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Sonic's in 3D, dude! Sonic 3D Blast features an isometric view of a world where Sonic must run around in open areas to save bird-like creatures known as Flickies, which of course have been turned into robots by Dr. Robotnik. Like previous games, Sonic can spin dash through loops and find power-ups enclosed inside television monitors, but now he can also bounce off walls in his ball form to speed to new locations. If you collect enough rings and find Tails or Knuckles, you can enter a bonus game to try to win a Chaos Emerald. These levels features quasi-Mode 7 horizon effects, where Sonic must run forward and avoid barriers to collect more rings.

Sonic 3D Blast just isn't fun. The camera view is restrictive, the controls are unresponsive and slippery, and the level design is confusing. Sonic's first foray into the third dimension should have been an early warning sign that Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay simply does not work in 3D. Just look at the modern console Sonic titles (excepting Sonic Adventure, perhaps). A game like this one makes me long for the days of classic run 'n jump Sonic. Luckily, you can get the original Sonic games on Virtual Console, which are far better. Plus, Super Smash Bros. Brawl isn't too far off...