"This game is fast and fun - if there were not this adventure mode ..."

Many people told me that I should not get Sonic Adventure DX. They said the Gamecube version had many serious slowdowns and the graphics were not that great any more. I did not listen to them and got the game nevertheless. And I was surprised in a very positive way!

Graphics (7/10)
Well, I don´t think they are that bad. I like them - all the levels look different, they are huge! I would say it is an enormous effort to create that big levels. Graphics are detailed and various.
For example: In the very first stage you run along a beach, some kind of docks, then you have to flee from a giant whale. Once you managed to do so you are in some kind of jungle area, just a short passage, then you land again on the beach - to your left and to your right fishes jump out of the water, you run to the exit. Various, isn´t it?

Sound (7/10)
Obviously the sound is good. There are real songs in some of the stages. But that is not my style - I don´t like the songs too much.
Voice acting is okay, not too great but okay. I don´t think that most voices really fit. But that is just my opinion. I could not really say which voices would fit for the main characters this is just a feeling. There is Japanese and English voice acting on the disc, this is cool.

Story (8/10)
Story is not that important in a jump and run, but in Sonic Adventure the developers did a good job. There are six storylines altogether and six playable characters. At first you only play Sonic, later in the game you will unlock Tails, Knuckles, Amy and two other characters. Then you can play their story. Good idea!
Once you quit the game you can always change the character you want to play (of course only these you have unlocked already). So if you cannot see Sonic any more you can just continue with Tails. Once you proceed in the storys of the other characters and you meet new characters you can unlock them as well as if you play Sonic.

Gameplay (8/10)
There are two modes in Sonic Adventure: Adventure Mode and Action Mode. In the adventure mode you simply walk around in three big environments and look for the next action level. This can be rather frustrating since the game does not provide too much information about the next stages. Moreover, the adventure stages are pretty boring. This is a pity: The game is that fast and once you reach the adventure areas it slows down that much.
But once you have found the next action level everything is all right again. You run and rush through the huge levels, collect rings, beat enemies, solve little puzzles. For each character you can get through the level in three kinds of ways: 1. Simply get through the level, 2. Get through the level and have at least 50 rings when you reach the end of the level, 3. Get through the level in a very short time limit. You will be rewarded with Sonic emblems once you complete a level. By collecting some of them you will unlock up to 6 bonus games like ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for Gamegear. Nice feature.
After completing some levels you will have to fight bosses. Most of them are quite easy to beat, some are hard but the fights are never unfair. If you have played Sonic games before you know that boss fights are fun here. In most of them you need some kind of strategy to win.
People say that there are major slowdowns in the game but I did not notice many of them. Okay, some are there but this does not disturb you too much when you enjoy this game. The slowdowns are rare, I think.
More disturbing are the bugs - when I played the first stage and fell through a massive wall into the water I was alarmed but there were not many other bugs in the game. Sometimes your character simply stops without of a reason but that´s it.
This game offers several mini games - in two levels you fly with the plane of Tails and shoot all enemies. There is also a cart racing game included. Nice details.

Challenge - Medium
The action stages are moderate - not too hard but not too easy. And since you can beat all action levels in three modes there should be a challenge for everybody. Especially the time limits are very, very hard.

Value - 20-30 hours
Getting through the game with all 6 characters will take you about 12-16 hours, I think. If you want to unlock everything you will have to spend about 25-30 hours. The game is worth the money, believe me.

Overall (8/10)
I like Sonic Adventure very much, I really do. If the programmers had not involved this extremely boring adventure mode I had given the game a 9. A very nice jump and run, fans of the genre or Sonic fans should get it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/03