Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Ambitious"

Sonic Adventure seems to be one of those love it or hate it kind of games. Although the speed of the stages is often seen as a highlight of the game, the lack of focus in a gameplay tends to kill the fun for many. That said let me now state that even though Sonic Adventure 2 is an improvement on its predecessor, if you didn't like the original Sonic Adventure, you will not like this game. No matter how many positives I list, these games follow a distinct style that you will either enjoy or not. For anyone who liked Sonic's first mainstream jump into 3D (like me), then you'll be in for a treat.

The story is set during an undisclosed amount of time after Sonic Adventure and the player is introduced to Sonic as a fugitive from the law after being framed for the theft of chaos emeralds, a crime which he did not commit. Upon learning that the thefts were committed by Shadow, a look-alike hedgehog with a mysterious past involved with Dr. Robotnik, he sets out to foil their plans and clear his name. I definitely have to say that it's nice to have a plot that is significantly revolved around Sonic himself even with the introduction of 2 new characters (Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat). However despite the intrigue in the plot, I couldn't help but be constantly distracted by the fact that the game takes itself so seriously. As a fan that hated the implementation of humans in Sonic Adventure, Adventure 2's use of them along with a groan-inducingly over the top storyline can sometimes where on the nerves of a fan who misses the glory days.

Even with a love it-hate it storyline, the presentation of the game is well done. The textures are solid, if a bit dated, the art design is top notch, and the framerate is silky smooth. They're nothing spectacular by today's standards but they still hold up well.

The audio is still just as solid as the rest of the game. Former Sega in-house band Crush 40 once again puts together a solid hard rock soundtrack (special praise to fan-favorite 'Live and Learn'). Voice acting, with the exception of the poor performances of Corey Bringas (Tails) and Jenny Douliard (Amy), remains just as good as the original with the welcome additions of David Humphrey and Lani Minella as the voices of Shadow and Rouge respectively. It's solid all across the board.

Most importantly however, the gameplay (the most important part of the game) has been subtly touched up to be more playable and focused. Unlike the 6 campaigns of the last game, Adventure 2 has 2 campaigns, with 3 different game types. Sonic and Shadow's are classic high speed race to the finish which, despite a sometimes awkward camera, is the high point of the game. The Knuckles (and Rouge) stages are still treasure hunting missions, though they have now been streamlined thanks to optional hints and tighter gameplay. However the in game radar now only reads 1 emerald at a time which means that since you can't look for other pieces while still on the current shard you are entirely at the mercy of the radar, which can become very frustrating in the later complex levels of the game. And the worst part of the game (though still playable) is the Robotnik and Tails levels which play out like a shooting gallery to the end of the stage. The gameplay isn't broken but the slow pace of the stages makes it the dullest sections of the game easily. As I stated before, the campaigns are going to be appreciated of not and while I wish a more original approach to the gameplay was taken, I applaud the improved focus on the campaigns objectives.

So in the end, it may not be the perfect Sonic game but it's still the best the blue blur has been in 3D. Every thing in this game has been seen before, that I can not deny, but Adventure 2 still does it all well and is definitely worth checking out for fans of platformers and Sonic the Hedgehog alike.