Sonic Adventure

"Rushed, but still a great game.."

Sonic the Hedgehog has been Sega's lovable blue mascot for years and years now. Sonic has been featured in quite a few games, some good and some bad. In 1999, Sega released Sonic Adventure, a new Sonic game featured in full 3D. Sonic has gone 3D in the past, but with minimal success. After purchasing my Dreamcast this year, the first game I bought was in fact Sonic Adventure. I had always enjoyed the earlier games featuring the little blue hedgehog, so I was obviously curious about his new game. It turns out that Adventure is a good effort, but it is definitely not the best out there. If you are wondering why, keep reading..

Gameplay - 8/10

In what is probably the biggest aspect of Sonic Adventure's gameplay, you can now play as six different characters - Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big, and E-102. Each one has their own characteristics that sets him or her or it apart from the rest, but more importantly, each one has their own adventure.

Sonic's adventure is much like his previous games, where you must stop Eggman (Dr. Robotnik) from doing whatever dastardly deed he has planned. This time, Robotnik is out to get the seven chaos emeralds, no matter what it takes. It is Sonic's duty to stop Robotnik, so he must use his attacks wisely. Sonic has two different attacks to start out with, but you can obtain more on your journey. The two attacks that Sonic starts out with are the spin attack and homing attack. I prefer using the homing attack, only because it requires less preparation. Sonic's quest is the longest of them all, so you better have some patience if you plan on going through it.

Next up is Tails. Tails is probably most known for being Sonic's little tag-a-long buddy, so he is trying to come into his own in the game. Tails' goal is to beat each stage before Sonic does, and he is also looking to gain some courage by not leaning on Sonic as much. Tails only has one attack to start out with, and it is the Tails attack. All he does in that attack is hitting the enemy with his tail, but he does have an even better function - flying. Flying isn't an attack, but it is very useful if you are trying to get some where far away. All you need to do is fly your way there. Tails' adventure is not as long as Sonic's, but it can still be a little complicated if you aren't used to his controls.

The third character in the game is Knuckles the echidna. Knuckles is my favorite character to use in the game, because he has some neat actions and his story isn't too bad, either. Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald. All is going well for him until one day, Eggman's monster named Chaos breaks the Emerald into pieces and takes it with him. It is Knuckles' job to regain the Emerald. Knuckles has some very cool actions. Knuckles has a gliding jump where you can glide to whatever place you want to see, a climbing action where he is able to climb any surface, and a super strong punch attack. Also, later on, you can obtain the skill of digging so you can dig on a soft surface to obtain items or rings. Knuckles' adventure is my favorite of all.

Next in line is Amy Rose. Amy is a pink hedgehog that considers Sonic as her hero. After she spots Sonic walking down the street, she encounters a big robot named ZERO. ZERO chases Amy around through her entire adventure, so you have to learn how to successfully go through a level while running away from the robot. Amy's weapon of choice is a hammer, which is incredibly weak. More times than not you will miss the enemy on an attempted hit, leading to a lost live. Thankfully, there is a powerup that you can obtain later on that gives you better hitting range, but it still doesn't help it a whole lot.

Big the Cat is the fifth character in Sonic Adventure and he is the worst.. One day in his home jungle, Big notices that his little frog friend, Froggy, has gone under a very bizzare transformation. Froggy suddenly leaves the jungle as if he were possessed, and Big gives chase. It is your goal as Big to fish your way through four stages with your goal to catch Froggy. I really don't know where to start on how bad this scenario is.. The fishing is extremely boring, which comes to no surprise since Big is a boring character. Big has an awful, awful voice that makes him sound retarded. Seriously. There was no reason for Big to become a main character - he should have been a minigame at most. You know a character is bad when his weapon is a fishing rod..

Finally, the last main character in the game is E-102 Gamma. E-102 is one of Robotnik's evil robots which makes this scenario neat since you get to play as a bad guy for once. E-102's adventure is different from the rest because it is wild, out of control shooting. Your goal is to shoot as many enemies as you can to add time to the clock. At the end of each level, you get a boss fight, but I won't reveal who they are for fear of spoilers. All you do through each level is use your laser gun to blast away everything in sight. I really liked this adventure for some reason..

You can even play as a special hidden character to officially finalize the game - it is truly a video game markout moment. You know the drill by know - no spoilers..

All of these characters and scenarios tie in to one big adventure where you have one major goal - get as many emblems as you can. There are 130 emblems total and you can obtain them by defeating a stage with certain stipulations. For example, you can obtain Sonic's ''C'' emblem (the easiest) by simply making it out alive through that stage. To get his ''B'' emblem (the middle), you have to collect 50 rings or more while making it out alive. To get his ''A'' emblem (the hardest), you have to beat the level in a low time. The ''A'' emblems are tough to get for most of the characters, but I found Tails' scenario to be quite easy.. I guess it all depends on your gaming skills.

There are only two modes in the game - adventure and trials. The adventure mode consists of all of the characters and their adventures listed above. Each adventure is chock full of cutscenes, but sadly you cannot skip them, even if you have already beaten the game before. Hopefully they change that in the upcoming sequel. The trial mode is basically just what the name says - you can pick a level or a minigame from a character and try to win an emblem. The trial mode is a good idea since it would get tiring to enter each stage through the adventure mode after you had already done it once.

Whether you participate in the adventure or trial modes, each stage will still be the same. You get to collect rings (100 rings equals an extra life) and you can get dozens of power-ups scattered throughout the course, like high speed shoes and shields. There are also point markers where you start over if you die in that stage. It is mostly stuff that has been done in past games, but it is still essential to gameplay nonetheless.

The biggest problem that I found in the gameplay was the torrid camera. Sometimes it will get stuck behind a wall while other times it will just flat out not cooperate. The two buttons on the back of the Dreamcast controller can be used to rotate the camera, but it still doesn't necessarily fix the problem. The camera makes the game feel a tad bit rushed, as a little more time could have greatly helped solve this conflict.

Also, for all you virtual pet fans out there, there is a new idea called ''Chao Adventure'' where you can raise little chaos. I myself despise virtual pets, so I didn't even bother with this mode. If you want a detailed description of it, go read a FAQ or CChan's ultra detailed review.

All in all, the gameplay is usually very good with the camera being the biggest problem. I can live with crappy characters, but a crappy camera is something that really bugs me.

Graphics 8/10

This is a first generation Dreamcast game, but it still looks great. The worlds are absolutely full of detail, especially stages like the Lost World and Emerald Coast. Each stage has its own unique feel, with loads of special effects. For example, in Twinkle Park during the rollercoaster section, you will see sparks fly out from the coaster riding on the track. It is detail like that that really holds my interest.

The characters themselves are also detailed, straight to the bones. There are many little details to be found, like Sonic's hair moving about while he runs at blistering speeds. Speed brings up another point - the framerate is almost flawless. Even while Sonic is zooming along throughout each stage, there is no slowdown. The only real problem that I found with the graphics is a minor one - some clipping during cutscenes. It is definitely not a big problem, but it does deserve to be pointed out. Overall, I really like the graphics, but I know that there can be better.

Sound 8.5/10

I really like the music in Sonic Adventure. Each stage has its own theme - some even have two music tracks! I especially like the Lost World's theme - it matches the level perfectly, giving it a tropical feel. Each character also has their own theme, complete with lyrics. After you defeat an adventure, the character's theme will play while the credits roll down the screen. This is the kind of stuff you look for on Napster, even if the songs can get repetitive after a while.

The sound effects are also a strong area. A lot of the sound effects are very similar to past games, such as collecting rings and doing the spin dash. The jungle in the Mystic Ruins is my favorite place for sound effects. While you walk (or run) in the jungle, you will hear the leaves crunch under your feet. You will also hear background noises, like birds chirping and animals doing whatever noises they do. It really is great.

Something that kind of surprised me was that each character had tons of dialogue, complete with voice acting. The voices are very well done - each voice matches that character. Tails sounds like a little kid, while Knuckles and Sonic have deep voices. Poor Big the Cat sounds mentally retarded, but it does fit the character. Overall, every aspect of the sound is done well, but the music can get too redundant at times.

Overall 8/10

Without a doubt, you should definitely give Sonic Adventure a try - it's only $20 now. If you have been a fan of the past Sonic games, then you will probably enjoy this one too. I know I did.. With top of the line gameplay, graphics, and sound, it is something you shouldn't miss.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/01, Updated 08/07/01