Two generations later, Sonic arrived on the Dreamcast in Sonic Adventure. Being tied with Sega Europe, under a No Disclosure Agreement I was shown what was suppose to be the future of Sonic gaming. From the killer whale, to Speed Highway, all the glorious ‘back in the days’ feelings came back to me.

So now comes Sonic Adventure 2, the latest sequel in the Sonic series. But is the leap just as great as the one from Sonic 1 to 2 for the Megadrive/Genesis? Well, yes and no…

In this new adventure there are 6 characters for you to control, Sonic, Rouge, Tails, Shadow, Knuckles, and Dr Robotnik. All the characters can pick up the usual power ups, and all have some brand new moves. Taking the best attributes of each character, the game places you in a level that is most suited to that character’s abilities. You also have two main quest choices, which are ‘Hero’ and ‘Dark’. Depending on which one you choose, you basically take the role of the Hero, or the Dark side of the Sonic Adventure 2 story. When both Hero and Dark quests are completed, the final verdict quest is revealed. In this verdict quest most of the characters end up working together. Whatever the reason they’ll be working together for, well you’ll have to just play the game to find out.

The game plays very similar to the first Sonic Adventure, but this time extra attention was given to the Dreamcast’s analogue stick. So Sonic and Co. can be controlled more accurately.

One of the other problems with the prequel was that is was pretty easy to complete. Fear not, as this version although starting off with a moderate level of difficulty, becomes very difficult in the latter levels. Don’t be surprised when you end up putting in over 13 hours on the game alone.

Just like before it’s not all about running at over 100MPH with Sonic, you also have a lot of treasure hunting sections. Only Rouge and Knuckles can play these stages, for that’s their specialty. In the previous Sonic Adventure, most of these areas were very easy. However this time Sonic Team has done something very sneaky. The emerald detector, which works similar to a metal detector, only focuses on one emerald until it is found. So if you were looking for an emerald, and you found another along the way, the detector would not indicate it. In the later levels, don’t be surprised when you will end up searching for over 20 minutes.

There are plenty of little puzzles in the game that demand quick decisive action. Those sort of things are very apparent in the stages centered around Tails or Dr Robotnik. In the verdict quest, Knuckles and Rouge will also face very similar obstacles, in which they must conquer with speed. Otherwise, they’ll either get shot, be drowned, or whatever else comes first.

There’s also the newly improved Chao A-life system. The feature is very similar to before, but the AI is far more advanced. This time, your Chao really do have to be looked after constantly. In fact without being rude, I almost felt like I had a kid to care for; I even took the little guy to Chao Kindergarten, where he would play, learn, and even got punished by the Principle when he got naughty. Then from time to time, I made sure that I stopped running, and focused on raising enough coins and getting other requirements, just so I can see how my Gordon (sorry Chao) was getting on in Chao world. At the time of this writing this review, Gordon is getting ready for the big Chao Race, so he can earn me a present to be used in the main game. Good stuff!

From the time the Dreamcast was released, you would have thought the little white box has run out of graphical tricks by now. Thankfully, Sonic Adventure 2 shows that the Dreamcast has plenty of class left. In comparison to the first Sonic Adventure, differences would escape unnoticed until you go back and played it. Sonic Adventure 2 is definitely far more detailed, more intricate in design, and much sharper visually. One of the most striking levels in Sonic 2 on the Megadrive was the Aquatic Ruins zone. However, in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Team went one step further with the ‘Green Jungle’ zone. From the ripples of the water lying far below, to the texture of the trees, the vines, everything. Sonic Team taken what was great in Sonic 2, and whipped it into a graphical 3D frenzy, all running at a constant 60 frames per second. High commendation also has to go to the textures and rich colour scheme used throughout the game. Volumetric shading, lighting, and other effects are all used excellently. The draw distance is also superb, together with the various changes in scenery to create variety. This is one area where a lot of platform titles still need some help, and thankfully Sonic Team has done a good job in that respect.

Music and sound are very important in games these days, and this is one area where Sonic Adventure 2 certainly doesn’t skimp. From hard Rock music, Hip Hop to Jazz Funk, there’s bound to be a music track that you would like. Most of the tracks are fully vocal, as opposed to the constant guitar twanging of the previous title. The sound effects are the typical Sonic, in fact, the sound effects used for the rings haven’t even changed. But there are no complaints here, as the effects are classic all the way. Though I have to admit, not everyone is going to enjoy the music which is offered. Some of the music tracks are rather prosaic, but thankfully not enough to take away the gaming experience. Though generally the music score is top notch, and they fit the on screen action well.

Sonic is a brilliant game but as you know, no game is perfect. Sadly in the case of Sonic Adventure 2, there’s frequently the feeling of ‘Ugh what a set up!’; if you know what I mean. It’s also very unpleasant that Sonic doesn’t ever get the chance to actually swim. In fact he only makes contact with water when he runs over a puddle or dies. The story also becomes very uninteresting near the middle of the game, and this is a shame for it starts and ends very well, but maybe Sonic Team got bored mid-way during development. Also, the characters during the cut scenes experience a serious case of bad lip synch, and as far as Tails is concerned, if you want a character’s voice to annoy you, this is the one.

Another problem with the game is the lack of depth in the adventure aspect. It’s blatantly conspicuous that a game like this cannot become a major success based on speed alone. If you can’t design a good adventure, then by all means get someone else to do it. Maybe Nintendo’s Miyamoto should work with Sonic Team for Sonic Adventure 3. This is not to say that most of the adventure style levels aren’t good. But after many Sonic games in the series, you would have thought it wouldn’t be this linear.

In Sonic Adventure 2, you can play a bonus game called Sonic Kart. Though this is a nice extra to have, but as before, if you can’t do it properly, why bother? It’s very sad to see they used one of the quest levels over, as a main course. If they designed an original course, with greater attention to design and detail, then we could have an excellent bonus on our hands. But as it stands Sonic Kart is nice, but, that’s it.

Sonic Adventure 2 even with all its faults, is a splendid game that everyone must have in their collection. However, it still can’t be helped that it could have been even greater than it is. It’s still a great Dreamcast farewell present that makes you wonder why the Dreamcast had to die so soon. If you’re a Dreamcast owner you must purchase this title. If you’re not a Dreamcast owner, well, if you got money to spend then go and buy one.

(Eds note: Happy 10th year Anniversary Sonic!)