Mr UNO Review
date: 12/3/2011
Sonic Adventure
Showing that hedgehogs do work in 3D!
Console: Dreamcast (later released on Gamecube, PC, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network Store and part of the Dreamcast Collection on 360/PC)
Year: 1998/99 (re-released in 2003, 2010 and 2011)
Best version: GC, DC+PSN Store (although the DC version seems a bit glitchy)
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Sonic Team
(Apologies: Screenshots may or may not be from either the DC version or the remake)
When you consider great 3D platform games, you usually think of the obvious;* Mario (Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 1+2), Lara Croft (Tomb Raider 2, Last Revelation, Legend) and Ratchet+Clank (1, 3, A Crack in Time). Although when it comes to Sonic, things become different. *Games in these series that attract my attention.
When you consider great 3D platform games, you usually think of the obvious;* Mario (Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 1+2), Lara Croft (Tomb Raider 2, Last Revelation, Legend) and Ratchet+Clank (1, 3, A Crack in Time). Although when it comes to Sonic, things become different. *Games in these series that attract my attention.
Ever since
Sonic Team made the hedgehog and his friends heroes and gave the hedgehog guns to play with, everybody (mostly the critics or other people,
not including me!) seem to come to hate the hedgehog (or properly Shadow as he
was the star) and have considerably been unimpressed with his later 3D
offerings after Shadow (including: Sonic Next-Gen, Secret Rings, Unleashed,
Black Knight, Colours, Generations+the stupid Air Riders series), In the end they just want
to incinerate the other Sonic characters and imprison Sonic (and Dr Robotnik I
think) in a 2D cell, never to enter the outside 3D world again. But even if
they think there has not been any great 3D Sonic games, it shows that they
(well some) haven’t paid attention to either of the two (and let’s hope a
third) Adventure titles that came out in the last two decades. Sonic Adventure
1+2 showed the world that the hedgehog was more awesome in 3D than they could
ever imagine!
“AAAh! I knew going whale watching
without a boat wouldn't be
such a great ideaaaa!”
After 4
attempts by different companies (including Sonic Team) to try and get the Hog
in 3D, Sonic Team thought it was high time to have a go themselves (again! See
Sonic Jam (1997)) and by 1998 a classic was born! The first in the Adventure
series was the first time Sonic was 3D in an open expansive world split into
several different adventure fields, where you explore, find events, talk to
people etc. That was a change from rushing around all over the place which was
really enjoyable, rather than just go from one action stage to the other (e.g.
Sonic Adventure 2).
In the game
you get to play as 6 characters rather than one (which thanks to the fans these
days you just get Sonic because of their complaints and that too many added
characters spoil the broth!) each different to the other which adds great
verity to the game. You get to play as:
1. Sonic (no surprise)
2. Miles “Tails” Prowler (or Tails)
3. Knuckles
4. Amy Rose (so the girls aren’t left
out!)
5. New character.1 E-102Y Gamma (robot)
6. New character.2 Big the Cat
You unlock
these characters as you play through the game (makes it more challenging this
way rather than having them available straight away. That would be too easy!)
You don’t want to mess with that blob of goo!
First of all, Sonic’s gameplay is like his 2D days although now you can move around in lots of directions (mostly straight ahead) perfectly but glitches a bit at times. Also now that he’s in a 3D plane he just can’t fall on top of enemies like in the older games otherwise he would miss them, so instead Sonic Team came up with the homing attack where you are able to attack the baddie easily (although some people have found that it cannot work well in this or the other Sonic games). He can also spin dash which can help him roll up hills easier or take down bad guys on the ground below. With the stages that Sonic goes through, his goal is to get to the big capsule, jump on top of it and save the animals (like the old games although not after defeating Robotnik this time) or to get the item or whatever at the end of the stage.
Tails hits the slopes!
5 mins later Tails hits the
hospital!
With Tails’ controls he can fly for a short while, until he tires himself out (this can make things a bit tricky in the game as either you could miss a platform due to how far your flying or if you can’t get to it in time). Also he can do a spin tail attack to defeat enemies on the ground, although it can be a bit of a hit and miss especially in one boss battle. The stages that Tails’ has to do are like Sonic’s stages except he has to beat either Sonic or Robotnik to the item or the capsule otherwise you lose a life. You have to get your skates on from the word go!
Sonic: “See Knuckles! I’m still taller you!”
Knuckles: “Yeah,
But I’ve still got bigger fists than you!”
Sonic: “Good
point.”
Thirdly Knuckles’ gameplay is like his controls from Sonic & Knuckles except that he can move in all directions when walking, gilding and climbing on walls but also can now attack by punching three times, with each punch increasing in power with each punch. Simple but effective!
The
objective that Knuckles has to complete in each stage is to find three pieces
of the Master Emerald that were broken by Robotnik for some reason. (Play the
game to find out why!) It’s a seek and you shall find type of quest when
finding all three but don’t worry if you have trouble, as Knuckles has a fancy
emerald sense to be able to find them all. Think of it as a metal detector
except that Knuckles has it inside himself. It works by if you’re far away from
the emerald it won’t beep in one of the three emerald boxes. But if you start
to get near where it might be then one of the boxes will start to beep and
change to and from several colours (green, orange and finally red) when you get
near it and will then disappear when you have collected it. Find all three
pieces and the level ends!
After seeing two Amys, Sonic
regretted having that last pint of Guinness!
For Amy’s gameplay she is a bit like Sonic
(not biologically but gameplay wise) although slower with a bit of a weak jump
as she can’t spin attack which sucks a bit. Thankfully these factors are made
up by her powerful (well near powerful) Piko Piko Hammer which can defeat most enemies
pretty easily. And this is where we move onto what Amy has to do through her
stages.
Even if he’s as tough as the
Terminator, Amy still escapes his grasp!
What she has to do in each stage is to get herself and her new friend Birdy (a bird duh?) (My apologies if I have insulted any one!) to the end of each stage and escaping using a big balloon, all while avoiding the Terminator-like robot called Zero (no really, this guy doesn’t give up!) who from orders by Robotnik has to go capture the bird for some reason. (You know the drill, play the game to find out!)
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“I said freeze not cheese!!” Gamma
was trying to put across an arrest not a dish!
In Gamma’s gameplay you are able to jump around (and later on float but you’ll have to find the jetpack first!) but also you mostly doing third-person shooting, although unlike modern shooters this is more of a score-attack affair, as you can target several enemies at once although you’ll have to shoot quickly otherwise the targeting will eventually disappear. Also if you want to get Gamma to go a little bit quicker, make him run for a few seconds until he says “Mode change!” He’ll then wheel himself along at a near quick enough speed! Handy eh? (Although it won’t do anything to shake the blue blur!)
Gamma was so happy of his victory that he shot the roof by accident again and had to pay home insurance!
The missions that he
has to do in his stages involve having to find an object or enemy that is near
the stage and then either collect or destroy it to complete the stage. But
don’t dilly-dally as when you start the stage the clock begins to countdown and
if you don’t get to the target and pick it up or eliminate it then you’ll lose
a life! Shocking eh? But obviously Sonic Team wanted to add a good challenge to
this section, thankfully their not too frustrating after you get use to it.
Thankfully if you want to make sure you don’t lose time, destroy a lot of
enemies and you’ll be able to gain some extra time! Now get shootin’!! (But
finish reading the review first!)
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And finally
in Big’s gameplay you can jump although it’s not a very high jump it’s still
pretty useful and as Big is a big, strong cat (he makes Blofeld’s cat look
pathetic!) he lift objects like cars and boulders and thrown them with ease. Although
you might not be doing much of this but it’s a nice addition to what Big can
do. Also as he carries a fishing rod with him he can well...fish. His fishing
can be bit tricky to handle but if you look at the controls in the manual or
options screen you’ll be a master fishermen in no time! (I hope!) Finally he
can be a little slow as he’s...well rounded! But don’t worry after a while
you’ll get use to his speed. Look I know this is called SONIC Adventure but
there is one thing in life, gaming and in some Sonic games that you’ll have to
learn. Speed isn’t everything. I mean did Heavy Rain have speedy gameplay all
the time? Hm?
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You know what Big with all this
fishing you could start a fish and chips shop and serve with fresh fish!
(Hopefully not frogs!)
In Big’s stages he has to find and fish for his friend Froggy (who’s a frog, clue in the name!) from some water areas as for some reason he has been able to gain a tail. Not only do you have to try and catch Froggy you have to also try and get his attention with the rod and not the other fish. Don’t worry if you do catch other fish as they will only add more points to your score which is pretty cool! I thought this might sound boring but it’s quite relaxing actually!
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Mad, Bad and funky clothes! Ladies
and Gents its Dr Robotnik!! (Anyone giving that Eggman nonsense is just sad!)
Other characters that aren’t playable but are a major part of the plot include the mad scientist nemesis of the series Dr Ivo Robotnik or know over in Japan (and now over here thanks to this game, but come on! In this game he loathes that name!) Eggman. This time after several great failures from the previous games in the series (play them if you don’t know!!) Robotnik has decided that enough is enough and that he is going to bring about a new age of destruction by using better means than machines and Chaos Emeralds. And Chaos is an example of this.
Also he has
decided to get some new clothes which are pretty great. I know the old suit
wasn’t too bad but I mean it was getting old! It made Robotnik look like
Tweedle Dum or Dee instead of a fearsome villain! His new outfit makes him look
like a futurist general gone insane as well as some nice goggles and snappy
shoes!
The second
non-playable character is Chaos referred to by Robotnik as the ‘God of
Destruction’ and indeed he seems to live up to that title.
Hedgehog vs. Blob or is it Hedgehog
vs. Rings vs. Blob? Never mind. FIGHT!!!!
Chaos is a creature made up of liquid that can un-shape and re-shapes itself so it can attack and evade easily in battle, like the Terimator-1000. Also if Chaos is given a Chaos Emerald from Robotnik he begins to grow into a more deadly form than the last. Robotnik is planning to collect all seven to give to Chaos so he can turn into a perfect form, when he achieves that the world could be in mortal danger! But there is also more to Chaos than Robotnik and Sonic could realise...
There is
also other characters that play an role into the story that have connections to
Chaos, Knuckles, the Chaos Emeralds and other elements that have a huge
significance to the plot. But that’s up to you to play and find out for
yourself...
Ah! The Chao Garden. A bit like Pokémon!
This concept
was originally taken from the Artificial Life in Nights Into Dreams (Sega, 1996)
on the Sega Saturn. Despite the game not selling well this feature became a
cult success along with the game, which
must have made Sonic Team decide to have it in this game. And it’s proved to be
another great victory again as these guys are pretty dang cute and appealing.
It also helps make the game much longer as players care for their Chaos in
between the story.
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(As well as my favourite bosses, Did you know? Fact and top 10 moments in
the game!) Warning
spoilers!
As this is
one of my favourite games of all time, I am going to put two Ripper Roo
moments:1. Hit me Chaos one more time! Did you know that the word ‘Chaos’ is said so many times in the game! Not just to the creature Chaos but also to the emeralds as well! Mad eh?
2.Where’s the breaks?!
Even if the
cutscenes were done well, there still would be limitations. One factor is that
characters have a habit of walking to an area but when they have stopped they
still walk on the spot! Maybe the characters like to jog on the spot!
As this is
one of my favourite games of all time, I am going to say about three bosses
that I had fun fighting with!
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2. Chaos 3, with three Chaos Emeralds Chaos
becomes more powerful with a spin attack, a wild arm-stretch, bouncy ball bash
and a pool spread strike. When he freezes after an arm-strike that’s the time
to attack him.
3. E-101 Beta MKII, an up-grade of one of Robotnik’s E-100 series robots Beta, MKII is more of a deadlier version of him than the last one near the start of Gamma’s story. This time he is able to fire multiple missiles, do a shield charge attack and a big laser blast bomb. Fighting him won’t be easy but if you attack him after he’s done his shield charge, then you’ll be able to target and fire a shot at him!
My Beta! What big claws you have! The
better to make salami out of us with!!!
Did you
know?!
One of the
bosses, an E-100 robot called E-105 Delta after he is abandoned by Robotnik is
recreated into a big rocket-firing machine. Strangely though (and I didn’t know
this until recently) he/she seems to be made up of Dreamcasts!?! Not only is
Sega nutty but Sonic Team too!!
My Top 10 moments in Sonic Adventure:
1.Making the Impossible, Possible: One of the reasons why this game is important to me was that it caught my attention in an interesting way. It felt like you were in a film, not because of the cool cutscenes but because you were also taken part in the action too when in the various stages! Something that films and books weren't able to do. (That goes for you too 3D films!)
2. An opening of the ages: Not only did
the CGI opening to the game sucked you in but also the introduction to Sonic’s
story, an introduction that like the new series of Doctor Who left the old
series of games behind and moved on to a new series of adventures...
3. My, Robot: Sniff...Oh Gamma...Sorry,
just remembering...When you play Gamma’s story you will feel for him/her...Sniff,
so sad.
R.I.P E-102 Gamma (1998)
May you live on as a Flicky
of the sky, my friend!
4.
Lovely Levels: It
seems that all of the levels in this game seem to always be so wonderful, as
any character you play as. Who could forget the lights and roads of Speed
Highway? The paradise of Emerald Coast? The mechanical abyss that was the Final
Egg? And the dizzy heights of Windy Valley? Unforgettable!
5.
Egg Carrier Air
Raid: It might not have been anything like Star Wars but attacking the Egg
Carrier on the Tornado 1+2 as either Sonic or Tails was smashing stuff! Shame
Sonic Team weren’t able to do well again in Unleashed. All it was just pressing
buttons and flying verrrrrrrrrry slowly! (Well in the 360 version.)
6.
The Dream Cast: Oh
sure! Probably most of the voice actors aren’t as great as other voice actors
in games or movies. But golly! These guys were brill! Ryan Drummond definitely
fitted the role of Sonic really well, making him sound cool but not so much
that he’s unloveable! (Sadly that’s what Jason Giriffith made him sound like!)
While Steve Broadie (R.I.P) and Michael McGaharn did a cracking job as Gamma
and Knuckles. But the real jewel in the crown was Deem Bristow (yet another
R.I.P Sob!) as Dr Robotnik! Not only did he make him sound mad but also quite
dark and diabolical as well, makes you feel afraid of him! Apologies to Giriffith fans, this
is just my own opinion!
This article has been sponsored by Robotnik
Industries.
Turning animals into robots since 1991.
7.
Killer Kutscenes
(why did I use a K? Because it’s cool! Ks are kool!): In any cutscene you
always get one or two or maybe five that are incredible. Sonic Adventure’s
scenes are all incredible and you can never forget them! I know this is only
because it was my first game but hey not once in this game did you get a duff
(okay, maybe cheesy) cutscene.
8.
Jabba the Hub: Before
I knew what a hub was I always enjoyed the three (four if you count Knuckles’
Tribe area) in the game, or ‘Adventure Fields’ as they used to be known. Station
Square, Mystic Ruins and the excellent Egg Carrier. Shame these three worlds
never reappeared in later Sonic games.
9.
Surfing thru the
snow: Even though it’s not a clever way to out run an avalanche, it was still
an awesome moment in the game! I wonder if Sonic had a stunt double for that
stage? Hee hee!
10.
“We’re going need
a bigger boat!”: If there is one part early on in the game you can’t forget,
it’s the whale chase! Such a good moment in the game that it was copycatted in
Sonic Next-Gen. Sadly didn’t save the game from angry fans.
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Forget the Death Egg (No don’t worry I like it) or
Robotnikland, (It was supposed to be Robotnikland not Eggmanland!) the Egg
Carrier was the bad Doctor’s great masterpiece!
Scoring Time!!!! Oh Yeah!!
Gameplay:
5/5 For my first video game the controls were actually easy to get into. It
just seems after a while you just flown into the controls without much of a problem. The
only problem I could think of in this department is that Amy might be a little
slow but overall the controls are excellent!
Sounds: 5/5 There
is not one piece of soundtrack that I don’t like, wonderful voice-acting and
sound effects are good!
Graphics: Original:
4/5 DX,PSN+XBLA version: 5/5 The graphics in this game are beautiful, clear-cut
and smooth although in the original the character models weren’t brill because
of their paper hands. Thankfully the problem is fixed in the remake although
they get rid of some trees that were in the original. (At the Master Emerald
shrine). I do know about the camera angles although it didn’t seem to bother me
that much. I guess I just got use to it.
Length: Original:
3/5 DX version: 4/5 PSN+XBLA version: 3/5
Now this depends. If you’ve played the game for the first time it’ll take you a
while, but if you’ve a hardcore player or have played it before it won’t take
you long to finish it.
My Score:
10/10 Brilliant!!
Not
only is it a highlight and a brilliant part of the series but it’s also my
number one game of all time, still after all these years! I know... How can I
compare it to Ocarina of Time, FFVII etc? But it’s just awesome anyway!! If you don’t
believe me then go and play it otherwise you’ll never know!
2nd Opinion+Other’s Opinions
Even though
the review is over I just wanted to see what other people thought of the game
I’ve reviewed:
2nd
Opinion: From online critic, Le Geek, www.abscape.org: “Overall,
Sonic Adventure is a good game with nice graphics and plenty to do, but is too
generic to be a top tier title” and was rated 60%.
Other’s
Opinions: “Although its controls and camera angles may be awkward at times,
Sonic Adventure is, in my opinion, one of the best games I have played,
covering a large story with a variety of different, but nevertheless enjoyable
modes of gameplay, separated to depict the story from the alternate depictions
of the characters. Whether for storyline or for gameplay, I would say that
Sonic Adventure still stands as an enjoyable retro title, one that should be
praised for its surprisingly high level of detail and empathetic character
design. Sometimes a little corny in places, but everything a Sonic game is
expected to be – And more.” From one of my friends Chris Saker.
Just one more thing...
“Open your
heart...Duh Duh Duhhhhh!” “For Surgery?” LOL!
Game
Copyright: Sega/Sonic Team 1998/99-2011/12
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