10 years since Sonic Adventure

[SykoTech]

Even though I personally think that a lot of what it did was a bad direction to steer Sonic in (overdone automation, theme songs, multiple characters, realistic settings, etc.) I still have a decent amount of respect for Sonic Adventure.

Rather than taking the "copy Mario 64" route, the game tried to be true to Sonic for the most part. Keeping Sonic's straightforward design in check rather than turning him into a tedious collect-a-thon was very nice. I also loved how its creativity really tried to push Sonic forward, something that no console game before Unleashed has bothered to do. While a lot of signs were FAR from ideal, the effort was still there to make these new elements appealing.

I have to say, I AM in the crowd of people that thought that Sonic Adventure was the first step to the downward spiral Sonic's console titles fell into (though SA2 is an even bigger culprit of that). However, I could never hate the game for that as it's more of a fault of Sonic Team's lack of creavity or will to improve the flaws SA1 had in the future titles. Not to mention most of the ideas that SA1 started have always been the best in that game, save a few gameplay elements that Unleashed topped.

So, while I think it's highly overrated, I also think that it is the most respectable 3D Sonic title. That makes sense, right?

[Crystal Kingfisher]

Wow, 10 years already. Where does the time go? I was only 5 when this game was released, and I didn't get my first console until my 6th birthday (and my first console was a PS1), but then on my 9th birthday when SA1 was remade for GC, I got that, a GC, and some other GC games too. I started playing SSBM and SADX for hours that night. Then I got SA2 for my GC, which IMHO is even better. Don't get me wrong, SA1 kicks ass, but the only thing I hated about it is the adventure fields. I don't mind the cheesy mouth movements, some of my favorite games have no mouth movement or cheesy mouth movements (MGS1 on the PS1 is a great example, it's one of my favorite games of all time, but the characters' mouths don't move, except for on the remake of it for GC).

[Ferr]

I love it. Is my favorite Sonic game ever, seriosly, and Im playing Sonic games since 1991 with the Master System version of Sonic 1 (and short after, with the Mega Drive version).

Maybe its because the impact I got when I first saw it, incredible graphics, good music, character development, a good story (atleast IMO).. I dont know, but it really was what I wanted to see in a Sonic game in 3D.

[DarkOverord]

I love it. Is my favorite Sonic game ever, seriosly, and Im playing Sonic games since 1991 with the Master System version of Sonic 1 (and short after, with the Mega Drive version).

Bridge Zone!

We seem to have similar tastes ;D

[Rusty Spy]

It's overrated.

It was okay for its day, sure, but that everyone including the developers have held it as the perfect example of a 3D Sonic game for so long is just sickening. I really find it isn't really anything special.

I agree. To me, Adventure felt WAY too loose in control and not very polished. But in terms of concept, then I feel it has made a great foot hole for 3D Sonic to develop. But I feel SA2 helped add more improvements to the Adventure formula, and as a game, was much more well rounded, IMO. Adventure 1 gave a wide range of entertainment value, going to really good, and really poor. SA2 though was a fairly enjoyable experience, and had a more all round level of enjoyment.

[sk8terboi2020]

I was thinking about my memories of playing Sonic games and I realised that it has been 10 years since Sonic Adventure came out. I find it quite scary how long it has been. Where has that time gone? It feels like only yesterday when it was the latest must have game for my collection. That game was like the start of the modern 3D era of Sonic.

I thought this was a good excuse to start a topic about this game and how we feel about it.

I was absolutely amazed when this game first came out. I loved everything about it, with the new character voices and the really cool story line. It really was the next level of Sonic gaming and I really enjoyed playing it over and over again. I still enjoy playing it today and I think it still looks good even 10 years after it's release.

Well there are my thoughts on Sonic Adventure. How do you guys feel about this game?

ahh..the memories

[Sean]

It looks hideous in today's standards, but seriously, the game holds up tremendously well in the design and fun factor. The stages are great-looking and are extremely well-designed (save for the ones that abuse the speed pads, but even those aren't really bad either); the music is also the best in any 3D Sonic game ever. This is also the only game where I've seen character depth and development in the Sonic series done totally right. Tails has his coming-of-age story, Amy expresses desire to protect something for the first time, Big risks his peaceful, naive life in order to save his friend, Gamma works against his internal programming, and Knuckles struggles to understand his role as guardian. I can't remember if anything important ever happened in Sonic's story (considering he doesn't develop like the other characters do), but I'm sure there were some moments in it that actually made me like him.

The glitches? They didn't break the game (considering you really had to go out of your way in order to find a glitch, except for Sky Deck's damned third area, anyway), they added a multitude of layers in exploring it. I remember how excited I felt whenever I got a character into an area he wasn't supposed to be in. Because of this, I found myself playing the game over and over again just to see how many of these level glitches I could exploit, such as getting Knuckles into Emerald Coast.

Still a goddamned amazing game - still my favorite Sonic game ever. SA1 is neither like the classics nor the post-SA2 games. It's really a good leap into the 3D realm, even if it was an awkward one.

[amy]

Heck,I'm still playing it.Still awesome .Just beat sonics story again for the unteenth time today*deleted his gamedata to play something else,since I had low memory,regretted it*.Love raising the chao.Hard to believe it's been ten years*I'm stuck with the DX version,but still fun*Anyone else used to get those errors that just randomly shut your game down?I get them quite often,I think my data is damaged D:.

Edited March 31, 2009 by amy

[Djawed]

Wow - I remember my friend importing a Japanese DC when it launched there, with SA1 and Pen Pen. When I played SA1 for the first time it was in black & white (NTSC console on a PAL TV). But I was completely blown away by it!

It ran as smooth as silk and looked gorgeous - the whole experience from start to finish was breath-taking.

I have since finished it 7 times and finished the GC version 5 times and still can't get enough of it (though some of those A rankings are ridiculous!)

I think that the new games are really missing the old badniks and themed levels like in SA1 - I think that sets SA1 apart from most of the other 3D Sonic titles.

cause_of_chaos

And makes it more similair to the classics

[Covskin]

It is undoubtedly flawed and certianly shows its age (even the Gamecube port looked dated upon release), but Sonic Adventure got so many things right on the first go. At its core it has got very good levels and decent gameplay. It attempts new ideas with the fishing and shooting and has been said, had a pretty innovative idea for the story.

I think the main reason this could be looked upon as the start of the downfall is that even though its faults are obvious, they never seem to have been addressed. My last game was admittedly Shadow, but at its core it was essentially the same as the Sonic levels in SA1, just with more guns and even more obvious glitches. With stuff like that, its no wonder people trace their way back to SA1.

But yeah, I love it.

[Phos]

(even the Gamecube port looked dated upon release)

In many ways, DX looks worse than vanilla Sonic Adventure. The water effects (and thus Chaos), for example, are much better looking on the DC version.

It's funny to read the "DX" in the games title as an emoticon.

Edited March 31, 2009 by Phos

[CreamyBagel]

Because of this, I found myself playing the game over and over again just to see how many of these level glitches I could exploit, such as getting Knuckles into Emerald Coast.

Me too! Have you ever tried getting Amy into Emerald Coast? Without a cheat cartridge it's tough. I spent the good half of a night trying to get her in, I was so happy when I did ha ha.

Sonic Adventure is my second favourite Sonic Game (SA2 being first). I can't remember the year I first played it but if I had to guess I'd say it was around 2002/03. Growing up in the 90s I always preferred video games with a good plot and storyline which is probably why I enjoy the 3D Sonic games more than the 2D ones (which seemed a little thin plotwise).

I'm one of those people who wish Sonic Team would make the new Sonic games like Sonic Adventure because I loved those games so much. Sure the graphics were flawed, every part of the character's faces moved whenever they talked and in the Dreamcast version you couldn't skip the cutscenes so you had to sit there and watch them, but this game has a lot of nostalgia for me.

The addition of Crush 40 has had a huge impact on me cause I love all the games songs and the music is amazing. Me and my sister used to play a game where one of us would play a song from a level and one of us had to guess what it was without looking lol. I used to play the game so much I began memerizing the character's lines.

However, even this game had cons. Like others have said, Big's levels were boring and I didn't find them very fun at all. Amy's levels, clearly designed for younger players (though I couldn't do them when I first started playing ) were lacking considering it was Amy's debut as a playable character and the character graphics, despite being charming in their old age, do look very cheap and on some occasions bugged me, like when Sonic spoke and his mouth, cheeks and eyes moved in every possible direction.

[Ivana]

I loved that whale in the Emerald coast level. You know, the giant killer whale? Or am I getting it mixed up from the Director's cut? It's been so long since I played the original, and I have terrible memory. This will sound kind of odd, but getting chased by that whale is the reason why I got into Sonic anyways. I could never play Amy's levels though, because I was scared of the robot (I'm still a little scared of it now, because I hate getting chased by anything). This game is also what spurred an all out Chao raising war between my brother and I.

[7Force]

This game remains one of my faveorite 3D Sonic games ever. I remember when I first saw preview pictures in CVG, Sonic's eyes and smile on a black background everybody was really hypeing it up. The next issue that came out i was blown away by the screenshots, it looked so good and from its first showing i followed updatews on this till the UK Dreamcast launch.

I remember when i was in a Toys R Us as they had DC demo pods there. While everywhere else had DC pods running demos of Ready 2 Rumble Toys R Us had the Sonic Adventure E3 deom for play. My jaw nearly hit the floor when i first saw the killer whale scene there and then I wanted a DC but at the time i was in college and had no money although I knew someone who had a DC so I used to play it on his.

I never owned a DC but I brought one about 5 years ago to play SA among other classics but the one high light is SA. Sure these days its not aged that well, cut scenes are cheap and the VA is really bad but on the plus side the music is awesome and the graphics in places still look pretty good today but above all the gameplay is still great. Great games never die no matter how old they get.

[G of the Gore]

Ah, good memories. Its hard to believe it has been 10 years since SA was released. I really enjoyed that game, some of the levels were excellent and the soundtrack rocks, though I still don't like Big or his fishing levels. The game hasn't aged to well to be honest, the cut scenes don't look that great any more, with the excepton of the openeing scene where station square gets flooded, that still looks really nice I think. Even though its not my favourite 3D sonic, for me that would be SA2, I still rate it very highly.

[GameFarnsworth940]

In many ways, DX looks worse than vanilla Sonic Adventure. The water effects (and thus Chaos), for example, are much better looking on the DC version.

It's funny to read the "DX" in the games title as an emoticon.

chances are it would have done better overall if it were XD instead of DX lol

Anyway, this was the 8th Sonic game I've played (Well, the DX version, due to an unfortunate lack of a dreamcast If I only had one), but I did enjoy it, but I prefer 2 battle a lot more. But that being said, it's an example of how Sonic games should be (But it's a bit overrated though, or is that just being said from me only playing DX... hm...)

[Sean]

Right, well I've been playing this game quite a lot lately for the first time in years, and I realized how much better it is than I remembered.

Now I know precisely why I find this to be Sonic's greatest entry in the 3D realm: it's the engine. The engine is simply the best feature about this game. It's a wonderful thing that really hasn't been replicated in any 3D Sonic game since - it's actually momentum based, unbelievable right? A Spin Dash and jump combo can send Sonic to extreme heights, and you can use this ability in virtually every single level and area in order to get somewhere. Sonic easily clings onto walls when running on them, the Spin Dash actually propels him forward and upward when you need him to, and he actually properly reacts with the environment in this manner. I'd go so far as to say it's basically a 3D replication of the old games' physics.

Shame that Sonic Adventure 2 totally did away with this. In that game, you're much more restricted to the main path than you are in SA1, and whatever alternate paths there were (all two or three of them) were extremely inconsequential in comparison. In SA1, there are countless ways to finish a stage. Just this weekend, I discovered even more shortcuts to take in Icecap and Twinkle Park that I had never noticed before. SA2 just didn't use it to its advantage, and now I understand why most of the 3D Sonic games have since gone downhill: it's because they're missing the special charm that is SA1's physics engine and brilliant level design. I also take back what I said in my earlier post about some levels being not so great - even those are phenomenal.

I can't think of a single thing I don't love about this game. I love the different gameplay styles, the levels, the music, the characters, the pacing, the bosses, and most of all, the physics. No Sonic game truly has come close to SA1 on this multitude of quality since; they totally got it right with this game, but then they went into a completely different direction in its sequel, one that I can't really appreciate.

[SuperStingray]

Right, well I've been playing this game quite a lot lately for the first time in years, and I realized how much better it is than I remembered.

Now I know precisely why I find this to be Sonic's greatest entry in the 3D realm: it's the engine. The engine is simply the best feature about this game. It's a wonderful thing that really hasn't been replicated in any 3D Sonic game since - it's actually momentum based, unbelievable right? A Spin Dash and jump combo can send Sonic to extreme heights, and you can use this ability in virtually every single level and area in order to get somewhere. Sonic easily clings onto walls when running on them, the Spin Dash actually propels him forward and upward when you need him to, and he actually properly reacts with the environment in this manner. I'd go so far as to say it's basically a 3D replication of the old games' physics.

Shame that Sonic Adventure 2 totally did away with this. In that game, you're much more restricted to the main path than you are in SA1, and whatever alternate paths there were (all two or three of them) were extremely inconsequential in comparison. In SA1, there are countless ways to finish a stage. Just this weekend, I discovered even more shortcuts to take in Icecap and Twinkle Park that I had never noticed before. SA2 just didn't use it to its advantage, and now I understand why most of the 3D Sonic games have since gone downhill: it's because they're missing the special charm that is SA1's physics engine and brilliant level design. I also take back what I said in my earlier post about some levels being not so great - even those are phenomenal.

I can't think of a single thing I don't love about this game. I love the different gameplay styles, the levels, the music, the characters, the pacing, the bosses, and most of all, the physics. No Sonic game truly has come close to SA1 on this multitude of quality since; they totally got it right with this game, but then they went into a completely different direction in its sequel, one that I can't really appreciate.

I don't see how SA1 was any better than SA2 in terms of alternate paths. The only stages that didn't feel completely straightforward to me were Casinopolis and, at times, Lost World. SA2 actually had a lot of secrets; look at Final Rush, Aquatic Mine and Prison Lane! Sure SA1 had great music, but frankly, I found the almost all of the bosses terrible and the graphics and animations were no better than mediocre; I'd expect those from the PlayStation, but the Dreamcast? The hubs were extremely dull and I found the physics incredible jumpy and glitchy at times. I don't want to talk overly bad about this game, but I can find as many bad things about it as there are good things. The music was fantastic, the level design was great, the story was well told, the dialogue fit the characters quite well and the alternative gameplay styles were well done. (Except for Big's.)

[Phos]

There are a few areas in Sonic Adventure that had major alternate paths:

"Pleasure Castle" (Part 2 of Twinkle Park) has multiple ways to get to the goal. This is seriously exactly what I expect out of 3D Sonic games.

Sky Deck: This level has them all over the place! Of particular note is the part that takes place on the big wing, there are three completely separate ways to go through that part.

Emerald Coast has a few small ones, but nothing major.

"At Dawn" (the third part of Speed Highway) - Another example of what I expect out of 3D Sonic, though it's a bit short. It's like a snippet of some kind of "Sonic CD 3D".

[Sean]

I don't see how SA1 was any better than SA2 in terms of alternate paths. The only stages that didn't feel completely straightforward to me were Casinopolis and, at times, Lost World. SA2 actually had a lot of secrets; look at Final Rush, Aquatic Mine and Prison Lane! Sure SA1 had great music, but frankly, I found the almost all of the bosses terrible and the graphics and animations were no better than mediocre; I'd expect those from the PlayStation, but the Dreamcast? The hubs were extremely dull and I found the physics incredible jumpy and glitchy at times. I don't want to talk overly bad about this game, but I can find as many bad things about it as there are good things. The music was fantastic, the level design was great, the story was well told, the dialogue fit the characters quite well and the alternative gameplay styles were well done. (Except for Big's.)

Every single level had some kind of major alternate path and/or shortcut. Even the ones that depended on paths slightly less than others had some kind of way to allow the player to complete the level in a much quicker time. For example, in Icecap 1 and 2, you can jump on top of the cavern entrances and Spin Dash your way to the exit, reaching Icecap 3 at a mere 40 seconds. In Twinkle Park 2, after you stop riding the coaster, you can backtrack to find a platform that allows you to skip about half of the entire section, and right after that is a spring you can use to skip yet another chunk. Sky Deck had a ton of alternate paths; you could use the rocket to cling onto the cylinders, or you could climb a horizontal ladder that sends you to a higher section of the level. And of course, there's so many ways to complete Speed Highway 3, and it's one of my favorite areas in the entire game, despite it being so short.

I've played Sonic Adventure 2 just as much as I did with SA1 (if not moreso; I've spent a lot of time trying to get all of the A ranks, and I've 100%ed this game twice), and I didn't see any of this utilization of engine in the sequel. For starters, I absolutely hated Sonic and Shadow's space levels. Even though there were signs of alternate paths in Final Rush, they were not only very inconsequential (as you only deviated from the main path for all of two seconds), but most of the level is forcing you forward, as you are constantly grinding on rails anyway. The ability to Spin Dash and jump on a slope was one of the things I loved most about SA1, yet there were absolutely no opportunities to use this in SA2 or any future games since. The only hidden features I could think of in Prison Lane are those sparse extra rooms to the side of the main path that contained nothing of importance (such as a small animal) aside from an optional upgrade that doesn't help your case in your quest for A ranks.

There's just about as many ways to complete SA1 as there are in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The engine is a brilliant feature that a lot of people tend to overlook. Also, I actually didn't like SA2's graphical style very much.

Edited April 14, 2009 by Jake

[Serperior]

Like Jake I prefer SA1 over SA2, now I'm not saying SA2 is a bad game, its quite the opposite, I just prefer SA1. I like the varied gameplay more (Except Bigs, he made me hate Hot Shelter), the writing was better, the physics were better, theres more ways to complete the level and the emblem missions were alot less cruel in SA1 (Damn you Radical Highway 4th emblem). Also there werent any hidden power ups placed in stupid locations that do nothing in SA1

Edited April 14, 2009 by Blaziken

[MamboCat]

I think I preferred SA1... I'm not sure how else to describe it but SA2 in my opinion was a bit too "in your face!" Where as I felt I was more free to mooch about the levels in SA1 and find cool stuff. I think I also preferred the character (and gameplay) swappage in SA1 to SA2. I certainly did not like the Eggman and Tails levels! Those walkers were just awkward to control and shooting stuff was really not as fun as it should have been. I did enjoy the Sonic/Shadow and Knuckles/Rouge levels.

However I have never taken to Chao. They bug me more than any other emotion!

Edited April 14, 2009 by MamboCat

[SykoTech]

Even though it hasn't quite been 10 years since I played Sonic Adventure (that wouldn't be until the Fall for me), I decided to give it a playthrough anyway. Well, Sonic's story and Super Sonic that is. I might get to the others later. And, since my Dreamcast went bye-bye awhile back, I'm playing DX...but whatever. Here are my personal favorite bits.

*Perfect Chaos

Best Super Fight Ever. Most Super Fights supend Super Sonic in the air, which results in him being underwhelmingly slow. Even Doomsday Zone had Super Sonic locked with a camera range, so the sense of speed wasn't exactly there. The Perfect Chaos boss fight lowers Super Sonic to the ground and has him glide across the water at great speed. That alone makes it better than the other Super fights, but the battle itself is also worth recognition. Chaos can put on quite a show with his rapid bombardment of attacks, and dodging them while simulataneously amplifying Sonic's speed leaves ever so rewarding.

*Egg Viper

While not the most epic Eggman Boss anymore (Unleashed's Egg Devil Ray and Egg Dragoon topped it for me), Viper still is excellent. It was the first time where Eggman truly seemed like he was out to kill Sonic rather than play games...aside from the part where he takes his time breaking the floor of course. This boss's attack pattern never ceases to entertain me. I'll never tire from getting "a load of" it.

*Speed Highway (at Night)

Despite speed being Sonic's thing, it never had really amazed me before. Even as a youngen, it was always something that I could handle with ease. Then I played this stage. My inital reaction was "Holy Crap", and that's the same way I feel nearly 10 years later. The intense speed of the level combined with the incredible view really gave of the feeling of being Sonic. Both that and the Sky Scraper part were great reminders as to why I'm such a Rush and Unleashed addict. SA2's City Escape could have really used this kind of elevation and speed.

I didn't really get all the hype for the Dawn part of the stage though. I appreciated the openess, but there wasn't much of an incentive to explore. I guess the calmness put me off as I'm more of an action type of guy. It was nice to explore the first time, and is okay to fool around in, but it can't keep my attention for long. It was hardly a buzz kill though.

*Red Mountain

I'm usually not every fond of lava levels, but this is a mighty big exception. Even though I'm more of a speed guy, this is a stage where I go the long way at a brisk pace, just so I can take in the everthing. It's great to run by and seeing everything exploding around Sonic. The stage really gets wicked inside the volcano. The dangers grow larger, the pace gets faster, and the music is probably at its peak for the game. I just wish that there was a part where the volcano actually erupted, but oh well.

*Sky Deck

High speed? Check.

Action at every corner? Check.

Loads of alternate paths? Check.

Open-Ended areas? Check.

Atmospheric environments? Check.

Best stage ever? Double Check.

[Mandyrobin]

I still remember walking into a Zellers and seeing a demo version of Emerald Coast. At that point, it had been years since I played a Sonic game (which I only did once when a friend brought his Gamegear over to play) but I had loved the SatAM cartoon, so I was like "Sonic in 3D? I gotta try that!" I loved it and I knew them I wanted to own the game. As it turns out, I actually didn't get my hands on a Dreamcast until later in 2001, around the time the DC's production run was ending and all the copies of Sonic Adventure I got were second hand and didn't work properly. Out of about three copies, only one would actually work, although it would freeze all the time at Twinkle Park, meaning I could only complete three of the six character stories. It wasn't until I got SADX that I actually got to complete the game.

Although I don't like it as much as SA2, this game will always hold a special place as the game that officially solidified my status as a fan of the series.

[Stephen]

cahos zero should return