Sonic Adventure 2 Discussion, Speculation, Media Topic

[pppp]

Actually i was talking about the trick where you sell an item and still keep it so you can use it to stock up on rings. thanks for that trick though.

[Kuzu]

Sonic Unleashed was 4 years ago. Since then, we have had two entries in the main series. Both were very easy and the latter was even easier than the former.

And SA2 was ten years ago, which destroys the notion that the new games are "easier", and no Generations is not easy as I do remember dying quite a few times.

[-Mark-]

If we're talking about getting S-Ranks, Generations practically gives them to you on a silver platter compared to Unleashed and SA2.

[Kuzu]

I'd still say the newer games are far easier than the SA2, and especially don't require near as much skill.

I don't really see it, Colors yeah, but Generations seems to be about on par with it.

If we're talking about getting S-Ranks, Generations practically gives them to you on a silver platter compared to Unleashed and SA2.

I'm talking more about the levels themselves.

[Burnt Ash]

I find that SA2, at least the main game, is harder than Generations. SA2 has quite a few levels that are very difficult to get an A rank in, almost requiring you to make a perfect run in order to attain that A rank (glares at Metal Harbor). SA2 does have its fair share of very easy levels like Cosmic Wall or Wild Canyon or City Escape, but overall, it would be a more difficult game. Generations, while objectively a better game than SA2, is a lot easier than it. Most stages, save maybe for Classic Rooftop Run, or the two Planet Wisps are pretty easy to obtain an S Rank in. Then again, the ranking style is clearly different than SA2, putting an emphasis on time rather than score; so in that regard, considering the speed running style Sonic Generations has, it's sort of easy to get an S rank in most of the levels.

However, I'll say that in regards to the extra missions, both games, I think, are equal in difficulty. SA2 has some absurd difficulty for some missions for the levels, like Meteor Herd, Mission 4. Generations has some really difficult missions, such as Charmy's Co-Op mission in Planet Wisp. At the same time, both games have really easy missions, like several of the time missions in both Generations and SA2.

I'm not advocating for the quality of the difficulty of the two games when I say what I said above, but overall, regardless of quality, I'd say SA2 is the harder game. As for what it'd be if you take into account the quality, it'd probably be Generations.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Burnt Ash

[sonfan1984]

If we're talking about which game is harder to 100% then yeah SA2 is the harder game. Generations is the only Sonic game where I got all the S ranks without any real effort. But in terms of levels I find SA2 to be just as easy as the newer games since I can beat both Hero and Dark stories in a couple of hours the same amount of time to complete the recent games.

[Kuzu]

Yeah, in terms of completion, then yes Generations is piss easy.

[Old dead account]

Is it just or did they manage to make the fucking camera even worse than before?

[Emmett L. Brown]

Yeah, in terms of completion, then yes Generations is piss easy.

That's true, but that owes a lot to the fact that Sonic Generations didn't have any really unbalanced challenges at all. Except...Vector's mission. You know the one. But even Vector's awful mission is a breeze compared to getting through Route 201 without touching the walls or the cars.

So much hate for those missions.

[Burnt Ash]

Not sure. For me, dislike tends to fuel frustration, so I tend to find problems that I didn't have before.

[Stritix]

And SA2 was ten years ago, which destroys the notion that the new games are "easier", and no Generations is not easy as I do remember dying quite a few times.

Uh, what? No it doesn't. New games are easier. Colours and Generations are the new games and are very easy compared to the older games such as Sonic Adventure 2.

[Blue Blood]

Is it just or did they manage to make the fucking camera even worse than before?

[Emmett L. Brown]

I've yet to find a single glitch, bug or flaw that wasn't in the old version.

...except for when I beat Cosmic Wall and wound up in the debug level. Yeah, it's not perfect.

[Tornado]

Considering most of the reasons that the Adventure titles (and, indeed, any of the games before Unleashed) are harder trace their roots to how they don't control as well, I'm not really sure what difference it makes.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Tornado

[Barry the Nomad]

I'm finding SA2 to be the best non-current gen 3D Sonic game in my replaying of it. The structure of the game really lends itself to replays. Even though I've beaten the game again and again in the past, playing it now really feels fun and fresh, and there are very few (if any) moments like the ones I had replaying SA1 where sections just felt like chores.

I'm talking about the Adventure fields. Yeah, I love them. But when replaying the game's story mode, they get really tedious and boring. Once you know to take the ice key to the Ice Cap entrance, it's less of an "adventure" and more of a big chore.

Also, while treasure hunting and mech shooting are not elements that I want to see returning to the series, I really feel that Sonic Team refined them and made them the best they could be in SA2. Stages were entirely unique, not just retreads of Sonic stages, which really helped. Also, there was a lot of cool gimmicks unique to certain stages. What really helped was that these stages, while not the Sonic gameplay people play the games for, were short enough. Really, that is how Sonic Unleashed should have functioned: 6 minutes of werehog stage, 6 minutes of daytime stage. Here, it's enjoyable! I'm never spending 30+ minutes in a non-Sonic stage.

As for Chao gardens, I like how they're treated like the special stage. Not that they are required like Special Stages are, but it's a nice throwback to the classics and a fun break between action stages.

Edited October 7, 2012 by Barry the Nomad

[JezMM]

I'm finding SA2 to be the best non-current gen 3D Sonic game in my replaying of it. The structure of the game really lends itself to replays. Even though I've beaten the game again and again in the past, playing it now really feels fun and fresh, and there are very few (if any) moments like the ones I had replaying SA1 where sections just felt like chores.

I'm talking about the Adventure fields. Yeah, I love them. But when replaying the game's story mode, they get really tedious and boring. Once you know to take the ice key to the Ice Cap entrance, it's less of an "adventure" and more of a big chore.

Also, while treasure hunting and mech shooting are not elements that I want to see returning to the series, I really feel that Sonic Team refined them and made them the best they could be in SA2. Stages were entirely unique, not just retreads of Sonic stages, which really helped. Also, there was a lot of cool gimmicks unique to certain stages. What really helped was that these stages, while not the Sonic gameplay people play the games for, were short enough. Really, that is how Sonic Unleashed should have functioned: 6 minutes of werehog stage, 6 minutes of daytime stage. Here, it's enjoyable! I'm never spending 30+ minutes in a non-Sonic stage.

As for Chao gardens, I like how they're treated like the special stage. Not that they are required like Special Stages are, but it's a nice throwback to the classics and a fun break between action stages.

[Barry the Nomad]

Ideally, the treasure hunting stages should have progressed, moving from area to area. Like, you start off in the first area, find the emerald piece and then are prompted to move to the next. That way you still get that Sonic-vibe of moving through a stage, but you also get that Knuckles treasure hunting vibe by hunting.

I'd say with the mech stages, Eggman's feel the most natural since you are literally playing AS Eggman as he would control in his Egg Mobile. As Tails, you do wish you could hop out at times and explore. Which, now that I think about it, would have been fun. Not sure how they'd get that to work, but perhaps offer up a few stages that play like SA1's race the clock stages taking place in a section of a Sonic stage or in an entirely new stage.

[sonfan1984]

Uh, what? No it doesn't. New games are easier. Colours and Generations are the new games and are very easy compared to the older games such as Sonic Adventure 2.

Edited October 7, 2012 by sonfan1984

[Burnt Ash]

When it comes to 100% completion then yeah you're right. But when it comes to beating the main game (without doing all the extra side stuff like missions, S or A ranks, etc) I don't find SA2 to be any harder then the new games.

[-blank-]

....So the hints in the treasure hunting stages are still as useless as ever, huh?

[Old dead account]

It's just you. Really. Nothing like that has changed at all. You're playing a very good, no frills port of a game. It's SA2B as it always was.

Hmm. Must be my controller then. For some reason sometimes when I move the camera in the treasure hunting stages it won't stop moving in that direction.

[JezMM]

....So the hints in the treasure hunting stages are still as useless as ever, huh?

The hints only become fun and useful when you know the levels inside out, thus are able to say "Ah!" when you read them and head directly to the area they're talking about with confidence.

Rather than "...What the fuck does that mean" when you first play.

[Frogging101]

If we're talking about getting S-Ranks, Generations practically gives them to you on a silver platter compared to Unleashed and SA2.

That's the one thing I didn't like about Generations. Getting an S-Rank didn't seem as challenging as it should. And I hadn't even played a Sonic game before! It was fun, to be sure. But I feel like it should have taken me more attempts to achieve an S-Rank in some stages.

[SilJeff]

I still love Weapons Bed and Cosmic Wall more than any other mech level (also, f*ck you Eternal Engine)

Edited October 8, 2012 by Mr.Snarf

[Wittymations]

...except for when I beat Cosmic Wall and wound up in the debug level. Yeah, it's not perfect.

Huh, that kinda sounds like fun. I mean, probably not when you're trying to beat it for real, but playing around in the debug level in general.