History YMMV / Sonic3AndKnuckles

* BetterThanCanon: While the official version of ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' is good as is, there are two fan made projects that arguably outdo it.
** The first is ''Sonic 3 Complete'', which is a rom hack that combines ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' into one cartridge, fixes many of the original game's bugs, restores the Big Arms boss for Sonic & Tails and has a wide array of customizability options, such as being able to switch between the ''Sonic 3'' and ''Sonic & Knuckles'' tracks, as well as between the Genesis arrangements and the PC arrangements, the option to place Flying Battery back in its original position between Carnival Night and Ice Cap and plenty more (with even more external options that can be added via a website outside of the game, such as the option to use ''Sonic 1'' and ''Sonic 2'' sprites, the option to stick to one bonus stage or to have Mushroom Hill be Mushroom Valley or vice versa).
** ''Sonic 3: Angel Island Revisited'' (or ''Sonic 3 [[FunWithAcronyms A.I.R.]]'' for short) is a full blown FanRemake that provides plenty of the same benefits as ''Sonic 3: Complete'', while also providing a ton of new features and tweaks, such as achievements, the option to use the drop dash from ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', a full widescreen aspect ratio like the Taxman/Stealth remasters of ''1'', ''2'' and ''CD'', and built in mod support, allowing you to tweak the game even further to your liking. Some fans actually consider this to be better than the later official remastered port in ''Sonic Origins'' due to having much more in the way of options.

** ''Sonic 3: Angel Island Revisited'' (or ''Sonic 3 [[FunWithAcronyms A.I.R]]'' for short) is a full blown FanRemake that provides plenty of the same benefits as ''Sonic 3: Complete'', while also providing a ton of new features and tweaks, such as achievements, the option to use the drop dash from ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', a full widescreen aspect ratio like the Taxman/Stealth remasters of ''1'', ''2'' and ''CD'', and built in mod support, allowing you to tweak the game even further to your liking. Some fans actually consider this to be better than the later official remastered port in ''Sonic Origins'' due to having much more in the way of options.

** Similar to [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD two]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3DFlickiesIsland other]] ''Sonic'' games, there is a rift between fans of the Genesis soundtrack and fans of the PC/prototype soundtrack.[[note]]When ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' was first released on PC via the ''Sonic & Knuckles Collection'', the tracks for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCyFG988eU Carnival]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heLtFnLqmUo Night]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_l_NOy_3dA Ice]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGZNfR2jImI Cap]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhZL4woBvbE Launch]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0fX4YROAq8 Base]], as well as several other tracks such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlkB87H8Ns Knuckles' theme]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhe2FWmbfyY the ending credits]] (only in ''Sonic 3'' standalone, as the ''S&K'' equivalents are still used in ''Sonic & Knuckles'' standalone and ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'') and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce-SKdVkeaM competition theme]] were replaced with renditions of the original tracks during development. This was only in the ''Sonic & Knuckles Collection'', however, as subsequent re-releases afterwards retain the Genesis tracks.[[/note]] Some utterly despise the PC/prototype tracks, finding them to be generic, lackluster and forgettable compared to the Genesis tracks. Others, however, tend to prefer the prototype/PC soundtrack instead, finding them to be catchier, more "Sonic-y" and better fitting with the rest of the game's soundtrack than the final Genesis tracks do. The general consensus seems to be that prototype Carnival Night is the best of the lot and superior to the final Genesis arrangements (for being catchier and more bouncy, which fits the carnival themeing), prototype Ice Cap is the worst of the lot and is inferior to its final arrangement (primarily for being too generic and cheerful, as well as final Ice Cap being a ToughActToFollow in general), and prototype Launch Base is a mixed bag, with act 1 being regarded as SoOkayItsAverage and unfitting, but act 2 being regarded as great and up there with Carnival Night as the best of the prototype tracks.

** Similar to [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD two]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3DFlickiesIsland other]] ''Sonic'' games, there is a rift between fans of the Genesis soundtrack and fans of the PC/prototype soundtrack.[[note]]When ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' was first released on PC via the ''Sonic & Knuckles Collection'', the tracks for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCyFG988eU Carnival]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heLtFnLqmUo Night]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_l_NOy_3dA Ice]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGZNfR2jImI Cap]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhZL4woBvbE Launch]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0fX4YROAq8 Base]], as well as several other tracks such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlkB87H8Ns Knuckles' theme]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhe2FWmbfyY the ending credits]] (only in ''Sonic 3'' standalone, as the ''S&K'' equivalents are still used in ''Sonic & Knuckles'' standalone and ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'') and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce-SKdVkeaM competition theme]] were replaced with renditions of the original tracks during development. This was only in the ''Sonic & Knuckles Collection'', however, as subsequent re-releases afterwards retain the Genesis tracks.[[/note]] Some utterly despise the PC/prototype tracks, finding them to be generic, lackluster and forgettable compared to the Genesis tracks. Others, however, tend to prefer the prototype/PC soundtrack instead, finding them to be catchier, more "Sonic-y" and better fitting with the rest of the game's soundtrack than the final Genesis tracks do.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The ''Sonic Origins'' version of the full game provides some improvements from the original:
** The Big Arm boss battle is restored in Sonic and/or Tails' story after being missing when using the lock-on technology or playing the other re-releases.
** Much like ''Sonic Mania'' and the ''Origins'' version of ''Sonic 2''[[note]]As well as ''Sonic 3 Complete'' and ''Sonic 3 Angel Island Revisited''[[/note]], the Super/Hyper transformations are activated by pressing a separate button during a jump. This especially helps when playing as Tails and Knuckles as you won't be forced to transform in order to freely use their abilities afterwards.
** When standing on barrels in Carnival Night Zone that can be manually swung (such as the infamous "Barrel of Doom"), pressing up or down makes the characters visibly look up or crouch, hinting to the player that doing so while standing on such barrels at least does ''something''.

** The 1.04 patch adds in a subtle one in regards to the new Super Sonic theme (which received a great deal of backlash from fans for how poorly it fits), as one of the newly added cheat codes in the patch can disable the Super theme entirely, allowing you to play as the Super/Hyper forms without changing the music.[[note]]input 6, 2, 1, 4 in the game's sound test to disable the music.[[/note]]

** Much like ''Sonic Mania'' and the ''Origins'' version of ''Sonic 2''[[note]]As well as ''Sonic 3 Complete'' and ''Sonic 3 Angel Island Revisited''[[/note]], the Super/Hyper transformations are activated by pressing a separate button during a jump. This especially helps when playing as Tails and Knuckles as you won't be forced to transform in order to use their abilities freely afterwards.

** The 1.04 patch adds in a subtle one in regards to the new Super Sonic theme (which received a great deal of backlash from fans for how poorly it fits), as one of the newly added cheat codes in the patch can disable the Super theme entirely, allowing you to play as Super forms without changing the music.[[note]]input 6, 2, 1, 4 in the game's sound test to disable the music.[[/note]]

** The 1.04 patch adds in a subtle one in regards to the new Super Sonic theme (which received a great deal of backlash from fans for how poorly it fits), as one of the newly added cheat codes in the patch can disable the Super theme entirely, allowing you to play as Super forms without changing the music.[[note]]input 6, 2, 1, 4 in the game's sound test[[/note]]

** The 1.04 patch adds in a subtle one in regards to the new Super Sonic theme (which received a great deal of backlash from fans for how poorly it fits), as one of the newly added cheat codes in the patch can disable the Super theme entirely, allowing you to play as Super forms without changing the music.[[note]]input 6, 4, 1, 2 in the game's sound test[[/note]]

** The ver. 1.04 patch adds a subtle one in regards to the new Super Sonic theme (which received a great deal of backlash from fans for how poorly it fits), as one of the newly added cheat codes in the patch can disable the Super theme entirely[[note]]input 6, 4, 1, 2 in the game's sound test[[/note]].

** Many fans became surprised in November 2019 when a leaked prototype revealed that the alternate tracks once thought to be replacements exclusive to ''Sonic & Knuckles Collection'' (a PC port of the game) are actually the original tracks, with the final Genesis tracks by Music/MichaelJackson's sound team being last-minute replacements. Not only do many fans find them to be vastly superior to the MIDI-based rearrangements in the PC port, but some have gone on to prefer them over the final Genesis tracks. The prototype arrangements are also widely preferred by fans over the new rearrangements of them in ''Sonic Origins''.

* PolishedPort: Music issues aside (detailed more in TheyChangedItNowItSucks below), the port in ''Sonic Origins'' is regarded by fans to be the highlight of the compilation and the definite official way to play the game. It brings in the numerous refinements from the previous remastered ports such as widescreen support and smoother animations, adds in the drop dash from ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', fixes several bugs (and more via patches), re-adds the Big Arms boss for Sonic and Tails, has new sprites for Super Sonic, and adds in various quality of life improvements that make the game that much better (such as having Super Sonic be activated by a separate button like ''Mania'' and adding new animations for Sonic and Tails on the Barrels in Carnival Night to make it clearer what you're supposed to do on it).

** While ''Sonic 3'' is the first game in the series to allow saving, there is still a No Save option in case you prefer to reexplore the areas all over again like the previous titles. It's even a bigger challenge in ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles''.
** While ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' allows you to get Super Emeralds and to get the Hyper Sonic form, you can still ignore the Giant Rings to keep the Super Sonic form until the end of the game. This makes the Doomsday Zone ''way harder'', as you can't dash in the air.

** Batbot can be a literal Goddamned bat in Carnival Night Zone, as it follows you forever and therefore can end up in some inconvenient places, knocking you back.

** The ghosts in Sandopolis Zone Act 2, especially when it is dark-- they grow big and attack in numbers, and they can't be killed off permanently.

** The soundtrack getting changed to the Prototype/PC tracks in ''Sonic Origins'' was always gonna receive this reception regardless due to how fond fans are of the Michael Jackson/Brad Buxer tracks, but even fans who don't mind the prototype tracks getting used were unhappy that instead of simply reinserting and polishing up the original Genesis arrangements from the prototype, Sega used different versions that are highly likely to be from an even earlier prototype. These versions immediately received criticism from the fandom, with many regarding them as being inferior to the arrangements from the prototype, on top of being poor quality in their own right.

** The soundtrack getting changed to the Prototype/PC tracks in ''Sonic Origins'' was always gonna receive this reception regardless due to how fond fans are of the Michael Jackson/Brad Buxer tracks, but even fans who don't mind the prototype tracks getting used were unhappy that instead of simply reinserting and polishing up the original Genesis arrangements from the prototype, Sega used different versions that are seemingly based off the MIDI-based rearrangements in the Windows 95 port instead of the arrangements from the prototype. This wouldn't be a bad thing necessarily, however, the rearrangements in ''Origins'' have immediately received criticism from the fandom, with many regarding them as being inferior to the arrangements from the prototype, on top of being poor rearrangements in their own right.

** Music/MichaelJackson's involvement with the soundtrack of ''Sonic 3'' has inspired many a ''Sonic''/MJ music mashup, with some ''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic interesting]]'' results.
** The subtitle "& Knuckles" can be added to other works' covers. Often crossed over with "[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series]]''.
** [[GameBreakingBug Eggman's]] [[UnintentionallyUnwinnable diabolical]] [[HandWave traps.]] A shorthand developer's excuse in the manual for ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'''s rushed development and buggy state.
** [[ScrappyMechanic The barrel]]. When going through Carnival Night Zone Act 2, players will encounter a barrel that can be moved up and down while standing on it by pressing in the respective directions, so you move it enough to jump through an open space. [[GuideDangIt Nothing else in the game works like this nor is this described in the manual somewhere]], leading to one of the most infamous obstacles in ''Sonic'' history.
** "Knuckles chuckles." One of the tracks in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', "Unknown from M.E.", is a BoastfulRap from Knuckles that includes the line "Unlike Sonic I don't chuckle." Fans were quick to point out ''Sonic 3'', where within the first minute of gameplay and in numerous other parts Knuckles does, in fact, chuckle.
** Doilus Stage. A minor meme surrounding a glitch that occurs when you attempt to exit the Gumball Machine bonus stage in ""Sonic the Hedgehog 3''. The "Bonus Stage" title card corrupts into "Doilus Stage", and the stage infinitely repeats itself until you reset the game. Fixed in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

* ToughActToFollow: Sega would spend ''decades'' trying to replicate the success of ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles''. It didn't help that this was the last mainline 2D game before Sonic went 3D, [[PolygonCeiling with incredibly mixed results]].

** Likewise, there is a brand-new theme for Super Sonic in the ''Origins'' version, meant to replace the usage of the repetitive Invincibility theme being used for the transformation instead of getting its own theme like in ''Sonic 2''. Unfortunately, it has been received just as bad as, if not ''worse'' than, the ''PC Collection'' arrangements. How? Instead of using the original Genesis instruments of ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'' as a base, Jun Senoue instead reuses the almost universally-reviled synthetic Genesis sounds that were used in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'', causing it to sound very out of place with the rest of the soundtrack. Making matters more perplexing is that in the Prototype version of ''Sonic 3'', there was an unused song that had been used in fan-made ROM hacks as a new theme for Super Sonic which had been generally well-received. This song does make an appearance in ''Origins'', but it is used for the title screen to New Blue Spheres.

* OhCrap: Holding left at the beginning of Hydrocity Zone Act 1 results in an instant death. When falling down, there are 2 enemies and spikes on the left side before you land on the ground. Developers assumed you would either stand still or hold right when falling down.