Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut

"A game that does the series proud."

Introduction

I was excited about this game for a while, since I have never owned a Dreamcast, and wanted to see what it would be like. This exceeded my expectations.

Gameplay - 8/10

This was something of a departure for Sonic games, since many of the levels break from tradition. Sonic and Tails are given levels that are similar to the normal model. Some of them seem a little too short compared with other Sonic games, but there are some interesting features. Ice Cap, for example, features a skiing sequence that rivals the original Ice Cap Zone on Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Casinopolis is one of the most non-linear levels I have ever seen in any game, with a large central area and a couple of pinball tables (with their own cool secrets), and a sewer route that you take if you don't get enough rings (you take this anyway in Tails' game). Knuckles' game, like in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, features looking for emerald shards. The only problem here is that his missions are generally too easy; the hintballs on his levels are mainly pointless (a lot of them simply tell you, "This Way!"). The only exception is Knuckles' final level, where you have to use a lever to tilt the level around. Amy's game can be annoying since Amy is a somewhat slow character, but the addition of Zero, the pursuing robot, is an interesting feature. Amy only gets three levels, though, which is a shame. Big the Cat, a newcomer when the original version of this game, came out, has fishing missions, which annoy some players since they take a while to get used to. The final character is E-102 Gamma, a robot who manages to break free of Dr. Robotnik (a.k.a. Dr. Eggman)'s programming. His levels are fun to play, but most of them are just too short and too easy (it is amusing, though, that his first level is "Final Egg").

Another feature of the gameplay is the Chao raising and racing. It isn't as sophisticated as Sonic Adventure 2: Battle's (you can only buy one item at a time in the Black Market), and a lot of people, including me, have found that the Chao data has an infuriating habit of corrupting. The races themselves are fun, and there are only 10, which is good for people who got annoyed at the number they had to beat in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.

I believe this is the first Sonic game to have an overworld; here, you can visit Station Square, Mystic Ruins (featuring Angel Island from Sonic the Hedgehog 3), and Robotnik's Egg Carrier. The overworld also features its own emblems that you can find, as well as mini-secrets.

Furthermore, when you finish the stories (six separate ones in all), you unlock an extra story, and you unlock Missions Mode for each character, which adds some nice extra challenges.

Story - 9/10

The story is complicated to follow, seeing it from the perspective of six different characters. This is the first Sonic game to actually have a backstory, featuring Knuckles' ancestor, Tikal, whom all the characters visit in flashback at some point in the game, and the story gradually unfolds, regarding the mysterious Chaos Zero. The stories are not identical for each character; for example, playing as Sonic, you will fight Knuckles alone at one point, and you will also fight Knuckles alone as Tails. Logically, Knuckles should fight both Sonic and Tails, but sadly, he only fights Sonic. Sonic and Tails' stories appear to be identical up to a point, but they soon get their own unique identity, and it is compelling to see Tails prove himself as a hero. There is also a good balance of comedy and tragedy. Gamma's story is probably the most serious in tone, but also has probably the funniest moment in the game, when a number of robots are arguing over the frogs they have captured. Knuckles' story is a little depressing, since he talks about remaining alone on Angel island, and Amy, like Tails, gets a good chance to prove herself. Having said that, Big's connection to the story is a little tenuous, being in it only because of the connection between his pet, Froggy, and Chaos. The final story does not disappoint.

Graphics - 7/10

The opening cinema is amazingly animated! The rest isn't quite so impressive, but it is still nice. There is a lot of attention to detail, such as having shops in Station Square (even though you can't enter most of them).

Sound - 9/10

This game has possibly the best rendition of each characters' themes. Each character is voiced well, too, though Big's voice rather suggests that he isn't very bright, to say the least. The music is great. Some is borrowed from Sonic 3D Blast on the Genesis, but it's good music.

Play Time/Replayability - 7/10

You will probably find this a very easy game to beat, and Sonic Team could have put in a bit more challenge. However, it is easy to replay the levels by revisiting them. I would like to complain, though, about the fact there is no way to rewatch cutscenes without starting a new game; apparently, Sonic Team didn't think we'd be interested. However, there are a lot of unlockables, including Game Gear Sonic games. These are somewhat hit and miss; for example, Sonic Spinball and Sonic Labyrinth are likely to lead you to throw down your controller and quit after about five minutes of playing, but others are great (particularly Sonic Triple Trouble and Tails' Adventures). They translate surprisingly well to the Gamecube.

Final Verdict

Buy. Even if you breeze through this in a few hours, the extra emblems may keep you occupied (a couple of Sonic's timed missions are incredibly hard). Also, the Game Gear games themselves are worth the price of this game and the number of memory cards it takes up.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/08/04