Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog...

Man, oh MAN...where do I even begin? Sonic Adventure 2, a game both loved and hated by many, a love letter to a franchise seemingly meeting its end during the dying Dreamcast days. A story about two anthropomorphic hedgehogs and their allies at odds with each other "as they battle for the fate of the world!" One of the most touching, well-written (albeit hammy) stories in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, accompanied by gameplay and visuals that were, at the time, very impressive.

Yeah, some elements of this game haven't aged too well, and the game is not void of criticism just because it's old. Regardless, it is my second favorite game of all time, and my favorite game in the Sonic series.

Despite its age, I still feel that there is so much this game did right with the formula Sonic Adventure established. Rail grinding became a staple mechanic, even if it was simplified as the games continued, and the gameplay variety between characters create an experience that continues to throw new things at you to have high speed fun with. There's plenty of things to discover in the levels, such as Chao keys and animals to raise your Chao in the game's streamlined Chao Garden. There are also multiple missions for each level, giving the game a lot of replayability for completionists.

An absolutely kickass soundtrack is standard for the majority of the Sonic series, but Sonic Adventure 2 takes this standard and knocks it out of the park. Each track feels like it has such variety, yet it still manages to have thematic consistency given the fact many of the songs are designed with a character in mind, and not just the level. Character themes are extremely colorful and beyond fitting, and this style of music would influence the series for generations to come.

As for the story, it is one of the few Sonic games that nailed each returning character's personality near perfectly, and brought such immediate life to the newcomers of the series. The tragic and beautiful backstory of new rival Shadow the Hedgehog inflicting chaos on the present, with Sonic being one of the only people who can stop him and Dr. Eggman's plans. The voice acting is definitely cheesy as all hell, with the English version having characters cut each other off rather frequently without the use of mods, yet each interaction feels so full of life in both the English and Japanese dubs. Sonic Adventure 2's final story and credits sequence might be my favorite end to a video game ever, and as much as it would hurt as a Sonic fan to see an end to the franchise, I would have been happy deep down had the series ended on the note this game left it on.

As much as I love the game, I did say above that it's not free of criticism. It has its issues, especially being a game that originally released in 2001. The treasure hunting stages, namely the space levels, can be incredibly frustrating due to their size. The mech stages also leave a lot to be desired in their controls as they are very stiff, which is a major issue in a high speed series like Sonic. As previously mentioned, the English voice acting is very cheesy, and characters often cut each other off; sometimes even themselves. On top of this, some of the sound volumes are inconsistent with its original Dreamcast release, sometimes leading to grating effects layering on top of each other. A lot of these issues CAN be fixed with, or at least improved by mods, but this isn't a mod review. This is a review of the game at its base.

It's old. It shows its age. This is undeniable.
But, despite it all, I love this game. Every bit of it.
Its music, characters, gameplay and story especially will forever hold a special place in my heart.



"A new day brings new adventure.
But, for now...
Rest easy heroes."

[i]Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog...[/i] Man, oh [i]MAN...[/i]where do I even begin? Sonic Adventure 2, a game both loved and hated by many, a love letter to a franchise seemingly meeting its end during the dying Dreamcast days. A story about two anthropomorphic hedgehogs and their allies at odds with each other [i]"as they battle for the fate of the world!"[/i] One of the most touching, well-written (albeit hammy) stories in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, accompanied by gameplay and visuals that were, at the time, very impressive. Yeah, some elements of this game haven't aged too well, and the game is not void of criticism just because it's old. Regardless, it is my second favorite game of all time, and my favorite game in the Sonic series. Despite its age, I still feel that there is so much this game did right with the formula Sonic Adventure established. Rail grinding became a staple mechanic, even if it was simplified as the games continued, and the gameplay variety between characters create an experience that continues to throw new things at you to have high speed fun with. There's plenty of things to discover in the levels, such as Chao keys and animals to raise your Chao in the game's streamlined Chao Garden. There are also multiple missions for each level, giving the game a lot of replayability for completionists. An absolutely kickass soundtrack is standard for the majority of the Sonic series, but Sonic Adventure 2 takes this standard and knocks it out of the park. Each track feels like it has such variety, yet it still manages to have thematic consistency given the fact many of the songs are designed with a character in mind, and not just the level. Character themes are extremely colorful and beyond fitting, and this style of music would influence the series for generations to come. As for the story, it is one of the few Sonic games that nailed each returning character's personality near perfectly, and brought such immediate life to the newcomers of the series. The tragic and beautiful backstory of new rival Shadow the Hedgehog inflicting chaos on the present, with Sonic being one of the only people who can stop him and Dr. Eggman's plans. The voice acting is definitely cheesy as all hell, with the English version having characters cut each other off rather frequently without the use of mods, yet each interaction feels so full of life in both the English and Japanese dubs. Sonic Adventure 2's final story and credits sequence might be my favorite end to a video game ever, and as much as it would hurt as a Sonic fan to see an end to the franchise, I would have been happy deep down had the series ended on the note this game left it on. As much as I love the game, I did say above that it's not free of criticism. It has its issues, especially being a game that originally released in [i]2001.[/i] The treasure hunting stages, namely the space levels, can be incredibly frustrating due to their size. The mech stages also leave a lot to be desired in their controls as they are very stiff, which is a major issue in a high speed series like Sonic. As previously mentioned, the English voice acting is very cheesy, and characters often cut each other off; sometimes even themselves. On top of this, some of the sound volumes are inconsistent with its original Dreamcast release, sometimes leading to grating effects layering on top of each other. [b]A lot of these issues CAN be fixed with, or at least improved by mods,[/b] but this isn't a mod review. This is a review of the game at its base. It's old. It shows its age. This is undeniable. But, despite it all, I love this game. Every bit of it. Its music, characters, gameplay and story [i]especially[/i] will forever hold a special place in my heart. [i][b]"A new day brings new adventure. But, for now... Rest easy heroes."[/b][/i]