Since 1991, one of gaming’s most prolific icons, Sonic the Hedgehog, has been dashing across our screens as one of the earliest examples of modern video games. People were drawn to the sense of speed and simple platforming mixed with complex level designs in Sonic’s early games that made you want to play the same level over and over. When Sonic made the crossover to three dimensions in the short-lived days of the Sega Dreamcast, the games translated surprisingly well with the added dimension. Sadly, the Sonic games of this current generation have been somewhat lacking (cough cough Sonic Unleashed), mostly due to the fact that Sega tried to change up the formula and forgot what made a Sonic game fun; however, recent attempts like the great Sonic Colors, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and Sonic Generations games have started bringing Sonic back to the glory he once held and deserves. With the recent rerelease of older Sonic games on Xbox Live and PSN as well as the current rumblings that the next Sonic game may be Sonic Adventure 3 (a prospect which highly excites this writer), its time to take a look back at probably the best Sonic game of the modern era, Sonic Adventure 2.
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| And lets just forget this ever happened |
Sonic Adventure 2’s main gameplay splits into two storylines: the Dark and the Light. Both tell the same story, one from the point of view of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles and the other from series villain Eggman (or Dr. Robotnick for purists) and series newcomers Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat. For each story, there were three different types of levels, one for each character. Sonic and Shadow levels were traditional Sonic gameplay: fast movement and platforming trying to get to the end of the level as fast as possible. Tails and Eggman’s missions were slower mech-based missions that relied on cunning targeting of enemies. Finally, Knuckles and Rouge’s missions were fun hide and seek-type missions as the characters searched for three pieces of the Master Emerald per level. Mixed in between some levels were interesting boss fights; while some of the boss fights were repeated over the two campaigns, they were usually done from the perspective of the other character in the fight, adding some variety. If you beat the two campaigns, there was a final ending campaign where all six characters were playable in one gigantic level and two fun boss fights that wrapped up the game’s story.
Unlike some future Sonic games, the new gameplay types outside the Sonic/Shadow levels were actually fun. They didn’t feel clunky or out of place and didn’t really slow down the sense of speed. While Tails and Eggman levels were slower, they still had a sense of speed and forward momentum that were lacking from games like Sonic Unleashed. These levels asked players to try and rack up points by targeting as many enemies as possible with the mech while still trying to get through the level quickly. Knuckles and Rouge levels asked players to walk around until they heard the telltale beeping of a nearby piece of the emerald. While this could have quickly gotten tedious, the developers made them engaging by adding clue monitors that gave tricky hints to where the pieces might be found and forced players to think about where to look. Meanwhile, the Sonic and Shadow levels were some of the best in Sonic history. They were extremely fast and yet very fun, and benefited from some of the best level design in the series.
Each level felt unique and different; there were Halloween, Egyptian, City, and even Outer Space levels that each added different elements and enemies that made them feel unique and special. They even had cool elements and art design, like Sonic snowboarding through the streets of a city, Shadow messing with gravity in outer space or Knuckles having to explore a creepy mountain. Even better, each level had multiple possible paths and secret places to find. This made each level infinitely replayable with each time giving you something new. The game rewarded you with grades from E to A at the end of the level, so you could see that you were slowly but surely getting better with each playthrough. Even years after playing it originally, you can still get a thrill from almost any level in the game. There are very few duds in the bunch, which is saying a lot considering the game boasts two different campaigns. Some levels also had very catchy background music such as “Escape from the City”, “Live and Learn”, and even “A Ghost’s Pumpkin Soup” (a song which is admittedly a guilty pleasure). Even the boss fights were fun and interesting, especially the second to last boss in the secret campaign unlocked by beating both of the first two (no spoilers!).
Just try and not have this get caught in your head
Speaking of replayability, the game had a TON to do, especially with the additions from Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. The game asked you to obtain 180 emblems; some of these were given easily, like simply beating a level or a boss, while others were very difficult to get. Each level had five different missions, ranging from beating a hard mode to finding a hidden Chao (blue Pokemon-like creatures) to beating the level in a specific time, each with their own grading rank system like the normal levels. While these missions were very difficult if you were trying to go for the A rank, they were all relatively easy to just beat, adding a great difficulty curve for those that wanted the extra challenge. The game also boasted a mediocre kart racing game as well as a Pokemon-type area where power-ups found in the main game could be given to your own Chaos that you raised to compete in Karate or Racing mini-games. While nothing to write home about, these elements of Battle provided a fun distraction that was a different type of multiplayer from the usual run and shoot layouts of other games. Personally, despite having bought the game years ago and playing it all the time, I still have yet to unlock every emblem and still have fun trying to earn each one.
One thing of note that was very surprising was Sonic Adventure 2’s story. While Sonic games have certainly never been revered for their stories, Sonic Adventure 2’s was actually somewhat deep, especially with the character of Shadow the Hedgehog, a series newcomer who provided to be so popular he earned his own spinoff title “Shadow the Hedgehog” which still holds up as a cult classic. Shadow seems to start off as a simple evil version of Sonic himself. However, as you continue to play the game, you learn of Shadow’s past and the anger and hatred he has for himself and humanity due to the death of his human love Maria at the hands of the military. As the game progresses, Shadow slowly learns that Maria never wanted him to hurt anybody and, in the ending of the secret campaign, Shadow sacrifices himself in order to save the Earth. It’s a touching finale to a game that no one expected to have a deep story. While the rest of the game’s story is the usual “Dr. Eggman wants to destroy the Earth” scenario, Shadow’s character as well as the story of Eggman’s grandfather (who felt the pain of Maria’s death and vowed revenge even after he had died) told in the secret campaign remains probably the most touching and complicated a Sonic game’s story will ever get.
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| Shadow ends up being more then just an evil mirror of Sonic |
While the numerous badly-done 3D Sonic games have somewhat destroyed the blue blur’s legacy, with games like Sonic Adventure 2 it’s hard not to see why the Hedgehog was once constantly giving Mario a “run” for his money. It’s a shame that today it’s sometimes so easy to forget Sonic’s place in the gaming ethos. Yet with such near-perfect games like Sonic Adventure 2 and the recent Sonic game successes, the future looks bright for the “Fastest Thing Alive”. Let’s hope he keeps on running for a long time to come.
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