Quick, what do Twilight Princess, Sonic 3D
Blast, Yoshi�s Cookie, and MTV�s Celebrity
Deathmatch have in common? That�s right,
they all launched on two adjacent generations
of hardware. Usually, it�s a bad sign; a
moneymaking ploy that tends to underline just
how dead one system is and how little effort
went into taking advantage of whatever new
shinyness the emergent generation offers.
Behold, Sonic 3D Blast: the infamous hedgehog�s
swan song on the Genesis what got slapped
onto the Saturn when Sonic X-Treme just kinda...
failed to happen. So, of course, the Saturn
offered what the Genesis version was missing,
like tighter controls, right?
Wrong. Sonic�s quest to dismantle the roboticized
flickies and deliver them safely to the goal
ring is, unfortunately, just as sloppy as
its previous version - which is to say it�s
crafted from the elemental forces of ice and
frustration. Your goal is to traverse each
isometric stage, defeating foes and getting
the flickies they contain to follow you - just
like in the arcade classic, Flicky - but actually
managing to aim yourself so as to not die
can be a bit on the tricky side. Initially,
you�re gonna be slip-sliding all over the
place, and later than initially, much the
same will be the case. It doesn�t really
improve, though you can kinda get used to
it through liberal use of the B button to
duck into a spin-dash (one of the only ways
to make good use of your momentum) and religiously
collecting as many shields as possible. But
let�s put that aside. That�s all gripes
I�ve had since the Genesis version. This
is the SATURN, after all, which means all
sorts of new opportunities, am I right? Like,
how about redoing the entire soundtrack to
take advantage of the much richer Redbook
audio available now that the game�s on a
CD-based format? Sure, it doesn�t have that
classic Genesis bassy twang like it did before,
but the improvements far outweigh the losses,
sound-wise. Load times, on the other hand...
ehhh. Well, that�s the price you pay for
an upgraded soundtrack.
As you might also notice, the textures for
the playfield and characters also look much
more refined, taking advantage of the Saturn�s
increased power. Enhanced visual effects include
this waterfall, or the torquing of any bridges
you happen to roll over. But the most pronounced
change comes in the requisite Bonus Stages,
where you�re trying to obtain the Chaos
Emeralds so that Dr. Eggnik Robotman can�t
get his confusingly-named mitts on them. Now,
Sonic 3D Blast on the Genesis just had a �collect
rings on a track� mechanic, activated by
passing off 50 or more rings to Tails or Knuckles.
This Saturn version, though, features an all-new
take on... oh, what the hell, it�s just
a 3D version of the half-pipe style bonus
stages from Sonic 2. That said, it�s a 3D
version of the half-pipe style bonus stages
from Sonic 2! Considered by many to be one
of the most fun bonus games, it�s been rebuilt
with new twists and turns, hedgehog accelerators,
and timed rings that yield more bling the
faster you navigate the course. A refreshing
update of an old favorite... but whether it�s
worth the ice-skating and load times that
plague the rest of the game is a much more
personal matter.
