Sonic Adventure DX - A Childhood Gem, But Jankier Than I Remember

[St0rmTheGates]

 

I spent a lot of time raising Chaos. I mean A LOT of time. Recently, I went back and tried Sonic Adventure DX as an adult. It was a nostalgia trip, but jankier than I remember. The animations are off, there are long periods with no music, and the boss fights are super simplistic.

This was an ambitious game, no doubt. 6 playable characters. Tons of side activities. I mean, we are talking about a game where you can run a race, play pinball, raise your little neopet stand-ins, and then go snowboarding in the span of 30 minutes. I would love to see a Sonic game with modern graphics, engine, and design philosophies that was as ambitious as Sonic Adventure.

 

 

[UpCDownCLeftCRightC]

I had the same feeling when I replayed it not too long ago. SA1 is one of my favorites in the series but upon reflection the game was extremely rough around the edges.

The sonic gameplay contained a lot of good ideas but the actual process of handling sonic through levels was such an unstable one that the heavy automation present in the game was a necessity. As much as I love the game for what it tried to be, I have to admit it was not a proper foundation for a great 3D sonic game. I think many of us love it because Sonic controlled relatively smoothly but his controls fought against the level design in many cases. Its no wonder SA2 took the more narrow approach it did, although that was likely for the worse gameplay experience overall. 

I think a better foundation for 3D sonic can be built than Adventure 1 but I still love it for its many good ideas and homages to my favorite time in gaming history.

 

[Eurisko]

I agree, I'm in the midst of a play through at the min and it's a game that you've gotta have patience and forgiveness for these days. The music is still as fantastic as it ever was but that voice acting , and i know they recorded lines very differently back then but its bloody awful.