Sonic 3 30th Anniversary: AIR vs Origins

Yay, now we get to wait for part 2 to turn 30 later!
I personally just play Sonic 3 with the SVC version I bought almost two decades ago because there's nothing quite like playing Sonic 3 with a modern controller on a CRT.
(If only I had a VGA to composite adapter...)

 

The most moddable and open source version will always win by default, in the end. That's going to have to be AIR until someone decompiles the Origins version. S3AIR might have the most advanced and crazy mod scene of any of the games, actually.

The customization and tweaking is the entire reason alternatives to the officials have endured for so long.

Meanwhile, happy 30th to what might still be my all time favorite game (or the first half of it, at least). In the end, it doesn't matter which version you pick, they're all amazing.

Hell, my first version was the worst one (1997 S&K Collection), and getting that in June 1997 started me down the dark path to my insane love of everything in this crazy IP.

 

Yes, that would surely be something...

 

Considering there are mods that bring Origins features to to AIR to bring it up to parity, I think AIR is the better version right now. AIR also has the benefit of allowing me to customize the soundtrack to my liking and restoring some beta stuff so it's always going to be my preferred method of playing. The only reason I'd play Origins is because of Amy and even then I'm not that motivated considering the downgrades.

I actually wonder why an Origins Amy mod or Advance Amy mod doesn't exist yet...

 

Sonic 3 A.I.R. and it's not even close. The amount of work that went into making Sonic 3 A.I.R. such a great port outshines the official port of the game. (Though honestly I must be in the minority when I say I don't mind the Super Sonic theme in Origins, it's still better than hearing a loop of Sonic 3's invincibility theme. Really all of Sonic 3's jingles suck compared to their Sonic and Knuckles counterparts other than the credits theme. I am tired of hearing that god awful goofy one up jingle from Sonic 3.)

 

Both are valid, in my opinion.

 

This is not a positive. The Retro Engine is inaccurate, and IIRC it caused some issues when Origins launched, before patching the levels.

Sonic 3/&K, as originally released, are the purest forms of the game. AIR is closer to that original source, being based directly on the original ROM. Even beyond differences in features, that alone already makes it the superior Sonic 3 experience between the two.

 

My go to way to play will always be the OG Genesis set up with a CRT. But, not always having access to that Sonic 3 AIR is my second go to, mostly because I really don't want to pay 30-40 bucks for Origins since I've bought everything in that collection multiple times.

And also Origins did my favorite Prototype tracks really dirty.

 

Air. I regularly switch between the two as S3/S3K has been my favorite of all time. Origins S3K still has the wrong physics.

 

Oh my goodness, how could I forget...


Happy 30th, Knuckles!

 

And here I'm still playing Sonic 3 complete.

 

DAMN, I came here to write it!
I like choosing of sprites between S1/2/cutscenes Knuckles, and MJ/S&KC tracks..
I still wish the team make a little update to include prototype palettes, normal prototype music (seriously, my ears are bleeding when I listen to LBZ act 2 in S3C, even origins sounds better, imo). I also like using unused theme as super sonic, also it playable on sega genesis (I'd like to buy flashcard one day, now I'm playing on my laptop+hdmi2av for my ancient TV)

 

My favorite Sonic game. Also, it was the first video game that I ever played.
Here is a video made for the 30th anniversary of Sonic 3. It features wall run, moonwalk, a sample of Michael Jackson's Jam, Ice Cap (seen outside my window), Hard Times by The Jetzons, Brad Buxer playing ending credits theme a little bit...

 

I remember the S&K release a little bit better since I started going to elementary school the year prior - mainly I remember the McDonalds and other promotional tie-ins since my house didn't get a Sega Genesis for about another year or so when the Sega Channel debuted but I was finally able to play them for myself!

It wouldn't be another few years until we actually acquired S3 and SK and I could play the full lock on experience - I never got past the barrel. Back in those days before I realized I had learning disabilities I mainly just watched others play. Once I got through S3K as Knuckles I was able to reverse engineer everyone else through in Level Select / Debug, but it wasn't until many years later that a friend casually told me the secret to the barrel.

 

Honestly I would say this is the best way to play it, load it up on a flashcart, hook up your Mega Drive/Genesis and then it's the true definitive way of playing it. There's so much you can customize, everything from the music, to the sprites. I just mentioned Sonic 3 A.I.R. since RetroJordan91 mentioned these two versions.

 

Does S3AIR actually emulate anything though? By "emulate" I mean boot up a genesis emulator and/or reading stuff from the rom.
I've always assumed that it needing the original ROM was just a legal requirement to claim that "see? We didn't steal your game!", and all it does is just lie in the game's folder while everything (sprites, code, music, etc) is already in the game.

 

Sonic 3 Complete is almost the best Sonic 3 experience in my opinion. There is one flaw (that I'm aware of) that kind of ruins it for me.

In Marble Garden Zone, the blue wheels are broken. You can't bounce on them perpetually like you can in the original. I have never understood how or why Sonic 3 Complete changed this, but if it wasn't for that it would be basically perfect. As it is I can't call it definitive, personally. I pretty much always play the original lock on cartridges when I want some Sonic 3.