1997
   Things began picking up again in 1997, although that's not saying much seeing as they couldn't get any worse from 1996. Seems the Sonic license finally wasn't worth all the cash-in potential it had in the past, and the Sonic Team was unofficially given its work of art back to be used just AS such: a work of art, popularity being little more than a by-product. Sonic Jam reminded players what Sonic truly was (and was always meant to be), and Sonic R, while not a Sonic game in the strictest sense, was the Blue One's true 3D debut.

   The long-awaited Metal Knuckles joins Metal Sonic in Sonic R. Tails Doll debuts in the same game, although this robot counterpart isn't quite the same...

February -- Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island on the Sega Saturn is released in Europe.
February 14
 -- Sonic & Knuckles Collection (including the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles) on PC is released in Japan.

-- Sonic the Hedgehog: The Screen Saver on PC is released in Japan.

March 20 -- Sonic & Knuckles Collection on PC released in the USA and Europe simultaneously. (Sonic Screen Saver included.)
June 20
 -- Sonic Jam -- a classics collection containing the original 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles -- on the Sega Saturn is released in Japan.
August -- Sonic Jam on the Sega Saturn is released in the USA.
August
 -- Sonic Classics, known in Europe as Sonic Compilation, is released on the Sega Genesis in the USA.
September -- Sonic 3D Blast on PC is released in the USA.
September 25
 -- Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island on PC is released in Europe.
November 18 -- Sonic R on the Sega Saturn is released in the USA.
November 21
 -- Sonic R on the Sega Saturn is released in Europe.
December 4 -- Sonic R on the Sega Saturn is released in Japan.

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