<s>
is	O
a	O
platform	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Dimps	O
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
in	O
2004	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Sonic	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
stars	O
the	O
characters	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
Tails	O
,	O
Knuckles	O
,	O
Amy	O
,	O
and	O
Cream	O
as	O
they	O
seek	O
to	O
keep	O
Doctor	O
Eggman	O
and	O
his	O
robot	O
assistant	O
Gemerl	O
from	O
building	O
empires	O
on	O
each	O
of	O
seven	O
chunks	O
Eggman	O
has	O
divided	O
the	O
Earth	O
into	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
May	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
to	O
Sonic	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
1	I-Application
and	O
2	B-Application
,	O
Advance	O
3	O
is	O
a	O
fast-paced	O
2D	O
platformer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
all	O
lives	O
are	O
lost	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
receives	O
a	O
game	B-Application
over	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
can	O
select	O
any	O
two-member	O
permutation	O
of	O
its	O
five	O
playable	O
characters	O
:	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
Tails	O
,	O
Amy	O
Rose	O
,	O
Knuckles	O
the	O
Echidna	O
,	O
and	O
Cream	O
the	O
Rabbit	O
,	O
provided	O
the	O
two	O
desired	O
characters	O
have	O
been	O
unlocked	O
;	O
only	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
are	O
available	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
other	O
three	O
must	O
be	O
rescued	O
from	O
Eggman	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
character	O
has	O
a	O
unique	O
ability	O
:	O
Sonic	B-Application
can	O
perform	O
a	O
spinning	O
attack	O
in	O
mid-air	O
,	O
Tails	O
can	O
fly	O
using	O
his	O
two	O
tails	O
as	O
a	O
propeller	O
,	O
Amy	O
can	O
smash	O
enemies	O
with	O
her	O
hammer	O
,	O
Knuckles	O
can	O
glide	O
long	O
distances	O
and	O
climb	O
walls	O
,	O
and	O
Cream	O
can	O
fly	O
using	O
her	O
ears	O
as	O
wings	O
and	O
attack	O
enemies	O
with	O
her	O
Chao	O
friend	O
,	O
Cheese	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
events	O
,	O
Doctor	O
Eggman	O
builds	O
a	O
robotic	O
assistant	O
named	O
Gemerl	O
,	O
using	O
parts	O
from	O
the	O
robot	O
Emerl	B-Application
who	O
was	O
destroyed	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
Battle	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
action	O
separates	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
from	O
Amy	O
,	O
Knuckles	O
,	O
and	O
Cream	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
whom	O
Eggman	O
finds	O
and	O
captures	O
,	O
intending	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
segment	O
of	O
his	O
impending	O
empire	O
on	O
each	O
chunk	O
of	O
the	O
planet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
travel	O
through	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
seven	O
levels	O
to	O
recapture	O
their	O
friends	O
and	O
retrieve	O
the	O
Emeralds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
player	O
defeats	O
Eggman	O
at	O
the	O
temple	O
with	O
all	O
the	O
Chaos	O
Emeralds	O
,	O
Gemerl	O
stops	O
running	O
away	O
with	O
Eggman	O
and	O
attacks	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
causing	O
the	O
Emeralds	O
to	O
scatter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gemerl	O
uses	O
them	O
to	O
take	O
on	O
a	O
giant	O
,	O
orb-shaped	O
form	O
,	O
but	O
Sonic	B-Application
also	O
uses	O
their	O
power	O
to	O
attain	O
his	O
Super	O
Sonic	B-Application
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Eggman	O
's	O
help	O
,	O
Super	O
Sonic	B-Application
destroys	O
Gemerl	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
3	I-Application
was	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
THQ	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
while	O
both	O
companies	O
co-published	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Advance	O
1	O
and	O
2	B-Application
,	O
its	O
development	O
was	O
shared	O
by	O
Dimps	O
and	O
Sega	O
subsidiary	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
since	O
the	O
latter	O
was	O
understaffed	O
on	O
employees	O
familiar	O
with	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yuji	O
Naka	O
,	O
then	O
President	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
,	O
had	O
limited	O
involvement	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
and	O
he	O
conceived	O
of	O
the	O
team-up	O
dynamic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
exhibited	O
at	O
E3	O
2004	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
also	O
the	O
final	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
to	O
feature	O
the	O
voice	O
actors	O
and	O
actresses	O
from	O
the	O
Dreamcast	O
era	O
since	O
Sonic	B-Application
Adventure	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
3	I-Application
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
with	O
respective	O
scores	O
of	O
79%	O
and	O
80%	O
at	O
review	O
aggregators	O
Metacritic	O
and	O
GameRankings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
named	O
it	O
the	O
best	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
game	O
of	O
June	O
2004	B-Application
,	O
and	O
nominated	O
it	O
for	O
the	O
year-end	O
"	O
Best	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
Game	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Best	O
Platformer	O
"	O
awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
later	O
won	O
Handheld	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
at	O
the	O
2004	B-Application
Golden	O
Joystick	O
Awards	O
and	O
sold	O
over	O
100,000	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
alone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nich	O
Maragos	O
from	O
1UP.com	O
celebrated	O
that	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
had	O
"	O
finally	O
 [ come ] 	O
up	O
with	O
a	O
way	O
of	O
introducing	O
teamwork	O
and	O
variance	O
between	O
characters	O
that	O
does	O
n't	O
overwhelm	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
bread-and-butter	O
gameplay.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Maragos	O
singled	O
this	O
out	O
as	O
the	O
main	O
divider	O
between	O
Advance	O
3	O
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
,	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
he	O
found	O
surprisingly	O
linear	O
in	O
level	O
design	O
considering	O
that	O
it	O
,	O
unlike	O
Advance	O
3	O
,	O
was	O
in	O
3D	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maragos	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
Frank	O
Provo	O
,	O
IGN	O
's	O
Craig	O
Harris	O
,	O
and	O
Game	O
Informers	O
Lisa	O
Mason	O
appreciated	O
the	O
increase	O
in	O
replayability	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
friends	O
brought	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Mason	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
reviewer	O
Stardingo	O
from	O
GamePro	O
,	O
thought	O
that	O
they	O
played	O
too	O
much	O
like	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
did	O
not	O
add	O
much	O
to	O
the	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maragos	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
mid-air	O
trick	O
"	O
system	O
from	O
Advance	O
2	B-Application
was	O
optional	O
in	O
Advance	O
3	O
,	O
but	O
spoke	O
positively	O
about	O
its	O
usefulness	O
in	O
locating	O
"	O
hidden	O
areas	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Provo	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
Advance	I-Application
3	I-Application
is	O
on	O
par	O
with	O
the	O
best	O
that	O
companies	O
like	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
Konami	O
have	O
had	O
to	O
offer	O
this	O
year	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vassar	O
praised	O
Advance	O
3	O
for	O
continuing	O
Advance	O
1	O
and	O
2s	O
emulation	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
colorful	O
,	O
angular	O
,	O
and	O
stylized	O
look	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
its	O
"	O
twangy	O
,	O
upbeat	O
tunes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
