ProJared reviews Sonic Adventure 2

[PandoloFox]

I promise I won't reply further, before anyone starts freaking out. Just this one-

 

IRL, when you're eletrocuted you don't become an X-Ray of yourself. Knuckles' electrocution is inherently cartoony.

[Tara]

I got around to watching the review myself and for the most part, I agree with his analysis on the gameplay (though I feel he sort of skimped on the story, presumably going in with a preexisting negative outlook on it; that's fine and all, but there's a notable minimalism to that aspect of his review).  What I mainly don't agree with is his bit about the Chao Garden and how it helped solidify a flawed image of the game's overall quality.

 

I don't feel the Chao Garden had a huge impact on how we perceived the game's innate quality.  For one thing, certain animals were only available in certain levels.  As such, it was no less common for people to have to play the stages they didn't like over and over in order to get the animal they want.  Even if you ignored animals and farmed purely for Chaos Drives in the stages you like, chances are the sheer repetition would leave a sour taste in your mouth after awhile, which I feel it ultimately did at times.  Also, I believe (though I may be wrong) in the GameCube version, you didn't have to actually complete the stage in order to earn the animal.  That means provided that the animal appeared in the stage soon enough, all you had to do was retrieve the animal, exit the stage, and come back.  So really, for many animals you were barely even playing the actual stage.

 

When I think of why Sonic Adventure 2 was considered such a good game in its time, the easiest explanation is just that standards were different then.  I didn't get to play the Chao Gardens as much as others since the game didn't technically belong to me at the time, but I liked main game quite a bit.  I still think the game is pretty okay, bugs and all, but in addition to innovations in gaming essentially leaving the game behind as well as having more mature sensibilities and experience with other games, it's easy to see its flaws and its age.  I think the Chao Gardens were an extension to what made the game such a memorable experience, but they certainly didn't undermine the weak points the game was notable for even back in the day. (Especially the terrible production values of the cutscenes)

 

Of course, my experiences may be subjective, but I feel that while the Chao Gardens are a genuinely interesting inclusion to the game, they certainly aren't what stands out to me about the game.  For that matter, they certainly didn't muddy the impact of the game's flaws and weaker points.

 

As an aside, another thing I do find interesting thing about his review is his explanation with the finals boss fight with Shadow.  He explains that it's essentially about using the Light Dash to attack Shadow when he's in the middle of a trail of rings.  While that's a strategy I always like employing, I always considered that to be a side strategy, not the main component.  I always thought the main strategy (the one the game wants you to employ) is to wait for Shadow to get ahead of you so he'll use his Chaos Sphere, at which point he will give you enough time to dodge the attack and land a Homing Attack on him.  That's the strategy that Omochao recommends, anyway.  He never mentions anything about the Light Dash strategy.  It's for that reason I honestly thought the character battles between Sonic and Shadow (and Rouge and Knuckles for similar reasons) to be perhaps the weakest part of the game aside from the more tedious Knuckles and Rouge stages.

 

I mean, for all intents and purposes, I feel like the final Shadow and final Sonic fight should be fun.  It has the makings of a good boss fight:  An indirect objective, a concise weak spot, and employment of a clear strategy based on movement and exploitation of the characters' personality. (Note: What you find to be the makings of a good boss fight may vary) But something about the actual execution is just really terrible in my opinion.  Maybe it's because of the finicky homing attack which either never locks on or locks on so much that you have no control.  How many times have you tried to Homning Attack Shadow only to have Sonic just floating behind him for like five minutes before he does anything?  That happens to me virtually every time.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's not a miserable boss fight.  It's an easy one, too, and doesn't really disappoint me by comparison to any of the other boss fights in the game.  Its just a really monotonous and poorly-programmed experience, in my opinion.  It is good for one thing, if nothing else, though:  Endless life farming!

[shdowhunt60]

I promise I won't reply further, before anyone starts freaking out. Just this one-

 

IRL, when you're eletrocuted you don't become an X-Ray of yourself. Knuckles' electrocution is inherently cartoony.

 

But it still plays it so straight. It's obviously a dramatic event in the game's narrative. I mean, this is the same game where Eggman torches a whole god damned forest.

[Daisy-Fan]

The only part i really do dislike in Knuckles and Rouge stages were meteor herd, Mad Space pumpkin hill and security hall.

[Tornado]

IRL, when you're eletrocuted you don't become an X-Ray of yourself. Knuckles' electrocution is inherently cartoony.

[Osmium]

I promise I won't reply further, before anyone starts freaking out. Just this one-

 

IRL, when you're eletrocuted you don't become an X-Ray of yourself. Knuckles' electrocution is inherently cartoony.

 

Well, maybe that's because Sonic's cartoony. 

[Tailikku]

To quote my own comment on that same video:

 

"'Nobody likes the Knuckles stages'

 

Said no one ever"