My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Chapter 7: 1997—Sonic 3D Blast, for good grades, straight A’s in fact

The first time I knew about Sonic 3D Blast (or anything of it) was when Dad rented the game from Blockbuster Video.   It was on a school day, and like I said in an earlier post, we didn’t want to associate Sonic with anything school-related—even a school day.  I guess Dad thought it was a nice surprise for us, but we were too “shy” to even try it.  So while we were doing homework at the dinner table, Dad tried out the game himself.  I heard the music of what I found out later was Sonic using an Invincibility item.  Eventually Dad called us in to listen to something that was on the Sound Test, which turned out to be the music from Volcano Valley Act 2.  I thought it sounded nice.  But in the back of my mind I knew I still had some more homework to do, so I got out the den, pulling myself away from the world of Sonic once again.

I forgot what the exact date was (probably not important), but I know it was after I finished sixth grade that our report cards showed we had straight As.  It may have been the only time we got all “A”s on our report card, but it was a memorable one too.   Of course our parent saw the report cards.  A few days after the last day of school for the school year, our parents gave us a gift we were to share.  We were confused because it was some few weeks after we turned 12 years old.  What kind of present was this going to be?

I think it was at night, too.  We tore the wrapping paper together and saw that it was a Sonic game—Sonic 3D Blast.  We were so excited to have a fourth Sonic game for our SEGA Genesis.  It meant new Sonic music to look forward to, another instruction manual to read (I still enjoy reading instruction manuals for video games), basically more Sonic games to choose from when we want to play a video game (I think by then we just about stopped using the Nintendo).

What are my favorite tracks from Sonic 3D Blast?  The Sound Test/soundtrack is one of the best in the Sonic SEGA Genesis era, next to Sonic 3.   There was more variety instruments used in the music.  I love the music for Rusty Ruin Act 1, Volcano Valley Act 2, both Acts of Gene Gadget, and both Acts of the last stage (Panic Puppet?), and Dr. Robotnik Boss #2.    Oh oh oh!  And the song for Final Fight!  Its rhythm was so different than those used in other boss battles.  It was quite hard to fight Robotnik in the Final Fight the way Sonic has to move in Sonic 3D Blast, but once I memorized the patterns, it was almost a piece of cake.

Sonic 3D Blast was a blast—except—NO SUPER SONIC!!  Where the $@&%!  was Super Sonic in this game?!  I got all the Chaos Emeralds.  All seven of them!  I reached the Final Fight stage.  So where was Super Sonic?!  You’d think after Sonic 2 and 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles we’d get a Super Sonic  >:(

And the next disappointment:  the end credits music.  No medley?  No upbeat song that makes me wanna shake my buns?  What is this?  Well, that was anti-climactic.  For me it meant that there was not much of a reason to finish the game anymore.  I was so used to having a Super Sonic since Sonic 2 and Sonic 3. But—and I think it makes sense—it may have been difficult to incorporate Super Sonic in a video game that allowed Sonic to run in any direction?  Is that it?  U_U  Hmm…  Otherwise the thing that motivated me the most was hearing the music.  And the 3-D-ness of it all, I guess.