VIDEO GAME REVIEW: ‘Sonic Adventure 2’ remake flawed, but fun
“Sonic Adventure 2” Grade: B
If there ever was a game that defined the Sega Genesis, it was “Sonic the Hedgehog.” The blazing-fast gameplay, easy controls and memorable villain won over many fans and inspired many sequels, some great and others that cause me to wince. When the franchise finally made the jump to 3D during the Dreamcast era, it introduced new characters and play styles for the sake of offering more variety and a longer campaign. Though far from perfect, “Sonic Adventure 2” still stands as a solid platformer with enough content and thrills to satisfy nostalgic-minded gamers or those who want something unique at a reasonable price point.
At the game’s beginning, Sonic the Hedgehog has been mistaken for a mysterious impostor called “Shadow.” He has been implicated in crimes against the military and is taken as an inmate to Prison Island. Here, his sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower must free him with the help of Amy Rose, who has a bit more than just a crush on Sonic. Along the way, Knuckles the Echidna must scramble to find the missing pieces of the Master Emerald to control the awesome power of the seven Chaos Emeralds. Then, they must all band together to stop Dr. Eggman.
The plump and nefarious Dr. Eggman wants to harness the power of the emeralds to reactivate the Space Colony Ark, a facility abandoned by his grandfather, to take over the world. It is here that Shadow, working in league with Dr. Eggman and jewel thief Rouge the Bat, will find the answers to his origins. Mysterious flashbacks to a woman named Maria plague him and her final request drives him forward in a quest for revenge.
The main draw for “Sonic Adventure 2” is the ability to play as the heroes and the villains. With two separate campaigns and a final set of levels after both stories are completed, this is a surprisingly long game for the genre. Sonic and Shadow’s levels require running from start to finish as quickly as possible. The thrills in these levels are certainly the best the game has to offer. Shortcuts also help in shaving seconds off finishing times for better scores and more emblems, which can then unlock a decent two-player mode and several mini-games.
The levels with Tails and Dr. Eggman are slower-paced but still generally satisfying. Both have the ability to shoot guns with lock-on capabilities and glide long distances with a booster power-up. Enemies are extremely abundant in these sections of the game and shooting multiple targets is a breeze by holding down the fire button.
If there is a weak link in the game, it is clearly Knuckles’ and Rouge’s levels. Searching for the pieces of the Master Emerald range from easy to extremely frustrating. It can take minutes at a time just to find one piece, and the player must find three pieces per stage. It also doesn’t help that the radar detector, usually a tremendous help, only blinks for the piece you are supposed to find rather than going off when you are near any piece in the stage. I found a piece purely by accident once. The controls can be just a bit stiff in these stages, and when you need to get to a higher place, don’t be surprised if you take damage from an unseen enemy or even lose a life.
While the game mostly plays fine, there are some unfortunate glitches here and there. If you aren’t running fast enough on the Sonic/Shadow levels at some points, you will fall off of loop tracks and sometimes even fail to dash through a line of rings that should have been as easy as the push of a button. This can take more time and prevent you from achieving higher scores and obtaining emblems when you replay stages, and that’s annoying.
The graphics, while clearly from a previous generation, look sharp overall and the glorious hues have a wonderful “pop” to them. The game runs at a full 60 frames per second and slow-down is never an issue. When travelling at top speeds, the excitement factor climbs high and the thrill feels legitimately great, even for a title that is now over 10 years old.
Textures look nice and character models are appealing, but the lip-synching is still distinctly reminiscent of the game’s Japanese origins and can sometimes be distracting. Still, I have few complaints about the presentation as a whole.
Great job, Sega: a classic title on a modern console at a friendly price point. For fans, this is a no-brainer. For others, play the trial first to see what you think. You may be pleasantly surprised by the breadth and depth of content available in this game.
“Sonic Adventure 2” can be downloaded from XBLA/PSN for 800 MS Points or $9.99
– Sam McConkie is a senior in the technical and professional writing program at USU. He is a keen writer and has been a dedicated gamer for years. Sam can be reached at sambonemcconkie@gmail.com