Sonic Advance 3
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| Sonic Advance 3 | |
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| Developer(s) | Dimps |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Release date(s) |  June 7, 2004 June 17, 2004 June 18, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Media | 32-Megabit cartridge |
Sonic Advance 3 is a platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Dimps and published by THQ for the Game Boy Advance. It was first released in North America on June 7, 2004, later in Japan on June 17, 2004 and finally in Europe on June 18, 2004. The game uses elements from Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2, as well as allowing the player to choose an additional partner, who augments the player's actions. The Chao Garden mode from the previous Advance games has been removed, and the Chao Garden in this game serves to help the player veiw the Chaos Emeralds and chao they have collected.
Contents |
[edit] Storyline
Dr. Eggman tears the Earth apart using Chaos Control, and Sonic is separated from Knuckles, Amy, and Cream and is stranded with Tails. The two begin to search for their friends and the source of the trouble (which is the separation of the chaos emeralds). But like always, Eggman is making everything from doomsday devices to kooky contraptions and is trying to vanquish Sonic once and for all. The most dangerous of these is Gemerl, a super fighting robot thought by some fans to be made from the remains of Emerl. However this has not been confirmed by an official source and the U.S. manual hints that Gemerl is an entirely new creation created by Dr. Eggman.
[edit] Characters
- Sonic the Hedgehog is playable from the start.
- Miles "Tails" Prower is playable from the start.
- Knuckles the Echidna can be unlocked by completing Sunset Hill (Zone 2), Act 3 with Sonic as team leader
- Amy Rose can be unlocked by completing Toy Kingdom (Zone 4), Act 3 with Sonic as team leader
- Cream the Rabbit can be unlocked by completing Cyber Track (Zone 6), Act 3 with Sonic as team leader
- Dr. Eggman is not playable except in multiplayer mode for 2P in Nonaggresion. It is thought by some fans that he found Emerl's parts and turned them into Gemerl.
- Gemerl is not playable. It is speculated that he is created from the parts of Emerl from Sonic Battle, Gemerl is Dr.Eggman's henchman for the most part of the game until he betrays him in the final battle and is later reprogrammed by Tails to be friends with Cream and her mom, a possible allusion to Sonic Battle.
[edit] Gameplay
Basic gameplay is identical to Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2. This time however, Sonic Advance 3 introduces a new game feature called tag action. Tag action is similar to Sonic the Hedgehog 2: the player picks two characters and controls one while the other will just follow along controlled by the computer (or player two in multiplayer mode) Additionally, in a feature first seen in Knuckles' Chaotix the character can pick up the teammate by holding R, and then release them for team action.
[edit] Character team actions
- Sonic - Gives a super burst of speed, as if walking over a speed booster.
- Only having Sonic as a partner (or being Sonic) will let the characters run as fast as they do in Sonic Advance 2.
- Tails - A super high jump aided by Tails. (ground action)
- - Tails can fly around while holding his partner just like in Sonic The Hedgehog 3. (air action)
- Knuckles - Can be thrown forward at enemies. (ground action)
- - Glides forward with his partner riding on his back. (air action)
- Cream - Cheese becomes a character chao and can used by the player in the same way Cream uses Cheese. (air and ground action)
- - A small double jump, which can be made into an abnormally high bounce if the player times it right. (air action)
- Amy - A super high jump aided by Amy's hammer. Can be used repeatedly to escape deep water.
Besides the Character actions, a partner effects the way the leader acts, for example, Amy will act similar to the way she did in Sonic Advance, but when teamed with Sonic, she will play the way she did in Sonic Advance 2, with an automatic Spin Attack and a Spin Dash. Each team-up will be given a categorization showing its strength, which is either Flying, Power, or Speed.
[edit] Character partner effects
Anyone partnered with Sonic makes a speed team, anyone except Sonic partnered with Knuckles makes a power team, and any combination of the remaining three (Tails, Cream, Amy) will make a flying team.
- Sonic partnered with:
- Tails - Similar to Sonic Advance.
- Knuckles - Sonic gains some aerial moves, such as a downward bounce, and an upward dash. His somersault attack also becomes fiery and more powerful.
- Cream - Sonic gains a forward dash attack similar to the fire shield dash from Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and the homing attack in later games — it seeks a nearby foe if there is one, and also has unlimited air underwater, via a bubble that surrounds him, much like the bubble shield's effect from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
- Amy - Sonic's ground attack becomes a hammer attack, Sonic does not curl up into a ball when he jumps and must use his air attack to curl up. Amy's animations change to reflect her crush on Sonic. Sonic grinds rails on a Snowboard.
- Eggman - Only available in the Nonagression zone as Super Sonic. Super Sonic charges Eggman as a fireball, similar to the Kamehameha wave. The strength of the attack varies according to how long the button is pressed.
- Tails partnered with:
- Sonic - Tails behaves the same way he does in Sonic Advance 2.
- Knuckles - Tails' ground attack becomes a tornado spin attack. Tails gains an aerial instant shield attack like Sonic's. Tails flight becomes a gliding attack like Knuckles', though he cannot climb walls.
- Cream - Tails flies with his tails underneath him, he flies for a shorter time and gains more height per press of the A button similar to Cream's flight.
- Amy - Tails' ground attack becomes a hammer attack, Tails does not curl up into a ball when he jumps, and must use his air attack to curl up, Tails also flies holding his hammer, which can be swung without interrupting his flight. Also, Tails flight speed increases.
- Knuckles partnered with:
- Sonic - Similar to Sonic Advance, except his gliding ability becomes a head first aerial dash (similar to his forward trick ability from Sonic Advance 2).
- Tails - Knuckles' punch attack becomes an uppercut, Knuckles also takes a small jump before gliding, and glides with his fist extended forward.
- Cream - Knuckles behaves the same way he does in Sonic Advance.
- Amy - Knuckles' ground attack becomes a hammer attack, Knuckles does not curl up into a ball when he jumps, and must use his air attack to curl up, Knuckles gains his downward punch attack from Sonic Advance 2. After gliding into a wall, Knuckles can dash up walls in a similar style to a spin dash.
- Cream partnered with:
- Sonic - Instead of a homing attack, Cheese dashes forward a short distance for an attack.
- Tails - Instead of flying, Cream pulls out an orange umbrella and floats.
- Knuckles - Cheese by default flys defensively in circles around Cream.
- Amy - Cream's ground attack becomes a hammer attack. Cream does not curl up into a ball when she jumps, and since her aerial attack is to throw Cheese, she cannot curl into a ball while jumping.
- Amy partnered with:
- Sonic - Amy behaves the same way she does in Sonic Advance 2, but with an aerial forward dash added.
- Tails - Amy behaves the same way she does in Sonic Advance, she can glide slowly down with balloons, and her aerial hammer attack gives her an extra upward boost.
- Knuckles - Amy's hammer becomes huge. Amy has a forward dash similar to her Sonic Advance 2 spin dash, but she does not curl up into a ball when she uses it.
- Cream - Amy behaves the same way she does when partnered with Tails, but her aerial hammer attack gains her no extra air.
- Eggman partnered with:
- Eggman is only playable in 2-Player mode. He can not tag action with Super Sonic in 2-Player mode. Holding the R button as Eggman causes the same effect as if Super Sonic tagged Eggman in 1-Player mode. Super Sonic can not tag at all in 2-Player mode when partnered with Eggman
[edit] Team Names
After selecting a pair of characters, a team name or the word "OK" appear at the top. Only four combinations have team names:
- Unbreakable Bond - Sonic & Tails
- Fighting Buddies - Sonic & Knuckles
- Lovely Couple - Sonic & Amy
- Team Jubilee - Amy & Cream
Having a team name allows for midair tricks similar to Sonic Advance 2 after launching off a spring or ramp by using the R button.
[edit] Zones
[edit] Route 99
In constrast to other side-scrolling Sonic games, the first Zone is man-made, not an unspoiled nature area. Rails, construction, and switches litter the Acts. The boss is a giant hammer that you must hit after it tries to crush you.
[edit] Sunset Hill
A tribute to Green Hill from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The music is even similar to the original (with different variations between the three Acts). Hourglass-like structures can spring you in an upward direction. There are poles to swing on, waterslides, and bottomless pits as well. The boss is a giant wheel that rolls around the boss room, even on the ceilings.
[edit] Ocean Base
Eggman's base under the sea. Players can climb waterfalls similarly to climbing sand columns in the Sandopolis Zone from Sonic & Knuckles. The second and third acts each have areas with water. There are many platforms that try to crush you, some with spikes that pop out of the top. The boss is similar to the Egg Frog from Sonic Advance 2.
[edit] Toy Kingdom
A happy land filled with toys, balloons and castles. Clowns, toy soldiers and wind up tigers will attack you as well as piggy banks that suck up your rings. The boss is a giant jack-in-the-box that attacks in unpredictable ways when hit. It must be defeated by being pushed into a bottomless pit.
[edit] Twinkle Snow
The ice-based Zone, containing platforms that must be crouched upon to lower and spring upward. All three Acts of this zone have water. The northern lights appear above the mountains in the background of this cold zone. The boss chases you up falling platforms in a giant igloo.
[edit] Cyber Track
A cyberspace-based Zone. Also the first appearance of inverted gravity in this game. Moving platforms are everywhere, some travel along set paths, and some collapse after a bit. It is possible to fall up and die if the gravaty is switched. The boss hides below a platform and can only be hit by knocking back the colored balls it shoots.
[edit] Chaos Angel
Eggman has taken control of Angel Island. This is one of the few final standard Zones from a Sonic game not to take place in a man-made base. The boss of this zone attacks by knocking you into spikes and there is switched gravity to make it more difficult.
[edit] Altar Emerald
The altar that holds the Master Emerald. Here you fight Gemerl and Eggman's final boss robot.
[edit] Nonaggresion
Unlocked upon collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds. Gemerl disobeys Eggman, forcing his master to team up with Super Sonic to stop his creation.
[edit] Cast
This is the very last game to use the previous voice actors before the cast was changed to the cast that voices in Sonic X.
[edit] Trivia
- Many of the songs in the game are remixes of earlier songs. Most are from Sonic Battle, namely: Route 99 is a remix of Tails' Lab, Altar Emerald is a remix of Holy Summit, and Nonagression is a remix of Emerl's theme. The main menu music is remixed Chao Race music from Sonic Adventure 2, and all the music from Sunset Hill is remixed music from Sonic 1's Green Hill Zone.
- In the Japanese version's manual, it states that Sonic's favorite food really is chili dogs. The reason that this is of any importance is that this fact was previously believed to be an American concept, not from Japan where the series was originally produced.
- A few months before this game was released a leaked ROM of it appeared on various Sonic-based ROM sites. Not long after it was discovered SEGA sent out warnings to all the sites that had it up telling them to remove it immediately. It was still being traded around IRC chat rooms after that though.
