Has there ever been a trick to that notorious Sonic 3 cheat?

I have, and it was done on the original console too, I've also done it on Mega Collection Plus (I actually have a state-save that takes me to the Sonic 3 level select).

I also recall having to very slowly pull the cartridge out to get the console right after I entered the code, and then immediately inserted the Sonic 3 game into the Sega Genesis. After that I reset the console, and voila.

(I could post a video of me pulling this off in action.)

 

My roommate and I were having a contest of doing the code. 5 times first one. It was 4-5, him. It's not impossible. A protip: hold the controller sideways.

 

Tried that. All it got me was a confused looked from my Brother who then told me I was holding the controller the wrong way.

 

No, the other sideways.

 

I have managed to do this code once. Real hardware, 3 button Genesis controller. Before and after, no luck. Oh well.

 

Never able to do it. As much as I tried, I could not get it to work, BUT I got it to work with a cartridge swapping. I remember Super Tails was very glitchy in Sonic 3 and I listened all the songs through and sounds.

OKei, I'd love to see the video.

 

On the emulator I just entered the code by trying hard and then when I managed to do it, I made a savestate at the level select so I never had to do it again ... gosh I think I still have that file.

 

This is the method I use. I hold the controller with the buttons closest to me and the d-pad furthest away, with my thumbs on left and right (obviously up and down when held correctly). Then, as soon as the intro music starts and Sonic "whooshes" onto the screen, I furiously type in the cheat.

I can do it around 50% of the time, and is the most effective method I have tried. If it fails I just hit reset and try again, anticipating that ring chime of success!

 

I've heard some rumors that you are supposed to do the code to the beat of the "drums", but I can't really confirm that. The times I did it, I was young and probably got lucky.

 

Doesn't each press need to be done when a different, consecutive frame of the animation is shown?

It would be interesting to know how it really works.

 

I just noticed this now, but the 2P VS select, could they have been referring to the 2P in Sonic 2? It would be interesting.

 

I used to be able to do it fairly consistently, albeit on a PAL console and with the controller sideways, each thumb on one of the directions, as described by others. There was a certain rhythm to it that fit in with the intro drumbeat, but it's hard to explain - I don't think it was pressing it in time with any of the drums as such, more to do with spacing the button presses evenly so that the sequence was the same length as the drum intro.

Oddly enough, I didn't find out about the S3&K cheat until much later, so if I wanted to debug around, I always used Sonic 3 alone.

Nowadays, on an emulator, I tend to just use a savestate at the sound test screen, or failing that, my edited ROM with the code changed to just "up". I can link the savestate if it's of any help.

The 2P VS options just take you to the Sonic 3 competition stages, often in a pretty broken state with the 1P sprites and garbage tiles and collision. The sixth 2P VS link goes to the gumball bonus stage; the Bonus 1/2 options don't do anything.

 

I've done it a couple of times, holding the pad as some have suggested.

 

I've found a thread that talked about this some 6 years ago:
http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=3055

 

And I've realised that I've never done this cheat in my life, I just don't "get it" even slowing down with an emulator and inputting each frame by frame and each animation change it just doesn't work.

 

In Sonic Jam, you can enter the code whenever you want during the intro/title screen, even after Sonic has done the intro animation. It'll still give you the "Sound Test" as long as you put the right button input in.

On topic of the the MD Sonic 3 though, I've got it to work on several occasions, but it always seems to be luck. I used to try and get it to so the last Up input was put in at the same time the screen flashed from black to white after Sonic had finished his animation, but I dunno if that actually works. Messing around with the starposts and "Doilus Stage" made it worth it though.

 

I usually just input it like UP UP DOWN DOWN UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP.... until the ring sound plays.

I remember it playing sometimes when the screen was completely white already, after many UPs had been entered.

 

I've done it in Mega Collection after a lot of practice. You have to tap the buttons rythymically, making sure not to hold them down for too long. Another thing that helps is to slow down. You actually have a lot more time than you think, but if you rush it, the game won't register your presses. Once you get the hang of it, it stops being hard. (Note: I've only done this with a Gamecube controller, not the actual hardware. Results may vary.)

 

I used to do the remove the cartridge trick all the time, but was always scared to do it because I thought I would ruin my game or console. Does anyone know why that trick works? Is it even a legitimate cheat? How does someone discover something like that? I almost thought it was magic at the time. The fact that one game's level select code worked for another when you removed it and replaced it with another game didn't seem right. I thought maybe you could do it for other non-Sonic games too, but I never tried it.

Anyway, it's by far one of the weirdest and most interesting cheats for the Genesis.