Man, Sonic 3 & Knuckles – The Challenges is still one of the best ways to play this classic. It’s basically the full Sonic 3 experience but with a bunch of extra challenge modes thrown in—like time attacks, ring battles, and some seriously tough boss rushes. The first time I tried the special stages, I wiped out embarrassingly fast, but once you get the hang of it, pulling off those perfect runs feels amazing.

You’ve got all the original zones, but now there’s way more reason to replay them. The Knuckles routes are still my favorite—dude just smashes through walls like they’re nothing. And yeah, the graphics and music? Still hold up. That Ice Cap Zone tune lives in my head rent-free.

If you’ve played the original to death, this version actually gives you something new to grind on. Just don’t blame me when you get stuck on that final boss rush for hours.