DISCLAIMER: I like Sonic 3. I think it's a great follow up to Sonic 2; I LOVE the shield mechanics, I like its music, I like the way Acts and Zones lead into one another, I think the Special Stages are a huge improvement, and I like the addition of bonus stages. That being said, with the hype leading up to Sonic Mania, I've always wondered what makes this game THE Sonic game.

To clarify, I'm talking about this game as it stands on its own, not when paired with Sonic and Knuckles. Whenever I play S3&K, I find myself pushing through the first half of the game to get to the second. I guess what I liked about Sonic 2 was how short the levels were if you knew the proper route (and had the skill to stay on it), and what I like about S&K is it's deliberately slower, more gimmicky levels and a greater emphasis on platforming (in some strange way, they feel more like 2D Sonic Adventure levels). My experience with Sonic 3 is in this weird middle ground, where the levels feel really long regardless of the path you take and for some stages, the gimmicks irritate me more than anything. I especially hate the traps in Marble Garden, and everyone knows about Carnival Night Act 2.

I don't hate this game, I just want someone who enjoys it to share the love, because I want to enjoy S3&K as a whole package.