Sonic 3 Complete (inc. full play through)

Newest release of Sonic 3 Complete launched today. Along with several other features it boasts a complete new set of Super/Hyper Sonic sprites for damn near everything, a special single-player mode to control Tails that works much like with the Marble Garden boss, the introduction of a 'casual' mode, the ability to put Flying Battery in its planned position between Carnival Night and Ice Cap, control options based on the way Sonic handled in previous games (including the Sonic CD peel-out), the return of the classic Sonic 1/2 event songs (title, game over, invincibility, etc.), and alternate music adapted from the PC Sonic & Knuckles collection.

If you want to where I start playing in earnest, skip to about 15:30.

Before that I show off a few of the newer features in the game menu, as well as a few fixed bugs. Though this isn't the first release that has Sonic 3 playable from the title screen, I still show it off -- it's Sonic 3, but without the million game-breaking bugs in that. Even has the endings, with a little extra teasing at playing Sonic and Knuckles afterward. But I skip most of that and just play through the full game, which takes me about 2 hours and shows off most of the new music and features. You might also see some routes you've never seen before (but, nearly 20 years later, it's quite likely that you've seen them).

Afterward, I show off a few of the new Knuckles bits, a couple other bugs that were fixed over Sonic 3&K, and how a couple new zone transitions work for Knuckles. I close with a taste of the new 'casual' mode paired up with the easy layout / level order adapted from Sonic Jam.

Bugfixes I highlight:
The master emeralds don't activate in HPZ without having triggered the super emerald collection beforehand.
Tails doesn't die in ICZ because of the screen wrapping not working.
Super Sonic is capable of rolling in Sonic 3 (which he was in S3K, certainly).
The Death Egg is no longer visible as Knuckles in Lava Reef.
Knuckles' boss music in Marble Garden is correct (doesn't use the midboss music).