Nice way to end the Sonic Advance Series for the GBA, but the series still doesn't have any classic Sonic feel.
As the final Sonic game for the GBA, Sonic Team decided to give us a different tweak in the Sonic Advance Series' gameplay. You now can have a team member come along with you as you play. Their personalities and moves will affect your gameplay, so be sure to choose the correct member for your type of gameplay. The game still keeps the old-school 2D Sonic style of play, but the game itself isn't really considered a classic to platformer fans. Sonic Advance 3 features some interesting way of playing fast 2D gameplay, but there's nothing really memorable here. The only changes Sonic Advance 3 has, compared to the other Sonic Advance games, is the hub-world selection. This means you move around in a stage that has giant rings, where you jump, and they warp you to an act and boss stages. There's even hidden stuff, such as Mini-Game ships and Special stage ships too. One thing I dislike about SA3 was the enemy placements. Sometimes, you'll be running fast, but then crash into a robot and take damage when you don't know it at all. I find it unfair, because it's better to attack robots when you're not going so fast. Sonic Advance 3 has quite a big amount of unlockables, but they don't really enhance your gameplay experience too much. Overall, Sonic Advance 3 is a basic 2D Sonic game with some tweaks in the atmosphere and gameplay.
Graphics:
The graphics remain colorful like the rest of the Sonic Advance games were. This time though, Sonic Advance 3 has a big improvement on the 3D effects in the textures. Nice animation and great speed for a 2D game. Sonic Advance 3 is most likely the best looking Sonic game on the GBA.
Sound:
The music is alot like the other Sonic Advance games. The music trys to be old-school style. Some of the music is really good, but some other songs just aren't cheerful, like the Sonic games were on the Genesis. The sound effects are all reused from previous Sonic Advance games. This game even features some voices during the gameplay for each character. Overall, Sonic Advance 3 has a pretty nice soundwork delivered for Sonic fans.
Conclusion:
This game was pretty cool in many ways, but its still far from perfect. This just isn't a Sonic classic to be remembered. Sonic fans will mainly be appealed to this, but other GBA gamers maybe should approach this one with caution.
Pros:
-Gameplay, when it's not annoying, is at least okay enough to finish.
-Graphics are colorful and well detailed.
-Some of the music catches some people's attension easily.
-Some unlockables.
Cons:
-Robots are sometimes badly placed.
-Some traps are so unexpected.