Man, Sonic 3 on the Genesis was such a step up from the first two games. You start off blasting through Angel Island Zone, dodging those weird crab enemies and bouncing off mushrooms like a blue pinball. The music slaps—those funky Genesis synths just hit different.

First time I played, I got wrecked by that fire shield gimmick in Hydrocity Zone. Turns out you gotta time your jumps just right or you’ll roast like a hot dog. And don’t even get me started on trying to beat Knuckles’ route without looking up where those hidden paths are.

Still one of the best platformers from that era, no contest.