Every 3D Sonic Game Ranked
#15: “Sonic the Hedgehog” (2006)
Top 10 Sonic the Hedgehog Stages
Hands down the most broken of the 3D Sonic games, Sonic the Hedgehog, better known as Sonic 06, was the first Sonic game to come to the seventh generation of consoles. Doctor Eggman is back at his evil schemes, and this time around he plans to kidnap Princess Elise. Original, I know. While attempting to do this, Eggman and his crew unleash an evil spirit which is the start of the mediocre story. Sonic 06 is well known for being just horrible. Almost every part of the game has problems, from the controls to the wonky camera. Despite Sonic 06 being the worst of the 3D Sonic games, at least it gave us cool characters like Silver.
#14: “Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric” (2014)
Sonic 06 VS Sonic Boom
If you’re like me, when you think of Sonic Boom you probably think of the animated series that wasn’t all that bad. If you’re even more like me, then you’ll forget that this game even existed. Sonic Boom follows the oddly redesigned Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles as they stop Lyric from using powerful crystals to create his army of robots. Sonic Boom kind of takes the main draw of 3D Sonic games’ speed and throws it out the window. There are some parts when the game switches to more of a 2D platformer where you’ll encounter speedy sections, but the game is more of a 3D beat 'em up. The bright side of Sonic Boom is that the cutscenes feel similar to the show and are actually enjoyable.
#13: “Sonic and the Black Knight” (2009)
The 10 HARDEST Bosses In Sonic Games
The second and final game in the “Storybook” series, Sonic and the Black Knight tries to turn Sonic into a subpar hack and slash game. Sonic is brought back to medieval times by a wizard’s spell which calls upon a champion to save her. This, for some reason, was Sonic. King Aurthur was turned into the Black Knight due to corruption by Exclaibur. Sonic must defeat the Black Knight and bring peace to the kingdom. Sonic and the Black Knight takes all speed away from Sonic by having him stop so much to fight with his sword, which isn’t super intuitive and can be quite boring.
#12: “Sonic Forces” (2017)
Top 20 Sonic Games
Sonic Forces allows you to make your own character in the Sonic universe. The created character was the game's main draw. With your OC you have to go rescue Sonic and take on Eggman. Forces has some great mechanics like your character having Wispons, weapons powered by Wisps. Each Wisp has its own ability which makes going back and replaying levels with different Wispons enjoyable. Sonic Forces may have a handful of bugs and a story that kind of falls flat, but if you’re a Sonic fan I’m sure you find some enjoyment in Forces.
#11: “Sonic 3D Blast” (1996)
Top 10 Worst Sonic Games: Best of Watchmojo
As the first 3D Sonic game, 3D Blast tries to keep the sense of speed, which at times can make it a little hard to control. While Sonic is zipping around the levels he is also collecting Flickies. These little birds will follow him through the level until they're brought to a ring. Sonic 3D Blast was a great first attempt at a 3D Sonic game despite being on 16-bit consoles at launch. It really showed how Sonic could evolve into more than a 2D platformer.
#10: “Sonic and the Secret Rings” (2007)
The 10 HARDEST Levels in Sonic Games
The first in the “Storybook” series, Sonic and the Secret Rings thrusts Sonic into the world of the book Arabian Nights. Erazor is getting rid of pages from Arabian Nights, and Sonic is asked to help, which he does. Sonic catches up with Erazor and is shot with an arrow. Erazor says he will remove the arrow if Sonic gets him the World Rings which will connect the real world and the Arabian Nights world. Yeah… the story is kind of bonkers. Sonic and the Secret Rings is almost like a Sonic game on rails. Sonic has a path on which he can only move forward and players use the Wiimote to move left and right. The game really wants us to use the Wiimote which is actually its downfall. Moving left and right is all motion based and using an attack is done by thrusting the the wiimote, which is not that responsive.
#9: “Shadow the Hedgehog” (2005)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Review
What happens when you give a hedgehog a gun? You get Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow can’t remember anything except his name and escaping from Space Colony ARK with Maria. An alien race finds Shadow and reminds him of a deal they had to bring them the Chaos Emeralds. Shadow believes them about this deal; I mean, it must be true, they know his name! Even though the game has guns in it, that doesn't slow the gameplay down. In fact, Shadow the Hedgehog at times has some pretty fun traditional 3D Sonic portions. Also, Shadow is just so cool.
#8: “Sonic: Lost World” (2013)
The Truth Behind the Sonic 06 Failure
Doctor Eggman is capturing those cute little animal friends of Sonic’s. Eggman shoots down Tails' plane and Sonic and Tails crash land on the Lost Hex. Eggman is creating a robot army with the little critters and has control of the Deadly Six due to a magic shell. Sonic gets rid of the shell and the real evil begins - the Deadly Six take over Eggman's robot army. Lost World actually plays well and is the first Sonic game that has a button for going faster. Holding down the trigger will make Sonic run and while running he can perform parkour-like hopping over objects and sprint up walls. The main thing that sets Lost World apart from other entries in the series is the levels. You’ll have more linear levels and 2D levels, but you’ll also have levels that are on spheres similar to Super Mario Galaxy.
#7: “Sonic Unleashed” (2008)
The 10 WEIRDEST Sonic Games
Doctor Eggman finally captures Sonic and uses his Chaos Energy Cannon on him. However, he also creates a powerful beast, turning Sonic into a Werehog. It’s a strange Sonic story, but that's not what we’re here for, we’re here for speed and believe it or not Sonic Unleashed gives you speed… some of the time. Sonic Unleashed has two types of play, you either play as Sonic or Werehog Sonic. While playing as Sonic, the gameplay is more reminiscent of classic 3D Sonic games like Sonic Adventure. When you turn into the Werehog, the game slows down and focuses on not so great combat. Sonic Unleashed is the tale of two games; speed levels and action levels, beauty and beast.
#6: “Sonic Heroes” (2004)
Sonic Movie Leak Reaction/Breakdown - MojoPlays
With multiple stories and gameplay styles in Sonic Heroes, you’re bound to find one that you’ll like. Team Sonic and Team Dark are pretty straight forward. Speed is the name of the game. Try to get through the level with your team of three as fast as possible. Team Rose is basically easy mode. There are few enemies and you can fly longer. Team Chaotix has a more unusual mission layout, ranging from collecting a certain number of items to destroying certain enemies. Each team consists of three members: Speed, Power, and Flying. Players go through the levels swapping between characters, making this one of the more unique Sonic games.
#5: “Sonic Adventure” (1998)
10 Hidden Secrets In Sonic Frontiers
While not the first 3D Sonic game, Adventure set the bar for 3D Sonic games. Originally released on the Dreamcast with a few ports over the years, Sonic Adventure is one of the best 3D Sonic games to date. Doctor Robotnik is tired of always being defeated by Sonic and tries to find a new way to take his nemesis down. Robotnik learns about Chaos, an ancient creature that protracted the Chao. Robotnik feeds Chaos the Chaos Emeralds, loses control, and it’s up to Sonic to take him out. Sonic Adventure was a strong starting point for 3D Sonic games, even if it hasn’t aged all that well. At times Sonic feels stiff and the animation really shows its age.
#4: “Sonic Frontiers” (2022)
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The newest 3D Sonic game, Sonic Frontiers tries to take the series into an open world setting. Sonic and team are tracking the Chaos Emeralds to Starfall Islands. Once they get there, they’re sucked into a wormhole and end up in CyberSpace. To get back home, Sonic must find the Chaos Emeralds, defeat the titans and join the digital and real world. For the most part, Sonic Frontiers plays how you would want a 3D Sonic game to play. It has tons of speed and platforming and throws it all into an open world setting, sometimes so fast that the game has tons of pop in. In addition to the open world, there are also more traditional levels that really show how great Frontiers plays and how good it feels to go as fast as possible.
#3: “Sonic Colors” (2011)
Sonic Vs Crash: Who Would Win?
The Wii had a handful of exclusive Sonic games and let's be honest, they weren’t that good. Sonic Colors broke that mold to become one of the best Sonic games to date. Doctor Eggman opens Dr. Eggman’s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park. He is no longer evil and the park is his way of making amends for all his bad doings. All seems great, until the team meets up with Yacker. Yacker is a Wisp, a race of creatures Eggman has been capturing with the intention of using their power to create a mind control laser. Plot twist: he’s still bad. Sonic and friends explore the amusement park to rescue all the Wisps. Sonic Colors is full of interesting and diverse levels full of, well, color. Gameplay is tight and always feels fresh depending on which Wisp you are using.
#2: “Sonic Generations” (2011)
Top 10 Sonic the Hedgehog Games
Eggman loses again and creates a time machine to go back in time and work with himself. The Eggmen go back and prevent themselves from losing. To stop these Eggmen, Sonic and classic Sonic team up and go through classic locations to restore them back to normal. Sonic Generations really shows how Sonic has changed over the years, from playing classic 2D Sonic levels like Green Hill and Chemical Plant to classic 3D Sonic levels like City Escape or Planet Wisp. Generations was a celebration of Sonic and a lot of love went into creating something special for fans of the series.
#1: “Sonic Adventure 2” (2001)
10 Times Sonic Infiltrated Other Games
If you were to ask Sonic fans which 3D Sonic game is their favorite, most would probably say Sonic Adventure 2. Not only do you get to play as the heroes in Adventure 2, you also get to play the side of villains in the dark story. Each story has three different playstyles. Sonic and Shadow have traditional levels where you simply get to the end as fast as possible. Tails and Eggman’s levels are more of a shooter experience. Each character has their own mech that can jump, shoot, and fly. Finally, you have Knuckles and Rouge whose levels are more open in which you hunt down pieces of the Master Emerald. Adventure 2 also has the Chao garden which I spent too much time with. Adventure 2 is the perfect balance of great gameplay, decent story, and a lot of replayability which makes it easy to see why it’s most fans' favorite 3D Sonic game.
