There's not one, but two stages based on Sonic and the Secret Rings! Ok, that feels like a bit of a deep cut. But the question is, will the dinosaur eat Sonic at any point? Are we finally going to race inside someone's digestive system? ...er, let's pretend we didn't ask that.

Who would have guessed that in this day and age, we'd get the Extreme Gear back? More importantly, who would have thought we'd get a track based on a level from Sonic Rush?

Before October 18th ends, we gotta mention it. 30 years ago today, the Death Egg Saga's grand finale played out in Sonic & Knuckles. The second half of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the two games could be combined using a piece of tech that had to be from the future - Lock-On Technology.

For those not on the other site: Monday, Feb 12 at 7:45PM central join
@segabits.bsky.social, @sonicretro.bsky.social & @cybershell.bsky.social at twitch.tv/thegameshowg... to read through a never before seen 32 page November 1994 Sonic the Hedgehog movie treatment from Trilogy Entertainment!

...and yes, right out of the gate, people were asking about the barrel

Online, the reaction for the game was mostly positive, though there were certainly complaints about the 2-player mode:

The game proved to be a critical and commercial success. If Metacritic existed at the time, Sonic 3 would have gotten a 90%. It rocketed to the top of the Genesis charts, and would go on to sell over a million units.

The character would prove to be the breakout star of the game. Introduced in both Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog and Fleetway's Sonic the Comic, it wasn't long before readers demanded more. If 1993 was Sonic's year, 1994 would become Knuckles'.

arrived to the isle aglow as Super Sonic, Knuckles didn't give it a second thought - this was an enemy, and he wouldn't let him near the Master Emerald! With the release of Sonic Origins, we were finally treated to concept art of Knuckles the Echidna, seeing his evolution.

With each major Sonic release, a new character was introduced. Tails. Amy. Sonic 3 was no exception. Knuckles the Echidna, guardian of an unnamed floating island, and the secrets within. Last of his kind, his sheltered upbringing let him be tricked by Dr. Eggman. When Sonic

That February release date is the infamous reason why Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released essentially unfinished. Time was short, but they wanted it to be bigger and better than 2. Yet half the game was left on the cutting room floor. Of course, it wouldn't stay that way for long,...

Nothing spelled cultural relevancy more than a McD's Happy Meal promotion. 4 simple toys that would make a kid beg their parents to get a $1.99 Happy Meal, especially if they had to wait until a birthday (or Christmas!) to own the next Sonic game. Game rentals only went so far.

on to make Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Naka and Yasuhara, given plenty of room to work on the next core installment of the franchise, wanted to challenge themselves. They looked toward a new piece of technology - the Sega Virtua Processor.

If 1993 was the original year of Sonic, the hype was certainly continuing into the early days of 1994. Sonic Mania Day had been less than three months prior, but suddenly it felt like just an appetizer. Groundhog Day was coming, but the groundhog was being upstaged this year.

Something happened 25 years ago on French airwaves...

Oh, that's right, Sonic Underground first aired! The triplets were born, and the throne awaited. But a seer warned of a fate, which I believe was deadly.