I'm sorry but I hate SA2

[Spin Attaxx]

Er.... YouTube comments? The things that sap intellegence?

 

EDIT: OH GODDAMMIT GUIZE >:U

 

Granted I can't say for myself - I've had SA2:B since Christmas but never picked it up so...

Edited October 28, 2013 by Satan Attaxx

[SenEDDtor Missile]

 

I think the game would have been much better if it was just Sonic, Eggman, and Knuckles.  Eggman's stages were much more fun than Tails' stages which were much more tedious and had worse level design. Rouge's stages are (arguablely) worse than Knuckles. While treasure hunting in general was suckish, at least Knuckles' stages didn't have stupid gimmicks like every single one of Rouge's stages.(The Guard Beetle in the inner pyramid stage who's name I can't remember, the time limit and safes in Security Hall, and the Planetoids in Mad Space) Lastly, and the time spent developing the graphics, music, and design for these stages could have been used to make the Sonic, Eggman, and Knuckles stages more enjoyable or to iron out more bugs.

 

EDIT: Oh it seems like I bumped this thread. Sorry.

 

Well the game WAS originally going to only be Sonic, Eggman and Knuckles. Everyone else got tacked on afterwards, which is why their levels don't seem to be as developed. I'd provide a link for my sources, but I can't really remember where I heard this detail.

[Celestia]

I'd gladly join an SA2 defense swarm! Finally, I wouldn't be so alone and cold.
 
I still like SA2. I'd put the original Adventure above it by a little bit, but I still think it's a solid game. I guess it helps that I generally enjoy the three different gameplays, haha. I also like the story...on paper. Presentation kinda ruins it in a lot of parts, but eh.

 

I'm kinda sad that, as of trading in my Wii, I don't have a way to replay it. I should really go looking for my Gamecube, if it's even still here.
 

Take a good look at some Youtube comments and the Sega forums.

The way I see it, a lot of SA2 fans simply aren't up for talking about it, and frankly, I don't blame them considering the the reputation the game has around actual Sonic fan sites. Not to mention, as demonstrated here, the perception of it's fans.

Edited October 28, 2013 by ElementofChaos

[Tani Coyote]

In all honesty, I usually skip the hunting and shooting stages when I replay, unless there's a cutscene I'm particularly interested in (ohhh man, I love the cutscenes after Cosmic Wall but dear god that stage takes forever). I have also discovered the camera can indeed be very frustrating at parts since it likes to shift even when you do not command it to.

 

What really draws me to SA2 is overall the story and characterisation, especially that of Shadow. I like the borderline-insane devotion he has to his best friend, and how he quickly works to undo all the damage he's caused the moment he realises how wrong his memories were. I also love pretty much all of the music. Eggman also seemed like a genuinely threatening villain, and the moment where it looked like Sonic had just been killed was very powerful to me; it also showed the strength of Sonic and Tails' bond given the latter's immediate anger. Shadow's death, meanwhile, continues to strike a chord with me even though I know it is not real; it just is a powerful scene for me.

 

If one doesn't like the story or music, that's fine, but, I think those are two elements that are highly subjective and there's no real "right or wrong" answer to those two fields.

[Pawn]

I've found myself defending it in the past, because I find some of the vitriol surrounding it to be disproportionate. Its predecessor somehow fares better around here, yet it has aged worse in many ways.

 

The idea that it was 'never good' is a statement that I find very odd; the implication being that the majority of fans and critics alike took leave of their senses in that era. I was never unaware of it or Adventure's flaws when I was younger, but they simply weren't the big problems that they would be today.

 

 

The way I see it, a lot of SA2 fans simply aren't up for talking about it, and frankly, I don't blame them considering the the reputation the game has around actual Sonic fan sites. Not to mention, as demonstrated here, the perception of it's fans.

 

Yeah, I'd imagine that there is an element of that. It's also likely that many fans of the games pre-2004 gave up on the franchise soon after '06 was released. I know that my own hype for Unleashed was virtually non-existent as a result.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Pawnkin

[Doc]

Sonic Adventure 2. I like the game so very much, but I wouldn't call it the best. One thing that fustrates me is when people say that you can only like this game because of nostalgia. My friend played this game a few years ago and still likes the game. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is very nostalgic to me, but I still prefer Sonic 3 & Knuckles and CD over it. Also, Sonic 3D Blast 5, a Game Boy pirate is my first Sonic game, which is somewhat nostalgic, I don't enjoy that game nor do I call it great at all, but that would've been obvious. I enjoy the Sonic/Shadow stages, dislike the shooting stages but I think the hunting stages aren't that bad. I like the story though, better than *cough cough* unleashed *cough cough* where no one really reacts to the world being destroyed (except that one person), but in SA2, when Eggman threatened the earth to be destroyed, by destroying the moon, everyone was scared as sh!t. But that's story, I'm pretty sure we're talking about stages here.

 

Yes, the stages are very linear (for sonic/shadow) and they have aged. I wouldn't call this game horrendous or terrible though. People said that the shooting and the hunting stages are annoying, but let me tell you, I don't think they are as annoying as the werehog which literally made me quit playing unleashed. It's opinion really, I wouldn't call it a GREAT game, nor would I call it extremely bad. 

 

As comparing it with Sonic Adventure, I don't really know cause I only played a bit of it. I don't really like the hub worlds to be honest, like I think they're only a distraction from the main game. It should've been like SM64, where the only purpose is to go the stage, in my opinion.

[Meow]

I was in love with this game as a kid, then again I was a pretty hardcore fan that even liked Sonic 06 back when it came out because it was Sonic and I was a dumb sixteen year old. Now that I've gotten older and the further I've detached myself from the series the more I realize there are quite a few titles I don't particularly care for much anymore, Sonic Adventure 2 being right up there. The original I actually enjoy more than the sequel, probably because it still retains a lot of classic elements while at the same time doing its thing. The soundtrack also holds up a bit better because I cannot listen to anything off of the SA2 soundtrack without wanting to punch my ears out haha. I don't have fun playing the Sonic stages anymore, or the Knuckles/Rouge stages - though oddly enough the shooter stages feel the least awful to me in the end even if they are tedious sometimes. The only thing I'll give it really is that Knuckles is still not quite at "I'm a dumb idiot character" here yet so I'll give it points for that.

Otherwise this game is not a game I plan on going back to anymore. When it was released on XBLA I skipped by it, and I never put in the GC disc anymore sooooo yeah. It sure was okay to me at the time but I really don't like it now.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Yeah, haha, not really.

CRAWLING IN MY SKIN

Ha ha, ya really.

 

There's a much bigger world out there beyond the fandom. For example, anyone remember a previous Top Ten Worst Blockbusters by Gametrailers? It, surprisingly, had a lot of people jump to SA2's defense than they did siding with it. Now granted that's just a comment section, but beyond that mention I don't think you can find a general impression by using the forums on their own. Not that YouTube counts, because that's a cesspool of comments and everyone should know that. But as far as I'm aware there are people who will defend this game just as often.

 

The hell are you crawling under your skin for?

Edited October 28, 2013 by CreepySpiritSonic

[DarkRula]

The more and more I think back on this topic, the more and more I can honestly say I've been playing this game less and less.

Yes, getting Lost World and 06 [don't even think about it] might have given me a wider range of titles to play, but when I do consider playing a Sonic game on the PC or X360, it's usually Generations. I only go by levels alone, and I find the Generations City Escape levels [even if classic really doesn't count when talking about 3D gameplay] much more interesting than Adventure 2's.

Example in case, a friend came round and asked me about using a HMDI cable to link the computer to the TV for playing games. The first game that came to mind to show him was Generations. That didn't work on full HD though [kept bringing up the computer cannot run on these settings or whatever message the error brings] so I had to swap to Adventure 2 instead. Still played City Escape though.

[Remynaka]

  I'm not going to make any friends in this topic by my little opinion, but I still love this game. I'm NOT saying it's perfect, but to be completely honest. I tried to play Unleashed again and I couldn't. The control of sonic when he's not going at light speed is horrible. Atleast in SA2 case he's controllable. He doesn't feel stiff and like a car, and the story while not no where NEAR perfect. Wasn't a completely bastard child in the least. To be completely blunt, SA and SA2 are still the best 3D sonic games I've played IMO. But that's just me, and no once again.... they are FAR from perfect but I can still play them. I can't go back to Unleashed and I will NEVER go back to Gens. Once was too much for that game. :c 

Edited October 28, 2013 by Smooth Jazz

[Ebby]

This topic seems kind of silly, there's a lot of people who hate SA2. It's a common thing. 

[Blitz 'n Burst]

I've completely lost my ability to point out the flaws in this game with some guy on another forum, especially when comparing it to modern games.

 

But tl;dr I hate pretty much every single aspect of this game. The only good thing i can say about it at all is that they at least tightened the physics in the Sonic stages so you won't find yourself careening off of edges or falling through the floor like in SA1, but that really doesn't mean much when the level design in those stages is so awful anyway. I really can't enjoy a single aspect of this game at all.

[Azure P]

SA2 was great during its time.

 

But I agree it has aged poorly.

[Dr. Mechano]

Sonic Adventure 2 is still my favorite Sonic game, and I'm about to explain why.

 

I. The Gameplay

 

A.) Speed stages were solid, and in my opinion a vast improvement over SA1's in terms of control and overall design. The game was fairly creative with these levels, my favorite being the gravity-switching shenanigans Crazy Gadget, which was essentially Death Egg Zone in 3D. It was fast, fun, and in my opinion, the definitive gameplay style for Sonic the Hedgehog. Boosting and parkour have their ups and downs, but neither match the fluidity of SA2's Sonic in my opinion.

 

B.) Hunting stages were fun. I actually really liked the open-endedness of the stages, particularly the later ones. It gave me some serious Super Mario 64 vibes and, coming from me, that's definitely a good thing. My one complaint is that the Emerald radar was worse than its SA1 predecessor, only detecting one piece at a time instead of always detecting whichever piece you were nearest to, regardless of collection order.

 

C.) Mech stages. Playable Eggman. Do I even need to say anything else? I don't, but I'm going to anyway. Playing as Eggman (and Tails too, I suppose) was a blast. A total improvement on Gamma's play style in my opinion, the SA2 mech stages focused a lot more on fun, enjoyable platforming. The highlight? Cosmic Wall, baby. It's about the closest we've gotten to free-flying the Eggmobile, blasting everything in sight in ridiculously fun low-gravity. Call it slow and clunky all you want, these stages were an absolute gem in my book.

 

II. The Music

 

From the character themes to the level themes to even the cutscene BGMs, Sonic Adventure 2 has plenty of toe-tapping, memorable melodies. By far, it has the best vocal selection of any Sonic game, including my favorite of all, E.G.G.M.A.N. 

 

III. Vastly Improved Chao Garden

 

I always felt that SA1's Chao were unintuitive and not particularly fun to raise. SA2 really expanded what you could do with Chao, and unlike its predecessor, the process was actually really engaging. The Chao themselves are also a lot livelier and show far more personality here, even drawing cutesy little pictures of the hero (or villain) they like if they bond enough with them. A+.

 

IV. The Story and Characters

 

A. A dark, but not gritty, tone. That's an important distinction. Yeah, SA2 had government conspiracies, amnesiac angst, and an apocalyptic revenge scheme from a tragically-executed scientist - but it also used those elements skillfully, and they never compromised the game's overall hopeful, idealistic tone.  Unlike Shadow or 2K6, SA2 blended light and dark with great skill, and it never felt like it was trying too hard to show players how edgy it was. It had its fair share of levity, and even genuinely heartwarming moments, such as the mutual understanding and civility of the heroes and villains during the game's finale. SA2 is "dark" done right, and though they've tried to emulate its tone in future games, Sonic Team always seemed to overshoot the mark and go too far.

 

B. Character development. Who was Eggman before SA2? I love the guy, but his entire character could be summed up as "cackling maniac" up until that point. Even in SA1, he essentially had two moods: Uproarious evil laughter and rage-fueled tantrums. SA2 gave the guy a far wider range of emotions, and definitely made him feel a lot more human than previous appearances. We even get a brief allusion to his childhood! Really, SA2 did more for Eggman's characterization and development than anything before or possibly after. And yeah, everyone got some great development in this game, but I think Eggman is by far the most prominent example.

 

C. The plot. SA2 has its share of twists and turns, but they're accomplished without breaking our suspension of disbelief or getting too complicated. It starts as a simple "Eggman wants to rule the world with another superweapon" story, and it turns out that the mastermind was actually Eggman's own grandfather, Professor Gerald - forcing Eggman to abandon his plan and undo his childhood hero's scheme. But that's the plot on a grand, game-wide scale. There are smaller details too, such as the fake Emerald gambit -  a clever ruse by Tails, which was rendered useless by an even cleverer bluff by Eggman.

 

Sonic Adventure 2 is not without its flaws, but its merits are so vast and so overwhelming to me personally that it cannot be placed as anything less than my favorite entry in the franchise. As an Eggman fan, and as a Sonic fan generally, I view it as a stellar game.

Edited October 30, 2013 by Count Mechano

[Dummy Bear]

I still like the game, but I'm not going to put it above every other Sonic game in existence like some mouth-breathing Youtubers.

[E-122-Psi]

I admit I find the game overrated. There are some parts it refined compared to SA1 (eg. MUCH better cutscenes and dialogue, improved Chao Garden, 2P VS mode added), it seemed like a step forward, step back approach, and actually seemed to pivot a lot of the problems that took over the franchise for a long while (if not nearly as prominent in this case).

 

In particular it chained off a lot of character complaints, largely because, unlike SA1 and the Genesis games, the game FORCED you to change to another non-Sonic character after levels. The story, while still having Sonic somewhat relevant, demoted him a little, arguably giving him the least personality limelight of the six.

 

The levels seemed a bit more generic, and noticably more linear. A lot of them just seem like the characters walking through long straight pathways with little alterations. Even worse they actually dumbed down the emerald radar for the treasure hunting stages to keep this one path structure. The mechanics also feel a fair bit heavier and clunkier than in SA1, and the Gamecube version offered annoyances such as Sonic's forced homing attacks.

 

Also the plot, while still being fairly balanced in tone at least, sort of seemed to lead off into the games stories trying to make Sonic's world something it wasn't and slowly becoming something of a pretentious sci fi (SA1 had a human world, but still utilized a lot of Sonic mythos and backdrops, SA2 has more realistic gimmicks for the most part, and the conspiracy backstory is like something out of a fantasy horror). I still feel some characterization problems started to become prominent here too (Sonic and Tails started to feel more bland, while Eggman's patsy role was upgraded to the point EVERY cohort he had played him for sap "Tricking that doctor is just too easy").

Edited October 31, 2013 by E-122-Psi

[T-Min]

I still like the game, but I'm not going to put it above every other Sonic game in existence like some mouth-breathing Youtubers.

Are these people really so prominent and do their opinions matter so much that we have to make note of them constantly and point to them as the reason why this game is still "overrated"

[₪►F3lhog◄₪]

Wow, I didn't expect that many people hating SA2. o_o This was actually the first 3D Sonic game I ever owned (on Gamecube), so back then I really loved the game. Gameplay was great for me, especially those of Sonic and Shadow, and the Chao Garden was really fun, too. (I honestly would like it to come back >.<) I consider the story the best written from a Sonic game, at least compared to those that appeared later, and I agree the soundtrack is okay, but not as good as the first Adventure game.

 

Nowdays I rarely play the game, but when I do it would be just to play the Sonic or Shadow stages or to go to the Chao Garden. It's not the best Sonic game, but I think there're far worse games that appeared later. >.<

Edited November 1, 2013 by ₪►H3llhog◄₪

[Dizcrybe]

The only good thing i can say about it at all is that they at least tightened the physics in the Sonic stages so you won't find yourself careening off of edges or falling through the floor like in SA1

 

I can't recall this ever happening to me in SA1 outside of maybe one section in Final Egg.

 

I do, however, remember Sonic zigzagging left and right when I tried to spindash on a log in Green Forest.

Edited November 2, 2013 by Dizcrybe

[Harley Quinn]

I'm sorta neutrual on SA2, with a bit of my opinion careening towards the positive side. If the Speed levels were less linear, the Treasure Hunting levels had a better emerald radar, and the Mech stages were nixed in order to have Tails and Eggman's levels be more true to their original characters (Eggy in his flying machinery glory, Tails without the mechs) then I think it would've been a more 'definitive' gameplay roulette for Sonic.

[Jet Prower]

And once again, I am shown in this topic how I'm a positive person while so many others would rather just bash and complain.

 

I don't see much wrong with this game that would demote it from its good standing in my eye. Yeah, the game isn't perfect, but the complaints I hear just sound like whining to me for the same of whining. First of all, the hasn't aged well comment. I hate this comment about any game, because in my eye this pretty much makes the person sound like they are one of these modern day graphic whores that can't enjoy a game unless it is in turbo HD with the best graphics you can get out of the game. Its an older game people. The graphics aren't going to be as good as newer games. Tough luck there.

 

Yes, I'll agree that the mech stages may not be the best idea for the game, but it was something different. That's the main thing that bugs me about the series at the time is sameness trouble. People seem to want just RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN  and that's it. When the games try to do anything other than just pure running, people start crying. Yes, the radar may not be perfect as well, but it is still fun when you get used to it.

 

I spent like a month back in college playing nothing but this game trying to get all the emblems so I could play that green hill level, so I know the game rather well. Maybe not as well as I did back then, but still. I spent a lot of time with SA2 to get all those things.

 

The story is very good to me, since it has that slight bit of dark that these games need without going too overboard with it like Shadow may have done. It seemed paced well to me and showed what everyone was doing for the most part as it flows from emerald collection to let us stop the ark. It just seemed to flow great to me.

 

I still enjoy the game and if I wanted to. I would go pop it in right now and play it from start to finish once again any day of the week.

Edited November 2, 2013 by Jet Prower

[Nepenthe]

You know, you don't have to elevate yourself just because you like some games others do not, nor do you have to dismiss the complaints someone may have about a game you may like as "whining," nor do you have to imply victimization by constantly pointing out that everyone certainly won't agree with you. The attitude is grating. It's something I've seen you ramping up on and I'd like you to dial it back; you're better than this. It's fine to like a game regardless others' opinions on it, and it's fine to dislike a game others like regardless as well. We all have opinions on these games which are genuine, and it's dismissive to members and shitting on discussion to waive them off like that.

[SegaSuperStar]

Well i think SA2 is a classic and while it had it's flaws like every game does, i found it fresh, fun and a colourful awesome adventure. I loved raising the chao and giving the whole hero/dark substance to it made it worthwhile exploring the depths of the game more. I played the game when it first come out and it's apart of my childhood memories.

[E-122-Psi]

Yes, I'll agree that the mech stages may not be the best idea for the game, but it was something different. That's the main thing that bugs me about the series at the time is sameness trouble. People seem to want just RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN  and that's it. When the games try to do anything other than just pure running, people start crying. Yes, the radar may not be perfect as well, but it is still fun when you get used to it.

 

I don't think the mech idea is bad in general. I LOVED Gamma's gameplay in SA1, it's just similar the treasure hunting stages they're kinda a 'step forward, step back' method, the controls and items and obstacles are better refined, but the handling is kinda slow and too many of the levels are kinda bland and straight forward. RUN RUN RUN is at least better than WALK WALK WALK.

 

Just to note I hardly HATE SA2, I think it's a good game overall, but I don't think it deserves some of it's hype as 'the best 3D Sonic ever'. They made a lot of detrimental flaws, even more unforgivable because since some of them were actually added onto SA1's better elements and seem completely superfluous (really, what was the point in crippling the emerald radar except to make the levels more linear and time consuming? Especially in 2p, where arguably the whole point is to make a mad dash for emeralds the other player hasn't found).

Edited November 2, 2013 by E-122-Psi

[Roarey Raccoon]

I remember seeing SA1 in action on a Japanese Dreamcast before the console hit UK shores and I was blown away at the time by how good it looked. Seeing Tails on a snowboard melted my fanboy heart. Actually playing the game was a disappointment though, which wasn't improved with SA2. It felt clunky to play and the different game types for the characters were really unappealing. All I liked about SA1 was running about as Tails, because I'm a sad sack, but he was stuck in a machine for SA2, haha. The annoying imperfections in the gameplay combined with the extreme levels of cheese in the cutscenes made it practically unplayable. I haven't enjoyed playing a Sonic game since SA1, besides a brief nostalgia rush at the helm of Generations. To be honest I've never really been into Sonic because of the games, for me it was all about the characters so it's the cartoons I really fell in love with. SatAM and AoStH rocked my child mind and made me a huge, ridiculous Tails fan. My other half loves the modern games though, he delights in them, for the most part. So at least someone in my house likes the Sonic games, haha.