Sonic The Hedgehog 3 - Reception

Reception

The game has received critical acclaim similar to its predecessors. Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the game upon release, giving it a 9.5 out of 10. IGN praised the Virtual Console release, giving it a 9 out of 10, and claimed it was the best of the original trilogy of Sonic games for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, stating "Sonic 1 we called impressive. Sonic 2 we labeled great. Sonic 3, though, is the best of them all – and deservingly earns the highest score of the trilogy." GameSpot also saw it as an improvement to the series, stating "the levels in Sonic 3 offer more interaction than those in previous games, in the form of such things as zip lines, fireman's poles, and giant tree trunks that you can climb by running upward inside of them. You'll also find a boss waiting for you at the end of every level (as opposed to every other level in Sonic 2), and these bosses tend to rip apart the background more often than the bosses in previous Sonic games. Coincidentally, the graphics in Sonic 3, especially the backgrounds, are pretty elaborate, as well as full of animated effects, such as swaying plants and heat distortion."

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has sold 1.02 million copies on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is less than Sonic 2 at 6 million, and the original Sonic at 15 million, but unlike the prior games, it was not bundled with the Sega Genesis system itself. It still managed to place in the top 10 selling Sega Genesis games of all time. Mega placed the game at #5 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.