After a tech demo over three-and-a-half years ago and a teaser trailer last year, the team behind Sonic 2 HD has now made a playable alpha demo available to the community. Eager players can experience the entirety of Emerald Hill Zone in high definition, complete with Sonic 3 & Knuckles-style act transitions and upgraded music.
PLEASE READ - THIS MOD HAS BEEN UPDATED: - After some time, Sonic 3 Mania is finally ready and it doesn't stop with Sonic's sprite! This mod changes: New title screen/music New save select music New act clear music Sonic 3 sprites and palette Sonic 3 styled Chaos Emeralds Sonic 3 styled HUD and signpost And a small easter egg in Knuckles' Lava Reef Boss;) Don't forget that you can disable any feature you like by simple deleting the corresponding folder or file. Download Link: Sonic 3 SFX by Balenaproductions: PSA: A 'smooth animation' update 'might' happen IF a proper animation editor comes out. Changelog: v1.3 Fixed Save Select music speed v1.2 Fixed a grey spot on Super Sonic v1.1 Added a pixel to the Chaos Emeralds on the Results screen v1.0 Release.
I'd love to see it in HD (Widescreen with nice looking 2D graphics) AS LONG AS IT HAS THE SAME PHYSICS AS THE ORIGINAL. Keep Sonic 4's physics away from this.
As for new things, it doesn't need new zones, but here is a list of some things I'd like for this remake/HD-port to do: 1. Put Flying Battery in its original place (between Carnival Night and Ice Cap) and up date those cutscenes that this would affect to make it fit (show Sonic land on the flying battery, make it to where the snowboard in Ice Cap is the piece of metal from Flying Battery, and show the character going from Mushroom Hill to Sandopolis in some way). Give us a new character or two.
For example: the Amy Rose from Sonic Advance 1 would be interesting. 'Fix' the intro cutscene for Knuckles' Story from S&K so that it takes place in Angel Island Zone instead of Mushroom Hill 4. Include a classic version of S3&K that is unaltered (as in, include the S3&K we all know and love). I'm tired of living in the past. I'm tired of ports. I'm tired of remakes.
I'm tired of new games that feel like they have to be old games by design in order to satisfy anyone. I'm tired of development being dictated by the same xenophobic bullshit of generations past that I honestly never thought Sega would ever actually take seriously. For once I'd just like to pick up a Sonic game, feel like I'm having a fantastic time in the process, and not worry about whether I've already done all this shit before.
Because anything that could even be remotely construed as classic seems like it's been so overblown that I just find it difficult to give a damn anymore. There's really not a whole lot you could do with a prospective remake to change that mentality. Even if you were to add extra characters on top of whatever polish the media components of the game could be getting, you have to consider whether they'll even work in the original setting of the game, and whether anyone's completely bastardized said game's design in order to make it fit. If they did a remake, I would simpy call it Sonic The Hedgehog 3 HD.
Can't use the name Sonic The Hedgehog 3, or even Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Complete (which is of course the name of a hack, of how the game should have been released back in 1994). Personally, I would be happy with a graphics engine like in Sonic 4 Ep2, which at times looks absoluely gorgeous.
As for the game itself, apart from re-designing the fruit machine bonus stage to make it give you the same ring totals as Sonic 2's Casino Night (the fruit machine in Sonic 3 is far more stingy than in Sonic 2), I would not change any of the level design, because it's a perfect game in my eyes (then I would say that, as S3&K is my favourite 2d Sonic game). Of course there are a few bugs in the game that could be ironed out. What I would do, is return the difficulty in Launch Base Zone to it's harder setting (when playing Sonic 3 on it's own). I would also add the Big Arm boss (with the sky going dark) to the end of Launch Base Zone, which was removed from S3&K. Just little tweaks, to make the game extra fun.
I would be happy to keep the original soundtrack (rather than have remixes), and for Sonic Team to create a brand new CD quality soundtrack for the game. So totally different tunes. Maybe some vocal stuff as well.
As for playable characters, I would like to see: Sonic alone, Tails alone, Knuckles alone, Sonic & Tails and Tails & Sonic. Can't have Knuckles and Tails, because of course Knuckles story takes place after Sonic & Tails story. I would also suggest that Sonic Team add optional on-line co-op to make playing as player two (In normal single player mode) more fun. They could also change it, that when Tails tries to carry Sonic underwater, that they don't just fall straight to the bottom (althugh I do like the exhausted look on Tails face when that happens). I would change the two player vs mode, and make it exactly the same as Sonic 2's two player vs. The original Sonic 3 two player mode was okay, but no where near as good as Sonic 2's You know, I would be more than happy if S3&K was ported to PSN (about time), or if we got S3&K HD widescreen, with some Christian Whitehead love.
Edited October 20, 2012 by NightwingFox. So long as we're only playing the 'What if?' Updated graphics - sure, why not. Don't really mind what style it'd be in so long as the quality would be really high. Leave the physics and level design untouched, as noted. Non-canon bonus characters unlocked after game completion. Maybe different characters depending on who you complete the game with?
Like Sonic alone unlocks Metal Sonic, Sonic and Tails unlocks Blaze, Tails alone unlocks Cream, Knuckles unlocks Rouge. And then some other ridiculous bonus character unlocked after completing all of those, like Big or Eggrobo or something, with overpowered joke characteristics. Option to start Knuckles, as described above, in either Angel Island or Mushroom Hill, with the cutscene altered to fit. Fix Knuckles's Flying Battery boss to be piloted by Eggrobo rather than Eggman. Remix Mode that shuffles Flying Battery to between Carnival Night and Ice Cap as described above, and also includes maybe other early beta level placements that were altered in the final (real or imaginary). Original mode - the original untouched. I'd like to think that Sonic is going to stop looking back so much now.
SEGA & Sonic Team should only put their big bucks into making new games. Generations was the line in the sand, we're moving forward now. Re-releases like this SEGA Heritage thing they've got going on are always cool, that's just easy money.
They shouldn't however spend their time re-making things from the past. The entire gaming industry still spends it's Sonic time by looking back, SEGA need to get everybody looking forward.
For the record though, I'd want it done with 2D sprites made by artists, I was mesmerised by Rayman Origins. I'd also make sure Uekawa has a big part in the art style of the characters. Edited October 20, 2012 by Gatestormer. Here's how I would do the Sonic 3 and Knuckles remake. Have hand-drawn graphics ala Rayman Origins and Skullgirls. The art style isin the vein of the American Sonic bizarre (overal edgy and sinister look, butt-brow, brown Tails, eyeless Robotnik). Also, an alternate sprite set using the Japanese designs is also available,as are the modern designs.
Blaze the Cat as an unlock able character, unlocked by getting the a chaos Emeralds. Critics used to like her, but then 06 came out and she (along with several others) was sent to the 'shitty friends' pile. Putting her in the remake is an attempt to forcibly dig her out of the 'shitty friends' pile. When they complain, we will say 'Ha!
She's in your S3&K now!' . Hidden Palace has an act 1 based on the Sonic 2 version of the level.
The Mystic Cave boss is the boss of act 1. Death Egg has a third act. It is a Boss Rush, where you fight the final bosses of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles.
This act is only for Sonic. Tails goes straight to Giant Robotono. Add a second Doomsday-like zone accessible with all Super Emeralds.
The music is Solaris phase 2. Remixed music from OC remix, bar the end boss, which has Solaris phase 2. Level select is available. Here, any character can play any level.
Blaze the Cat as an unlock able character, unlocked by getting the a chaos Emeralds. Critics used to like her, but then 06 came out and she (along with several others) was sent to the 'shitty friends' pile. Putting her in the remake is an attempt to forcibly dig her out of the 'shitty friends' pile. When they complain, we will say 'Ha! She's in your S3&K now!' I've asked this before, and I didn't get an answer, so I'll ask again.
Why Blaze over Amy? Anybody who would actually make sense? Why just Blaze? I've asked this before, and I didn't get an answer, so I'll ask again. Why Blaze over Amy? Anybody who would actually make sense? Why just Blaze?
Because apparently a cat who can control Fire needs to appear in a game that isn't influenced (and DOESN'T need to be influenced by) her continuity. Seriously, Blaze doesn't need to appear everywhere to have fans. She also doesn't need to appear in a Remake without a reason to appear. Would make sense, he's meant to be a lackee, Eggm- I mean Robotnik, could've hired him. Sure, maybe she snuck onto the Tornado to follow Sonic? No, it makes NO sense for her to appear on Angel Island in a game where she doesn't NEED to be on Angel Island. Adding her to S3&K would make as much sense as adding the Underground Cast in a game not based around Underground without a complete character redesign!
Because apparently a cat who can control Fire needs to appear in a game that isn't influenced (and DOESN'T need to be influenced by) her continuity. Seriously, Blaze doesn't need to appear everywhere to have fans. She also doesn't need to appear in a Remake without a reason to appear. Would make sense, he's meant to be a lackee, Eggm- I mean Robotnik, could've hired him. Sure, maybe she snuck onto the Tornado to follow Sonic?
No, it makes NO sense for her to appear on Angel Island in a game where she doesn't NEED to be on Angel Island. Adding her to S3&K would make as much sense as adding the Underground Cast in a game not based around Underground without a complete character redesign! Remember, she's unlock able, like Tails in sonic Cd HD. Her story is a dream.