Sonic Adventure 2
For: Dreamcast
Genre: Platform
Reviewed by: Escee (Brandon)
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Released:06.19.01
 
Sonic Adventure 2 is probably the last Dreamcast Sonic game. Let me tell you, it may be the last game, but Sonic will leave a great impression. If you didn't like Sonic Adventure because of the adventure stages, then get Sonic Adventure 2. There are no adventure stages, and the game returns to the continuity of action stage followed by action stage. The game is not perfect in any way, but if you own a Dreamcast, you absolutely must own this game. It's Sonic even more so than the first Sonic Adventure.

First off, Sonic 2 has a far more compelling storyline than the first SA. By the time you get into the Last Story, the storyline will fully reveal itself. It is quite better than what I've seen in most Sonic games. I won't spoil it here, however.

There are six playable characters, but only three styles of gameplay. In SA2, you pick either the Hero Story or the Dark Story. In the Hero Story, you play as Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles. In the Dark Story, you play as Robotnik ("Eggman"), Shadow, or Rouge.  After beating one story, beat the other, and then play the Last Story. Sonic and Shadow's gameplay is the same, as are Tails' and Eggman's, as are Knuckles' and Rouge's. Sonic and Shadow are definitely the highlight of the gameplay, and the most fun. They'll play the speed-oriented courses. If you liked E-102 Gamma in the first SA, you'll enjoy playing as Tails and Eggman, who pilot walkers and lockon/shoot. Knuckles and Rouge go treasure-hunting for pieces of the Master Emerald.

Those loveable, and highly-fun Chao from the first SA are back and better than ever in SA2. The VMU game is improved, and now you can evolve a Chao to the Hero or Dark side or keep it neutral. There are more Chao races, and more tiers. There are more types of Chao you can raise, more things you can teach your Chao to do thanks to the new Chao Kindergarten, and simply a better Chao system.

Now there's more reason to get all the Emblems too, since you unlock a secret area when you get them all. I won't spoil what it is, but let's just say it's a classic.

The graphics are awesome, the soundtrack is better than ever, and the lastability is high.

Now that you know why you need to get this game, I'll point out some things I was disappointed by.

First off, the camera is quite possibly worse than it was in the first SA, and that's quite a feat seeing how bad the camera was in the first SA. You can't move the camera easily without it snapping back, and the camera gets in the way and snaps away at the wrong places. The camera is the only really awful part of SA. The other things I'll speak of could have been better, but they aren't truly faults.

One thing I would have liked to see is a true Sonic game in the style of the classic Genesis games, but in 3D. Meaning all the levels are in Sonic's style, but you play different levels for each character. I would have also liked to see new badniks (enemies) in the classic Sonic style. I would also like to see more classic-style Sonic bosses, including fighting Robotnik himself. The bosses in SA2 were great, but they could have been even better.

One thing I would really like to see is Special Stages and the collection of the Chaos Emeralds. This is something that's been missing since Sonic appeared on Dreamcast. This is probably what I'd like to see most. Magically getting all the Emeralds at the end of the game to fight the final boss -- and only the final boss -- as Super Sonic is nothing compared to the Chaos Emerald collection aspect of the classic Sonic games.

I'm glad they took out Amy and Big's lame gameplay styles, although the Knuckles/Rouge treasure-hunting still kind of take away from the classic Sonic feel.

All in all, this is an awesome game, although there were things that I, as a Sonic freak and fan, would have liked to see, it is still a must-buy game and awesome fun.
 
Graphics
Even better than the first SA's graphics. I would have liked to see a stellar FMV intro movie, but the FMV cutscenes are enough. The ingame graphics top the outstanding graphics of the first SA, and are truly awesome. There is almost no slowdown in the normal gameplay mode, although it comes up at times, it is usually confined to the other modes, such as 2-player.
 
Sound
Nice sound effects. Stellar soundtrack. Yes, the soundtrack is better than that of the first SA. The main theme, Live and Learn, is absolutely outstanding. The voice acting is okay, and Shadow's voice-acting is the highlight. And you can always switch to the great Japanese voice-acting, with English subtitles.
 
Gameplay
Very fun, awesome gameplay, especially the Sonic/Shadow levels. Sure, it could have been better, but I'm a hardcore Sonic fan, so I'm just picking at things I think could have been more "classic." The gameplay is great, though.

Control
Control is fine, but the camera sucks worse than the first SA's camera, if that's even possible. Gah.
 
Lastability
The Chao-raising will definitely keep you playing, as it's just a wonderful aspect of the game. You can breed your Chao over and over and create new types. And the Emblems will give you something to play for, since you'll unlock a special area if you get them all, and special costumes and characters for the 2-player mode. The 2-player mode also adds lastability, as does the kart-racing.
 
Ratings

7.25.1

click on the above screenshots for larger versions.
 
images from ign.com and gamespot.com