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Excellent game but crashes at a dead end at Special Stage 7!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

After the fun SOnic Advance 2, the beloved franchise goes to new heights with the third SA entry in the series and man oh man is it fun or what?! But then again I've always said that about each SOnic Game when it came out. Other than that, this game doesn't necessarily break much new ground from previous games except for a new technique called "Tag action" which when using the R (button on the top right corner of the Game Boy Advance) will result in a new move altogether ranging from a superhigh jump to using Cheese the Chao yourself (When you're not playing Cream the Rabbit).

The story is almost the same as before. The world is once again in jeopardy when the evil nemesis Dr. Eggman splits the world by separate the chaos emeralds and plans to use them to create Eggmanland as well as work on a new contraption called Germil which was salvaged remains of Emeril from "Sonic Battle" and take over Mobius and create Eggmanland.

The game's music is awesome and even better than that of most of SA 2. My favorite music would be the Cyber Track zone before you enter the acts as well as the Toy Kingdom zones. A really cool suprise though is the Green Hill zone with revamped music from the original Green Hill Zone from the original 1991 Sonic The Hedgehog game.

The graphics are excellent and sharp. The colors of the Toy Kingdom act zones are beautiful and even the sometimes sickly sweet color scheme however is visually stimulating and lots of fun to play. The jack-in-the-box spring though is a major pain in the pullman though so be warned. I actually lost lives with them so be warned.

Some things though do cut both ways. This game no longer emphasizes on score anymore and thus how many rings you have is irrelevent here. Instead of collecting special rings in the act zones, you now have to collect all of the Chaos from each Zone Act in order to gain access to the special stages. While it may depende on the individual, I've found it much easier to find them than the Special Rings from the Second Sonic Advance Games.

Mind you though, the special stages which might be ridiculously easy at first can become almost impossible towards the end even for expert players but there is a major suprise at hand that you will not believe until you've managed to beat it. The seventh Special Stage is incredibly difficult and leaves no room for error so be warned. Prepared to be exasperated when playing it but you might be in for a major suprise when you manage to beat it.

While expert veteran Sonic players might have similar situtations that I did with the last "Special Stage" of this game, newcomers will find loads of fun with this game. Mind you, it's enormously difficult with the last special stage so be mindful and collect as many keys for it so you can return a lot more frequently.

good

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: December 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

all the sonic games are pretty much the same. you run through a maze of loops, ramps, cannons (ect.)and always do a stunt or two, and have explosive bosses. this game is pretty much the same. i suggest you get this game if you're a sonic fan, but i wish that all the games woul'nt be the same.

Bland

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 15
Date: June 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I can honestly say that this is the worst 2d sonic game that I have ever played. In fact, this is a good reason why Nintendo should not risk making a brand new 2d Mario game.

There are several fundamental problems with the stages themselves. First of all, the levels are boring. They are way too large for their own good and it is nearly impossible to memorize the stages even after playing through them over 10 times. Next, the game takes cheap shots at the player by positioning traps and enemies at certain points where the player will most likely be running at full speed. One possible reason for this may be the fact that the Sonic characters have become too powerful. By this I mean that they have ability to attack their enemies directly without rolling into them. This feature is not new to this game but is still kind of pointless. Sonic does not need to be drop kicking his enemies. Also, the stage structures aren't that good. They seem to focus on loops, hills and rails, while leaving out any real platforming elements as well as secret little areas to find, which baffles me. Worst of all, every zone has ten hidden Chao creatures, which must all be found in order to play the special stage. Finding these little bastards is tedious work, to say the least and is much more of a relief than a reward when actually accomplished. In the old sonic games, the special stages were among the most exciting elements of the game and you only needed to find ONE hidden entrance in order to play them instead of TEN hidden Chao. STUPID.

Sonic Advance 3 has also implemented this "partner" system. I use the term loosely because the "partner" will be off the screen within ten seconds just like Sonic used to ditch Tails way back in Sonic 2. However, depending in which partner you select, the primary character gains certain abilities and sometimes loses others. This turns out to be more irritating then anything. The character's abilities (which they already have too many of) should just be left alone so that each character can be played in their natural form. The partner system in this game is even more pointless and annoying as the one found in Mario Kart: Double Dash!

The game also includes a few mini-games including one where you have to defeat ten enemies in a minute and another where you have to press certain switches for points in a limited amount of time. They are mediocre and a far cry from the slot machine and bubblegum machine mini-games of old.

The only real good thing about this game is the graphics, which are pleasant to look at and way better than that of the old Genesis games. The sound isn't too shabby either.

As a huge fan of the classic Sonic games, I really tried to enjoy this one. But in the end, the bottom line is that the game is just not that fun to play. By the third zone, most players will probably be tired of playing and only continue on just for the sake of finishing it. Find all 70 Chao creatures is definitely not worthwhile. I honestly cannot recommend this game to anyone but the most hardcore of Sonic fans. To the average gamer however, this is not really even worth a rental. An extreme disappointment.

Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is awesome and solid. Not only does it combine gameplay stratigies from the first two Sonic games(i.e rails, and attacking with Amy), the tag feature adds a whole new dimension. There is the Chao missons that let you get special stage access.My advice: Dont give up. The sound and graphics are pretty good. Game speed also runs about the same as SA 2. It runs fast and furious in some places. Other than that, hardcore Sonic fans, like myself, will be hooked on this game for hours. It might take some time for others, but I garentee that with you, you just might enjoy it.

An incredible Sonic game, probably the best of all 3, if it were replayable.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Yet again, another Sonic Advance in which replay value is practically zero if your trying to collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds. Other then that, it's a Sonic game your sure to come back to again and again.

This Sonic game is probably the best of all 3. All zones are hold some sort of appealing design to it, with a decent challenge, and the bosses have gotten even more interesting then the last game. This time Dr. Robotnick has his new fighting ultimate fighting mech Gemel to aid him in battle and fuse with Dr. R's ships. The game has a particularly neat partner system in which 2 characters get to tag team in a level (not 2 player mind you) and combine their abilities to proceed through the level, or to collect all 7 Chaos. The leader gets effected differently depending on the partner, while the partner remains a bot with extremely low A.I. Also, note that the game now holds a new map style, in which you are in a side scrolling map. You get to walk around, jump, etc. and go into these rings with a number on them, signifying an act. There are 3 acts in all, and there's a boss room as well.

Visuals are gorgeous and colorful, no complaints. There's a somewhat reminder of Sonic The Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles that this game presents that I can't quite put my finger on.

The Music is great, as well as the boss music. It's even particularly enjoyable to just sit down and listen to the music via sound test.

The storyline is more elaborate then the last 2 Sonic Advances. Instead of your usual "Dr. Robotnick has a plan to rule the world and he persues the Chaos Emeralds", it's more of a wholesome story. This time around Dr. Robotnick has his hands on a single Chaos Emerald. Using the power of Chaos on Angel Island he permeates Chaotic energy around the world, transforming sections of the world into a Robotnick empire. And this he has a new creation, Gemel... the ultimate fighting robot who bares a striking resemblence to Emeral from Sonic Battle. Sonic and company must stop Dr. Robotnick before he completely changes the entire world eventually becoming it's new ruler.

Now... last, but certainly not least, the Emerald hunt. Yet again, another annoying, and tedious task to collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds, possibly more aggrivating than Sonic Advance 2, but that's up for debate. Your just this time is to find 3 lost chao in all 3 acts in order to unlock the ability to collect a key in an act, and unlock a segment of the map that brings you 2 a special stage. Slightly less annoying because if you fail, you can just get a key, and they're easy to find, but finding the chao is debatable.

Indeed, this can get quite frusterating, but there's something more appealing to it then collecting all 7 special rings like in the last game. It's challenging to say the least. The Special Stages are alright. This time your in a plane with either Sonic or Tails controlling it. You stand on it, and collect rings without getting hit. Sort of like Sonic The Hedgehog Triple Trouble. They're not too hard, except for the infamous SP 7. Now THAT was torture.

All in all this is a VERY good Sonic. And, like it's predessesor Sonic Advance 2, challenging. My suggestion, again, get a second copy, because this game doesn't have multiple files.

And now.... I am off to buy a second copy lol.

Fun but not that fun.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: September 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Sure, running through a level at top speed is super fun but you don't really get to do that when enemies are cleverly placed so you always hit them ruining the fun.
The 2 character team was a nice idea but it'd be better if it was optional. Don't get me wrong I was as psyched as the next Sonic fan was for this game but came out disappointed. I took my cousin to the store soon after I got my last paycheck in 2004 to get 2 copies so we could have the experience together. And although playing with a real player is much more entertaining this game could've been much more.

Nice music
Nice graphics
Gameplay is alright
Sense of speed is nice (when you get a chance to keep it for a bit)
Choice of characters is decent

Now I don't hate the game but man I went out and spent 60 bucks! Not worth it at all. Buy them used if you have to! ^_^

Sonic Advance 3

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: July 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game has good graphics and sound, but is very hard.

Good Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 13
Date: August 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game gets complicated when you first start but overall the game is great.

This game rocks!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: November 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I love this game! It's my favorite gameboy game! If you like Sonic the Hedgehog, buy it now! It's even in Scholastic book orders! It has super fast levels and hard bosses! I love it sooo much!

Sonic Advance 3 is the best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 19
Date: July 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The title says it all!!!!!!!!

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