Developer(s) – Sonic Team USA
Publisher(s) – Sega
Director(s) – Takashi Lizuka
Producer(s) – Yuji Naka
PEGI – 7
Released to a generally favorable response from critics at the time, Sonic Adventure 2 delivered a much different Gameplay experience from the original Sonic Adventure with a more linear play progression, a side quest beloved by many Sonic fans, and the introduction of new characters such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat. Although I did spend a great deal of time playing through this game multiple times when I was a kid, going back into it with an entirely new perspective, I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer the original game for a number of reasons.
Graphics – 9/10
The main thing Sonic Adventure 2 improves on its predecessor, however, is the quality of the visuals on the technical level. Some cutscenes are even presented at 60 frames per second unlike the first, which was presented entirely at 30 frames per second throughout. From a conceptual standpoint, it’s just as wonderfully varied as the first game was taking place in vibrant cities, deep jungles, space stations, and even pyramids. As far as graphics go, it was most definitely one of the best-looking games on the Dreamcast.
Gameplay – 8/10
The gameplay is structured much differently than the original too. As opposed to having six different overlapping scenarios, there are two scenarios to play between the heroes of the game and the villains, with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles making up the heroes, and Dr. Robotnik, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Rouge the Bat making up the villains. The gameplay structure is far less open-ended than the original with merely two predetermined paths with the added side quest of Chao raising, which is like raising a farm of Tamagotchis; some players even think that the Chao raising is the best aspect of the game. But to me, in comparison to the first, it falls below par; the gameplay concept of the original game needed to be expanded upon the right way, and the developers didn’t do that, making for a more than decent gameplay experience, but just not the experience it could’ve been.
Controls – 7.5/10
The control scheme is as varied as in the original game, with both Tails and Robotnik in mobile robots this time round, differing from how Tails handled in the first game. But the problem. Being is that Sonic’s control scheme, along with Shadow’s, is the same as what in the first Sonic Adventure, and as such, it still presents the same problems. If anything, they actually seem more prevalent as there are fewer open locations than there were in the first game. So although there are positives in regards to the controls, there are enough negatives to keep it seems as lacking in fluency as the first game.
Lifespan – 4/10
The biggest downgrade compared to the first game, however, is in regards to the Lifespan. The first game lasted an underwhelmingly short amount of time anyway at 8 hours, but the second game can only be made to last about half that time, which for a game in a series as popular as Sonic is unacceptable. The point of a sequel is to build on the ideas perpetuated by the first in an attempt to create a better game, and having the second last less time than the first is not building on the first in a positive way.
Storyline – 8/10
One aspect in which there have been improvements made, however, is in the story and the dialogue. The six characters involved are in the search for the seven chaos emeralds again, but this time, Dr. Robotnik enlists the help of Shadow The Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat to find the emeralds to activate a weapon capable of destroying planets to ensure his dominance over the world. Although there are serious Star Wars vibes, almost to the point of self-parody in fact, the element that makes this game’s story much more interesting than the last is Shadow; on the surface, he seems no better than the likes of Robotnik, but after slowly learning his back story, the player can come to empathize, or maybe even sympathize with him like I ended up doing.
Originality – 5/10
The game stands out from the original but in many of the wrong ways. Although the overall experience isn’t bad by any means, it’s just not the game it could’ve been developed into in my opinion, and it left me wanting so much more than what is offered. It’s an exceptional example of how not to build on a successful game, giving players a somewhat watered-down experience. In the end, I found myself asking a lot of what-if questions about this game, and to me, it’s always a bad sign when I find myself doing so because it’s a clear indication of the game falling short in comparison to what it could’ve been given a little more development time.
Happii
However, for as much as I have criticized this game, Sonic Adventure 2 is still an enjoyable gaming experience with a fair bit to offer for the short time it lasts. Although it’s nowhere near the quality of the game it had the potential to be, it just about does enough to be considered a worthwhile sequel.