Why Advance 3 Is the Best 2D Sonic Game

[@maximillionare7547]

2:20 it is harder to get a D-rank in generations than an S.

[@JsReviews]

+Spooky Phoenix lmao, true

[@Cinko420]

Spooky Phoenix Unless it's the 3DS version.

[@ahmadkazan7994]

I never played the game but I agree.

[@theutubepower1243]

You’re probably not wrong

[@maximillionare7547]

TheUtubePower 12 have you TRIED it?

[@0rderSol]

Remember when revisiting Green Hill was something special?

[@TBOOYY]

KaZ Neosis lool so true

[@Azazreal]

No? Its kinda always been repeated? I mean cmon Emerald Hill has a different name but its pretty much just Green Hill and thats the 2nd game. This is a complaint ive never understood, its a recognizable level that screams Sonic. Of course we get to see it with new games.

[@mrmaster3393]

Remember when hearing 1-1 in mario games was nostalgic?

[@kaexewires7531]

sega is now like: hey guys, do you want green hill green hill??

[@lightgivemepower6425]

@@Azazreal the problem is that now it's popping up way more, too much.

[@crystalmaiden7791]

I really like this review. It's so refreshing to finally see a positive opinion on this game on KZbin. This is the most mature review of it I've ever seen and easily the best. The game combines the speed of Advance 2 with level design that has more challenging platforming. By the way, Knuckles and Tails are the best combination to me, as the double-jump makes climbing walls much faster and encourages me to explore the level design and get to higher routes easier. I liked this game trying it out for myself after expecting the absolute worst from it.

[@LowerBlack64]

This is especially true when hunting for Chao.

[@y2commenter246]

Amy and Sonic is a good one for Time Attack. There's so many ways to play through this game. It's insane.

[@copingflower1909]

What's truly good about this game is unlike later versions to opt for a 2d/3d approach this game does one of those and it does it right now I think sonic rush made the mechanics for this a little more interesting than when this realesed but I really don't think the boost suits this type of game

[@kieranstark7213]

Raise your hand up if you think this is better than Garrulous64’s review on the same game to make a far inferior handheld Sonic game that came a decade later look like much more of an underrated gem when it is the other way around (m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKC1qnqYhJyrpJY).

[@OogaBooga-sq4xg]

knuckles with tails is also my favorite

[@MariusUrucu]

16:20 You forgot to mention that when partnered with Sonic, Amy has a short air dash if your press the jump button midair. It actually has a lot of practical uses. Also I disagree with Sonic being the worst partner character, I find him very useful, especially if you know how to time your air boost right. I even have this video here showcasing this if you want to check it out. :) watch?v=zeQEVhdPjgA Also, I really liked this review and how well presented it is. Not to mention that I love Sonic Advance 3, it's my favorite Advance game. I find it baffling how most people complain about Advance 3 being the worst in the trilogy

[@knuxuki1013]

Very recently, I got into a conversation with someone about Advance 3, he/she thinks that Advance 2 of all things should have it's stages in the Advanced Revamped game instead of Advance 3's because they're unfair.

[@thetreyceratops]

Amy & Sonic basically replaced Sonic for me (I had no idea Sonic could HOMING ATTACK with Cream tbh)

[@J.M91843]

"lovely couple"

[@Good_Ebening_]

Advance 3 is the best Advance game because it has the highest skill gap. Somecallmejohnny would rather play Advance 2 because he would rather just hold right for 2 minutes every level.

[@franciscoperalta5779]

Maybe Christian Whitehead, or sonic team should do to the advance trilogy, what they did to the genesis games with sonic mania. Remake them all in one brand game. Leave the characters intact, tweak the level design and maybe the physics, bring back a few old stages from the original while adding several new ones. Also make the bosses after each act.

[@bunnyboyking5215]

Francisco Peralta Sounds fine by me. Also put them on Switch & add in something exclusive. *As well as something to make Haedox's blood boil* (I used stars for the last part because I was being sarcastic)

[@Gnidel]

Francisco Peralta There is a project called Sonic Advance Revamped.

[@franciscoperalta5779]

That looks like a great creation. All I would say it needs is a lot more stages with tweaked level design, maybe a bit more polish in the sprites. a boss after each zone and it could be the definitive version of sonic advance.

[@franciscoperalta5779]

Maybe, I'd probably leave those characters for the 3d games. There bound to get them right at some point. Although have you seen the fan game sonic world. It brings back all the characters mentioned except for honey and tiara. Bean, Bark, and Fang make cameos in sonic mania.

[@maude7420]

Im pretty sure Whitehead only really cares about the Genesis titles sadly

[@trevinodude]

I'm glad that Sonic Mania today has brought back 2D Tails and Knuckles (as well as Sonic obviously), but hopefully there comes a new 2D series that has Cream and Amy join in the fun again one day. I kinda miss being op with Cheese or the Sonic Advance 3 team system. It had a lot of potential.

[@jballs5434]

Agreed. I was really sad that Sonic Mania Plus didn't include Amy. Her play style is my favorite.

[@DarkspinedZim]

@@jballs5434 Did you like her in Superstars?

[@palindinX]

I think the use of "Non-aggression" as a theme is to show Sonic and Eggman literally putting aside their aggression towards each other and physically working together to stop Emerl. Or that "Gemerl" is forcing aggression between Emerl and his friends, therefore deeply wishes for "Non-aggression" during his final fight with Sonic and Eggman. Or I could just be talking out my ass.

[@GatorOne-in7hk]

I think it represents Sonic’s desire to save his old friend from the corrupting influence of Eggman and the negative power of the Emeralds. He could’ve destroyed the robot completely but instead disabled him, allowing Tails to fix him and restore him to his original self.

[@Dalvory]

Best review of Sonic Advance 3 I've seen! You really outdid yourself with this one. I admit... I was one of those people who thought Advance 3 was the worst in the Advance Trilogy. While I still don't think it's the best one, this review helped me appreciate it for what it really is. While I wouldn't call it the best Sonic game, or even the best 2D installment in the series, it's still a fun time and is a lot better than many people give it credit for.

[@qmchale5130]

It's not too bad. I just need to understand the tag actions a little better.

[@Good_Ebening_]

How can people think Advance 3 is the worst Advance game? It has the highest skill gap, the best level design and actually encourages exploration. I can understand people referring Advance 1 since that plays most similar to the Genesis games, but Advance 2 is a lesson in what NOT to do when making a 2D sonic game.

[@gospel1029]

35:25-35:50 I agree,this was the last time we played more characters and its a shame ,this is probably the last game where Sonic X cast were playable which makes me miss them, the Advance trilogy along with Battle made me like more these characters than the new ones that came after Cream and onwards. At least in Mania we can play with Tails and Knuckles again.

[@bunnyboyking5215]

Gospel Who knows modders could add Cream, Shadow, & maybe even Amy to the PC version of Sonic Mania in things like the Sonic Hacking Contest.

[@lightgivemepower6425]

Funny enough advance 3 was the last game to use the voice clips for sonic and eggman from the adventure games.

[@superdavid14Gaming]

@@lightgivemepower6425 yeah, I miss Deem Bristow. He wasn’t as funny as Mike Pollock, but by far way more menacing. Rest In Peace.

[@tjlnintendo]

Uh… the Sonic X cast started with Shadow the hedgehog which came after this. You mean the SA cast.

[@GatorOne-in7hk]

You have NO IDEA how overjoyed I am to see a positive review for this game. It was one of my childhood staples! And yet, people complain about it. I honestly don’t understand why. You can easily regain lost lives, you can replay special stages as many times as you want, the bosses are challenging, the level themes are unique and the music is AMAZING!! (Twinkle Snow is my favorite zone, both for music and gimmicks, and Act 2 is my favorite of the whole thing)

[@ayrtonjoga]

The problem is not the special stages, it's needing to look at every corner to find 10 chao to get a key and *then* access it, that's the problem

[@GatorOne-in7hk]

@@ayrtonjoga I love finding the Chao. Besides, it’s way better than having to get SEVEN medals in one run of an act to get to a special stage.

[@ayrtonjoga]

@@GatorOne-in7hk But how do you love it? Maybe that's a dumb question, but stopping the flow of the stages to look for them in big stages with GBA's small screen, with some level gimmicks that keep pushing me back and forth is just a chore to me, especially because it's mandatory to finish the game Also, being better than Advance 2 isn't very difficult

[@GatorOne-in7hk]

@@ayrtonjoga Exploration was always a part of 2D Sonic. Not everyone likes blitzing through stages the same way every time. I just enjoy finding that sort of collectible in games. It beats having to hold on to rings for dear life just to access the stage, let me tell you. And that’s why I’m not bothered too much by the shaky level design (except when bottomless pits are involved), there’s no real penalty for getting hit unless you’re knocked into a pit.

[@ayrtonjoga]

@@GatorOne-in7hk Yes, the exploration is important and it's the reason I prefer CD over Sonic 1 because is more focused on exploration, it's also why Advance 2 is one of my least favorites 2D Sonic games because all you do is run through the same obstacles I love exploring levels in Sonic 3&K because you just need to find hidden giant rings and there were plenty of them, giving you multiple chances in every stage, also the Super forms and a proper final boss were awesome rewards Advance 3's exploration just doesn't work for me because it takes too much time and is just not fun in most stages, I was fine searching for them in Ocean Base since it's level design and gimmick is pretty straight forward, but I gave up in Toy Kingdom because the gimmick of the rides kept pushing me all over the place and the small screen didn't helped I wouldn't even mind this Chao hunting if it was optional, but it's obligatory to finish the story and doesn't even give you a gameplay reward

[@esmooth919]

The reason why I hated looking for all the chao in this game, is because certain chao were locked behind walls that I couldn't break through without having Knuckles on my team, and as you mentioned earlier, some of the formations just don't work very well with the level design

[@astriverofstrengthandknowledge]

I’d kill for a Revamped Advance Trilogy or some kind of sequel that plays just like the three installments with more levels and content. I enjoyed this series just as much as the classics.

[@BobbyHillHyperTails18]

well a beta version was leaked a few months before the games release so that might be the rom you had?

[@ThrillingDuck]

10:06-10:25 Couldn't agree more. The first time I played this game as a child I happened to be alternating between letting Sonic take point and letting Tails lead, with Tails in front for every other world. This resulted in me going through the entire fucking game without unlocking any new characters on my first run, and all I could do was wonder how the fuck they were unlocked. I love this game but God DAMN that was an annoying design decision.

[@midwestfest426]

That alternative version of Sonic Advance 3 you were talking about is a Sonic Advanced 3 pre-release....Some of the level layouts are different and as you could guess, It leaked a few months before release.

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

I seriously don’t know why SomeonecallmeJohnny Preferred the 1st 2 games over the 3rd installement. Maybe it’s because you have a different taste in video games.

[@mep6302]

That guy is one of those idiots who think Sonic games are "hold right to win". He didn't review the Advance series good but the opposite. He just said he likes SA1, then he praised SA2 only because you're going fast when the level design is mostly the same (look at some maps on google or any website that has that) and said terrible things about SA3 with no good reasons. Even the antdude said he needed to stop hating it and see the good things of It.

[@Chronos774]

@@mep6302 somecallmejohnny is alright but that review was bullshit especially when he talked about the level design.

[@dmann2116]

@@Chronos774 Level design is what can make and break a game. In a 2D game, the last thing you want is to be unfairly punished for just going in the direction the game tells you to go. Combine that with a character as fast as Sonic, and of course the result isn't gonna be pretty. Route 99 is the perfect example of almost everything people have a problem with in SA3. Enemies and hazards you can't see coming because of the supposedly amped up acceleration and small screen. You run into a wall? A block comes down and crushes you. Finally getting some speed? Not if any enemies have something to say about that. Spring you never saw coming bounces you in the opposite direction so you can run on the ceiling above a bottomless pit? Guess who's taking a plunge. Stuff like this can easily blindside anyone who doesn't know about this, and can leave a bad impression when it starts happening a lot, which more often than not, does in Advance 3. I'm not saying you can't like this game, but the level design is definitely the biggest problem this game has. And for a lot of people, that aspect severely holds it back

[@randomduck8679]

@@mep6302 You know Sonic is one of his favourite franchises, right?

[@fierykoopa8994]

SBGaming174. (Cough cough route 99 cough cough)

[@SuperGamer61499]

Ya know honestly, part of me wonders why some people excuse Sonic Advance 2's level design for being "good" yet, Advance 3 gets shit on unfairly. I won't say it's my favorite of the trilogy (far from it) but honestly, I think as a whole it's much more interesting than most of Advance 2's level design.(That, and i'm mixed with Advance 2 as a whole personally.) Now idk if i'll ever get to finishing this title but ya know what? Your review and your perspective on this game is making me wanting to finish it one day. Overall, nice review dude. And btw, yeah i'm definitely excited playing Mania too.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

Super Gamer61499 Honestly, it's that Advance 3's design flaws are more apparent from a regular playthrough. Advance 2 only blows chunks if you see regular levels as hollow boost fests or go for the Emeralds, but Advance 3 has much more tricky level design and sometimes downright unfair obstacle placement. I say this still liking 3 more however.

[@knuxuki1013]

@Cameron Douglas Highly agreed

[@infern209x]

@@UltimaKeyMaster I'm sorry but no, the techno stages and sky canyon stages in sonic advance 2, which I forget the name of, were much worse than any stage in sonic advance 3, sonic advance 3 is well made and pretty easy except for a few boss fights, you just need to know what you're doing. object placement isn't a bad thing, it makes the game more of a challenge and once you memorize the placement its easy. sonic advance 2 was much worse with the constant pitfalls, constant running into death, the annoying robot chasing you in the special stages making them hard, the fact you needed 4 sets of emeralds for amy rose to be unlocked and to do the super sonic boss. not to mention the evil boss rush at the end. the hate advance 3 gets is ridiculous, because the majority of you can't ever make a proper mature review actually giving proper criticism of the game, you're just "oh this game is badly designed because of boosting and obstacle placement" even though the boosting is only because you're using sonic as a team member in advance 3, which proves you didn't watch the video. do you know what you sound like when you complain about object placement and boosting when the video and game itself disprove the argument? you sound like the reviewer of omega ruby alpha sapphire at ign's "7.8/10, too much water". seriously....

[@hurt4322]

Advance 2 is the worst of the trilogy in my eyes, if not, the most overrated. The levels usually boil down to "hold right to win", and it's really boring. The emeralds are bull as well, but it isn't required to beat the game, but it still sucks. There are alot of other things I don't like about it, but I'm not gonna write a full on essay about it. Advance 3 is my favorite of the trilogy because of basically all of the things in this video.

[@crisrey0799]

This is one of my favorite reviews,Sonic Advance 3 is my favorite out of the trilogy,it had good music like Sunset Hill and Twinkle Snow being my favorites, a tag-partner system that gave many combinations,a better Chaos Emerald system than Advance 2 (though the Chaos were a pain to find) and more balance in speed.Overall the game is like a mix between Advance 1 and 2 and thats why I like the third game than the other two.

[@Chronos774]

Exactly advance 3 did the same thing 3 and knuckles did take everything from the first 2 installments and make it better. If they ever remake the trilogy in the future I hope the add transformations in the game because that would make collecting the chaos emeralds less troublesome.

[@doritos4956]

@@Chronos774 lesson the 3rd installments are the best

[@CyberWolf3858]

have you heard the techworks remix of some the sonic advance music? It wasn't until i heard them that i grew an appreciation for Ocean Base's and Cyber Track's themes

[@ahbeef]

how the fuck did this beat out zero mission as best handheld game? dont get me wrong it seems good and all but zero mission is REALLY really good

[@JsReviews]

+ahbeef I have no idea

[@omar5788]

I think its because sonic is more popular not sure though

[@bunnyboyking5215]

ahbeef *I can only assume that most of the people who voted were either Nintendo haters or Nintendo haters pretending to still be fans*

[@franciscoperalta5779]

you do realize that sonic advance is exclusive to the gameboy advance, which belongs to nintendo right?

[@bunnyboyking5215]

Francisco Peralta I know. I was being sarcastic.

[@KyuubiDragon4]

I love Gemerl's ending in this game so much. I really want to see more of him and see how his character evolves alongside Cream (and before anyone says anything yes I have seen what happens in the IDW comics and I love it but I wanna see that development happen in the games themselves).

[@lolypopmaster11]

hmmm we got sonic mania because people missed the old classic days yet here we are missing the advance games ... SONIC ADVANCE MANIA WHEN????

[@lolypopmaster11]

literally tho that would be pretty nice they could even include sonic battle as a side game or minigame

[@spinballproduction9678]

YES i'm so down for that

[@victorhale]

Actually if I remember correctly there might be an advance beta for mania that makes the game simulate what advance 1 in mania would play like

[@ColorTheoryEB]

I didn't know the requirements to unlock every character when I first played this game, so I only unlocked Knuckles in my first playthrough.

[@GatorOne-in7hk]

I had a hard time unlocking Cream for a while because of how hard Cyber Track Act 3 is. I’m pretty sure I typically had to use Tails to beat it…

[@noahcrook2474]

32:25 “Nonaggression” is a reference to the fact that Sonic and Eggman are teaming up and not fighting, in other words, a nonaggression pact.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

Well, this game looks interesting. I didn't even finish Sonic Advance 2 for many of the same reasons you cited in your review, and then I just never bothered trying this one afterwards. After all, I only thought the first one was just an alright game. Maybe I ought to give it a try. But who knows. I've never really loved the overblown multiple pathway thing that 2D Sonic always tries to do, especially when you only have a 240x160 GBA frame to work with.

[@JsReviews]

I don't think the level design gets to the point where it is more of a maze than a level. However practice definitely makes perfect in this game.

[@ohnoknux4163]

J's Reviews *cough* Sonic CD *cough*

[@jamesdavid6824]

What do you mean by you didn’t finish the game. Did you not beat the final level or did you not fully complete it?

[@mrbanks456]

@@jamesdavid6824 He probably stopped midway because he didn't like it.

[@GUNDAMSTARX]

To me, this is easily one of the best 2d Sonic games.

[@Omla33]

I agree a lot with this review, but id like to argue sonic is as good a partner as he is a leader, as if you pause after charging his tag action, and release r and hold jump, it gives a free double jump along with boost state. Once you learn this trick, sonic becomes a much more interesting partner character and is a character i almost always have on my team. I'd argue knuckles is the worst, as his tag action on the ground breaks up the pace and does almost nothing a good spinjump can't handle, and his glide, while fun to use, is quite situational.

[@KidPrarchord95]

I don't think this was mentioned in the video, but I thought it was cool that every act in a zone had a unique rendition of the zone's theme.

[@rileyhoward7344]

i'm actually almost in tears, this was my first sonic game ever. it was my brothers gameboy cartridge that he gave to me when he got bored of it and i was awful at the game but i remember it being so fun that i used to go back to sunset hill all the time just to run through it and explore. i never beat it but watching you play through the first two stages brought back so many memories i've been looking for this game for ages because i was never sure which advance game i played

[@mata218]

Knuckles+Tails is one of my favorites

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

......A WILDLY mixed finale to Sonic Advance won an award over the universally praised Zero Mission? The fuck? Granted, I think all three games have their qualities to them, as someone who never cared about getting the Chaos emeralds, Advance 1 is the best to me. It's been the true Sonic 4 for more than a decade with Genesis style gameplay and structure and that's all I ever need. Advance 2 being proto-Rush is fine, Advance 3 being a mix is fine, but give me 1 any day of the week. 2 I never got far as Sonic because I *hated* having every goddamn boss being a chase with way more awkward controls than how it worked in Sonic & Knuckles, so the game goes "lol no Tails or Knux for you" because I dared to be able to play the rest of the game as Cream. I feel it's easier as an adult, but I'll be damned to really bother. 3 is where I have the most level design problems. Off screen crushing blocks, enemies or spikes placed in a way you get mere FRAMES to react, and this is the game that taught me Dimps has a hard on for bottomless pits, especially ones they make you fall half a mile before killing you so you have enough time to think "this isn't fun anymore, fucking get on with it." Advance 1 may have been a little cheap by Egg Rocket, but it's by far the least offensive to me.

[@blackdot105]

6:40 hohoho na mate, he's an amazing partner for speedrunning

[@tanner8159]

this was my first ever sonic game on the gameboy. i thought it was one of the best games ever created, next to sonic adventure 2.

[@SQGReviewShow]

Great work, dude. While not my favorite handheld Sonic game, it was my first ever when I bought a used GBA and it came with this game when I was 16. You could say this game made me curious about the other Sonic titles, although the web series Sonic For Hire was probably why I downloaded the first three Genesis titles. Good times

[@SQGReviewShow]

4 Years Later, I'm really glad to see this video taking off. I remember when it first came out, it didn't do nearly as well as your other videos. But now that years later, your series of Sonic videos have been significantly more successful. Most notably "Why Modern Sonic Stories Just Don't Work," it's nice to see this video vindicated by history, now that the Sonic community wants to hear your thoughts on the Advance trilogy and there's already older videos doing just that!

[@joepho5148]

This was my first exposure to Sonic. I got it when my cousin upgraded to a DS... he mailed me his old GBA SP with a ton of old games. I sank soooo many hours as a kid into this, but Super Mario Advance and Superstar Saga wound up stealing my heart haha

[@willythewinner]

Thanks for a great review. My first video game I played was the original Sonic Advance Game. I ended up getting a Gameboy Advance and Sonic Advance 2 was the first game I received with that. So Sonic Advance 3 was the first game I ever looked forward to. And it was worth it. I stuck to handheld until really this decade. So I never knew of the sonic console issues of the time. Ended up getting Sonic Rush and Adventure later. As well as the Sonic Classic Collection for DS which introduced me to Sonic 1,2,3 and K. With that being said Mania is the most excited I've been for a game since Advance 3. I can't wait.

[@PhirePhlame]

Mega Collection (GameCube version) actually gave Advance 2 a dedicated promo video in the bonus video section.

[@GaminTank]

Looks like a solid game. I'll have to pick this up when I can.

[@fdg2208]

What I find really interesting about this game is that Acts for each zone have essentially the same music but different speed. For example, Sunset hill Act 1 is more normal speed or somewhat slow. Act 2 is more fast paced than act 1, and Act 3 is a mixture of both Act 1 and 2 for the music.

[@andygiraldo7898]

I think that only happens on the first two zones and cyber track, ocean base act 1 is different, along with the three toy kingdom songs, twinkle snow act 1 is different, 2 and 3 have differences, the three Chaos Angel soundtracks are different to each other, also every act 3 has an intro

[@Majo_Ellen]

@27:38 Fun fact, because of the way it's remixed it may be a bit hard to recognize! But the song at the Emerald Altar is actually a remix of the Holy Summit song from Sonic Battle ... also known as Emerl's death site... :c I think it's such a nice callback...

[@Blast112]

In the UK, Route is definitely (and always) pronounced similar to "root". Thanks to the 'e' on the end. Rout is a different word entirely.

[@jballs5434]

I've always pronounced it like root. Rout just sounds wrong to me.

[@ja-cai]

I hope we get more sunset levels in the future 🙏

[@sonnyyoung867]

Well as someone that has never played Advance 3 prior to watching this review, I gotta say that it was refreshing for me to see a more positive light on this game, as like you said, some people claim this to be the worst in the Advance trilogy, while others say it's just alright. At the time of this comment being posted, I'm currently up to Toy Kingdom, and I'm quite enjoying it. I will admit that the level design is a little dickish in some places, particularly in Sunset Hill with the bottomless pits, and Ocean Base Acts 1&2 do drag on a bit, but other than that, I do appreciate how the levels aren't just simple theme rehashes seen in the games preceding this one as well as trying something new with the bosses. Still, I think I do prefer Advance 1 a bit more, mainly because it's more easier to pick up for me, but Advance 3 isn't far behind as I still appreciated how they tried something new with the formula by implementing the team mechanic from Heroes, so that Advance 3 doesn't feel like a shallow rehash of Advance 1&2. Also, I love how you brought up Amy's gameplay. She's so underappreciated which is a bummer since she's so fun to play and offers a unique twist from the other characters. Besides, any game with Amy playable in it is valid in my eyes :D And yes, I just came back from your Heroes review and I'm hearing that you're going to be re-reviewing the Advance trilogy again, so I'm looking forward to hearing if your opinions on these have changed or not!

[@gundambassexe31]

Sonic Advance 3 was a good fun GBA game back when I was in high school . Good times

[@varenemerald]

I dunno why but I genuinely remember being unable to get Cream. Like, i did everything, I even googled how to get Cream. Still didn’t appear.

[@ParatelaSFMFNAF]

So with cream you can...CHEESE the game... ;D

[@bunnyboyking5215]

Paratela LOLZ

[@ShibuNub3305]

EYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

[@jimblackford6620]

Yes, now never again

[@mjc0961]

Oh, you also watched the Sonic Advance 2 video. Cool. Good for you.

[@Hanakothemizumiko]

This is hands down my favorite sonic advance game, the first one didn't interest me (I found the first stage bland), the second one while I do like it it's trial and lots of errors, but sa3, everything you said I couldn't agree more, the level design, the music, the backgrounds. Now I want to play it again.

[@mep6302]

The first level of Sonic Advance 1 bland? WTF?

[@agreedboarart3188]

Advance 3 is my favorite Advance game, but I completely disagree about the Chao part. Searching for Chao in this game is AWFUL. The reason the Chaos Emerald system worked in the original games was because you only need to go to find seven special stage portals. In Advance 3, you have to find ALL 70 CHAO. You get NOTHING for this other than a key to the special stages. The Advance series did the special stages very poorly. I still prefer this series over the Genesis games, but I can't ignore those flaws. Advance 3 did it better than Advance 2 though.

[@JdRDMS]

12:08 J you hacker! Overall though, great review as always, looking forward to Zero 3.

[@OctavioGaitan]

I still remember buying all three Sonic Advance games for one price as part of a store promotion at the time of SA3's release. Good times. Sadly I don't even know if I still even have the cartridges anymore but the memories continue.

[@petwisk2012]

I would'nt say the best 2D Sonic game since sometimes the Speed of this game(comming from the Engine for SA2) sometimes clashes with this Game's level design that IS more platforming/exploration Focused, i think If this game had a re-releasse on the Same level as the Taxman Remaster of Sonic 1 to CD (even ading a feature from Freedon Planet or Jazz the Jackrabit where the câmera pulls off when you're in high speeds to give you time to see what's comming in front of you) It could bê ranked amoung the best games in the séries, i think this is probably the Best Sonic game in between Sonic 3 and Sonic Mania (yes i know your views on Mania)

[@TheRockruffWhoCries]

Missed oppurtunity for Sonic and Knuckles' combo name as "Locked On Duo" or "& Knuckles"

[@sopranostorm6792]

The only time I played this game is when I emulated it a few months ago, but maybe I could give it a try. Also gemeral should come back in modern sonic games because I think his interactions with cream would be adorable and I would like to see some character interactions especially with shadow givin how they got to know emeral so well last time. Overall great review.

[@Leemmmm]

Nonaggression is really cool to me cause I can't think of many examples where Sonic games purposely call back to previous games through leitmotifs. Seeing how Ian Flynn incorporates and uses Gemerl in IDW, it's just really nice.

[@TonyIsCool45]

I can't believe I'm only just now realizing that the Jack-in-a-Box thingies in Toy Kingdom have indicators on whether it's the springs or spikes.

[@Cinko420]

I like Cyber Track's music more than Twinkle Snow. Am I the only one?

[@zerobeat032]

not just you... Cyber Track caught me completely off guard and i was super impressed.

[@train4292]

Oh yeah the music

[@kaexewires7531]

Yeah, CAN'T WAIT FOR THE CYBER TRACK'S BONUS VIDEO!

[@HarmonyBunny]

I prefer Chaos Angel.

[@knuxuki1013]

This is my favorite 2D Sonic Game, last year I think was the first time I played this game on an emulator, I freaking enjoyed my very first play through of this game and I still do enjoy it. You basically said everything I like about the game. My favorite zones are Route 99, Sunset Hill, Twinkle Snow and Cyber Track. Favorite Teams Sonic and Tails/Tails and Sonic Sonic & Knuckles Sonic and Cream/Cream and Sonic Cream and Tails ( I actually like the umbrella) Great review, J

[@Azazreal]

Route and Rout are actually different words so ive always pronounced it Route. (I hope that reads well haha) Honestly though I think its probably more just based on EU or US pronunciation

[@EnDavio]

I honestly don't get why this game is considered the prime example of frustrating special stage conditions when Advance 2 did something similar, only worse (at least in my opinion)

[@MarkusVeller]

I actually had the leaked beta of the game back on the actual gameboy, which was why I had a really good time in the emerald challange. There's a few level differences as well among other things. Owning the beta cart was a shame though since most of my friends owned a proper copy, and whenever we attempted multiplayer both of us would just sponaniously die over and over again, even in the level hubs.

[@jonhikarizx3631]

After completing the game 100%, I have much more love for this game than before. Sure, the level design can be incredibly cheap at times, but the production values give this game a helluva lot of charm. Something that the other games don't really have much of.

[@jensvide777]

Good video! Watched all three reviews of the Sonic Advance series today, and it made me pick up Sonic Adventure 3, instead of 2, which I almost did.

[@theminecraft2516]

You got Sonic Adventure 3?

[@jensvide777]

@@theminecraft2516 Yep. I didn't like it, though.

[@EnderElectrics]

Sonic Unleashed on the Wii had the best ranking system imo. It even shows you when exactly you missed the S rank, and how fast you need to go to get it on your next try. It's good stuff.

[@Beatmaster971]

Super late to the review, but happy to see my first Sonic game get the love it deserves

[@D461Sage]

I honestly think the Sonic Advances' popularity is due to Ultimate Sonic Flash, it literally says based off of Sonic Advance 2 and was a pretty fun amd well made(for a flash game of that time anyway). That and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and subsequently DX's Chao Garden compatibility.

[@Mike14264]

I don't know if it is the best one, but it's damn good, I'll give ya that. Real fun ride, all the way through. Not so much at the Chao collection, thought. The Special Stages were fine, more tolerable than Sonic 2's at least.

[@The1upBlock]

I prefer to explore the levels because I want to see what there is to see of my own volition. Not because something in the game is unlocked by crap I need to search for in the stages. Sonic Advance 3 has the least headache inducing collecting mechanic, but I hate it in both Advanced 2 and 3. Wasn't too fond of the special stage springs in Advanced 1 either, tbh. I used to hate Advanced 3 as a kid, but I've warmed up to it's unique qualities in my older years.. Though I will probably never like finding those Chao. The Partner System should definitionally be refined and brought back, however.

[@Nightskyninja]

The best game of my childhood, I’m so nostalgic for this game.

[@dawnalexander6374]

My favorite formation is a speed formation just because when Sonic is rather the player character or the partner character you can enter the boost mode and I also love playing as any character with Sonic as the partner character

[@shis1988]

33:40 and then he built a guardian dog robot to have a good time in the world.

[@tokyobassist]

I never played Advance 3 but definitely seems divisive. A1 seemed like solid start but had some level design problems and A2 seemed to be the Zero 2 of the series with improvements over the first and much better music. I need to give this a shot because while I can agree with your points a lot, there are some opinions I wasn't with like ZX Advent but you are one of the few that likes MGS2 as much as I do and gave DmC a fair shake as well (decent game but I'll just play mainline).

[@megasonic2156]

This game is better than the other Advance games to me

[@kirbaran2039]

The only thing that makes me think Advance 2 is better is because the level design makes you stop a lot in Advance 3. The Advance boost physics is so rewarding. I can't describe how thrilling it was to get to a max boost and manage to keep it for the entire level. It's really easy, too, as, if you are on a spring, trampoline, etc., you will only lose your boost if you are moving slower than needed to preserve the boost UPON LANDING. So, theoretically, you can get a boost from the stsrt and keep it to the end. If Advance 3 kept the fast-paced gameplay of 2 and didn't make you stop once in a while, it would've been perfect. Oh, and, correct me if I am wrong, but, unlike 2, 3 doesn't have branching paths - another feature that makes Advance 2 better in terms of gameplay.

[@neotricksterzero143]

The game is alright but the slippery controls definitely hurt it alongside: bottomless pits, really really cheap enemy placement, really cheap spike placement. These keep the DIMPS games from reaching their true potential.

[@rynobehnke8289]

Towards the controls. There are only "slippery" when you play in a Team with Sonic as Sonic increases your acceleration and top speed. It makes Sonic based Teams both harder to control but also gives them a far higher skill ceiling than most other teams. Similarly does Cream's in air tag action double you vertical upwards momentum.

[@Werdxp]

thanks for bringing me down memory lane - I spent hundreds of hours in this game, kept me going as a bored only child

[@Fried85]

20:09 actually, tails can fly, just mash the jump button. Tails' flight also becomes super vertically oriented.

[@keaton9281]

This was my very first Sonic game, and also one of my very first games in general, along with Mario World Advance.

[@unluckly9256]

The Nonaggression theme is surreal.

[@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel]

0:42 Wow! Now I get why this is one of the most well rated Sonic games!

[@Surgemaster2012]

Truth be told, despite hearing this different opinion compared to everyone who dislikes it. I still hold this game in weaker regards. Now that's not to say I would go as far as to call it one of the worst Sonic games as a whole, no it's far from that. However I still think the level design is really awful (one of the worst in fact) with terrible enemy placement (the worst of the Sonic Advance trilogy) and its design is built around constant crushing platforms. That being said I do prefer this game over Sonic Advance 2, especially in regards to the Chaos Emerald system. I'm also glad they brought back traditional bosses as oppose to the running bosses. This is my 2nd favorite Advance game after Advance 1. Also Twinkle Snow Act 2 is my favorite track in the entire game. As for the team combinations, its easily the best thing about this game. I'll list all of my favorite ones then I'll list the ones I consider the worst. Favorites Tails/Amy Amy/Tails Amy/Knuckles Amy Sonic Sonic/Amy Sonic/Tails Tails/Sonic Cream/Knuckles Cream/Sonic Knuckles/Tails Worst Tails/Cream Tails/Knuckles Knuckles/Tails Cream/Tails Knuckles/Sonic

[@MegaReedX]

Codebox42 so I guess you're not too big of a fan of the advance trilogy on the whole then

[@sumandark8600]

As an British person, from the country where the English language originates, I can confirm it's pronounced "root".

[@mann-nova9392]

I beg to differ. A ranking system based solely on time inspires brainlessly running through the stage as fast as possible. It looks bad when you're constantly running into enemies and you basically turn levels with plenty of level design into narrow hallways of A to B. Generations is basically an example of a timed ranking system since the time gives you so many points for your score. Games like Adventure 2 or even the classic games demonstrate just how good a score system not based solely on time is, and I'm sorry but if you think Sonic was always solely about speed, you are absolutely mistaken.

[@MrX_UNI]

Began with Advance 3, so I never understood why it was to reviled by people. One weird thing did happen with my copy from time to time, where everything was unlocked and maxed out until I turned it off (didn't know about the auto save)

[@loziclec.1295]

You know, as much as I hate this game, as much as I hate the level design with its multitude of sucker-punches and aimless direction, as much as I hate Sonic’s intense momentum that makes precise platform impossible, as much as I feel each level is a slog with their 3 acts each, as much as I think the character combinations led to less focus on how fun the characters are to control generally, as much as I think the Chao collecting and exploration do not mesh well with the tiny GBA screen, as much as I hate all that... uh... no that’s it.

[@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel]

Wait, isn't suposed to be an conclusion after all those "as much as I ________ This game"?

[@carlosrod100]

21:10 Or, and here me out on this one, it is a reference to the fact that jubilie is an adjective describing dessert

[@mrshiruba93]

7:55 I always thought the word used here in "route" which means road in french. And you pronounced it correctly if this is the french that is used.

[@sandudelcea6707]

I played this game for a little bit and i thought it was hilarious that you can send yourself into the stratosphere using tails , anyway i agree with you this is the best 2d sonic game behind sonic 3 , although the controls felt kinda stiff but it's probably the fact i only played route 99 and got a game over on the boss UPDATE: I can't beat chaos angel act 3 l, i've tried everything but nothing works, no chaos emeralds either ANOTHER UPDATE: i finally beat chaos angel act 3 with cream and knuckles and even got a gold metal, the next boss was kinda easy but i got a game over on the final boss and i don't wanna play chaos angel's boss to get to the end, still no chaos emeralds either, i think ill replay it on my laptop with an emulator, i was playing the game on my phone with an emulator and it was fun but now i think it's time to 100% all the advance games... wish me luck ! And by the way the best teams are sonic and cream, knuckles and tails, cream and knuckles, sonic and tails, amy and sonic.

[@kylecampbell565]

4:35 and probably not to spoil sonic battle which was only a few months old. Hell since this was one of my first sonic games I had heard on the playground of a character named Robo-Sonic so 8 year old me assumed this was him

[@Comkill117]

This was the first 2D Sonic game I ever played, I still have my original cartridge for it. Never actually beat it though, might have to change that after this.

[@BlackFlash09]

I wish we could see more of Team Jubilee... I looked up jubilee and found two good results. First the X-Men character. And second, cherries jubilee. Could be a reference to either. But I like to think it's the dessert. Look the dessert up and I think you'll agree. ;)

[@outback4252]

"Jubilee" is often used as a synonym for "Happy" or "Joyous" due to it's initial meaning relating to celebration. So it's basically "Team Joy."

[@GatorRay]

Fun fact. Meta527II considers this his favorite handheld Sonic game. Or at least at one point I need to watch his more recent countdowns in case it's changed.

[@JsReviews]

+tim5fl I’ve never heard of him, I’ll have to check him out.

[@tylerbregg9332]

watching this and jonnys review is kinda jarring

[@mep6302]

Because Jonny's review sucks

[@CelestialReturner]

The first time I saw the extra zone, I thought it felt like a Gradius boss.

[@DonnyKirkMusic]

Yes, the game actually was reprinted with those differences. You may have played the European version if you had played the ROM before and had seen differences; it and the Japanese version are different very slightly.

[@KingZevon]

I do want to say that speed is only 1/3 of Sonic's core original design (it's talked about the most though due to it being a big marketing tool for SEGA) The other two are platforming and exploration, something the Genesis and a few modern games like Generations have and are loved for.

[@Chronos774]

Man I love this game it was the very first sonic game I ever played and I enjoyed it alot especially the levels and the music. Good times.

[@onthedre]

For speed running tails and sonic or Amy and sonic is good. Sonic is good for speed running in time attack mode.

[@hoseinbmr3449]

10:49 Knuckles does not seem to be ok with it 😂😂😂

[@T_Ocha_Streams]

hahah teh tails & amy combo name part. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 @20:34

[@pokekiller787x]

I would love an advance collection for switch.