/their favourite...it'll help me sleep at night.

[MrPopo]

It is far too easy to collect all the chaos emeralds.

That's one of the selling points for me. Get Hyper Sonic and blaze through the levels.

[Mozgus]

S3&K is the best mostly because of the sheer size of it. It's a beast. I don't see why you think the level design is any worse. I also can't fathom how you think the S3 bonus levels don't belong, but the S2 bonus levels do. They're very similar to each other, both being third person, behind the head, faked 3d gameplay. S3 just takes you out of the pipe.

[superlarz]

I like the amount of levels and music in S3andK better than two. A few other things it has going for it in most peoples eyes - You can save and, to me at least, its easier. I like the games about the same... But when I was younger I liked S3andK better because I could beat it easier.

[Hatta]

Sonic 3 and S&K are the prettiest, that's why most people like them most. Sonic 2 has the best level design. Sonic 1 has the best special stages. That about sums it up.

[Anayo]

The level designs are all terrible.

With the exception of that one nightmare of a trampoline that's nearly impossible to escape in Carnival Night Zone, I'm not sure where you're coming from. I always thought they had a good variety of paths to take and goodies to find, not to mention really neat different places to go and see (jungle, submerged water city, futuristic air fortress, etc.)

It is far too easy to collect all the chaos emeralds.

Well you've got to memorize where the super rings are first... I can go along with the normal emeralds being easy, but don't try to tell me getting the hyper emeralds isn't tough.

The bonus stages, while enjoyable, don't belong.... pretty everything was done so much better in the first two.

Why don't they belong? It doesn't make much sense to just say that without explaining. IMO I thought the 3D effects for the "collect the blue sphere" bits were pretty spiffy, and I liked the goal post bonus rounds too (except for the slot machine one.)

So if someone could explain to me why number 3 (& Knuckles) is the best/their favourite...it'll help me sleep at night.

I like it cause it's huge - it's got a really epic sense of scale. It takes you all over the place - thru ice, jungle, a carnival, then into Robotnik's airship, except it crashes and you have to chase him down AGAIN, go into some underground ruins (with an Aztec style mural depicting super sonic vs. Robotnic), then up into a floating city, onto a space ship with changing gravity polarity and finally into the icy vacuum where you turn into super sonic and avoid asteroids and space junk before you kill him. The sheer size of it is really grandiose for a Genesis game. The soundtrack is amazing. It's the only 16-bit Sonic game where you can save your progress.

[Gamerforlife]

Personally, I think Sonic & Knuckles alone is the best Sonic game. Not counting the portables that is. I feel like Sonic 3 is like this extra fat that Sonic & Knuckles doesn't need. It's a great enough game without it and playing through both together, it feels like Sonic 3 is the boring stuff you have to get through before the REAL game starts once you get to the Sonic & Knuckles part.

I played Sonic CD recently and frankly it sucks. So Sonic & Knuckles is still my fave. Sonic 3 doesn't have the same quality level design and flow that Sonic & Knuckles has

[DCsegaDH]

It's one my favorite Sonic games,but I like Sonic CD better.Sonic 3 had enjoyable stages and I love the levels,really colorful stuff.I think it's a big deal since the saving feature was added,the levels were creative and the music was great.I always liked Sonic CD better since the whole past/future feature,I thought that was creative and original.

[RemyC]

I can appreciate liking the length of Sonic 3 (& knuckles). When I say I dont like the level design, that is in comparison to the first; Where there was a stronger emphasis on careful platforming, and less on blazing through the level hoping for the best (Which is why I dont like how quickly you can get hyper/super sonic).
I'll give Sonic & Knuckles the nod for being the better half of the game.

When I say that I don't like the bonus stages, but do enjoy #2's that is because:
In #2 you are pretty much heading in a straight line racing to grab as many rings as you can, while avoiding obstacles; much like in the main stages.
In #3 your in some maze with a top down perspective running in every which direction.

In #1, and #2 You had to be able to collect enough rings to access the bonus stages as well, which takes away from the, "Run around like a madman" approach to the games.

[Pulsar_t]

I love Sonic 3 because of the artistic style that's different from the 3 Sonic games before it, as well as the excellent soundtrack.. Level design could be iffy at times but it's never a major letdown. Also, it was the first and last time the Team had successfully attempted telling a story through in-game cutscenes, whereas in previous games you simply rushed from one level to the next, and it got worse later on with Sonic and his numerous pals getting VAs and mundane plot nonsense.