Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the Mega Drive's most ambitious project — a game so large it was split into two separate cartridges. 'Lock-on' technology (stacking Sonic & Knuckles on Sonic 3) unlocked the complete game: 14 monumental zones, three playable characters with different paths, and the true finale with Hyper Sonic and the Doomsday Zone. The soundtrack involved Michael Jackson, whose name was removed after 1993 accusations — but tracks like Ice Cap Zone and Carnival Night Zone unmistakably bear his style. Sonic at its absolute peak: speed, exploration, secrets and an epic scale no 2D platformer has ever matched.