Sonic Advance 2

"Fun."

First, I would like to say that I have been a fan of Sonic since his debut on the Sega Genesis. His games were always about speed and getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible, while collecting chaos emeralds on the way. I would also like to say that this game is much harder than any of the other 2-D Sonic games. However, in some cases, harder is better, especially here.

The first level of this game is so simple that anybody could beat it merely by holding right. The rest of the game can be done in the same fashion, except that sometimes you must backtrack while running, as well as slow down for tricky jumps. Though some of the sudden stops can be frustrating at first, they will eventually become no more than a chore, and they do not come up often. After getting through boths acts of a level, or ''zone'', you will fight a boss while running on an endless track that doesn't end until you clear the level. These bosses are neither tedious nor easy. Timing is required in some cases, but in the end they all become quite fun to kill.

You start off playing as Sonic, with the other characters locked. As you clear levels as Sonic, the other characters become available, each with their own personality and skills. There's Sonic, the star of this game, who can run very fast, Miles ''Tails'' Prower, a two-tailed fox who uses his tails to fly, Knuckles the Echidna, who can glide for short periods and climb up walls, and the new character, Cream the rabbit, with her pet chao, Cheese. As you rescue each of the characters, the story develops, and a plot begins to make sense.

The trademark of all the Sonic games is speed. As you explore the levels, you will find that you rush through as fast as your little hedgehog feet can go. Enemies and obstacles fly by as you run. New to this game, however, is the ''trick'' move. Whenever you are in the air and not in a ball, press R and any direction to propel you further. Early on, this skill is only used to find the secret rings (more on those later), but in later levels this is a vital skill needed to progress.

The ''secret'' rings are scattered throughout the level in seven places. Once all are found, you can go to the secret stage, where you can collect a chaos emerald. Once all seven are collected, you can play the hidden stage.

This game proudly bears the Sonic name, and is a great game in its own right. I would highly recommend this game to anybody.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/03, Updated 03/14/03