The star rating is NOT for A.I.R as a project. For what it sets out to do, it does a stellar job - for widescreen alone, plus other neat tweaks, it's totally the definitive way to play Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Major kudos to the people who run that project.

I cannot, however, avoid the fact that I don't hold Sonic 3&K to the high regard that most others do. 3&K is an ambitious, remarkable feat for the Genesis, and is probably the best damn platformer on the system. It looks wonderful, sounds wonderful, each level is distinct and memorable and designed as if they were physical places as opposed to video game levels. I'll give Sonic 3&K all of that much.

It's a damn solid game at best. There are moments where I was really having a blast. Thing is, 3&K is more interested in testing the player's patience than anything. A lot of crushers. Super Emerald stages and the fact that Giant Rings are one-and-dones for a whole save file. Sending the player in circles. Careening Sonic into a hazard or enemy that you couldn't avoid in time (and this is something that the extra screen space can't fix, even if it's so much bigger of a help than you could ever imagine). Et cetera. Honestly, the fact that I spent a chunk of time cross-referencing Giant Ring locations and how to not get lost in Blue Sphere stages (the regular ones are fine, mind), only to notice that I'd end up not having much time with the reaps of my reward? [Cuz Hyper Sonic is fucking cool] It kinda stung. Especially with how painful Death Egg felt - especially when I went into a slot machine bonus stage with over 150 rings, and left with 0.

Sonic 3&K is good. It's fun. It's an exercise in frustration, but I liked it fine enough. Granted, it begs the question of "If I don't like to be challenged to this degree in a video game, and I am unable to find myself focusing on a video game for more than a certain period of time, then what do I look for a game?"

That's a good question. I don't really know the answer.