Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut

"The best 3D Sonic title..."

I remember back in 1999 going to Toys R Us and playing the Sonic Adventure demo on the Dreamcast. I just loved the game, thought it was great. I eventually sold it, no idea why, I use to do a lot of stupid things then. I found the Gamecube version for cheap one day and picked it up. Finally got around to playing it, months after owning it. 6 years later. Well, it isn't as polished this time around but I do think it's almost as good as the original version. Is it still a good game? Read on!

Sonic is out enjoying himself one day when he runs into a blue blob of a creature. Eggman (Robotnik) says that its name is Chaos and that he is going to make it a god by feeding it all of the Chaos Emeralds. It's actually a very good plot for a Sonic game, the best to date (Please note: as of this review I haven't played Shadow: the Hedgehog). What's neat is that Sonic is the only playable character but as you meet other characters during Sonic's story, they become available to play and they all have their own story, but it all fits together. It's really nice and maybe that's why I didn't like the sequel (which I have reviewed also).

The graphics in this game are kind of hard for me to rate. I played through it with a normal TV setup. The game looked decent enough, a bit dated. Lots of clipping, errors and other stuff in the graphics department. However, for the final stages and last boss I had upgraded to the S-Video Cable set-up and the graphics really did look smoother. I was almost impressed with the difference. I did seem to notice a tiny bit of grain or something at times but that wasn't there with the S-video cable. The CGI in the game is also rather nice. I really enjoy the CGI opening movie (the one that plays before the title screen, not the games opening).

The sound in the game is a mixed bag. The dialog is all spoken which is nice. The dialog is horrid though, like monkeys wrote it or something... Anyway, the voice acting isn't too bad. Not too good either but it works. I had no real complaints, it kind of reminds me of the old show that use to be on TV. Classic Sonic sound effects are used. The jump sound, ring collecting sound ect. It doesn't sound good with this game, actually sounds really out dated, but it does bring back fond memories, I just love the music in this game. Lots of vocal tracks, fun music that fits the stages but the vocal tracks are themes for the characters and I really enjoyed them. I'd buy this soundtrack in a heartbeat. Game also features a sound test.

The control in the game is a mixed bag. It's easy to basic stuff like jump and what not. The real problem comes in when using the homing attack, it almost doesn't work and I really didn't have a problem with it until the later levels where it almost feels like it gets in the way when trying to make that extra long jump. Moving the camera is easy by using the L and R buttons. I just couldn't remember how to do it. Even after beating the game I still wanted to just swing the C-Stick around but that doesn't work.

I think the game play is the best part about Sonic Adventure. There are 5 or 6 characters to play as and they all play different and while a lot of the levels are the same, they play different. Sonic pretty much rushes through the stages. Amy does the same but is being chased by a robot. The robot guy works like a 3rd person shooter almost. And Big is nothing but fishing, which I had a hard time getting into. It just wasn't that easy for me to do.

The level designs are really good for the most part. I love the whale chase, the building run, snowboarding and all of that stuff. A few levels do feel weak and out of place almost. Each character has 10 levels I believe. Sonic's Casino level is the most different, as it pretty much just has a pinball table (Nights themed...). It's not that bad of a pinball table and I found it almost addictive after a certain amount of time playing it. The levels are fairly long though and just getting to the end is how you beat most of them for the C mission. The A and B missions vary per stage. I believe one is a time attack.

The game takes place in Adventure Mode. Basically it's a city and the levels are located all around. There are places to go and items to find. It's very simple and basic but it's mildly entertaining. I did have trouble finding a number of "hot spots" places you had to go to advance the game. This was only a problem because the game rarely tells you where you need to go.

I really did enjoy the level designs. Lots of different paths, jumps, mad speed and all of the stuff you expect from a Sonic title. Even enemies return like the monkeys. What nice also is that Sonic has some new moves to use. The main one and maybe the only one because right now my brain isn't working at 100% is the Light Speed Dash. Holding the B button until Sonic turns white allows him to connect to a string of rings when you see them. It's how you're able to cross a number of jumps the later levels offer and also how you reach a few other levels. This move also works with enemies and allows you to connect to enemies that you may not have been able to connect with previously.

The game still offers the Chao garden. You do need a GBA and link cable and a Sonic Advance 1 or 2 or Sonic Party cart to fully get everything out of the Chao garden but that's okay. If you don't know what the Chao garden is, it's basically where you take an egg, hatch it and feed it critters you get in the levels. From that it evolves and you can race them. It's a fun little mini game and a few hours can be lost in it here and there.

New to this version is Mission mode. 60 or so missions that take place in the adventure mode. Basically the game ahs you doing stuff like Deliver item to X person and that kind of stuff. It's entertaining and adds just a bit more to the game. You get a medal or something for each mission and completing 10 missions gets you a Gamegear game to play. This really boosts that replay value.

The replay value in this game is fantastic. There are 130 emblems to get in the main game. Then all of the medals which unlocks a number of Gamegear games. The Chao garden adds a pet like sim, but they can't die. Plus each character takes about 2 hours to beta the game with some you can get a good ten hours just out of the plot. Throw in everything else and you have a beefy game.

I do think the game was a bit better graphic wise and game play wise on the Dreamcast, since it didn't have the glitches and it had the online ranking which was fun. I also think there were holiday themes that took place. However, all of the added content here makes this worth owning if you missed out on the Dreamcast version and if you're a big Sonic fan then this is really worth the price, which is pretty cheap now.

Story - 8/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 9/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay value - 10/10

Final Score - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/20/05