Game Boy Advance

Sonic Advance 3

Times change, people change and so does technology itself. While the world keeps evolving there are still certain things you can count on remaining the same and one of them just happens to be that Sonic the Hedgehog still feels right at home on the palm of your hand. Sonic Advance 3 doesn’t push the envelope in terms of bringing something new to the Game Boy Advance but then again sometimes change can spoil a really good thing. I mean, why mess with a good thing, right?

As Sega and Sonic Team continue to work their hedgehog heroes into the world of 3D platforming on the consoles with games like Sonic Adventure and Sonic Heroes, the Game Boy Advance keeps getting quality side-scrolling designs that better suit the character's origins. Sonic Advance 3 keeps the series rolling with the traditional run fast, collect rings gameplay with subtle design that tweak and improve the fun of the speedy platformer. The addition of a second character may seem familiar, but the two-character element is far more realized in Sonic Advance 3 than it was back in the 16-bit game.

Sonic Advance 3 wird nicht nur Fans absolut begeistern! Alle Spielmodi glänzen mit einem butterweichen Bildaufbau und selbst in rasend schnellen Spielpassagen geht die Framerate niemals in die Knie. Während der Sonic-typische Sound für noch mehr Spielspaß sorgt, zaubern ulkige Animationen in regelmäßigen Abständen ein Lächeln auf die Lippen eines jeden Sonic-Fans! Unterm Strich bleibt nur zu sagen: Wer sich den dritten Teil entgehen lässt, ist einfach selber schuld!

Overall, Sonic Advance 3 is easily GBA Game of the Year material. However, when compared to the other Sonic games, I'd say Sonic is only half as fast in this game. Nice try Dimps, I am looking forward to Sonic Advance 4.

Sonic Advance 3 is a great, fast-paced platform game, and the tag-team play mechanic really enhances the overall experience.

Sonic Advance 3 is a great action addition to any GBA player’s library. For Sonic fans that are GBA owners, it is a must-buy. The combination of the terrifically-executed side-scrolling action game that became the killer app for the Genesis, along with the replay-enhancing tag-actions feature, makes Sonic Advance 3 a winner.

Sonic has a good bit of high-speed action to offer, giving you about 21 short and sweet levels. They’re challenging to keep you from blowing through them on your first run, so the game should keep you occupied for a while. Shaving off the seconds in time attack isn’t for everyone, however. The game might let you down during uneven boss fights that simply fail to impress, or you find you need to slow down and search every nook and cranny to unlock extra levels. In other words, when the speed stops, the fun stops. Otherwise, Sonic Advance 3 moves fast, looks and sounds good (Sonic fans will certainly groove to a remixed tune or two), and has a few multiplayer options to boot.

En résumé et pour conclure. Sonic Advance 3 a le vilain défaut de ne pas innover suffisamment voir pas du tout. On a l’impression de revoir les même niveaux, les même objectifs, exactement la même histoire… etc. C’est un peu ça le problème avec les jeux de Sega en ce moment et on en a de nouveau la preuve avec ce titre. Je l’ai personnellement légèrement moins apprécié que le second mais le jeu reste vraiment très sympathique et toujours aussi plaisant. La GameBoy Advance est vraiment la console où les Sonic retrouvent leur vrai visage. On le voit encore, la 3D n’est pas faite pour notre hérisson bleu. Si on pouvait nous faire des Sonic d’identique qualité avec beaucoup plus de nouveautés et un maximum de travail, ce serait parfait. La Sonic Team sait désormais ce qu’elle a à faire !

Replay value is significantly extended by the variety of characters and the unique objective paths that are available to each. When it comes right down to it, Sonic's still running, but he ain't tired yet.

Sonic 3's gameplay is more challenging that previous Sonic Advance games. Each zone features three expansive stages, and the boss stages even feature sub-bosses. New gadgets include button switches, teeter-totters, and bungee cords. You really need to watch yourself because it's very easy to get squished by moving blocks. In the end, Sonic 3's "teaming up" aspect fails to excite, but you can't deny Sonic Advance 3's classic gameplay.

Attendu par tous ses fans, cet épisode de Sonic Advance déçoit quelque peu face à sa carence d'innovations et son aspect parfois "simpliste". Titre de qualité dans la forme, le fond semble relativement moins solide face à la présence de défauts incontestables. Le fait de réutiliser pratiquement à l'identique certaines phases du précédent opus, ainsi que celui de reprendre une progression trop peu distincte, mine le soft de l'intérieur, abîmant certainement son aura que l'on aurait pensé infaillible. L'achat en devient donc problématique si l'on a en sa possession les épisodes 1 et 2. Non un jeu mauvais, mais un mauvais traitement de jeu. Lace à nouveau tes baskets Sonic, et repart au combat plus frais !

It's strange to see Sonic Team produce, in the same year, both Sonic Heroes and Sonic Advance 3. Because where Heroes indicates that they still don't have a good idea of how to properly integrate Sonic's animal friends into the main Sonic gameplay, their new handheld game shows that they know exactly how it should be done.

What?s different this third time around for Sega?s little blue ball of extremity? The hook in Sonic Advance 3 is that you can play as any two of the five heroes (Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Cream) at the same time with a friend controlling the second character on a second GBA. The catch is that in single-player mode, you can?t switch to the secondary hero; they?re mostly just there for backup and show, and to help you perform special combo moves unique to each duo. The way you progress through levels has also changed a bit as well.

Judging from the mountain of Sonic-related love mail that we get all the time, you people adore the blue blur in all his repetitive forms. I am not one of those people. I’m of the school saying that unless something major happens, Sonic and I are officially breaking it off. I don’t want to deal with the random loops and springs that (I think) are supposed to make me believe I’m having fun. I’m not anymore – I can see through the otherwise simplistic level design and one-dimensional sprinting and look at Sonic Advance 3 like any other Sonic title, because that’s all it is.

However many times Sega insists on tugging on the creamflow teat of Sonic, be it fully fledged 3D romperamas, pinball games, party games or even really terrible RPG-tinged franchise exercises, we always come to the same conclusion: the original was best. It's something of a small, albeit predictable victory that 13 years on since it all started that the latest title to feature the not-very-spiky hedgehog is a return to the very style that got people interested in the insanely fast platforming game in the first place.

Sonic Advance 1 and 2 were both solid games, but the latter came out a little too quickly and was a "more of the same" cash-in sequel. Sega and Dimps took a little more time making the third installment, and the results are ... mixed. While developing a Sonic game longer allows for better, more involved levels designs, it also loads you down with more unnecessary characters, apparently.