The dreaded Sonic 3 level select

[-Mark-]

Up, Up, Down, Down, Up, Up, Up, Up. Potential innuendo aside, most of you'll probably recognise it as the Sonic 3 level select.

Now, the code itself seems simple enough, as I'm sure most of us thought when we first tried it. Except it wasn't. For whatever reason, SEGA decided to make the exact time window for the input of the code in order for it to work to be insanely specific.

Out of curiosity, what are everyone's experiences with this (frankly rather infuriating) level select code? Have you ever got it to work? Or, by some chance, have you never had any problems with it whatsoever? Personally, I simply couldn't get it to work at first, then had a brief period where I seemed to get the hang of it so well that I could pull it off quite easily... which I then promptly lost. I have hell making the code work to this day ever since. Nowadays, on the rare chance I'll want to use the level select in Sonic 3, I'll just do it in Sonic 3 & Knuckles instead, which is much easier, thank god.

I can't remember, but didn't some rereleases (Sonic Jam, was it?) 'fix' the code so it was easier to do?

Edited December 22, 2009 by Mahzes

[R@fÆL]

I think I was the only one who had this problem. But really, I haven't gotten it to work either.

[Lucky]

You had to have crazy fast reflexes to pull it off, if you ask me.

The first couple of times I tried it, nada. For a while I was starting to think someone was having a wind up about the code, so I just got bored of it and went back to playing the game normally. One day I stumbled across the code again though and just decided to try it on a whim and whoop whoop- success! I haven't tried it in a while now, but I could still pull it off perfectly just a few years ago. Must try it later on and see actually, I'm curious now.

I've certainly never had that much trouble with any other cheats though, Sonic games or otherwise.

[Vertekins]

I only ever got it to work once.

And was surprised at the fact that the Hidden Palace level select icon from Sonic 2 Beta is in the level select for Sonic 3 :0

Nevertheless, I sometimes think about how weird it would've been for someone back in early 1994 to have played Sonic 3, nailed the level select code and seen the level names for levels they don't know about (The ones in Sonic and Knuckles, which was released months later). I bet that caused a few raised eyebrows back in '94.

[Frozen Nitrogen]

I only ever got it to work once.

Ditto. And the attempt killed my ligaments for a week. It's almost as exacting as playing 10 minutes of swing-swing-swing Black Knight.

But now I have 14-Emerald save files for everyone, it is happily a redundant gimmick I don't need to get any more.

[Remy]

what, the code actually works? It thought it was a myth.

It's funny though, once I could actually do the damn code quick enough i was good enough at S# to finish the game with all emeralds in my sleep, which led me feeling hollow and to code goddamn useless ala Frozen Nitrogen's example.

[Iceman Etika]

Yeah you couldn't tell me this damn code wasn't a myth. Jesus It's liek the screen flashes it for like half a second... You guys have no idea how freaking irritating it is to see THIS:

9001 times in a row.

Look at the smug look on that sonovabitch. It's like he's pointing at us and saying "HA HA you slow faggot."

-Iceman

[Dr. SEGA Monkey]

There's an easier way to get the level select. I don't really remember the specifics, but it requires swapping Sonic 2 with Sonic 3 with the Genesis still turned on. And I actually got it to work!

I think you have to do level select in Sonic 2, then pull the cartridge out while still on, and replace it with Sonic 3. Then reset. Something like that. I don't really remember since I used to do this a long time ago. Does anybody else know what I'm talking about?

[Diogenes]

^ Yeah, I've heard of that one. Pretty sure that's how it's done...though I never tried it myself.

I tried the code a few times, never managed to do it, but I never really cared that much, either. Sonic 3 has a save feature so I never really needed a level select, if I wanted to screw around in debug I could just do it in S3&K, and anything exclusive to Sonic 3's debug I can look up online.

[Ashley Marsh]

Yeah you couldn't tell me this damn code wasn't a myth. Jesus It's liek the screen flashes it for like half a second... You guys have no idea how freaking irritating it is to see THIS:

9001 times in a row.

Look at the smug look on that sonovabitch. It's like he's pointing at us and saying "HA HA you slow faggot."

-Iceman

;__;

I honestly don't know if I ever got this work... tried so much. I think I did it once, but might of got so caught up in what the heck was actually supposed to happen next that I selected the start game option instead of the, is it the Option menu? Whatever it is....

Atleast the S&K cheat was easier.

[Dr. SEGA Monkey]

Sonic 3 has a save feature so I never really needed a level select

Off-topic, but I actually grew up with a defective Sonic 3 cartridge that never saved properly. When I turned the Genesis off, all the data would be erased. When I was a kid, I didn't really care though, since none of the other Sonic games had a save feature anyway.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Dr. SEGA Monkey

[Future]

On a console I could never get the code to work, but on the Sonic and Knuckles Collection (for PC) it is a piece of cake.

[Aquaslash]

I've only gotten it to work on a genesis. No collections, no emulators, nothing else.

It usually requires five minutes of sitting there too :/

Also yeah, I've used the cart switch method before

[Badnik Mechanic]

Not once have I got this working.

I did recently attempt it on a PS3 using the newest collection... couldn't get it to work, then I discovered you had to re-configue the controls to give them the old Mega Drive set up or else it won't work... I just couldn't be bothered to try after I found that out.

[Remy]

Off-topic, but I actually grew up with a defective Sonic 3 cartridge that never saved properly. When I turned the Genesis off, all the data would be erased. When I was a kid, I didn't really care though, since none of the other Sonic games had a save feature anyway.

Yeah, your save battery probably went flat. after playing S3 like 10000 times my cart no longer saves either.

[Phos]

Sonic 3's backup memory is non volatile, it doesn't have a battery.

[Badnik Zero]

I never owned Sonic 3, I had to trade for it for months at a time from a kid I knew, for games like Ecco 2 and Mickey Mania. It was the only way I could lock onto something that wasn't Sonic 2. So I don't think I ever knew the code. I didn't need it because I'm just hardcore like that. Yeah, and I had a Game Genie... so I just cheated that way. But I'm good at Sonic 3, I swear.

[-Mark-]

Sonic 3 is probably the easiest of the old Sonic games anyway.

...well, unless you count the BARREL OF DOOM.

[Iceman Etika]

BARREL OF DOOM.

You're talking about that one in Carnival Night Zone right? If you are, then I knew I wasn't the only one who was stuck on that crap.

-Iceman

[-Mark-]

Come on, there have been whole topics about that barrel. =P

[Remy]

Sonic 3's backup memory is non volatile, it doesn't have a battery.

So uh, why did mine stop saving, then? not being an ass- just curious.

also barrels is so overblown, I dind't even know people had trouble with it until i started going on forums. D:

[Frozen Nitrogen]

also barrels is so overblown, I dind't even know people had trouble with it until i started going on forums. D:

I remember they gave me maybe a day of frustration, but you solve them by process of button-by-button control pad elimination in the end.

Unless you're retarded.

[Remy]

I remember they gave me maybe a day of frustration, but you solve them by process of button-by-button control pad elimination in the end.

Unless you're retarded.

Yeah, exactly.

It's not exactly like the Mega Drive pad is complex, and the fact that the game limits traditional movement whilst on the barrels should give you the hint to try something fucking new

[Badnik Zero]

I'm just wondering how any of you Genesis owners ever got anywhere in Ecco the Dolphin if the barrel was such a game stopper.

[Remy]

I'm just wondering how any of you Genesis owners ever got anywhere in Ecco the Dolphin if the barrel was such a game stopper.

I imagine most of the people bitching experienced the game after the genesis age.