While Sonic
Adventure marks the first time Sonic has been able to explore 3D worlds (and no, Sonic
3D Blast doesn't count), the hedgehog was originally supposed to
be brought into the third dimension on the Saturn with "Sonic X-Treme." The U.S. developed title was
canceled in 1996 based on the general consensus that the game (or
the system) could not represent Sega's mascot in the most positive light, especially
when compared to the innovative Super
Mario 64 or jaw-dropping visuals of Crash
Bandicoot. Three years later Yuji Naka’s Sonic Team has brought the hedgehog onto a system
that was made to handle 3D worlds.
In all honesty, Sonic
Adventure is not a groundbreaking game for the Dreamcast as Super
Mario 64 was for the Nintendo 64. So those expecting the same level of
wonder and exploration will be slightly disappointed with the linear
nature of gameplay, which is more akin to Crash
Bandicoot with action stages that seem a little too confining.
What Sonic
Adventure does offer is an amazing amount of diversity wrapped
up in some the most awe-inspiring graphics your eyes have ever seen.
Sonic is an older, more "hip" mascot than the cute
critter on the Genesis and all of his pals (plus a few new ones)
are here for the fun.
As you would expect, Sonic
Adventure takes just about every element found in previous Sonic games and ties them all together in one
beautiful package. Fans will be happy to know that they'll still
need to gather gold rings to stay alive, blast through areas at
incredible speeds, and even play some pinball using the hedgehog as
the ball (like in Sonic
Spinball). Tails also accompanies you throughout most of the
game as he did in Sonic
the Hedgehog 2, and Dr. Robotnik (who is constantly referred by his
Japanese name of Eggman) will constantly rain on Sonic's parade. A Sonic game wouldn’t be complete without his
trademark speed, and this game has more than enough to satisfy
anyone diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder.
Of course
everything is in 3D now, but the gameplay is very similar to
previous Sonic games. Unlike Super
Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie,
Spyro
the Dragon, or countless other games in the genre, Sonic
Adventure doesn't stress exploration or collecting things (aside
from the rings that are usually found directly in his path). This
means the action is surprisingly straightforward -- travel from
point A to point B as fast as possible. And boy, does this guy move
FAST. If you thought Quake
or Tomb
Raider made you queasy, then you should stay away from this game
unless you have a paper bag sitting in front of you. Sonic moves at almost blinding speeds, and running
through some of the corkscrews or tunnels will make some dizzy with
delight and others just plain dizzy.
So does moving at high
speeds make for a tricky platform game? You'd think it would, but
there are a lot of scenes where you simply watch as Sonic is propelled in the air and hurtles to another
platform. These momentary lapses in control are pretty to look at
(especially when Sonic is whisked away by an enormous tornado), but
they take away from the interaction that is so important in an
action game. Further compounding the problem are several segments
that have Sonic racing along a track or clearly defined path
-- these stages don't really require any thought or skill, as you
are primarily watching Sonic show off how fast he can run.
Even
some of the games within games are less involving than they should
be. For example, you'll be able to fly Tails' biplane to attack a large aircraft (Dr. Robotnik’s Egg Carrier), but don’t expect a
free-roaming blast-a-thon; this is simply a shooter on rails that
doesn't require much more than moving left or right. One of the
levels has a beautiful snowboarding scene that could have been
incredible if not for the fact that it offers absolutely no
challenge to succeed -- you can even crash through trees and icicles
without falling off the board or losing a life.
Now that
these gripes are out of the way, let’s talk about the positives.
There are five different characters to access (unfortunately, they
are automatically unlocked as you play through Sonic’s story -- you don’t go hunting for them), and
each character offers a new twist on gameplay. Dare I say these
characters’ adventures are more entertaining than Sonic’s journey? It's true! Part of the reason is
simply the difference in play mechanics.
Knuckles doesn’t just run on the ground, he can
glide through the air, punch, and climb walls. His objectives
involve seeking fragments of the Master Emerald (he IS its guardian,
after all), which means freely moving through the levels using the
sound of blips to clue you in on an emerald’s whereabouts. While
this is basically 3D hide and seek (a beautiful one at that), the
ability to go anywhere you want is a big plus.
Then you have
Amy Rose, Sonic’s sweetheart (although he’d be the last one to
admit it) who must constantly outrun Dr. Robotnik’s evil robot (you weren’t expecting a
good robot, now were you?). Her overall goal is to reunite an
oh-so-cute bird with its family, which means traveling through Dr. Robotnik’s airship of doom filled with lasers,
moving gears and robots looking to stop poor Amy in her tracks. Besides Knuckles and Amy, players can also play as Tails, who is another great character to control
based on his flying ability -- Tails uses his two, uh, tails to fly around
different levels.
Big the Cat is just plain strange, but anytime you
get to control a dimwitted character looking for his pet froggy
(with a fishing pole) is something that must be cherished. Last but
not least is the good robot E-102 Gamma (there has to be at least one former bad
guy turned nice guy), who uses a lock-on target to blast enemies
with a laser gun. Each character also offers a unique story that
helps fill in the pieces of Sonic’s main adventure. The only problem with these
characters is that their adventures are significantly shorter than
Sonic’s. Amy Rose, for example, has only three stages, while
the maximum for the other characters is five.
And then there
are the Chaos. Inspired by the Tamagotchi craze, Chao breeding lets you have an opportunity to raise
and breed your very own Chao. Of course, this is obviously not for
everyone’s tastes, as Chao raising takes a great deal of time and
patience. An interesting feature is that you can download one these
creatures to the VMU and play a separate game called "Chao
Adventure." It is a simple little game that has your Chao walking slowly from right to left along a
scenic backdrop (such as a meadow, forest or beach). Players don’t
really do much more than watch unless something eventful happens, at
which point you’ll hear a ringing from the VMU.
This could
mean the Chao has fallen (and can’t get up), encountered a
bully Chao or found a treasure chest. A fallen Chao simply needs your help picking him up by
pressing the A button, while a bully requires a good smack or two to
keep it at bay. To do this, you need to time each button press so
that it lands on a white circle instead of a black circle. Every
time you land on the white circle (the circles are in a horizontal
line), your Chao will punch the enemy and reduce its hit points;
if you keep missing, the enemy will have more opportunities to hit
you.
The overall goal is to travel through five areas
comprising the adventure. In between watching the Chao strut his stuff, users can play a little game
of memory to earn a fruit prize, which will add to your character’s
statistics in such areas as swimming, flying and power. Depending on
which routes you take, you’ll be able to further develop your Chao’s skills by having it swim, climb, or
fly.
You can even name your Chaos so when you bring them back into the game,
their names will appear whenever you pick them up. My Scooter is
doing just fine, thank you very much. He completed one adventure and
got whipped in the Chao Races (inspired by Chocobo racing in Final
Fantasy VII). Like I said, developing Chaos takes a long time, and many will just forget
about it after realizing there’s no real incentive for doing so
other than the pride of owning a well-behaved pet. You can win items
from the races, but these are not necessary to finish the
game.
In the end, Sonic
Adventure seems most appropriate for a younger audience based on
its relative ease of play and strange (but relaxing) Chao breeding. Since it borrows heavily from other
games in the genre (including going back through each stage to beat
a certain time as in Crash
Bandicoot: WARPED), the game feels a little too familiar to be
considered an outstanding title. The fact that the other characters
offer more diversity is a plus, but it also shows that Sonic is in dire need of a few new moves or
techniques to bring him into the ‘90s.
Is Sonic
Adventure the best of the Sonic games? Yes, but the franchise hasn't exactly
been filled with AAA titles (although the first game is a genuine
classic). Sonic
Adventure has been described elsewhere as a roller coaster ride,
which is the perfect term. It’s great fun while it lasts, it offers
plenty of high-speed thrills and there is enough excitement to
justify a purchase. Yet this is not a long or difficult game, and if
you don’t like the idea of raising Chaos or returning to stages to improve on your
time, then you won’t be coming back after the ride is over. If
you're a true Sonic fan, however, then this won't matter. It is an
impressive all-around package that serves as a testament to the Dreamcast's power. | |
