Lets talk about failure. At some point, everyone is going to fail at something. Aint none of us perfect, right?
However, not all failure is created equal. Sometimes people fail because they don't work hard enough, or they don't think things through or they are working with an idea that's doomed from the start. But that isn't always the case. Sometimes failure comes from pushing too hard, being too visionary or trying to make something from nothing. I'm not sure if any entity in video game history failed more in the latter manners than Sega.
Yes, there's a reason Sega doesn't make consoles anymore. But its because they pushed the boundaries too far, not because they didn't do enough. The Saturn and Dreamcast were absolute beasts of consoles, but they were expensive and allegedly difficult to develop for. Remember Sega Channel? That was the PlayStation Store before the PlayStation Store was a thought in Sony's mind. Sega was pumping digital only gaming into living rooms before Sony even released a gaming console and while Nintendo was trying to convince itself that cartridges were still the future. Sure it was expensive and hard to get, but it was innovative as all hell. This week's game sort of fits into that mold. That they even tried to make Sonic 3D blast work is a testament to just how bold and visionary Sega was. But it's also a reminder that they often found themselves soaring too close to the sun, because, while S3DB is impressive, it isn't a very good game.
I should mention there's a story here. Dr. Robotnik (still a few years away from being rechristened Eggman) has discovered an island populated by strange bird creatures called Flickies, which he captures and transforms into robots. He wants to use these robots to help him gather all the chaos emerealds and, as you might expect, it's up to Sonic to stop him. Honestly, this isn't much different from the plot of the older Sonic games, but it's far more relevant to the gameplay here. And by relevant, I mean completely central to. Instead of just reaching the goal of each zone, Sonic needs to find and defeat a set number of enemies. These enemies will then turn back into Flickies, which Sonic then needs to collect and take to the exit. I guess it makes sense, but it just never really clicks. Also, and this is completely irrelevant, "Flickie" is a strange word that I look forward to continuing the use of as the review progresses. I know it was from an early Genesis game, maybe I'll review that at some point.
Anyway, the biggest problem here is it's not enough just to destroy the enemies. You have to actually gather up the Flickies, which is easier said than done. They can be hard to see as they often blend into the checkerboard floors or enemy projectiles. Even when you do see them, the isometric perspective makes it hard to determine if you are actually touching them or not and there is no sound cue when you do so. If you make it to the exit without all the Flickies, you will have to go back and search for them. Again, it's easier said than done. They don't stay in one place and could wander just about anywhere in the level. When you think of Sonic, don't you think of searching a 3D labyrinth for Flickies? No? Oh, I should also mention that if you get hit, the Flickies you are carrying will scatter and you will have to gather them up yet again. It's really easy to get hit in this game, the isometric viewpoint makes it hard to determine where enemies and projectiles actually are, so prepare to do that a lot.
Controls are relatively responsive, but the perspective is once again your enemy here. It's really, really hard to move fluidly on an isometric grid when you are playing with a d-pad. It can certainly be done, but this game was just crying for a controller with analog sticks. Sonic moves and jumps when you tell him to, but it never feels like you are in complete control of where he goes. It's very difficult to tell when you are going to hit or be hit by an enemy and it's even more difficult to quickly dodge and change direction. At least the game is generous with rings. Overall, the levels are fairly empty and bland, with only a few enemies blocking your way. The ones that are there look great, but I really wish they would have had more.
That being said, there are some things to like here. For one, the game looks great and is a true achievement in the actual technical making of a video game. Remember, this is a Genesis game we are talking about. Those graphics rival some of the stuff that we saw on the next gen consoles of the time and the sound wasn't half bad either. It really is impressive how Sega was able to get the most out of a nearly eight year old piece of hardware. I also have to give them credit for at least trying something different. Sonic is awesome, but after four games it was starting to wear thin. Keep in mind too that the Nintendo 64 had only just come out, Super Mario 64 had only recently shown us all how to do a 3D version of a 2D classic. Sega was trying something new and doing its best to push the envelope, as they always did.
But at the end of the day, S3DB just isn't that great. I would put this in the "right idea, wrong execution" category, it's clear there was great care taken throughout the development process. The issues with the game come from design decisions that simply didn't work rather than bad programing, glitches or cheap AI. But even though its technically impressive, the flaws are too hard to ignore. The game was also ported to the Sega Saturn, I can't comment on the version differences but I've been told its just a graphical upgrade. It was nice to see Sega tried, and tried hard, to change things up while also pushing its aging console to its absolute limits. But unfortunately, S3DB falls flat where it matters most.
5/10
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