History YMMV / Sonic3DFlickiesIsland

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/SonicTheHedgehog The soundtracks of both versions]]. It helps that the Green Grove and Panic Puppet tracks each got re-orchestrated for VideoGame/SonicAdventure.

* EarWorm: Despite not being one of the most popular ''Sonic'' games, it has one of the better soundtracks. Gene Gadget Zone in particular has music that's right up there with [=IceCap=] and Lava Reef as some of the best ''Sonic'' music ever. Two of the Genesis tracks (Green Grove Zone and Panic Puppet Zone) were so well-liked that they were later re-arranged for levels in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: In response to criticisms of the game's physics not embodying the usual feel of the prior ''Sonic'' games, the CEO of Traveler's Tales, Jon Burton, produced a modification of the game with numerous updates, including the addition of Super Sonic.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/SonicTheHedgehog The soundtracks of both versions]].

** Upon Jon Burton's unveiling of his official "Director's Cut" GameMod, fans immediately swarmed his forums and [=YouTube=] videos, completely divisive over many of the alterations made (or ''not'' made). The altering of the Flicky mechanics and the obligations for unlocking Super Sonic in particular left fans split down the middle.

* GoodBadBug: In addition to the cheat code activated level select, there's a second way to trigger it. As part of a kind of safety feature, the error handler for the game makes the game jump to a screen saying, "CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE FOUND THE SECRET LEVEL SELECT SCREEN!", proceeding onto the level select. With the Genesis being as fragile as it is, the easiest way to do this is to simply ''smack the console'', especially during the pre-rendered 3D animation at the start of the game.[[note]]Jon Burton [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9bkKw32dGw revealed]] that this error handler was a clever (and successful) way to pass Sega's quality assurance more easily.[[/note]]

* GoodBadBug: In addition to the ClassicCheatCode activated level select, there's a second way to trigger it. As part of a kind of safety feature, the error handler for the game makes the game jump to a screen saying, "CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE FOUND THE SECRET LEVEL SELECT SCREEN!", proceeding onto the level select. With the Genesis being as fragile as it is, the easiest way to do this is to simply ''smack the console'', especially during the pre-rendered 3D animation at the start of the game.[[note]]Jon Burton [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9bkKw32dGw revealed]] that this error handler was a clever (and successful) way to pass Sega's quality assurance more easily.[[/note]]

** An [[https://youtu.be/4qAnfh8X8wU?t=42s unfortunate camera angle of Sonic's face]] in a pre-release of this game gave rise to a RunningGag on the Sonic Retro forums known as [[FanNickname Down Syndrome Sonic]], or [[FanNickname Lazy-Eyed Sonic]] if you prefer.[[note]]Jon Burton, the game's director, claims it was a result of using Sonic's model with its default expression, but the way it was angled unintentionally gave it the appearance of being cross-eyed. They doctored the models eyes to look better for the final version.[[/note]] Some forum regulars even include DSS in their ROM hacks.

** The Saturn version substantially beefed up the graphics and palette with a variety of environmental effects, completely redesigned the Special Stages courtesy of in-house Sega of Japan developers, added analog control pad support, and provided a different CD-quality soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques. The major caveat, however, is that the load times are absolutely atrocious, being near the level of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'''s load times (if not ''worse''), leading to most online LetsPlay videos entirely masking it, though the later Japanese version at least does marginally improve this issue. Additionally, the cheat codes have sadly been disabled as well.
** The PC port retains many of the improvements of the Saturn version, along with managing to almost minimize the load times altogether. Additionally, there is even a basic save feature, Unfortunately, the environmental effects were removed, and the impressive Special Stages of the Saturn version were severely downgraded, to the extent of widely being considered to being inferior to even the Special Stages of the Genesis version.

* BestLevelEver: The Special Stages from the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version are a fan favorite, being a vastly improved version of the Special Stages from ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]''. These stages are rendered in true 3D and have more elaborate features like springs, gaps, and upper/lower paths. On top of that, they are less headache-inducing than the ''Sonic 2'' Special Stages. Some elements, such as the upper/lower paths and the animation sequences were retained in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4: Episode II'' Special Stages.

* BestLevelEver: The Special Stages from the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version are a fan favorite, being a vastly improved version of the Special Stages from ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]''. These stages are rendered in true 3D and have more elaborate features like springs, gaps, and upper/lower paths. On top of that, they are arguably less headache-inducing than the ''Sonic 2'' Special Stages.
** Some elements, such as the upper/lower paths and the animation sequences were retained in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 - Episode II'' Special Stages.
** The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis / Mega Drive renditions may be very straightforward, but there's a welcome simplicity compared with the much harder, complex Special Stages in ''2'' and ''3''.

** [[RunningGag In true Sonic fashion.]] Suffers the same arguments as ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'' over which soundtrack is the better one, the Mega Drive or Saturn version.
** Upon Jon Burton's unveiling of his official "Director's Cut" GameMod, fans immediately swarmed his forums and Youtube videos, completely divisive over many of the alterations made (or ''not'' made). The altering of the Flicky mechanics and the obligations for unlocking Super Sonic in particular left fans split down the middle.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: [[AwesomeMusic/SonicTheHedgehog The soundtracks of both versions.]]
* EarWorm: Despite not being one of the most popular ''Sonic'' games, it has one of the better soundtracks. Gene Gadget Zone in particular has music that's right up there with [=IceCap=] and Lava Reef as some of the best Sonic music ever. Two of the Mega Drive tracks (Green Grove Zone and Panic Puppet Zone) were so well-liked that they were later re-arranged for levels in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''.

* GoodBadBug: In addition to the ClassicCheatCode activated level select, there's a second way to trigger it. As part of a kind of safety feature, the error handler for the game makes the game jump to a screen saying, "CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE FOUND THE SECRET LEVEL SELECT SCREEN!", proceeding onto the level select. With the Mega Drive being as fragile as it is, the easiest way to do this is to simply ''smack the console'' (especially during the prerendered 3D animation at the start of the game).[[note]]Jon Burton [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9bkKw32dGw revealed]] that this error handler was a clever (and successful) way to pass Sega's quality assurance more easily.[[/note]]
** You can also trigger it in emulators by opening a savestate of any other game while you have ''3D Blast''/''Flickies' Island'' open.

** An [[https://youtu.be/4qAnfh8X8wU?t=42s unfortunate camera angle of Sonic's face]] in a pre-release of this game gave rise to a RunningGag on the Sonic Retro forums known as [[FanNickname Down Syndrome Sonic]], or [[FanNickname Lazy-Eyed Sonic]] if you prefer[[note]]The games director Jon Burton claims it was a result of using Sonic's model with its default expression, but the way it was angled unintentionally gave it the appearance of being cross-eyed. They doctored the models eyes to look better for the final realease.[[/note]) Some forum regulars even include DSS in their ROM hacks.
** '''SEGA!''' [[labelnote: *]]The Sega logo, rather than the famous "Se-gaaaaaa!" from most other Genesis Sonic games, has someone screaming the company's name in a way that sounds like he's about to be murdered. Amusingly, some of the prototypes do feature the classic "Se-gaaaaaa!" chant.[[/labelnote]]
* PolishedPort / PortingDisaster:
** The Saturn version substantially beefed up the graphics and palette with a variety of environmental effects, completely redesigned the Special Stages courtesy of in-house Sega of Japan developers, added analog control pad support, and provided a different CD-quality soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques. The major caveat, however, was that the load times were absolutely atrocious, being near the level of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'''s load times (if not ''worse''), leading to most online LetsPlay videos entirely masking it, though the later Japanese version at least does marginally improve this issue. Additionally, the cheat codes have sadly been disabled as well.
** The PC port retains many of the improvements of the Saturn version, along with managing to almost minimize the load times altogether. Additionally, there is even a basic save feature, Unfortunately, the environmental effects were removed, and the impressive Special Stages of the Saturn version were severely downgraded, to the extent of widely being considered to being inferior to even the special stages of the Genesis version.

** The Saturn port, for all of its merits, introduces another unwelcome change from the Mega Drive version: as the Tails and Knuckles set of Special Stages were merged, you can only collect one Chaos Emerald per act as opposed to two (going to the Special Stage a second time in an act will always give you a 1-up) which [[FakeLongevity considerably drags out the pacing of the game]], which was already bloated by the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading very tedious loading times]].
** Jon Burton's "Director's Cut" makes the Chaos Emerald situation even worse; you can only earn one '''per zone'''. Which means you can't even unlock the newly added [[SuperMode Super Sonic]] until the endgame, although the extra challenges and replay value prevent it being redundant altogether.
* SoBadItsGood: The unused track, which was originally thought to be meant for Spring Stadium. It was nonetheless reprised in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 - Episode I'' as the initial boss theme.

** Rusty Ruin isn't hard as a whole, but it becomes much more frustrating if you're trying to get to Tails or Knuckles. The big issue is that there are stone pillars obstructing your paths in both acts, and you have to use the Spinner devices nearby to destroy them -- and the controls for Sonic spinning around (which makes him a lot faster than usual) are very slippery and liable to get you knocked into an obstacle by accident, robbing you of the rings you need to access the Special Stages. Act 2 also has a very tricky platform on an angle you have to traverse, and due to the game's isometric controls, it is very easy to miss the jump and fall down to the area below it, forcing you to backtrack all the way up and try it over again.

** Gene Gadget Zone Act 2 is also a pain because of one section where you have to climb up a large incline by jumping between moving platforms and dodging enemies. This section is designed to loop around until you can manage to get all the Flickies, and it'll most likely take more than a few tries.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Particularly hardware-pushing for the Mega Drive. Let's count the ways:
** A ''full FMV'' for the opening cutscene. [[labelnote: *]]According to programmer Jon Burton, not even the people from Sega knew it was possible.[[/labelnote]]
** ''Incredibly'' fluid animations for everything on screen.

** An [[https://youtu.be/4qAnfh8X8wU?t=42s unfortunate camera angle of Sonic's face]] in a pre-release of this game gave rise to a RunningGag on the Sonic Retro forums known as [[FanNickname Down Syndrome Sonic]], or [[FanNickname Lazy-Eyed Sonic]] if you prefer. Some forum regulars even include DSS in their ROM hacks.

** An unfortunate rendering of Sonic's face in a pre-release of this game ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcEJCSKbKBg shown in this video]]) gave rise to a RunningGag on the Sonic Retro forums known as [[FanNickname Down Syndrome Sonic]], or [[FanNickname Lazy-Eyed Sonic]] if you prefer. Some forum regulars even include DSS in their ROM hacks.

* EarWorm: Despite not being one of the most popular ''Sonic'' games, it has one of the better soundtracks. Gene Gadget Zone in particular has music that's right up there with [=IceCap=] and Lava Reef as some of the best Sonic music ever. Two of the Mega Drive tracks (Green Grove Zone and Panic Puppet Zone) were so well-liked that they were later [[SelfPlagiarism directly reused]] for levels in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: In response to criticisms of the game's physics not embodying the usual feel of the prior ''Sonic'' games, the CEO of Traveler's Tales, Jon Burton, is producing a modification of the game with numerous updates, including the addition of Super Sonic.

* BrokenBase: [[RunningGag In true Sonic fashion.]] Suffers the same arguments as ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'' over which soundtrack is the better one, the Mega Drive or Saturn version.

** Jon Burton's "Director's Cut" makes the Chaos Emerald situation even worse; you can only earn one '''per zone'''. Which means you can't even unlock the newly added [[SuperMode Super Sonic]] until the endgame.

** The Saturn version substantially beefed up the graphics and palette with a variety of environmental effects, completely redesigned the Special Stages courtesy of in-house Sega of Japan developers, added analog control pad support, and provided a different CD-quality soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques. The major caveat, however, was that the load times were absolutely atrocious, being near the level of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'''s load times (if not ''worse''), leading to most online LetsPlay videos to entirely mask it. The Japanese version released later at least manages to marginally improve this issue. Additionally, the cheat codes have sadly been disabled as well.

* BestBossEver: While the game isn't exactly a well-loved game, most can agree that the bosses are actually quite challenging and fun.
* BestLevelEver: The Special Stages from the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn version are a fan favorite, being a vastly improved version of the Special Stages from ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]''. These stages are rendered in true 3D and have more elaborate features like springs, gaps, and upper/lower paths. On top of that, they are arguably less headache inducing than the ''Sonic 2'' Special Stages.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: [[AwesomeMusic/SonicTheHedgehog Both soundtracks.]]

* GoddamnedBats: The snowman Badniks in Diamond Dust Zone, which due to the isometric nature of the game are far more annoying and difficult to avoid/kill than any of the Badniks in [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Metropolis Zone]]. And in this game, you ''have'' to kill them in order to complete the level.
* GoodBadBug: In addition to the ClassicCheatCode activated level select, there's a second way to trigger it. As part of a kind of safety feature, if the game's brains get sufficiently mixed up that it tries to execute out of range code, it'll automatically skip to "CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE FOUND THE SECRET LEVEL SELECT SCREEN!". The Mega Drive being fragile as it is, the easiest way to do this is to simply ''smack the console'' (especially during the prerendered 3D animation at the start of the game). It was either this, or simply crash.

** '''SEGA!''' [[labelnote: *]]The Sega logo, rather than the famous "Se-gaaaaaa!" from most other Genesis Sonic games, has someone screaming the company's name in a way that sounds like he's about to be murdered. Amusingly some of the prototypes do feature the classic "Se-gaaaaaa!" chant.[[/labelnote]]
* PolishedPort / PortingDisaster: The Saturn version substantially beefed up the graphics and palette with a variety of environmental effects, completely redesigned the Special Stages courtesy of in-house Sega of Japan developers, added analog control pad support, and provided a different CD-quality soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques. The major caveat - the load times were absolutely atrocious near the level of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'' (if not ''worse''), leading to most online LetsPlay videos to entirely mask it. The Japanese version released later marginally improves this issue and the PC port almost minimizes it altogether and even includes a basic save feature, but the former erases the cheat codes and latter removes the environmental effects and replaces the impressive Special Stages with severely downgraded ones widely considered even worse than those found in the original cartridge.

** The Power Sneakers are basically worthless in this game--Sonic becomes even harder to control than ever, and it makes it very easy for him to accidentally plow into a nearby enemy or obstacle.
** The Saturn port, for all of its merits, introduces another unwelcome change from the Mega Drive version--as the Tails and Knuckles set of Special Stages were merged, you can only collect one Chaos Emerald per act as opposed to two (going to the Special Stage a second time in an act will always give you a 1-up) which [[FakeLongevity considerably drags out the pacing of the game]], which was already bloated by the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading very tedious loading times]].
* SoBadItsGood: The unused track originally thought to be meant for Spring Stadium, but got reprised in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 - Episode I'' as the initial boss theme.

** Rusty Ruin isn't hard as a whole, but it becomes much more frustrating if you're trying to get to Tails or Knuckles. The big issue is that there are stone pillars obstructing your paths in both acts, and you have to use the Spinner devices nearby to destroy them--and the controls for Sonic spinning around (which makes him a lot faster than usual) are very slippery and liable to get you knocked into an obstacle by accident, robbing you of the rings you need to access the Special Stages. Act 2 also has a very tricky platform on an angle you have to traverse, and due to the games isometric controls, its very easy to miss the jump and fall down to the area below it, forcing you to backtrack all the way up and try it over again.

** Volcano Valley is a very frustrating LethalLavaLand with a ton of treacherous jumps over lava, chances are you'll end up getting hit and losing your Flickies more often then any other level in the game. However, if you can snag a Red Shield and hang onto it, the level is a piece of cake.
** Gene Gadget Zone Act 2 is also a pain because of one section where you have to climb up a large incline by jumping between moving platforms and dodging enemies. This section is designed to loop around until you can manage to get all the Flickies, and chances are it'll take more than a few tries.
* ThatOneBoss: Most of the late game bosses can be described as this, but Volcano Valley's is the worst. Having to cross thin pipes in an isometric perspective with a rather slippery control over your character with lava and a dragon following you makes this boss a life stealer. This can be dealt with by attacking him quickly, but usually you'll end up getting hit and/or dying.

** A ''full FMV'' for the opening cutscene. [[labelnote: *]]According to programmer Jon Burton, the people from Sega were caught off-guard as they didn't know it was possible.[[/labelnote]]

** A ''full FMV'' for the opening cutscene.

** '''SEGA!''' [[labelnote: *]]The Sega logo, rather than the famous "Se-gaaaaaa!" from most other Genesis Sonic games, has someone screaming the company's name in a way that sounds like he's about to be murdered.[[/labelnote]]

* SugarWiki/AwesomeBosses: While the game isn't exactly a well-loved game, most can agree that the bosses are actually quite challenging and fun.

* MemeticMutation: An unfortunate rendering of Sonic's face in a pre-release of this game ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcEJCSKbKBg shown in this video]]) gave rise to a RunningGag on the Sonic Retro forums known as [[FanNickname Down Syndrome Sonic]], or [[FanNickname Lazy-Eyed Sonic]] if you prefer. Some forum regulars even include DSS in their ROM hacks.
* NoExportForYou: Due to the Mega Drive having lost support in Japan, the Mega Drive version was not released in that region[[note]]at least until ''[[CompilationRerelease Sonic Mega Collection]]'' and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole[[/note]] -- it seems the game passed over Japanese audiences altogether until Sega decided to release the Saturn version nearly three years later to coincide with ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure [[UpdatedRerelease International]]''.

* NoExportForYou: Due to the Mega Drive having lost support in Japan, the Mega Drive version was not released in that region[[note]]at least until ''[[CompilationRerelease Sonic Mega Collection]]'' and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole[[/note]] -- it seems the game nearly passed over Japanese audiences altogether until Sega decided to release the Saturn version over two years later to coincide with ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure [[UpdatedRerelease International]]''.

** The Mega Drive/Genesis renditions may be very straightforward, but there's a welcome simplicity compared with the much harder, complex Special Stages in ''2'' and ''3''.

* NoExportForYou: The Mega Drive / Genesis version in Japan, at least until ''[[CompilationRerelease Sonic Mega Collection]]'' and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole.
* PolishedPort / PortingDisaster: The Saturn version substantially beefed up the graphics and palette with a variety of environmental effects, completely redesigned the Special Stages courtesy of in-house Sega of Japan developers, added analog control pad support, and provided a different CD-quality soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques. The major caveat - the load times were absolutely atrocious near the level of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'' (if not ''worse''), leading to most online LetsPlay videos to entirely mask it. The Japanese version released nearly two years later marginally improves this issue and the PC port almost minimizes it altogether and even includes a basic save feature, but the former erases the cheat codes and latter removes the environmental effects and replaces the impressive Special Stages with severely downgraded ones widely considered even worse than those found in the original cartridge.

** Some elements, such as the upper/lower paths and the animation sequences were retained in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' ''Episode II'' 's Special Stages.

* SoBadItsGood: The unused track originally thought to be meant for Spring Stadium, but got reprised in ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I]]'' as the initial boss theme.

* PolishedPort / PortingDisaster: The Saturn version substantially beefed up the graphics and palette with a variety of environmental effects, completely redesigned the Special Stages courtesy of in-house Sega of Japan developers, added analog control pad support, and provided a different CD-quality soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques. The major caveat - the load times were absolutely atrocious near the level of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'' (if not ''worse''), leading to most online LetsPlay videos to entirely mask it. The Japanese version released two years later marginally improves this issue and the PC port almost minimizes it altogether and even includes a basic save feature, but the former erases the cheat codes and latter removes the environmental effects and replaces the impressive Special Stages with severely downgraded ones widely considered even worse than those found in the original cartridge.

* NoExportForYou: The Mega Drive / Genesis version in Japan, at least until ''Sonic Mega Collection''.
* PolishedPort / PortingDisaster: The Saturn version substantially beefed up the graphics and palette with a variety of environmental effects, completely redesigned the Special Stages courtesy of in-house Sega of Japan developers, added analog control pad support, and provided a different CD-quality soundtrack composed by Richard Jacques. The major caveat - the load times were absolutely atrocious near the level of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 06]]'' (if not ''worse''), leading to most online LetsPlay videos to entirely mask it. The Japanese version released years later marginally improves this issue and the PC port almost minimizes it altogether and even includes a save feature, but the former erases the cheat codes and latter removes the environmental effects and replaces the impressive Special Stages with severely downgraded ones widely considered even worse than those found in the original cartridge.