Sonic Advance 2

"Blue hedgehog gets own game..... again."

Introduction
Sonic Advance 2 (Sadv2) marks Sonic's second Gameboy appearance. The original Sonic Advance had everything a nostalgic Sonic gamer could want However, it had a miserably slow feel to it, for some reason. Sonic Team fixes this problem in Sonic Advance 2, giving players a fast impression on the game.

Gameplay - 9/10
This is the fun part. The gameplay has greatly improved since Sonic Advance. The goal of this game is to reach the goal of the level without dying. Sounds familiar? This was the same concept used in the Sonic games for thirteen years, and Sadv2 does not dismiss the idea. You take control of five different characters, each with his or her own trademark abilities. Generally, you can jump with A, attack with B, or do some mid-air performance techniques with the R button.
Also, about Sadv2 - the speed. How fast is your character going. If you happen to discover the fact that you can run at least five times faster than most other 2D Sonic games. When I found this out, I was like, ''Oh no! Too fast! The game will be rubbish if you can't see where you're going!''. However, when you play Sadv2, you'll care no more about the control level (which is remarkably easy to get accustomed to, for a speedy game) than the plight of fly you just stood on.
There is only one negative about the gameplay - the trick maneuvers. There are quite a few areas in the game where you have to use a trick maneuver to get to another area. This can be very bad if you only have one arm (which I doubt), or you are caught off-guard, especially in Sky Canyon or Techno Base.

Story - 6/10
Dr. Eggman is up to his old tricks. He sends his Guard Robot to search for the chaos emeralds, and at the same time, the Eggman captures Tails, Cream, and Knuckles. Sonic, as usual, goes to save the day.
Unfortunately, unlike Sonic Adventure or Sonic Adventure 2, there really is no interesting story behind the game. And a lot of plotholes. I found myself asking questions like, ''Why is Knuckles being tricked again?'' ''What's the use of capturing animals when you know that your worst enemy is still going to kick your arse?'' ''Why am I bothering to make up questions in the first place?''

Graphics - 9/10
Rather nice. For a game where you're always moving, the graphics do not seem to fail in any area except for one - hill slopes. I winced when I saw Sonic or Knuckles walking uphill. Because it looked like a jumble of nonsense, it took me a few seconds to realize that it was Sonic. This may not bother some people, but it is actually.... cringe-worthy, to be honest. Nevertheless, it doesn't affect the graphics department too much at all.

Sound - 10/10
The best part of the game. All the music seems to stick in your head, whether you like it or don't. Usually I would go to the Sound Test to play Sky Canyon Act II or Boss-Pinch. Plus, the sound effects aren't too bad either, although I wish that Sonic Team fished up new ones instead of re-using them from Sonic Advance.

Replayability - 7/10
Sonic Advance 2 may be fun, but it gets somewhat boring after you beat it with one character. Sonic Team forces you to beat the game five times in order to fully complete it. Can you think of a reason why I'd want to play the same thing over and over? I certainly cannot.

Buy or Rent?
Buy if you liked the original Sonic Advance. I certainly did, so that is mainly why I added Sadv2 to my collection.
Rent if you plan to beat the game once and never play it again.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/05/03, Updated 05/05/03