Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a video game released in 1994, is a classic "platformer" video game. Sonic the Hedgehog was Sega's flagship series for its new home console, the Sega Genesis, functioning essentially as their version of Mario, but blue and gritty. 1 The manual for the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game introduces Sonic to the world: "Only one tough dude can put an end to the demented scientist's [Dr. Robotnik's] fiendish scheme. It's Sonic, the real cool hedgehog with the spiked haircut and power sneakers that give him super speed" (Sega 1991, 4). Sonic is not at all like an Italian plumber in a mushroom kingdom-he's positioned through Sega's marketing materials as a rebellious and modern fighter, sporting a trendy haircut and sneakers.Like many video games of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (hereafter Sonic 3) is structured around the player traveling through many levels, each with a different setting; the music reflects these setting changes-a volcano, a forest, a city, a lake, and so on-by invoking a variety of styles. These various locations, although distinct, do not result 1 Mario is the main character of Nintendo's flagship series, Super Mario Bros.