Genre: Action
Platform: GameCube (previously Dreamcast)
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle is a remake of a game called Sonic Adventure 2, which was for the Sega Dreamcast. While I usually hate remakes, I guess in this case it's ok- most Nintendo players didn't buy Dreamcasts. So I guess it was a good opportunity for Sega to show some Nintendo players the various Sonic games they had missed (remember Sonic Mega Collection?). I got this game mostly because of the positive Reviews in Lemmy's Land.
Anyway, the game itself is a little
weird. You can choose either the Hero or Dark storyline. In Hero, you play
as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles (the good guys), but in Dark you play as
Eggman, Shadow, and Rouge (the bad guys). You can play both or only one,
but to get to the "real" ending you have to beat both. The two storylines
really don't conflict with each other- in fact, there are various "intersections".
For example, Sonic's battle with Shadow is in both Hero and Dark. However,
I guess maybe there are a few contradictions as to whether Sonic saves
the day by destroying the Eclipse Cannon or Shadow thwarts his effort.
Either way, however, they lead to the same "Last Story". Anyway, the storyline
is that Dr. Eggman broke into a
military base to find some secret project
his grandfather had worked on. It turns out it's really a hedgehog named
Shadow, who has abilities to rival those of Sonic. Shadow and Eggman (with
some help from Rouge) try to get the Chaos Emeralds so they can fire up
a beam to destroy Earth- unless, of course, the people of Earth surrender
to them. In the process, Sonic is framed when Shadow steals a Chaos Emerald
and is captured by the military, but manages to escape (this is where the
Hero story starts up). Sonic's goal, obviously, is to foil Eggman's evil
plot. Just a side note: Have you noticed that even when superheroes have
been saving the world and people many, many times, as soon as it looks
like they've committed some crime (which is, of course, a frame) everyone
suddenly turns on them? Isn't that a little weird? I mean, Sonic ONLY stopped
Eggman/Robotnik from conquering the world over five times, and suddenly
everyone is after him
when he's framed? Honestly! Hasn't
he proved his character time and time again?
Enough about that. So basically, in
the Dark storyline your goal is to power up the cannon with the Chaos Emeralds
to destroy Earth, and in the Hero storyline your goal is to, well, stop
the cannon from firing. A lot of the things from previous Sonic games are
still here, such as those little boxes that would give you five or
ten coins, or a shield, or an extra
life, or something else.
I have never played the first Sonic Adventure (unless you count about five minutes of play in video game store), and have never played the original SA2 on the Dreamcast, so I cannot compare them.
0-5 stars. Anything else?
Graphics: *** 1/2
The graphics are ok. They're good, but
they probably could've been a bit better. I think they're about at the
level of Super Mario Sunshine's. But
who really cares about graphics anyway? I'm considering removing this category,
it has so little bearing on the final score.
Sound and Music: *****
Oh yeah! I loved a lot of the music, especially the ones from City Escape, Metal Harbor, Route 380, Security Hall (the music from Security Hall was the ONLY thing I liked in that level- more on that later), and a lot more. There were essentially none I disliked. The music in this game is superb, and there are really no annoying sounds to detract from it. The only thing I disliked is you actually didn't get to hear all of some of the music, such as Eggman's Theme. Apparently to hear the whole thing you need to get the Sonic Adventure 2 Audio CD or something like that. Now, the voices of Tails, Amy, and Rouge are KIND of annoying, but not that bad. Personally, I think they're fine and there's no need to change them. Still, they don't detract from the awesome music in this game. In my opinion, the music and voices are absolutely superb. This game may have the best music track of all games. That's not to say that any of these songs are the best, as far as I know it's impossible to beat the good old outside music of Super Mario Bros. My point is that if you average all the music, it comes to the highest quality of any video game (in Super Mario Bros. I didn't like the underground or castle music too much).
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
While a lot of the levels aren't too bad, the various gem-hunting levels as Rouge or Knuckles are infuriating! It's extremely frustrating to find the gems/emeralds/keys, even with the "gem-finder" (I'll explain that later). Most of my problems with this game were in the levels with Knuckles and Rouge. Otherwise it isn't too hard (except for Final Rush, but what do you expect from the last level?), but those Rouge/Knuckles levels are sometimes insanely annoying, most especially "Security Hall", where you have to find three Chaos Emeralds in five minutes.
So for the most part this game isn't that bad, but some really tough bits increase the score.
Controls: *****
The controls are easy. I never had any problems with the controls. Isn't it interesting that in so many games, while the controls are a cinch, it's the gameplay itself that's tough to do?
Levels: Because the various levels are played by different characters, I shall divide them into four sections.
Shadow/Sonic: **** 1/2
I'll be honest, these levels are good
and fun, probably my favorites. They remind me a lot of the original Sonic
the Hedgehog games- except these are in 3D! The biggest problem with these
levels is the fast pace of them- many times the camera will switch suddenly
and I won't know where I am for a few moments. While 95 percent of the
time this is not a problem, it is nevertheless sometimes annoying. Then
again, the fast pace is often what makes these levels interesting. In any
case, the gameplay of these levels is quite good.
Possibly my biggest criticism is how
there is essentially only one path in the levels. In the earlier Sonic
games, there were many paths to the end. This made the levels quite interesting.
With the dubious exception of Green Forest, essentially all of the levels
only have one way through them. This isn't the worst thing, I'll admit,
but I would have liked to see some more diversity in the paths. True, there
are a few minor things deviating slightly from the normal path, but they
really aren't that large and you come straight back to the normal path
anyway. Oh well, this isn't a large problem, I guess.
Anyway, two of these levels have time limits: Green Forest and White Jungle. However, the time limits are not a major problem. In my opinion, they make the levels better by adding a bit of "rush" to them. Plus, I finished White Jungle with about six minutes left (there was a 10-minute limit on that; Green Forest had an 8-minute limit)). I guess my point is, the time limits don't ruin the levels, in fact, they actually make them more fun. I just wish I could say the same for some of the other levels with time limits.
Eggman/Tails: *** 1/2
Not quite as good as the Sonic or Shadow levels, but still enjoyable! However, they are quite different from the beforementioned levels, as instead of it being like the original Sonic games in 3D, they're quite different. Both Eggman and Tails are in these weird robot-like things (except for the one level where Tails is in a car trying to catch up with someone). Your primary weapon is a gun you can use to lock onto enemies. They're not as good as the Sonic and Shadow levels, but still often enjoyable.
Knuckles/Rouge: no stars
Ah, here we are, the levels that almost
ruin this game. Basically, the whole point is to search for gems (or Chaos
Emeralds or keys, but it's practically the same). You're helped out by
a "gem-tracker" at the bottom of the screen that turns green when you're
sort of near a gem (or a key, or a Chaos Emerald), yellow when you're pretty
close, red when you're really close, and a "!" appears over Knuckles' or
Rouge's head when you're pretty much on top of it. There are also some
weird floating televisions that'll give you hints. Unfortunately, using
them will hurt your score. In theory, these levels are probably supposed
to be a fun
scavenger hunt. In reality, they're
a tremendously frustrating search that takes a long time. It's not helped
out that the gem-tracker only tracks
one gem at a time, and you can't choose which. Once you get that gem it'll
track another, and once you get that it'll track the last one. This unfortunately
means that you can be right next to gem #2 or gem #3 without it even giving
the slightest hint it's there.
So, why can't it have three separate gem-trackers at the bottom? That way it'll show your proximity to all three of the gems, making it a lot easier, less frustrating, and more enjoyable overall. Merely doing this would greatly enhance these levels. They still would be the worst, but at least they'd be better.
"Security Hall" is absolutely awful, as you have to find the three Chaos Emeralds in only five minutes (considering it usually takes me six minutes minimum to get past ANY of these Gem-hunting levels, you can see my frustration). It took me at least 15 tries to beat the stupid level. If they had ONLY let you see the your proximity to the locations of all three instead of just one, I wouldn't have minded it at all. I think a 6-minute time limit would have been much more appropriate for this level. I mean, I JUST want to have it track all three Gems. Do you know how frustrating it is to track down one Gem, then be unable to find the next, only to find out it was right at the beginning of the level?. If they simply did that, I would like these levels a lot more.
Furthermore, there is very little "action" in these levels. Yeah, there are a few enemies, but they're disposed of easily and don't add much to the levels. The most of the "action" you get is in Security Hall, as there are all sorts of lasers all around the place, which made the already-annoying level worse.
To top it all off, some of the gems are buried in the ground or the wall, so you have to dig to get them. Fortunately, the Gem-tracker will notify you when you're pretty much on top of them (or next to them). The problem? The "!" above Knuckles' or Rouge's head still flashes even if you're not directly on it. So, I sometimes have to dig 10+ times just to get to the exact correct place that has the Gem. I think that's a little unfair. Why couldn't they be a little more lenient on where you dig? If you're even a little off, you won't get the Gem. You have to be almost perfectly lined up with it to get it. So, these are basically tedious, time-consuming levels with barely any action. If they were even worse (which I'm not sure is possible) they WOULD ruin the game.
Tails/Rouge: ***
There are two levels that are sort of
like a "racing" game. Basically, your goal is to catch up with something-
in Tails' case, the President's Limo, in Rouge's case you just have to
catch up with Tails. You do have a
time limit, however, and when you reach
a checkpoint the limit is extended. Now, these are quite different from
the normal Rouge or Tails levels, so they require a different category.
While they are fairly fun, not to mention
they have good music, I found the Rouge version pretty tricky and
annoying, while the one with Tails
was insanely easy. Oh well, better than the Gem-hunting levels, at least.
Bosses: ** 1/2
I thought a lot of the boss battles were good (even though some were repeats... for example, the fight against Rouge while you're Knuckles in Hero is essentially the same as the fight against Knuckles while you're Rouge in Dark). What I dislike the most is how you're basically thrown into the boss battle with little or no idea of how to beat them. Yes, that little "Omachao" guy will give you hints, but only AFTER you lose a life. How annoying is that?
Replayability: ****
Of course, there's the option of going back to previous levels to get power-ups you couldn't before (Example: It isn't possible to get the Magic Hands for Sonic until you have both the Bounce Bracelet and Flame Ring). There are also "extra" missions for levels, like trying to get 100 coins. I guess they can be pretty interesting.
Secrets: * 1/2
Wow. Secret power-ups that aren't even needed, like the Mystic Melody, Treasure Scope, Sunglasses, etc. Big whoop. It's nice to collect them, and they make the game easier, but they really aren't that "secret", and there aren't too many of them. There aren't that many extra things to this game, at least in terms of secrets. Even though they help out quite a bit, they're pretty much the ONLY secrets in the game. Sure, there's the odd extra life hidden around, but that's not really much of a secret if you ask me.
Camera: no stars
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! This game has the WORST camera I have EVER encountered in a video game! People always complain about Super Mario Sunshine's camera, well, let me tell you, this is worse. Now, the "auto-camera" (the way the automatic camera is) is slightly better than Super Mario Sunshine's (unlike apparently everyone else, I didn't have enormous problems with SMS's camera, though I certainly thought it could have been improved). What makes it worse? Two things: First, a lot of times I can't even move the camera around (which I could do in SMS), and even when I do, as soon as I move my character the camera almost always reverts to where it was (in SMS the camera would usually stay where I put it). To top it all off, in SMS I could move the camera around Mario as well as zoom in and out. In this game I can only rotate it. This camera is horrible. If it only would always allow me to change where it is (and don't give me the "no room" junk, there's been plenty of room many times I haven't been able to move it at all), if it would STAY where I put it, and if I had slightly more control over moving it, I wouldn't mind it at all. It IS true that the camera usually points in the direction you want to go to continue the level. However, there are times when I don't WANT to go straight in that direction because of detours or distractions. And there are times when I think a different view would be more helpful. And there are times when I just plain want to move it. And there are times when I want to backtrack for whatever reason. Did Sega take that into consideration? Nope. While, as I noted earlier, the quick camera changes in some of the Sonic levels are not very bad (it's often because you're suddenly going in another way), there was one time I thought was totally unfair. I was in Final Rush and screwed up and fell off the rail I was on. As luck would have it, there was actually a rail below me! Anyway, I'm trying to maneuver myself so I'll land on it, when suddenly, for apparently no reason, the camera shifts! I lose a life because of that. Stupid camera. Oh well, I guess it COULD have been worse.
Chao Garden: **** 1/2
This is an odd little feature they added. Basically, you get these little creatures called "Chaos". When you beat enemies in the levels, you can pick up these weird capsule-like things they drop and give them to your Chao to increase its various abilities. There are also various mini-games you can play with your Chao. Eventually your Chao will either become a "Hero"-type Chao or a "Dark"-type Chao. There are ways to influence this, such as feeding it either Dark or Hero Fruit.
For some strange reason I can't describe,
I really like this part of the game. I just wish the Chaos could have
played more of a role in the game.
You know, like having a strong Chao could somehow make a level easier or
something. Anyway, it's pretty fun to raise a Chao.
Addictiveness: **** 1/2
This game, I'll admit, is addictive. It keeps calling you back, and it's hard to get off of. However, sometimes when you're really frustrated with a level, the addictiveness decreases a bit. However, this is still a VERY addictive game.
Gameplay: ****
I like the gameplay of this game- except
for the Gem-hunting levels (have you ever noticed how we keep
coming back to those?). In the Gem-hunting
levels, as I have noted so many times previously, there really isn't much
gameplay, it's just tedious searching. It's mostly the Shadow/Sonic
or Eggman/Tails level that have real gameplay, especially the former. Even
Final Rush (final level in Hero Story), which I found to be really hard,
had some pretty good gameplay.
Fun Factor!: *** 1/2
The Fun Factor score is brought down, once again, by the Gem-hunting levels. It's hard to have fun when you're going through a tedious and frustrating search. Still, the other levels are pretty fun. Even Final Rush, probably the toughest level in the game after Security Hall, was pretty fun. So I can play and have fun, but my enjoyment is often halted by the Gem-hunting levels.
OVERALL: *** 1/2
If the Rouge/Knuckles levels had been improved in the ways I discussed (most especially the tracking all three Gems), this would probably get 4 1/2 stars. If they had improved the camera, it might be a candidate for five stars. But they didn't. Other than the camera and especially the Rouge/Knuckles levels, this game is great. Is it worth buying? Probably. Is it a great game if you don't count the Rouge/Knuckles levels and the camera? Absolutely. Is it worth five stars as it is? Good grief, no. So, if they had just let you move the camera around more and keep it where you wanted it, if the Rouge/Knuckles levels were improved, this game would be a must-have. But they didn't. So, outside of these problems this is a great game, but these limitations force me to give it 3 1/2 stars.
Let me put it this way: Pick one of your favorite games. Now, if there were some pretty annoying elements added (bad camera in this game), and some really, really, REALLY annoying and frustrating levels in addition to its good levels (like the Gem-hunting levels), how you would feel about that game is probably how I feel about this game. I really hate it when most parts of a game are superb, but the game isn't as great as it could have been because of some really bad elements.
Don't get me wrong. I really, really, really like this game, and I play it a lot. However, the bad Gem-hunting levels and horrendous camera force me to give it such a low score. It's a good game with some really bad elements in it. It wouldn't be honest to give it a perfect score. I love the game, but I need to grade it in a fair manner. I would recommend this game overall. But just remember, you're going to have to tolerate a non-moving camera with super-frustrating Gem-hunting levels. If you can tolerate those, you'll love this game!
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