Sonic Advance 3 is My Favorite Sonic Game - Sonic Was Always Good
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- čas přidán 4. 10. 2022
- I've been looking forward to making this video for a long time. My hand injury made me unable to play right as I was starting to time attack the game. But I finally got to finish it now that I'm mostly healed. And I think this game rules.
After playing this game so much and getting to experience classic Sonic gameplay, but evolved into something even better, I just cannot sympathize with people that like the alternate gameplay styles of the Adventure games. Screw mech shooting and all that. Give me proper Sonic gameplay with different characters and move sets that add variety without entirely changing genre. This is so astronomically better, and it's such a shame that this is as far as Sonic gameplay has ever been pushed. We could go even further. Like say, bringing this type of gameplay into 3D? But instead the boost came around and totally sent us into another direction... again.
btw, Freedom Planet 2 and Spark the Electric Jester 3 came out recently. Totally unrelated, I swear.
I also forgot to mention that Sonic & Cream can breath underwater. Nice little perk. And I quite like how the life icons are in the style of the Sonic & Knuckles logo. Very cool choice. Also, the music for Cyber Track is so sick. Go listen to it if you haven't.
And for anyone wondering, I'll be talking about this game's story in the Sonic Battle story video. For obvious reasons.
You can support me here if you want. ko-fi.com/pariah695 - Hry
There's totally a reason to collect rings in this game! You need high ring totals to unlock the later doors in Gruntilda's lair.
It's just a shame that the original release only saves a high score instead of permanently collecting the rings.
@@MattTOB618 They changed that for the sequel, thank goodness.
Music notes *
Wait collecting a lot rings does what?
Actually, apart from the Boost mode, there IS an incentive to collect rings : The more you collect, the higher your top speed and acceleration become, and not just for Sonic. Just compare how long you reach your top speed at 0 rings vs 100 rings, its like picking up a speed capsule. It really makes you want to avoid taking as many hits as possible, and thus getting better at the game and better knowing the layout of the levels.
Also, thank you for this video. This is my very first Sonic game and I've been playing it for years, trying to see which combo worked best for which level. I always thought there was some depth and complexity to Advance 3 mechanics even I couldn't fully exploit (cuz I'm bad lol), and I really appreciate the fact that Dimps always tried to innovate and experiment with what they could do with Sonic's base gameplay. I think the problem with most people is that they don't see the level of depth behind the mechanics of most Sonic games, and just boil it down to "go as fast as possible and take the higher path" when the games actively incite you to THINK about the best possible techniques at your disposal for each level and not mindlessly press right/forward all the time. So they get frustrated when the level slows them down intentionally, and instead of thinking "if I'm slowing down, maybe I'm not doing this the right way", they just think it's the level being bad. And while I don't really like some of the level designs in this game, I can totally see now how it was entirely built for time and for abusing the partner mechanic.
That's a subtle effect. I didn't notice it. But it's awesome that they did think about that.
"Not mindlessly press right/forward all the time"
That's literally one of the biggest criticisms people have with Advance 2, most of complaints from Dimps' level design is the position of the many enemies, spikes, bottomless pits, and crushing blocks without warning
Odd you misspelled “Music Notes”
Bro if this game was in super widescreen this game would be amazing
@@ayrtonjogafor real this game has the best level design of in the Advanced series but it has a lighter sprinkling of DIMPS bs
Like when enemies 1 inch from an edge or right above springs🤡
I always found crazy how most people like Advance 2, feels rare to see the one i like the most getting some love
And i never undestood the people that complain about the moveset changing from team to team, do these just want to make any team with the basic moveset?
What would be the point of even changing teams then?
The entire system is about experimenting, Sonic and Cream even gives Sonic the bubble shield in case the player is having a hard time in some water level, but some people appears to only point out how "Teaming up with Amy only ruins the moveset" or something like that
Something I've noticed over the years is that everyone that likes Adv2 dislikes Adv3 (and vice versa). Though there are a good amount of people who like Adv3, but probably not as much as those who like Adv2
I have never seen anyone like Advance 2 more than 1 and 3.
For me, 3 is kinda just better at doing what Advance 2 was trying to do, while 1 is more focused on being a "Sonic 2.5" (maybe a Pocket Adventure 2).
@@AtJoee230 just check any video talking about the trilogy and i bet most comments are about 2 being better
you mean advance 3?
Thank you for saying that momentum physics aren't the end all, be all for Sonic games. As someone who does appreciate and love Classic Sonic, it gets really tiring how people treat as the only valid way to handle Sonic games and dismiss anything that doesn't remotely resemble that.
It's a difficult topic. I do agree that momentum is the way to go for Sonic, primarily because it has resulted in the best gameplay in the series, imo. But also, the Classic physics are what Sonic is in its purest form. The physics were the first thing that ever existed for Sonic, everything else came from there. And it is the main thing that constitutes the core design and gameplay of the original games. So to not have it is to not have the primary thing that defined Sonic as Sonic. It'd be like a Mega Man game where you don't shoot.
But at the same time, Sonic is not just its physics. While it is the root of everything, the other parts are just as important. I'd argue Sonic level design structure and the speedrunning focus of the games is just as important as the physics. And most Sonic games still have those elements. You could also argue zones, special stages and bosses are also fundamental to what Sonic is. Does that mean that we can't remove or change any of these things to improve the series over time? Of course not.
That's why I made such a deal in my SA1 video that the game really isn't a "Sonic game". It lacks so many of the things that define Sonic. But it's still a super fun game with awesome movement of its own. As its own kind of game, it could have the potential to be just as good or better than a "proper" Sonic game. While I would say momentum is the truest form of Sonic, it is not the only one that can work.
I plan to do a video going into more detail about this at some point.
@@Pariah6950 I am excited to see this future video!
@@Pariah6950 its ironic because Sonic Adventure is generally touted as the closest 3D game to Classic Sonic before the series started going in another direction after SA2.
So yea, it just shows that Sonic isn't defined by one thing. Sure, there's a foundation but the series has branch off significantly since then.
@@Pariah6950 I guess it comes from how games (particularly in long running franchises) are touted as either continuations, spin-offs, side-games, etc., and what the expectations of players are -- I will say Special Zones aren't required for "finishing" the main campaigns so I think they're OK additions and with Super Sonic final bosses kinda tied in with the Emeralds from the Special Zones you can say ignoring them also ignores the final boss; maybe a way to not gatekeep content to those who don't want to collect Emeralds is maybe to just show a quick cutscene of the final boss at the end regardless while those who do are rewarded with an extra level.
Can we all agree that cyber track slaps hard?
Not just that but the whole Sonic Advance 3 OST slaps hard. Even though Advance 1 is my favorite of the three games and Advance 3 is my least favorite of the three games the OST in Advance 3 beats out the rest. No contest.
Sonic Advance 3 has a lot of bangers, would be top 5 soundtracks if it wasn't held down by GBA sound limitations. Cyber Track, the pinch boss theme, the Special stage theme, Egg Gravity and Nonaggression are among My favorites. It's so good that even the obscure multiplayer music slaps.
@@annoyingbarrelofdoom5431 Why calli g it "obscure"? Have u heard the unsused track tho? Pretty mysterious
The entire ost slaps but cyber track act 1 goes so hard man
"Sonic Advance 3 is my favourite Sonic game" is certainly not a sentence you hear everyday.
I'm not complaining, this game is fucking great.
I disagree. I think the game is really bad. The controls, the screen crunch, the level design and many bosses don't mix very well. It's far too clunky.
@@MrMeowMeowSaysPurr skill issue.
@@chaozsheep copium
Same, it’s too 3 on my favorite Sonic games, I love it.
@@MrMeowMeowSaysPurr I agree. This game has far too many issues. Advance 2 and 3 are the worst games in the sonic series. People who argue otherwise are blinded by nostalgia and never have valid arguments. Only insults.
Collecting music notes could have decreased the amount of time needed for the partner to get into your hands for the group action.
This is a good idea!
That's actually a great idea.
I think this could be modded into the game
that is excellent
Theres music notes in this game?
So from what I understand, this is what Pariah wants out of a Sonic game at this point:
1. A fun and satisfying time attack
2. Well designed, replayable levels
3. Gameplay styles that are all Sonic-like
4. No bosses/Actually good bosses designed with the Sonic philosophy
5. A not shitty way of getting the Chaos Emeralds
6. Polish and minimal jank
7. Can be easily recommended to anyone without any asterisks
Can't wait for the Generations review :)
pretty sure that's all of us
OMG THAT WAS GENERATIONS IS!.
I wanna see his views on the boost games.
You're implying the boost formula is Sonic-like?
@@edgytheedgehog8618 Lmao yes, what's with the salt? Literally speaking the boost formula IS a sonic formula, but it also checks off the core criteria for Sonic gameplay. Neither the Adventure style nor Boost style are perfect translations of Sonic's 2D gameplay, they both have strengths and weaknesses. If you've got an hour to spare I'd highly recommend EmBani's Video "Adventure vs Boost: A Sonic Diatribe", it covers it in way more detail than I ever could.
Wow I gotta admit it you're the best sonic advance 3 player I have seen yet
Not sure if you know this but in the EU and JP versions of this game the more -rings- music notes you collect the faster your character will accelerate (this is a completely seperate mechanic than boost mode). If you didn't know this, now you have an extra way to play your favorite Sonic game! Have fun! :D
Also since you seem to LOVE the movement options in this game, I'd reccomend this short Sonic 2 hack (It's literally just one zone) called "Sonic Boom". You...will...NOT...be...disapointed! The level design is designed for hardcore Sonic fans, combined with your moves and its literally the best sonic level I've ever played! (The aesthetic is cool asf too! Plus that ending...I will dare not spoil but its awesome!)
To defend the hub worlds:
The games let you pick which act to start out on. There was no guarantee that a level mechanic would be introduced in a safe space if you started out on say Act 3. The hub worlds are the way to give the players that safe space.
Not to mention they let you test out the tag actions and team mechanics, which is helpful since you can't always learn them on the fly in levels.
They could have a playable character select where you can also see the missing Chao but I see your points. I don't find the Hub particularly offensive especially as a one off.
But could've been done way better, making them a huge empty square with a few springs, rails, slopes, and extra parts only to access the stages
That would already give you enough room, test your team's combinations, and choose the acts in any order, the ones in Advance 3 are too intrusive and confusing to navigate
@@thelastgogetathere already is the 2 things you mentioned
Marble Garden Zone was full of arrows telling you which way is forward, so there's some precedent for it. I like more maze-like level designs, personally.
Sonic Advance 3 features the most labyrinth style levels in my opinion. Not bad tho, since I like mazes
As soon as I saw the title, I was delighted. Sonic Advance 3 is my favorite game in the series as well because of the pairing system and how complex and varied it is. I can definitely see the flaws, which game reviewers tend to magnify often, but this game is incredibly idea-rich and there's no other Sonic game like it.
Here I am watching longplays of Sonic Advance and suddenly you bless us with a new video
Thank you for your deep narrative analysis of many Sonic games, it gives lots of storytelling insights and shows things I didn't notice while playing the first time
I've actually got a few personal custom codebreaker codes that let you use "all-in-one" movesets with each character, though you might not agree with my moveset choices.
If you're interested, just reply to this and I'll share them as a comment reply.
Sounds cool. Please do share.
@@Pariah6950
Load these one at a time, and don't use multiple at once. If you're using something like Retroarch that lets you swap codes mid-gameplay, stop and toggle between them when switching characters.
These modify your current moveset -- not the moveset of a specific character. So the code applies to whoever you're currently playing as.
Sonic
330015CE+F0A3+330015CD+FFFF
Jump Type: Roll
Spin Attack: Yes
Spin Dash: Yes
Tricks: Yes
Abilities: Jump Dash (no homing), Skid Attack, Upper Spin, Bound Attack, Boost Mode
Note: Partner with Cream for the Homing Attack
Tails
330015CC+B062+330015CD+F0BE+330015CE+F0E20
Jump Type: Roll
Spin Attack: Yes
Spin Dash: Yes
Tricks: Yes
Abilities: Propeller Flying, Tail Swipe, Tail Spin Attack
Knuckles
330015CC+F4EA+330015CD+F030+330015CE+00F3
Jump Type: Roll
Spin Attack: Yes
Spin Dash: Yes
Tricks: No
Abilities: Gliding, Spiral Upper, Drill Claw, Wall Dash, Breast Stroke
Cream
330015CC+FF0A+330015CD+FFFF+330015CE+FF0F
Jump Type: Amy
Spin Attack: Yes
Spin Dash: Yes
Tricks: No
Abilities: Flying, Chao Ball Attack, Life Ring, Air Bubble
Note: Probably the most unusual moveset. Meant to change the way you approach Sonic platforming, but differently from Amy.
Amy
330015CC+F03D+330015CE+F0A3
Jump Type: Amy
Spin Attack: No
Spin Dash: Giant Steps
Tricks: Yes
Abilities: Air Dash, Hammer Attack, Mid-Air Hammer Attack, Hammer Jump, Hammer Whirl, Boost Mode
Note: Boost Mode is entirely an accident I can't get rid of. If you need a canon reason for it, consider it a post-Heroes upgrade.
It's fantastic to see a passion for this game. I always heard people say Advance 2 was the best of the GBA games, and the Advance 3 was bad. Like... HUH!? The customisation through character matchups is amazing! I never knew about the Cream jump mechanic, that's awesome to learn.
Yeah, that Cream Jump mechanic was crazy to learn about. I've played the game for years and years but never caught onto the mechanics of the ability! These 2D Sonic games are fascinating because you think you know everything about them, but still discover new things every time haha
I've always heard that SAa is from most people.
As someone who considers Sonic 3&K his favorite game and enjoyed Mania, I actually really agree and sympathise with yout take on it in relation to thr Advance games. It's a sentiment I also share.
The Advance games in my eyes were always builting and continuing the evolution and legacy of the Classics, and while Mania doesn't leave all of the stuff from those games off the table, it sure wasn't fully taking advantage of all the ground they covered to say the least.
My opinion of Advance 3 has always been mixed. Positive, but mixed. I enjoy it enough and absolutely love its ideas, but as you said, a lot of them are also things I wouldn't want EVERY 2D Sonic game to be like.
The main thing that usually throws me off os the level design. It's funny because I think what you described is exactly what gets me. I think I'm more the type that is able to sort of feel out what kind of design mentality the game's level design is, but advance 3 is in this weird uncanny valley for me where it sends me signals for the usual Sonic level design I expect, but then I get hit with random confusing curvals because of the "twist" aspect yo it for a lack of a better term.
Never liked the hubs in the game. I get storywise the world is distorted but I just felt it got in the way of the game without adding much.
Chao system was infamous in the circles of people I knew who played it back in the day. This was when walkthroughs and guides were still relatively niche.
On that bit about Dimps and bottomless pits, i think its more just a consequence of the GBA aspect ratio than Dimps level design tendancies.
Looking forward to Sonic Battle (assuming it's the spinoff in question)
Level design can be made completely without bottomless pits, no matter the aspect ratio.
@@Gnidel What I mean is the issue only exists because the aspect ratio makes it harder to yell where they exist. I find the idea of removing bottomless pits in a platformer wholesale to be very weird.
Most of my own issues in Advance 3 similarly when it comes to cheap feeling death was due to aspect ratios causing me to get crushed, moreso than pits.
@@ChaddyFantome I've played enough Sonic CD, Freedom Planet 1&2, Spark the Electric Jester and good fan games like After the Sequel and Fallen Star to know that nearly complete removal of bottomless pits works great in Sonic-like 2D games.
@@Gnidel CD is a rather divisive game so i don't see it as a strong argument. The near absence of bottomless pits in CD is a consequence of the game being more geared towards exploration, so it's a conceit rather than an "adjustment" to overall Sonic level design.
Haven't played Spark but Freedom Planet is a very different kind of game despite its roots in Sonic fan games. For one, its enemy design is radically different as well as health and hazards.
Sonic is unique in that because of the music notes system and speed, often what people consider "annoying" is just anything that actually introduces difficulty or challenge into the gameplay, because otherwise the music notes system trivializes a lot of the obstacles and hazards when it comes to just completing a level.
What it doesn't is things like getting crushed pits and drowning.
Great video! This is definitely the most ambitious & underrated one of them all tbh
When I first read the title in my notifications, I audibly gawked, "His FAVORITE Sonic Game?!" and the video started off with "You read that right, my FAVORITE Sonic Game." So coincidental, I laughed haha
Anyway, your videos are the types of content I watch not only multiple times in succession just so I can fully digest what you're saying, but I also watch them repeatedly because they're so entertaining and never get tiring. (On the flip side, I can never put on your videos for background noise, since I get too invested in listening to you LOL)
I hold a TON of nostalgic value with Sonic Advance 3, having played it a bunch as a kid. But of course, I respect it beyond that- the team-based mechanics introducing so much experimental variety with characters AND team formations provided so much replay value, especially since the stages themselves catered to being experimental and creative (to a degree). Playing around with what character did what and where that could be applied to in the stages was so much fun, and kept me thinking about what I could try next. I'm even of the opinion that should SEGA ever make another 2D sprite-based Sonic game again, that they should take some of the characters' abilities from this game and apply it to their base moveset! (Sonic's bounce, Knuckles' wall spindash, Tails' momentum-carrying flight, etc)
Another note- I was intrigued by your argument regarding Super Sonic's inclusion in every game. While I DEFINITELY agree that his gameplay being an exclusive new style for the last (arguably hardest) boss in the game is not what I would define as "good", I at first found myself struggling to agree that he shouldn't be in every game... until I recognized that A) it'd be refreshing to have Base Sonic fight a standard boss, using his OWN strengths to win instead of relying on the Chaos Emeralds or [insert Macguffin here], and B) As you've mentioned in other videos regarding Super Sonic, he should honestly be a separate character to play as instead of an ability for Sonic, at best. That way, it's a prize for players who put in the extra effort to learn the game's extra trials (Special Stages), but it's still rooted in standard Sonic gameplay. Additionally, if Super is a separate character, then you could better learn, in theory, how to Time Attack with him, since his speed and vincibility and "stamina" ( ̶R̶i̶n̶g̶ Coin count) is different than Sonic, which I'm sure would dramatically change how someone traverses a stage.
In conclusion, every time you upload a video, it's like a holiday for me, dude. Outstanding stuff, and I'm excited for what you have coming up. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to watch this video for the 4th time lmao
Wow the parallels between the mainline 3D Sonic games and the Advance series are so clear after you pointed them out that I’m surprised I never noticed
Sonic Advance 3 was the first video game I ever played back when the only system we had was a GBA - I'm really glad you gave this game the praise it's deserved for a long time. Keep doing what you do, your Sonic reviews are the best on CZcams by far. :)
God I love the Sonic Advance Trilogy, 3 being my favorite.
Sonic Advance 1 was my first gameboy Advance game
I think the reason they implemented the hub worlds is to 1) serve as a playground for all your different character combinations and movesets, and 2) give the player a taste of what the zone’s level gimmicks will be. Which to me, makes up a bit for the screen resolution obstructing your view since the hub world will at least give you a taste of what to expect in the level.
"... you have to know in advance" it all makes sense now
This video was highly anticipated for me as soon as you did your video about Sonic Advance 1. I will always hold SA3 close to my heart, ever since i got it for my gba sp, played it so many times on road trips as a kid. Everything you said is exactly i would introduce SA3 to anyone, to its impact and drawbacks. One thing not brought up was that the OST is by far the beat among the trilogy. Very amazing video, as i love any mention about my favorite childhood game.
To this day the sunset hill version of green hills theme is still the version that rings in my head 😂
More power to ya man, I'm glad you enjoy this game. But whenever I think of the billion chao you have to find to play the last story in this game I gag and cringe till I implode.
Another great video and analysis!
This was the game that got me into the Sonic series as a whole! Sonic Advance 3 is the best as I repeatedly play it over and over and over again!
The Advance games is the very reason why when I finally got consistent access to the internet around the 2010s I was very confused by the "dark era" of Sonic. Yeah I didn't like 06 nor the story book games but I was always having fun with the Advance trilogy, Adventure 1 and 2, Shadow and Sonic Battle that it never really felt like a "dark era" and more like a slight break (especially since I got some of those games a couple years later after their releases) until Unleashed which I enjoyed from start to finish and it was only after I played it that I found out people didn't like it lol
But it always annoys me that people say that "classic Sonic" returned with Mania when Advance and Rush exist and they were really good
Was certainly not expecting to hear this from you! I've always loved the partner system but cannot stand the level design and controls of Advance 3, maybe I should give it another revisit some time soon though.
Love dimps looking at Sonic and thinking "what if it was a vs. fighter though?"
This Game Is Amazing, It's Like A 2D Version Of Sonic Heroes, And I Love It For That. The Team Mechanic Is So Refreshing & Fun To Use. Especially When You Really Know What Your Doing & Not Just Messing Around. Sa3 Is Amazing, Keep Going Fast Sonic!
Okay you know what I'll give you the benift of the doubt, I'll try time attacking this game with the characters you like cuz it honestly sounds pretty ideal to me. I also like improving my skills in video games anyways, becoming better and eventually mastering it. I initially did a casual playthrough and didn't like it but you made me turn a complete 180 on shadow the hedgehog and I actually really like that game now. So I'll try this, Great video as always.
Edit: sorry for the negative comment earlier I was in a bad mood
4:39 Gemerl is after Sonic. Beating it with Sonic unlocks a new character. I know you know this, just want to say it anyway. I like it.
Yes! An Advance 3 fan!
Someday, you got to do Freedom Planet videos. And maybe Spark the Electric Jester too.
Stoked for your video on Frontiers
35:20 another cool thing about charging partners is fully charging them right after getting into a rail so you immediately drop off the rail instead of having to jump to get out and take another path or sometimes a partner can take a long time to charge if they're very far away from you so I sometimes charge them for a bit but not fully so that they stay close to me and then fully charge them and not having the problem of them being too far away and taking too long
"Sonic Advance 3 is My Favorite Sonic Game" I cant even say anything my favorite sonic game is sonic and the black knight 💀
Ayoooo! Sacred Rings’s number one apologist here. Both games honestly need remakes.
Ah, I see you are a man of culture as well
Amazing taste
I wish sega released a sonic advanced collection for newer consoles. It sucks that Advance 1-3, Pinball, and Battle just get left alone in a corner.
This always seemed like the most mixed of the Advance games in terms of reception. Everyone loved 1, the people who didn't like 2 usually just didn't like it much, but with Advance 3, people either fuckin love it or fuckin hate it. It's quite strange. I think the only thing in general I've seen that's THIS strongly divisive was the western reception to Evangelion 3.0+1.0.
I do really want to talk about Super Sonic and the way he was used during this era though, because I agree with your points. Super Sonic playing differently during an optional true final boss was really interesting in Sonic 3K, but that aspect was leaned into SO HARD that for the longest time, from Sonic Adventure until Sonic Unleashed, that was Super Sonic's ONLY use in the games. Since I grew up during this era, I was actually surprised to learn Super Sonic used to be playable in normal gameplay, I thought, "how would that work? Super Sonic plays so differently compared to regular Sonic." Colors, Lost World, and Forces all restored regular stages Super Sonic, but... at the cost of him not coming up in the story and not changing the ending, and not even being USABLE in ANY boss battles without mods. It's very strange.
I'm hoping Frontiers introduces a happy medium- once you beat each island's boss as Super Sonic, you can use Super Sonic on that island and in that island's Cyberspace stages, but then once you go to the next island and the Chaos Emeralds are yanked out of your possession again, as what I assume is the gameplay loop, Super Sonic has to be earned for that island as well. It would be REALLY cool if you could fight the final boss, and final bosses in general, as Super Sonic OR regular Sonic, where running out of rings doesn't instantly kill you and you can recharge or just take on the big bad in your normal form if you're a bad enough dude. This is one of very few things Sonic Omens did well, where it's final boss sees you going in and out of Super form because it takes SO MUCH ENERGY to damage Exiled Lotus.
I can acknowledge some of the flaws this game has, like a lot of crushing blocks, the slightly heavy controls etc., but honestly I enjoy so much about this game that I don't even think those flaws really matter.
First off I like how big the levels can be, with dozens of multiple pathways, but the level design still flows well, and doesn't rely on too much verticality. The level design overall I thought was great with a nice balance of platforming and speed.
Then of course are the team mechanics, which I feel like give this game a lot of depth, and makes it one of the Sonic games with the most replaybility/customization. A lot of the moves you get from these combinations I just find so damn fun, most of them genuinely make the levels so fun to play through.
Yes there are some combinations that are much worse than some others, but I think that encourages you to experiment more to find out the better ones.
And finally I love the level themes, and music of this game - I really like Route 99, it's quite a unique opening level for a Sonic game, instead of your typical grassy plains level. Sunset Hill is a nice reimagining of Green Hill - it has a lot of new mechanics to play with, and I just love sunset themed levels, they are always a treat to look at.
Anyways I do love the other levels too, but I feel like I'd spend my whole day typing about how much I like 'em. So, instead I'll complement this game's music - it is straight up one of the best sounding GBA games, as it was quite the contrary for most of the system's titles. And all of the zones having a unique variation of the area's zone for all of the three acts is really impressive, and I admire it a lot (by the way the ending theme for this game is so fucking good, and helps make the ending of this game feel more emotional).
If you've read through this wildebeest of a comment, I'm very glad you could come to see what I really appreciate about this game ^•^
Out of all Advance games third one was definitely my favorite one. Gameplay was a nice mix of platforming and speed. I especially love how the character unique skills are costumizable and work with the level designs quite well.
I beat Advance 2 (minus extra zone) and I gotta say that one left a bitter taste in my mouth. Speed oriented stages were very fun but that's it. Character unique skills are almost near useless due to being pace breakers in stages and most of them pushing you back in boss fights. Boss fights past Ice Paradice were atrocious and hunting for keys in a speed focused gameplay is a ATROCIOUS design.
I’m 100%ing sonic heroes, I’m on on frog forest trying to get A ranks right now, glad to know the game right after is your new favorite, makes me excited to see what’s next ( I’m not watching this video right now I paused at 0:01 seconds to leave this comment)
it’s funny how subjective the advance games are for people
do you plan on reviewing frontiers when it comes out or when it comes down the line in the series? and if the former is it gonna be a kinda preliminary "first impression" type of opinion with a full SWAG later on or just a full "Always Good" video to start. I *do* appreciate when you specifically talk about how your opinion changed across replays of sonic games so doing a first impression after finally beating it might allow for a really interesting real time look into that shift idk
I don't want to skip ahead to it for SWAG (I just realized that's the acronym for this series lol). So it will probably be a while before I get to it. But doing a first impressions video is a great idea I didn't consider, just to get my thoughts out there when the game comes out. Thanks for the suggestion.
@@Pariah6950 that makes a lot of sense these videos really need the context of the previous games bc of how (especially post 06) reactionary sonic team have designed these games
Oh boy. I love it when w disagree hahaha. You and I have completely opposing opinions. Advance 2 is my favorite sonic game full stop and advance 3 is my least favorite full stop. Let's dig in brother.
(Watches video and edits comment as points are addressed)
1. Special stages - I feel like we touched on this in the advance 2 comments but I'm gunna reiterate for the sake of this discussion. Advance 2 special stages themselves are a small step up from the ones in CD. Which is still the best in the franchise. They are route based in the sense that once you know the correct route to take, they become effortless. Watching a 3 minute guide video of any of the special stages will demonstrate this if there's any doubt. As for getting to the special stages in the first place, advance 2 expects you to develop your route to collect the 7 rings via repeated playthrus, to the point of mastery. Once you get to that point, your reward is a shit ton of bonus points despite points being meaningless, and several opportunities to pull off stylish tricks, not to mention a crack at the special stage (again route based) which the game itself teaches you through the special ring system rewarding careful route planning. All of that together is some solid game design if I've ever heard it. Advance 3 wants me to dick around for 10 chao that are inherently antithetical to the games core premise, and then after I find all ten they want me to find ANOTHER key, and then do the special stage. That's for 1. I honestly don't remember what the special stage goals are for advance 3. The Chao and key were so distracting and daunting, the stage itself seems insignificant by comparison.
2. Emerald rewards - If beating the final boss with all chaos emeralds unlocked super forms during normal gameplay, I'd never complain about the last story finales again. Super sonic in advance 2? Where do I sign?
3. Characters - Give me Shadow you cowards. I'll even collect the emeralds with every single character to unlock him. As for the pair up, the idea was cool, but the execution was lacking. Needed more time in the oven. They needed a way to have all characters maintain their base moveset regardless of partner. The fact that every character loses abilities they've always had for the sake of the pair up mechanic is a genuine hindrance and that would be true for any game that took away basic mechanics for a new gimmick.
i agree with all of your points. i love advance 2.
Advance 3 is the first ever Sonic game that I owned, and I still play it to this day. Albeit with an emulator.
I love your videos and hope youre well. I’m curious on your opinion on the sonic x anime, I think it has a lot of issues and some bizarre decisions but it does have some good in it. Also this video was awesome, advance 3 is great!
Tails, teamed up with Amy, regains his horizontal speed.
Pariah back at it again. Any chance we'll get your thoughts on the Sonic Storybook games? Very curious to hear your thoughts on secret rings in particular, as that game seems to be very divisive in the community.
He's already said he's going to talk about the storybook series, it's just that it will take some time to make the video.
SA3 Is my favorite as well, more aestethically wise. The levels themes are unique compared to other Sonic games (first level being not nature themed, last level not being in space/eggmans base), concludes the story of the previous game perfectly, and imo has the best final boss and ending in the entire franchise. Nonagression is also unlike any other Final Boss in the franchise and hits hard when you have the context. It just feels like a nice conclusion to the Adventure era and the original voice cast.
I used to spend hours in the hub worlds as a kid. Something about that emptiness and the background felt oddly comforting. On another note, Chaos Angel ost slaps. The level was hell though.
I’ve been seeing a lot of Sonic Advance 3 / Sonic was always good videos lately. Love advence 3. It’s also my favorite sonic game. Loving the love for this game lately.
I don't care how predictable it is, Super Sonic ending is always cool. Shouldn't be tied to special stages or collecting Emeralds though, unless you get to use him in normal stages
Hub world is for practicing all the new moves and stuff in a safe place
Man, I was expecting you to like it a lot, but this was the last thing I saw coming!
23:06 An interesting note: When Tails is paired with Amy, it actually restores his old flight style. Well, you still keep the horizontal speed buff, but in addition you can fly upwards pretty quickly.
24:58 I actually like the glide he gets when paired with Knuckles. It can be pretty useful at times.
27:50 This is actually pretty neat as a story tidbit. Knuckles is still a bit of an outsider, so he doesn't do the teamwork thing very well. This is also why he's the only character that doesn't get a combination to let him do tricks.
33:48 You can actually get up there with any team combination. You just have to do that thing where you jump into the bottom of the loop on your descent. It's extremely precise, but it's doable with enough focus!
37:36 Let's not pretend that the classic Sonic games and the Advance games are even remotely the same thing. They share the momentum-based movement and the speed-focused design, but apart from that it's kind of missing the point to compare them? Okay, it's not fair for me to say they're completely alien from each other.
The Sonic Advance series is meant as a radically exaggerated version of classic Sonic game-play, where as the classics are more reserved and laid-back in their approach, favoring mastery of simple mechanics instead of learning intricate move sets. It's kind of not fair to expect Mania to be closer to the Advance games when it was trying to be a classic game. I also don't think it's fair to say one style is better than the other. At least, for me, I like S3K and SA3 roughly equally, but if I want to play one then playing the other will never be a satisfying substitute.
Instead of wishing Mania to be something it was never trying to be, I think it'd be better to wish for these two radically distinct game play styles to co-exist. Give us a Sonic Advance Mania, if you will. Regardless of whether or not the Sonic Advance series is trying to be like classic games, in the end they're just not, and they're all the more special for it.
Definitely disagree there. I'd argue they very much are like the classic games. They just evolved the gameplay, as any series does overtime. The originals did the same with 1 to 2 to 3. Each added more to the formula and gameplay. Advance just kept going with that.
@@Pariah6950 It definitely is an evolution of the formula, yes. That doesn't mean that it's the same thing, though. The advance games iterated, expanded, and added upon the classic games so much that they've become an extremely different experience. They are very similar in DNA, that is for sure, but they're just significantly different enough that it's very easy for people to prefer one over the other.
This becomes especially the case when you start looking at the games from a non-gameplay perspective, though I suppose that's a lot less relevant to the conversation at had.
I will concede that I definitely exaggerated way too much in my initial combat, but I stand by the notion that these are very different experiences in spite of their similarities.
Additions, evolutions to a formula; they do more than just expand the game. They fundamentally change it's identity. Sometimes it's more of a change than others, but the extreme simplicity of classic Sonic gameplay is very different from the more mechanically rich experiences that the Advance games provide.
Sometimes more is better, sometimes it's not, but this is a case where I say neither is true. Rather, here, more is just different.
The same even happens with the classic games, to a lesser extent. Most people have a preference between 1, 2, 3, and CD, despite them being a lot more similar to each other, because there are different elements to them which fundamentaly alter how the game is designed, creating very different experiences from game to game. I just feels this applies tenfold to the Advance series (mostly 2 and 3) because they just evolve things so much more than the classics ever did from game to game, apart from maybe the transition from 1 to 2 (and, of course, CD, which people are very divided on for a reason).
this is for sure my favorite of the Advanced games.
Not my favourite game (that would be Sonic Adventure 2), but still really fun and one of the best for me. This ge just clicks with me, and it's great to see that it's getting some love on the internet, where it's mostly trashed upon. Can't wait for the Sonic Battle review, as it's also one of my favourites, and quite underrated too. Will be interested in hearing your opinion about it
wasnt super sonic a bonus in the 2010s basically? It was not part of any final boss in those games except Generations. Doesnt make Lost World, Colours nor Forces any better but they ceertainly tried making Super Sonic a bit rarer.
also,there is a trick with the combination of sonic and cream that when you do a homing attack,you enter the boost mode but when you hit the enemy,you go back to normal.but if the enemy is in the ground, you can roll into a ball or jump before hitting the enemy wich will maintain the boost mode
Since you like this game a lot, I feel like you would enjoy GaMetal's remix of Chaos Angel (All Acts). You should check it out, if you haven't already. It's great!
Towards the end where you're talking about how Mania missed an opportunity with the movement. I'd like to see a classic sonic game where the shield abilities (double jump, bounce and air dash) are just part of sonics base moveset
Tails and Amy was the way I played the most, Tails ascended much faster and he had a hammer while flying, and Sonic with cream is just OP 😂
The hub worlds always gave me nightmare in dream land feel
MUSIC NOTES?!?!?
Those are clearly coins. smh
Advance 3 was one of my first GBA games as a kid and will always be my favorite in the trilogy. Also it has my absolute favorite soundtrack ❤❤
One thing to point out: When you do any kind of attack with the B button in the air it will disable the roll lock. It makes the Knuckles & Amy partnership even more fun.
My personal take on Super Sonic final bosses: sure, gameplay might not be that great, but, no matter how many times they do it, it's still cool as hell
But I'm also a lifelong fan of Dragon Ball Z, so maybe I'm biased
A person's feelings on both advance 2 and 3 is usually loves one of em to death while the other they label as everything a 2d sonic game shouldn't be lol
Anyways advance 3 was like a fine wine for me when I was a kid I adored its visuals music and tag actions
As an adult oh my God I love this game so much. With me liking sonic as much as I do you would think I like speed running entire games but advance 3 heroes and unleashed (my top 3) taught me I'm more of an 'Individual Level' type guy. The azure striker gunvolt(mega man like) series is also like this for me.
Experimenting with different teams timing tag actions and finding the best routes through each level was some of the most fun I've had when I played this game religiously last year.
Favorite zones overall are Twinkle snow, Chaos Angel, and Route 99. Chaos angel is the first endgame 2d sonic level that didn't make me want to use my arm as a cutting board besides death egg in sonic 3k
And regarding people's perception on dimps I think I have had more problems with sonic 2s endgame(oil ocean onwards) hazard and enemy placement to this day EVEN on widescreen ports than sonic advance 1-3 combined.
For me, I really appreciate that the Boost Mode is tied strictly to Sonic. Advance 3 is the most fun to me when you have the slower movement and it controls and feels more like Advance 1/The Classics. I think this also alleviates some of the biggest problems people have with the game like all the crushers since you slow down and you won't be running into them as much. One thing I absolutely despise about Advance 3 though is how many times they'll place an enemy right above a spring or in the exact area where you're intended to land after one. It feels like really cheap game design and I'm not sure if there's a team combination that lets you aircurl or something because that would be the only excuse for it being like this.
I wonder what it would be like if they retroactively included Mighty and Ray into the game. (And also brought back Mighty’s “Mighty wall jump” TM;)
All 3 Sonic advance games + battle are amazing. I honestly think that sonic in the gba was his true peak, and the time where he was actually worth of being called Mario's rival... aside the genesis games, but I dont like those that much.
If it wasnt for Mario & Luigi Super Star Saga, Sonic would have been my fave franchise on the gba. Still tho, I actually liked sonic more than pokemon in thd gba and it still got a solid 2dn place for me in there... which is crazy to think as I dont really like sonic anymore. I havent liked sonic since the 3ds... but I still look fondly to those gba games and really hope for them to come to switch online someday.
You keep adding save files to your recommendations list. I’m trying to get the saves working on my VisualBoyAdvance emulator but I can’t figure out how to import those saves. Do you know how to do it?
Yeah, this is my favorite game of the advance games, and damn it feels good to hear someone else to point out the problems that it has, which is the jank, the level design is more of whatever you like it or not, but it isn't bad like Advance 2. And the absolutely massive positives as it's own experience.
Let's go! Advance 3 is easily in my top 4. I hate how it's seen as the worst Advance game.
I spent a lot of time in level 7 - 3, seeing how many times I can get the AI partner to run off the platform and die in one playthrough. That and playing Knuckles and Tails and skipping the platforms entirely just with gliding and double-jumps. I also always found it weird that pairing Tails with Amy makes him able to climb faster when flying even though he's carrying a hammer around with him while flying now, at least that's what I remember. It's been a while.
I love Advance 3 just normally. Just a well designed game. All the different combos overwhelm me and all the crazy shit so i just play standardly. Time attacks still works well enough. I just think its a great platformer and Sonic game. But im with you on Sonic game Time Attacks being my favorite part. This applies to all games. But i also like playing the level design too. Depends on my mood. I can blitz through these games or explore. Once you learn the optimal path i will admit its hard to play casually but i think Sonic games are just well made platformers in addition to providing exhilirating fast time attack. Like in the Adventure video i mentioned i rarely time attack bc i enjoy the level design so much. However for the boost games, its a different style of time attack mastery and I love it. Even if its the same exact actions once you learn the levels. It never gets less exhilirating. Boost is just it gives you speed but you have to learn when to use it and master is that way instead of going fast as a reward. You know all this already im just rambling now. Just love Advance 3 as a game its my fav or the triology and glad to see it get some love
Music notes means rings in this video
I think the reason for this game's hubs are to test out the abilities that you get from the partner system, mostly for new players as a safe area to test out some of the partner actions.
I think the purpose of the hub is to experiment and pick the acts you want to play in any order before the boss, whatsoever you can get 9 keys in case you want to have multiple tries at a special stage
great video! i like advanced 3 (and the advanced trilogy as a whole tbh) a lot i just wish it wasn't stuck on the gba or i'd play it more (i'd kill for an advanced trilogy port with widescreen). i wasn't expecting advanced 3 to be your favorite sonic game but also not that surprised. also similiar to what you said i can really appreciate how the advanced trilogy tried to push the 2d series forward with constant new mechanics and ideas. that's why i hope the next 2d sonic game is closer to a sonic advanced 4 rather then a sonic mania 2 (don't get me wrong though mania is still a great game).
question: when you talk about the sonic frontiers story will you play the english version? as sonic frontiers (and lost world as well i think) were originally written in english then translated to japanese, which means the original intended experience was in english. kishimoto even said for frontiers story that he's gonna make the japanese translation "appeal to a japanese audience", so now doubt there's gonna be some significant differences with the english and japanese script with that one. so i just wanna know if you plan on reviewing the story with the original intended version
I will probably talk about both. It's important to note that Ian is just writing the dialogue and scenes. The story concept and plot were the creations of Sonic Team. Colors is the same way, which I will also talk about both. Where as for Lost World, Pontac and Graff actually got to come up with the story themselves. Though even then, they did not create the Deadly Six. And for my own personal taste, I always go Japanese with Sonic. It just feels right.
@@Pariah6950 alright fair enough
Weab
As a GBA Game, Sonic Advanced 3 is so so good competing with Sonic 3 and Knuckles and Sonic Mania
If it weren't for Sonic 3 & K and Mania, then Advance 3 would have been my favorite 2D Sonic game. Still the best handheld game in the series to me though. Wish they brougt back the partner mechanic in the future.
Super glad I’m not the only one who thinks Advance 3 is the best out of the advance games. Not my favorite Sonic game ever but it’s definitely up there. As of now I gotta go with Generations or 06. However I’m 90% sure Frontiers will be my new favorite when it comes out
the way you get the chaos emeralds in this game is honestly why I couldnt get through it. That and the music was kind of annoying in some stages. I thought the team mechanic was cool, but had no idea what combinations were good either until this video. I might give it another chance later, but it would be nice if this game got a port or decompile that allowed it to have wide screen. Feel like the lack of wide screen was an obvious omission to your review, but it honestly couldnt be helped on the GBA.
Sonic + Cream, Sonic gets access to an infinite bubble shield underwater and he can be there for as long as he wants without drowning, makes the Twinkle snow boss super easy not that you can use cheese to attack Eggman
With Amy and Sonic, if you play as Sonic, he gets a surf board when he’s on rails and automatically does a spin trick at the end of it
one thing about the hubworlds thats nice is u get to play around with the duo moves without having to commit to a level. Also the ocean base hub music is fat
I really feel like this way of pairing characters is the natural progression from Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and I've been surprised that it took them so long to do it. I guess Knuckles Chaotix played with the idea... But I really think it should've become a main series staple, including the 3D games to some degree.
Perhaps eventually evolving to having multiple following characters... Or swapping who's in front... There's still a lot to do with it.
I haven't played Forces but it did try the idea a little bit, didn't it. Unfortunately only for select levels but that wasn't a bad idea, the problem was that Double Boost became a filler feature and blander levels.
Sonic 06 didn't have teams but it did have dedicated sections for characters which had some benefits.
@@thelastgogeta I wouldn't know anything about Forces. I dislike the boost games.
I actually played this game start to finish throughout my last school year on an emulator (minus emerald collecting cause it's hard and i'm lazy) It was super fun! currently ong Advance 2, idk why i'm going backwards but whatever. they managed to make every character and combination uniquely fun, and i was surprised to find that amy+cream was my favorite duo to play
Fun fact: Sonic Advance 3 was probably my first Sonic game. I don't remember for sure, but I know I had no idea who Tails was at the time, so I don't doubt my memory too much on this one.
It makes me happy you decided against calling this video "Sonic Advance 3 is The Best Sonic Game". Keep on avoiding the clickbait rabbit hole!
Huh... did they reference Amy's tag actions in this game in Sonic Generations? I'm thinking back to the challenge gate levels, and it feels like she does the exact same stuff there.
You saying you appreciate the customization of selecting a character combination to experiment with their movesets makes me veery curious if you'll feel the same way with Secret Rings or not.
Shout out to Tails & Amy, the pairing where Tails’ flight is frikin broken, since he goes fast no matter how you fly horizontally or vertically and he gets a weapon while flying.
Missed you man, do you think it's possible to get a gold medal with each combo? Or are some just too slow?
I was able to get gold on every level with Amy and Knuckles, which is probably one of the slowest teams. So I think it can be done with any combo.
@@Pariah6950 well, maybe you'll eventually do it in like 10 years
Great vid as always!! I was actually wondering if you were interested in doing reviews of the Freedom Planet 1 and 2 in the future, I think they would be great videos and I'm geniounely interested in hearing your criticism about them!
They will definitely get videos.
@@Pariah6950 best day of my life
I feel like the super forms would have been the perfect way to get that full moveset version of each character.
that's amazing
This basically is like Knux' Chaotix done right!
Advance 3 is the only Advance game I've played cause I used to have it as a kid. I just thought it was okay, but it's been so long, idk where I'd stand on it now
Jesus, I wasn't expecting the gameplay to change so much between teams. They could have spawned more games in this style just by flipping characters around (like with shadow or blaze).