GENRE
	Adventure
	DEVELOPER
	Sonic Team
	PUBLISHER
	Sega
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	yes
	BUY NOW AT

The first Sonic the Hedgehog title stormed the gaming scene over a decade ago, quickly garnering legions of fans stolen from a Mario-centric way of life. Over the years its side-scrolling, blazing action earned it a place in video game history, slowed only by the lack of a true appearance on the Sega Saturn. Sonic made the long-awaited leap to true 3D in Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast in 1999, yet many people felt that the game strayed from its roots. Sonic Adventure 2 removed overworld exploration and refined the formula, but still met with mixed reception.

At long last, Sega’s most cherished icon has graced a Nintendo console with Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (SA2B), an updated port of the Dreamcast build sporting slight improvements and a multiplayer mode. Is this another false start for the beloved rodent, or does it exceed its predecessor and the few other Gamecube adventures?

The game’s story is deeper than that of most platformers. Hero Sonic has been falsely accused of thievery, and the tale opens with his fierce pursuit by the military. He has been mistaken for a devious hedgehog by the name of Shadow, believed to be the ultimate life form created by Gerald Robotnik. Gerald, the grandfather of Sonic’s arch nemesis Dr. “Eggman”, was also involved in the creation of the space colony ARK, figuring prominently in the story. Throw in side plots, double agents, a world-scathing weapon and biotechnology, and this Sonic tale is of pleasant caliber.

visuals

SA2B stays close to its Dreamcast origin in that its graphics are only marginally improved. It may not win ten dollars in the Gamecube beauty pageant, but it remains an attractive showcase of colors and vivid textures. As Sonic and company travel the world, each new region has a distinct appearance. From detailed cities full of cars to eerie pyramids to lush, green courses through an island jungle -- danger lurks everywhere. Most of the textures are clean and fairly sharp, which makes the occasional example of poor quality more prominent. The rich use of color is impressive, and improves the look of the game while bringing back a bit of the traditional “feel” of Sonic games. Perhaps the most visually striking stage is the White Jungle, where a lengthy tract of forest has been forged beautifully. The famous hedgehog courses at incredible speed down wooden chutes, through thick leaves and flowers, while the background stretches deep. This adventure runs at a rock-solid sixty frames per second, made even more remarkable for well-off gamers playing on a progressive scan television.

The characters are well rendered, though not to immaculate detail: rough edges are visible. The models are generally swathed in adequate textures. The mouth of a speaker moves in coordination with dialogue, though at times the synchronization is a bit off. Cutscenes are implemented through both full motion video and real-time rendering, and the difference in quality between the two is quite noticeable.

The Chao World is host to another interesting facet of the graphics. As individual Chao, similar to virtual pets, are conditioned with different creatures to enhance their abilities, they change appearance. They may grow horns, brightly colored wings, a tail, or another body part. Giving a Chao several bats will cause it to lose its legs entirely and take on a Casper-like form.

audio

Long gone are the days of charming Sonic music. Classic themes like “Starlight Zone” have given rise to an obnoxious, sometimes inappropriate soundtrack. Several songs border on J-Pop, while others are cheesy rap waxing on subjects like the Pumpkin Hill Zone and the search for the Master Emerald. Frequently the accompaniment is just plain bizarre. Other platformers without lyrical music don’t suffer in the least, so Sonic Team’s decision to include voice is likely an ill-guided attempt to be different. They succeeded, but not in a consumer-friendly fashion.

All cutscenes feature full voice narrative, but some of the individual actors need to be rethought. Performances range from an acceptable Dr. Eggman to the unnecessarily noxious, nasal Sonic. Most of the voices are Saturday morning cartoon-caliber, suitable for an adventure game but nothing noteworthy. Sound effects are few in number but generally well done, and the famous ring-collecting chime makes a welcome return.

gameplay

Sonic’s first Gamecube excursion offers a wealth of different gameplay styles, but this is the title’s greatest shortcoming. It is broken into two different quests, the Hero and Dark chapters. Following parallel sides of the same story, Hero logs the path of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles while Dark contains that of Shadow, Dr. Eggman and Rouge the Bat. The two dozen or so stages are each placed firmly in one of four categories, excepting boss battles: Action Racing, Shooting, Treasure Hunting, and Kart Racing.

The Action Racing stages are those graced by Sonic and Shadow, and are the only ones that resemble the glory days of two dimensional gaming. The chosen hedgehog rushes at blistering speeds through more or less linear courses, grinding rails, bashing enemies, freeing animals and snagging coins as they go. This mode features the cleverest level design in the game, throwing corkscrews, vertical loops, rapid bounces, and more at players. At times chances for playing in style arise, such as certain pads that execute wild gymnastic feats when jumped upon. While arguably the most well-planned, fun, and nostalgic aspect of SA2B, these stages tragically only comprise less than a third of the game. The last battle requires the use of both Sonic and Shadow in an epic sequence sure to please any Dragonball Z fan.

The schemes of Tails and Dr. Eggman are documented in the Shooting mode. These characters climb into walking and hovering mechs as they stomp and blast their way through the course. Enemies can be quickly destroyed with the handy Volkan cannon, or the main blaster can be charged and fired at over ten targeted enemies at once. However, spending time locking onto quarry leaves the player open to attack. The Shooting stages are the most linear of the bunch, and mindlessly firing and jumping when necessary are frequently all one needs to do to continue. It is a rather average, unremarkable gameplay mode.

The flying characters, Knuckles and Rouge, tackle the Treasure Hunt mode. Three fragments of the almighty Master Emerald are randomly hidden in a level, and sometimes must be found within a time limit. A few, like the Pumpkin Hill Zone, are vast expanses to scour. Fortunately, the game offers help in several forms. An emerald radar will beep annoyingly and change color as the character approaches a tucked away fragment. Another improvement on the Dreamcast version has been implemented here. When an emerald piece is imminent an exclamation point appears, making them easier to locate than before. This mode is a love-it or hate-it aspect of the title, and many gamers will find themselves frustrated by this most un-Sonic of experiences.

Second only to the dubious claim that this is a true Sonic title, the camera system is the most maddening, baffling blight in SA2B. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the Treasure Hunt mode, but it plagues the others as well. Lives will be wasted trying to make jumps spoiled by shoddy camera angles, and grabbing emeralds suspended in midair is made exponentially more difficult. While the Gamecube controller handles most aspects of gameplay quite well, the camera control remains primitive and difficult to manage.

One speedy time through each course isn’t enough to clear the game. Special upgrades are hidden amongst the stages, and some can only be found through the acquisition of others later. This is the only cerebral portion of adventure mode, in that a few of the items are difficult to earn (though not all are vital). Returning to a cleared stage will unlock extra objectives, such as completion on a harder difficulty.

The Chao raising system is the most well-rounded, deep facet of this marginally lustrous gem. When Chao keys are found by the various protagonists they gain access to Chao World, a realm consisting of various Chao gardens, the kindergarten and the competition arena. Already an engrossing feature on the Dreamcast, the Chao system has been overhauled and improved for the Gamecube. Only two egg-bound Chao are present at the beginning, and it is the player’s job to feed, teach and care for them, and improve their abilities with items found in adventure mode. In the original, this was a blind process in which the player couldn’t gauge which items (animals and energy rods) affected certain abilities, but full meters and level rankings have been integrated into SA2B. While energy rods incrementally raise a particular trait, animals augment some and simultaneously detract from others, so strategy must be used liberally. Chao align themselves with either Heroes or Dark characters depending on time spent with them, and may eventually evolve into angelic or demonic forms. When this happens for the first time, themed Chao gardens are unlocked. Trained, powerful Chao can be entered into races and now karate bouts.

SA2B is the first domestically released title to link to the Game Boy Advance. Chao can be downloaded to the GBA, where they are trained one at a time. Two simple minigames earn coins which are traded for prizes, making Chao pleased. One of the biggest benefits from this is that a new Chao egg can be generated at will, excising the painful wait for Chao to breed on their own. If a player owns a Sonic Advance game pak he may save the garden data directly. Otherwise, the GBA must be put in suspend mode, as a loss of power will lose everything.

multiplayer

SA2B’s greatest divergence from its Dreamcast counterpart is the inclusion of a 2-player mode. Six different games are offered: Action Race, Treasure Hunt, Shooting Battle, Chao Race, Chao Karate, and Kart Race. All but the Chao modes are essentially levels (or sections thereof) from the game, and players compete to reach the goal first. A multitude of playable characters can be selected, composed of throwback entities like Chaos Zero and Tikal from the original Sonic Adventure in addition to the protagonists of this tale. Other unique vehicles designed just for multiplayer have also been included. The Chao battle modes allow players to use their carefully raised warriors in competition. Many of these modes are quite enjoyable, especially the Action Race challenge, but overpowered special moves may ruin the experience. The multiplayer department is a welcome addition as a whole.

overall

This is a far cry from the Sonic of the early 90’s. The Sonic and Shadow stages are true fun in their own right, but the other modes lack the same fun and polish. Sonic Team fixed many of the problems with this project, but the absolutely atrocious camera system and questionable design render this promising title just a rental. While a few Sonic fans may still love it, owners of the Dreamcast version have no reason to drop fifty dollars on this unless they are obsessed with Chao raising and own a GBA and link cable. The multiplayer mode is at times a blast, but simply can’t offset the deep issues harbored here. Sonic is a decent platformer and an outstanding property to have grace the Gamecube, but hopefully he will return in a more well-balanced, nostalgic adventure next time.

7.0/10