Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (8-bit video game)

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 side-scrolling platform game and companion to the 16-bit Sega Genesis game of the same name for the 8-bit Game Gear and Master System consoles.
It is the only Sonic game by Konami.
The game was later re-released on Nintendo's Virtual Console service, with the Master System version released for the Wii Virtual Console in June 2011 and the Game Gear version released for the Nintendo 3DS eShop in December 2014.
==Gameplay==
Like the previous games, players control Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Tails Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, or Amy Rose as they make their way through each of the game's eight zones, fighting against various badniks and overcoming deadly obstacles. By collecting rings, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy can protect themselves from damage against enemies and obstacles (with the exception of pitfalls and drowning), with extra lives earned for collecting 100 rings.
Unlike the Genesis version, there is only the Gumball minigame and also the data select is instead a free-roam map.
Gameplay is faster and levels are harders than previously, with a bunch of backtracking.
==Plot==
The Master Emerald, a powerful relic that turns thoughts into reality...
It lays dormant in the hidden shrine of South Island. That's when the big doctor comes in to play after he discovered the Master Emerald's power could be used to power his new space station, the Death Egg. He started his quest on searching for it. Along the way, he meets Knuckles the Echidna, the last member of an ancient echidna civilization that once inhabited the island.
Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald, which grants the island the power to hold it together. Robotnik dupes Knuckles into believing Sonic is trying to steal the Master Emerald.
Sonic and Tails, as Eggman had predicted, had already sensed something strange and had began to take action.
Meanwhile, Amy Rose, a female hedgehog, who has come to South Island after predicting a "destined" encounter with Sonic on the island with her tarot cards. Upon seeing Sonic, Amy instantly falls in love with him and joined the adventurous journey in pursuit of the blue blur.
Will Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy have the last laugh, or will it be Eggman?
== Characters ==
* Sonic (Playable)
* Tails (Playable)
* Knuckles (Playable)
*Amy (Playable)
* Eggman (Non-playable)
*Metal Sonic (Non-playable)
== Zones ==
# Angel Island Zone
# Hydrocity Zone
# Marble Garden Zone
# Ice Cap Zone
# Dazzaling dessert Zone
# Rainy Savannah Zone
# Iron Ruins Zone
# launch base zone
#The End (All 7 Emeralds Only)
==Development==
The game was covered in a June 1994 issue of GamePro.
It was optimized to fit on Game Gear screens, making it easier than the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 GG version.
In this game, green water in Rainy Savannah Zone is also in the GG version.
The first cutscene and ending was changed.
==Re-releases==
It was one of the games featured in the Sonic Gems Collection, released for GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game was later re-released on Nintendo's Virtual Console service, with the Master System version released for the Wii Virtual Console in June 2011 and the Game Gear version released for the Nintendo 3DS eShop in December 2014.
==Reception==
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the Master System and Game Gear has been critically acclaimed since release.
Mean Machines described it as a "improvement on all the Sonic 8-bit ports". They gave it a rating of 98%, with Mega Zone describing it as "an improving classic" that "pushes the Game Gear's limits", with a rating of 78%.
Category:Game Gear Games
Category:Sonic Games
Category:Sonic (series)
Category:SEGA Games
Category:Fan Games
Category:Games
Category:Ports
Category:8-Bit Games
Category:1994
Category:Sega Master System