Sonic Adventure 2

Moby ID: 4455
Dreamcast Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/27 6:29 PM )
Add-on (official)

Description official description

Sonic has returned! This time, his nemesis Dr. Eggman has teamed up with Shadow, a dark hedgehog with a mysterious past, and is aiming once again (like he doesn't) to rule the entire world with the power of the Chaos Emeralds! It's up to Sonic and his friends to stop Eggman and put him out of business for good!

With new features such as a storyline told from the view of both the good guys and the villains, greater speed, and an improved A-Life system, Sonic Adventure 2 is poised to be Sonic's greatest and most dangerous mission yet!

Spellings

  • ソニックアドベンチャー2 - Japanese spelling
  • 索尼克大冒险2 - Chinese spelling (simplified)

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (Dreamcast version)

171 People (150 developers, 21 thanks) · View all

Producer
Director
Art Director
Main Programmer
Sound Director
Game Designers
Field Art Director
Field Artists
Programmers
Assistant Director
Scenario Writer
Lead Event Artist
Event Scene Artists
Lead Chao Programmer
Chao Programmer
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 84% (based on 41 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 87 ratings with 10 reviews)

Sonic Adventure 2 sends the Dreamcast off with a "Sonic Boom."

The Good
The one line summary of the game I wrote is an actual quote from IGN when they readily updated the Dreamcast portion of their website. It's interesting that the Dreamcast portion of IGN's own network was still active up until 2006 however that isn't what this is about.

This review is about Sonic Adventure 2. Is Sonic Adventure 2 the greatest, most refined 3D Sonic game Sega ever produced? The answer is yes. Why is this the greatest 3D Sonic game ever produced? Let's find out.

Riding on a wave of positive reception garnered by Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 eliminates problems present in the original game and presents a streamlined format the speeds the game along at the pace of a V2 Rocket. The original Sonic Adventure was a brilliant but flawed experience. There were camera problems and the pace of the game was staggered by the inclusion of redundant characters like Big. Sonic Adventure 2 eliminates the wandering from Sonic Adventure and flows at a pace similar to the original Sonic the Hedgehog games.

The primary difference between Adventure 1 and 2 is the inclusion of Hero and Dark stories. Hero refers to Sonic, Knuckles and Tails and the Dark story refers to Shadow, Rouge and Eggman. The three styles of play are varied but carry over for each equivalent character. Sonic's levels are identical in play style to the original game however Sonic has more moves and some moves like the Light Speed Dash are far easier to pull off. Knuckles stages are identical to those in the original Sonic Adventure however the environmental detail and hint system have been overhauled. Finally Tails is fitted with a Walker and plays like E102 Gamma from Sonic Adventure. Shadow, Rouge and Eggman play like their Sonic, Knuckles and Tails respectively. Criticism has been levelled at the similarity between play styles of the characters however this was intended to make the game longer while providing narrative and locational variety. It essentially makes the game seem twice as long.

The length and detail in the levels has been vastly improved and the some of the level designs are pure genius. Sonic and Shadow feature the premiere stages in the game while Knuckles stages are nowhere as annoying as they were in Adventure. Tails' stages can be irritating however on the whole they are satisfying.

Speaking of detail the graphics in Sonic Adventure 2 are really something. The quality of the textures and general environmental design is commendable. Sonic looks and is animated fantastically and if it wasn't for some rough edges I wouldn't have anything negative to say about the graphics at all. There is no fog, barely any pop-in and I just can't heap enough praise on how clear and realistic the textures are. Eggman is one of the best looking characters in the game. He has real form now and a realized aesthetic. He looked very haphazardly put together in Sonic Adventure and seeing him so realized gives me warm fuzzies. Shadow is a great looking character, from the way his far out quills bounce around to the little jets of flame that push his shoes along. Rouge is another great looking character. Her form and mannerisms have had a lot of thought put into them from the way her ears wave around when she walks to...a certain body part of hers that...well let's just say it's noticeable.

The camera system, one of the biggest problems from the first Adventure, have been totally rectified...well, apart from a few select boss battles. The camera sticks tightly to your character at all times, never losing its way or getting stuck on things. It even works perfectly in tight spaces. This isn't to say the camera system is perfect, however for this particular type of game it couldn't get any closer to perfect.

The sound in the game is a big improvement over Adventure. An eclectic mix of techno, electronic beats, guitar riffs and hip hop music accompanies the varied styles of each level. While in Adventure the tunes were slightly overbearing they are well suited to the action in Adventure 2. Each character still has their own theme song however.

After finishing Sonic Adventure 2 you have a plethora of options waiting to extend replay value for you. There is a vastly improved Chao Garden complete with Chao Kindergarten and various mini-games like Chao Karate and Chao racing to keep you occupied. The black market within the Kindergarten allows the player to buy hard to find items for the raising of their Chao and finding eggs and keys unlocks more options to customize your cute little buddy. You can still transfer your Chao to your VMU and play with and train it and it's still a reason to carry your VMU around with you. Further augmenting replay is a Time Attack mode, Kart Racing and downloadable events which are obviously unavailable now.

The Bad
Sonic Adventure 2 gets almost everything right and just about comes close to perfecting the formula the original Sonic Adventure is so famous for.

It is not without its issues however.

While the flow of the game has been streamlined it comes at the expense of a feeling of freedom. In Sonic Adventure you had the option of playing as each of the characters, you weren't obliged to play as Big or E-102 Gamma however obviously it meant you wouldn't be able to complete the game properly. Having to sit through several Knuckles and Tails stages just to play as Sonic is a little frustrating at times especially considering you might have to play 4 non Sonic stages in a row just to play as Sonic.

On the topic of levels while the level of genius in level design is typically very high it is a little inconsistent. Some of Tails' levels seem to have been designed by a sado-masochistic numb skull who enjoys making children cry. They will often throw enemies or drops at you out of nowhere wiping your score from the high 1000's to 0 meaning you either persevere and get a terrible score or are constantly forced to restart. The same can be said for Rouge's stages. Knuckles are generally painless and he gets one of the best boss fights in the game however Rouge's levels are nothing but a vague, frustrating grind.
Rouge's Security Hall level is nothing but a vague, cruel joke that will force constant restarts and her one boss fight is an inaccurate jump fest that will result in much frustration.

Speaking of boss fights they seem to use a completely different camera than the general levels. The camera will often struggle to keep up with the character you're using either flipping over and totally disorientating you or getting stuck on walls while you get pummeled. It's baffling considering the high quality during the actual levels that the boss fights could be so frustrating and incoherent.

The boss fights themselves are something of a mixed bag. While they are generally quite fun and inventive they are recycled within the Dark story, which you will invariably play second to the Hero story. The issue is, the characters that are forced to fight the recycled bosses in the Dark story are totally inappropriate for the arena's you fight them in. That isn't to say there aren't original bosses in the Dark story, the fact is they original ones are outnumbered by the recycled ones.

The Bottom Line
Sonic Adventure 2 is no doubt the last great game that Sega would end up releasing for the Dreamcast. It uses the hardware to give players an almost flawless Sonic game, addressing the issues that were present in Sonic Adventure while not compromising too much on the core gameplay ideals that made the first so popular.

The game looks stunning, with fantastic modelling and almost photo realistic texture work. Sonic and company have never looked better and being able to play as the flawed genius that is Eggman has finally been realized.

That isn't to say the game is without its own unique problems. Some of the stage designs are inconsistent with the level of genius shown in Sonic and Shadow's stages. Tails', Rouge's and Eggman's stages suffer from some flawed design that makes them feel like a grind more than anything else and while the streamlining of the game was a great idea having to play through 4 or 5 non Sonic or Shadow stages is just mean.

This is simply one of the must have games in any Dreamcast owners library and one of the best games around to show off the untapped power of our favourite little white box. Grab this if you can.

Dreamcast · by AkibaTechno (238) · 2010

Sonics 10 year anniversary is celebrated in style.

The Good
Basically, as far as Sonic titles go, this has the look and feel of an enhanced Sonic Adventure 1 but with the level structure of one of the side scrolling Megadrive titles. Gone are the rpg elements of the sonic adventure 1 and instead we have a more streamlined action title. The graphics are amazing and leave every other platformer on any system to date, for dead with high resolution everything and a solid 60 fps running speed which is essential with a game that is centred on speed. There are 2 main games, the first lets you play the story as the heroes, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles which each have their own game styles while the 2nd puts you in the shoes of the villains. Dr Robotnik, Shadow and Rogue whom are the bad equivilent of each of the heroes. Sonic and Shadows stages are high speed platform areas that we've all come to expect from Sonic games. They are easily the most fun to play and you'll want to go back and do so again and again. Tails and Robotnik have shooting stages with some mild platforming which is very similar in gameplay to the robot stages from SA1. Lastly, Knuckles and Rogue have treasure hunting stages where you have to locate certain objects within the stage to progress. There are loads of bonuses such as the go kart mini game and the Chao raising section from SA1, plus once you finish both games there is a final area and after that there is the monumental challenge of obtaining all 180 emblems throughout the game world. The emblem system also means that in order to obtain the later emblems, you must accomplish different challenges within each stage to gain the new emblem thus making the replay value skyrocket. The music is cheesy J-pop which usually suits the game very well and is often hilarious. Sound is solid and thankfully there is the option to have the original Japanese dialogue with subtitles for those of us who prefer it. Sonic Adventure 2 is a game certain to keep you occupied for weeks.

The Bad
The English voice acting is poor and the voices are very wrong for the characters. The music during some of the areas is enough to drive you towards the mute control on the tv (knuckles stages spring to mind.) Cameras can sometimes leave you blind, although they are much better than those in SA1 plus knuckles and rogues stages can grate a bit when you can't find one of the items you're after. It seems that in its transition from Japanese to English, Sega neglected to add subtitles to the pre-rendered sequences so if you prefer the Japanese voices with English subtitles, you may find yourself a little confused with the story. The final cutscene at the end of the whole game has quite a bit of non-subtitled dialogue so I'd advise braving the English acting when you get to this point.

The Bottom Line
Sonic Adventure 2 has its faults but they don't stop it from being one of, if not THE best sonic game ever made not to mention one of the best platformers ever so anyone who has even a passing interest in platform games would do well to get it. And those of you who didn't get a Dreamcast are just going to once again, miss out on yet another top notch title.

Dreamcast · by Sycada (177) · 2001

Very, very, very fun

The Good
The thing I loved most about this game is it introduced my all time video game character, Shadow. His levels, along with Sonic's, are so fast which is what I love about the Sonic games. The final boss is also one of the things I love. It's challenging and actually fights back, unlike other bosses in the Sonic games. The music in the game was, as always, great for the game.

The Bad
There were few things I didn't like in the game. One thing that I found disappointing is they took away the adventure fields. So far that's all I can think of.

The Bottom Line
Sonic Adventure 2 is a worthy sequel if ever I played one. It has all of your favorite characters and some new faces in the Sonic Team. If you still have your Dreamcast laying around somewhere, play this game and remember the fun times.

Dreamcast · by M.Allen (83) · 2007

[ View all 10 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Who Would Win? Katara (1) Aug 23, 2007

Trivia

Characters

It seems that starting with Sonic Adventure, Sega started to abandon the American name of the game's antagonist, Dr. Robotnik, instead opting to use his original Japanese moniker, Dr. Eggman. However, in Sonic Adventure 2, the name Dr. Robotnik has been completely dropped; he's now called Dr. Eggman by the entire cast of the game, and in following games in the Sonic series as well.

Sonic Adventure 2 is the first game in the series to allow the player to play through the whole game as Dr. Robotnik/Eggman and try to take over the world. The game also introduces two new characters, Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat, both on the "Dark" side.

Development

This was the first game the San Francisco based Sonic Team USA developed. Some of the levels in the game even resemble famous landmarks of the city, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and downhill roads of the city.

In-game advertisement

This is the only Sonic game to feature Sonic wearing Soap shoes to promote the product. This new product actually helped introduce the grinding technique that has been used in every 3D Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2, due to a partnership between Sonic Team and Soap to help promote the shoes. There are also billboards in the game that advertise the product. However, due to the company not producing any more shoes, the partnership didn't last long. Thus, Sonic doesn't feature his Soap shoes in any of the future Sonic games after Sonic Adventure 2.

Special edition

The game was released exactly ten years after the original Sonic the Hedgehog, and to celebrate that, a special version of Sonic Adventure 2 was available in Japan.

Awards

  • GameSpy
    • 2001 – Dreamcast Action/Adventure Game of the Year

Information also contributed by Sciere, sonicteamUSA and Spindash

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Sonic Adventure
Released 1998 on Dreamcast, 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Sonic Adventure DX (Director's Cut)
Released 2003 on GameCube, Windows
Sonic Advance 2
Released 2002 on Game Boy Advance, 2016 on Wii U
Sonic Frontiers
Released 2022 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...
Sonic Riders
Released 2006 on PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows
Sonic Advance
Released 2001 on Game Boy Advance, 2003 on N-Gage, 2011 on Android...
Sonic Heroes
Released 2003 on PlayStation 2, 2003 on Xbox, 2004 on Windows...
Sonic Origins
Released 2022 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...
Sonic Forces
Released 2017 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 4455
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Satoshi Kunsai.

PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 added by Sciere.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Patrick Bregger, Grandy02.

Game added July 8, 2001. Last modified January 16, 2024.