14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Sonic, next time, don't invite Knuckles or Rouge.
Date of Review: Sep 11, 2001
The Bottom Line: Knuckles and Rouge and Eggman and Tails and Shadow and Sonic? Too many characters ruin what could have been a fun game.
Sonic is a character that has been around now for ten years. He helped to make the Sega Genesis into one of the most popular video game systems of all time. He was part animal and part jet blaster engulfed in all attitude.
Sonic's newest adventure is on Sega's latest (and last) system. It helps bring an innovation to both graphics and gameplay. However, there is a price to be paid in all of this.
Sonic Adventure 2 works best when it is just Sonic. However, there are 5 other characters in the game all of which have their own levels. There are two stories to play: Good/Evil. On the good side you have Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. On the evil side you have Shadow, Eggman, and Rouge. With all of these characters, Sonic gets lost in the Shuffle. What would a Mario game be if you only used Mario in 1/6 of the game? Well, why should Sonic have to share the spotlight either?
Gameplay
The gameplay in Sonic Adventure 2 is simple. The first Sonic Adventure game actually had adventure elements in it. You would search for items in between levels. You would also sometimes have to complete a task to go to the next level. Such is not the case here in part 2. It follows this format: level, cinema scene, level cinema scene. Also in this game, you do not choose which character's game to play. You just choose between the good or evil stories and then the levels alternate between characters. Here are the three main types of levels in this game from good to bad (bad meaning oh so very bad!!)
First are the Sonic/Shadow levels which are all about speed. They are also the most fun. All you do is run forward really fast and try not to die. Sometimes the simple premises are the best. Along the way you jump on bad guys and collect rings. These levels are the most fun because they are what Sonic is all about: speed. It is amazing to see the backgrounds go whipping by as Sonic speeds along (with a very smooth framerate as well). Sonic has all his moves from the previous game and one new one: grinding! Grinding in a Sonic game?! What the $%^*?! Its true, Sega apparently has gotten a whiff of the skateboarding trend and figured Sonic should be able to grin as well. It doesn't work to well in the game. Sonic is best used while running fast.
The Tails/Eggman levels are slightly fun but can get very repetitious. Both Tails and Eggman drive vehicles that are equipped wuith blasters. In a nut shell, they drive foward and shoot everything in sight. This gets boring quick because there is no challenge in it. Your gun automitcally aims for you and you can see enemies coming at you a mile away. It is very hard to die in these levels. Another problem with these levels is that they move so slowly. That makes the excitement level dip kind of low.
The last round of levels are the Knuckles/Rouge levels (AKA, the worst levels ever created). These levels are horrible. You could not have a more miserable time playing a video game than you do playing these levels. Your objective is to find pieces of crystals that are hidden. You have clues spread around the level for where the pieces are hidden. You also hae a device that beeps when you get close to the piece. Where is the fun in this? The clues are vague, the could mean anything. Also, the device that beeps quickly is very irritating. Lastly, who wants to spend all of their time looking for something. Who has ever lost something and thought, "Wow, they should make a game out of this!" Sonic games should be about speed, not about looking for lost pieces. If people like this type of thing, well then that is fine. Just make sure it is not in my Sonic games for now on.
Graphics and Sound
At least this game is pretty. It is very pretty. It runs at a constant 60 Frames Per Second. The colors are deep and vibrant. The enviroments are vast and well detailed. The character animations are breathtaking. Sonic team deserves s huge pat on the back for creating such amazing images. From shading to solar lens flare, this game has every little nuance down pat.
The sound effects are well done with great stereo seperation. From the cling of collecting rings to the loud explosions spread throughout, Sonic Adventure is an aural tour de force!
However, the music is horrid. It goes from cheezy rock to bad hip-hop. Why oh why must there be singing in video game music? There is just no need for it! The songs are just awful. Especially the Knuckles/Rouge songs. Its is bad enough playing those horrible levels, but must we be tormented with lousy music too! Every Knuckles song has a horrific rap that gets worse and worse with each level. I actually screamed at my television once the music was so bad. My friends came over and fell over laughing at how bad the songs were. Lets not speak of the Knuckles raps again.
Extras
Okay, if you have gotten this far into the review and you still want to own the game, you probably want to know what extras it has. As you know, the game extras bring some value to the game. They help seperate those that stay on your shelf and those that get quickly traded in at your local Electronic's Boutique.
There are multiplayer games that are a joke. They have a deatmatch game designed like the Eggman/Tails levels that are laughable. They barely last a minute each time you play it. There are also races which are equally sad. You can have Sonic race Shadow and a split screen race. They race through previously completed levels. This feature is also a bore.
But, the worst feature from the last adventure makes a confusing return, the Chaos. They are those little creatures you can take care of on a seperate mini game on your VMU. Have you seen a Pocket Pikachu? If you have then you have seen something way better than the Chaos feature in this game.
Sonic Adventure 2 is an amazing achievement graphically. And the Sonic/Shadow levels are fun. However, the rest of the game drags it down to the point of no return which is a shame, because Sonic is a great character. He is such a great character, I think he deserves his own game and shouldn't have to share the spotlight with anyone.
