No matter how he failed to evolve in a 3-D environment, old school Sonic is all kinds of addictive. Racing the little blue blur through loops and spin-dashing your way to victory never gets old. The speed is there, and the entertainment follows. Whether or not Sega does what Nintendon’t, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on Xbox Live Arcade is a shining example of what Sega can do and proves itself as an unforgettable platformer.

Sonic’s charm is speed, and you will agree from moment one. Whether you’re blasting through a group of enemies or running full speed on a body of water, the game never lets up on momentum. Every level challenges you to go faster, and you benefit because of it. Sonic 3 may only be six stages long, but you never feel cheated. The story never needs to stand stronger than defeating Robotnik. Preventing his world domination scheme as fast as you can is all the motivation you need. With every conquering second flying by, Sonic 3 will reward you with more eye candy and cooler ways to speed toward the finish.

Sonic 3 hails from the Sega Genesis era, from which comes the visuals. While impressive then, any player not wearing retro goggles might be blinded by the fact that games ever lacked the third dimension. One player’s nostalgia is another player’s confused pixel count and all its dated glory.

On top of good gameplay and nice visuals (to the discerning gamer), Sonic 3 possesses top-notch audio throughout. Whether it’s the classic sound of grabbing a ring or the disruptive nature of losing them all, Sonic 3 holds its own in the side-bite department. The game’s soundtrack has the same knack for catchy awesome as the sound effects do, and every stage leaves you with a memorable gem just as good as the last. Sonic 3 will have you humming and emulating its sounds and music as any good midi sound should.

Sonic 3 works well because of its mindful fluidity. XBLA offers leader boards, but the game never needed more features. Young or old, Sonic 3 offers the variety of easy speed or challenging jumps to any who seek it. Hard controls be damned, as the effort to chase victory through the levels is next to none. The only thing easier than picking up the game is replaying it any number of different ways. Simply letting you move Sonic forward will keep you interested. That one ingenious quirk is hard to explain but easy to understand once you get moving. Sonic 3 is worth all the time it makes fly by and earns its right as a classic.