Sandbox / Imperial Majesty XO Sandbox 3

• Author's Saving Throw:
  • Some complained that it didn't make much sense for Eggman to have been as blindsided by Shadow's betrayal as he was in the previous game, considering he had already been backstabbed by Chaos. This game's heavy implications that Eggman had anticipated the possibility of another double-cross and was tossing around possible contingencies in his head helped quiet those criticisms. In retrospect, it does help explain why he was almost immediately prepared to start brainstorming ways to stop the Colony Drop and took a lead role in planning and executing the scheme.
  • Many criticized the previous game for its lack of explanation, both of what happened in the transition from SA1 to SA2 and of the plot and background pertaining to the game itself. The fact that this game skillfully explains not only itself, but also the previous two installments, was viewed as a welcome evolution.
  • The presence of only three (four if you count the driving minigames) playstyles in SA2 was viewed as overly samey and failing to distinguish the characters, with the fact that Tails spent all his time in his mech (aside from one of the aforementioned driving minigames) being a particular point of criticism. In this game, not only does Tails spend most of his stages on foot, but Rouge's gameplay was changed to stealth. The only two player characters who can be truly said to share a playstyle are Sonic and Darkquills, and there's an in-universe justification for that.
• Base-Breaking Character: Noir is a very polarizing character. To some, he's a sympathetic and compelling grey-shaded character who serves as an interesting foil to Shadow. To others, he's an annoying, unnecessary presence who alternates between wangst and edgelord behavior and an unworthy successor to Shadow. While the vitriol between his fans and detractors has cooled off over the years, he remains very divisive.
• Broken Base:
  • The revelation that Sonic is in fact the perfected Ultimate Life Form. Some think it adds a lot to both him and the series. Others, however, think it's unnecessary and even cheapens his character.
  • While the canonization of what is now known as the "Sonic Multiverse" was and still is a move meeting with near-universal acclaim, the revelation that the Adventure games were set in an Alternate Continuity from the Classic games was not. Some defend it by saying it makes sense due to differences in character design and setting. Others say it comes out of left field and raises more questions than it answers.
  • Rouge's stealth gameplay. It's either a unique and fresh experience that helps to distinguish her from Knuckles and underscore her Character Development, or gimmicky, out of place and derivative of other games.
• Franchise Original Sin: Some later installments of the franchise have taken flack for focusing too much on "procedural" stuff. However, the GUN tribunal and other plot points and moments of exposition in this game — while still well-received — have been pointed to as an early indicator of what was to come in retrospect. Then again, these events were viewed as a natural development as the games grew more complex, and also helped to address criticisms made of previous games failing to explain things enough detail, resulting in apparent plot holes. Moreover, this content takes up significantly less time than similar content in later installments would.
• It Was His Sled:
  • The revelation that the Adventure series takes place in an Alternate Universe from the Classic series was a major shock and game-changer at the time, but nowadays, it's one of the first things people learn about the Sonic franchise.
  • Sonic is the true Ultimate Life Form, and the late Shadow was a prototype.
  • The Stinger where Rouge finds what seems to be Shadow in one of Eggman's bases has become extremely memorable, meaning just about every new player knows about it in advance.