SonicThe transition to 3D has been tricky. The 2D to 3D lane change has plagued Hedgehog releases, even into the modern generation (right, Sonic Forces?), while former competitors Mario Constantly soaring beyond the galaxy, getting more comfortable with each release.
For Sonic, these transitional dilemmas existed even at the outset.although super mario 64 By the time it fully took shape and revolutionized 3D gaming, Blue Blur had a rough start. Cancellation of Sonic Xtreme on Sega Saturn, basically 3D tech demo in compiled version Sonic Jam It doesn’t do much to get Sonic and friends off the 3D starting pad quickly.until 1998 Sonic Adventure On the Dreamcast, Sega’s beloved mascot will finally accelerate into 3D, taking Sonic and fans into an exciting new dimension.
Sonic Adventure is by no means a perfect game. After all, the original Japanese version was rushed out to arrive two days before Christmas. But when I’ve come back and replayed the game in recent years, even on its original hardware, it’s still the gold standard for all 3D Sonic games — and one that future entries have never managed to match.
Let’s start with the game’s CG introduction, which fully understands the task of bringing the hype. It introduces us to a new menacing high-stakes threat in the form of perfect chaos. It teased us with quick shots of every character, both new and redesigned (Dr Eggman never looked so bad when the camera bumped the zoom, he stood on the Egg Carrier, the wind blew his beard) ). It all did when the chorus of Crush 40’s “Open Your Heart” officially established Sonic as the hedgehog who loved his rock music.
This is Team Sonic, still in its heyday. Sonic co-creators Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima have gone all out to deliver an unprecedented headline game on brand new 128-bit hardware, taking Hedgehog’s iconic speed to dizzying new heights and bringing the Unforgettable positioning; being chased by an orca on the Emerald Coast, skiing a mountain to avoid an avalanche, running down the side of a skyscraper on a high-speed motorway, and – oops – even a pinball fan game , it made a cameo one night in a dream.
The stages don’t waste time moving you from one inspired spectacle to the next, and the designs are so compact that most can be done in two or three minutes. This was a glaring problem with later Sonic games, they would repeat the same sequence and be disgusting, sometimes in the same level, which made it even more annoying when you lost all your lives and had to replay the level from scratch Frustrated.
That’s not to say there’s no problem getting through these levels, as the developers always have to scramble for a camera that can keep up with Sonic without getting him stuck on landscapes, or worse, falling through levels. The new spin attack also has its quirks. You might not necessarily lock onto enemies the way you want, or you might end up spinning around them indefinitely.
But when it works, it’s exactly the fluidity and running you want from a 3D Sonic. Although linear, additional challenges (such as completing stages with a certain number of rings, or within a set amount of time) provide replayability for players who want to get all the game’s 130 tokens. After a few false starts, Team Sonic finally seems to have a firm footing in Sonic Adventures.
Sonic Adventure 2 has arguably a more interesting rating system, and for a while convinced me it was the better game. But, in retrospect, the action focus means it’s also missing the titular “adventure” element. The central part of Sonic Adventure is great for breaking the beat and spoon-feeding you the game’s story, and while it’s hardly a memorable narrative, the missions are subtly intertwined so that the new characters you meet become playable – and then You will experience the story from their perspective. There’s even a focus on NPCs (time of day is not given very often in Sonic games), the most memorable of which is a subplot where train crews at the station square go on strike for better working conditions. How’s the progressive politics in the game?
The character story itself is also well balanced, as Sonic is the big headliner, getting most of the levels (it’s crazy to think he’s only in 6 of SA2’s 30 levels), while the other characters add variety , often covering the same level, but with different methods and mechanisms. Think of Knuckles’ exploration-based shards of finding Master Emerald, or Amy’s slower-paced platformer while being chased by massive robots. The troubled former maiden may have only gotten three levels of the original deal, but her arc has been a personal highlight, recasting her as the heroine of a cute little bird while also transforming the droid E-102 Gamma heart of. Plus, her theme song is simply irresistibly sweet.
Of course, when talking about Sonic Adventure, I can’t help but mention its soundtrack, whether it’s the unique themes of each character — from the knuckles of hip-hop to the somber jazz piano fused with Gamma and electronic music — or the Sony The mode of each level 3 after the gram, each action has a different variation. But Jun Senoue’s rock sound ended up taking center stage, and while most fans would say “Live & Learn” from SA2 was their favorite Crush 40 song, it’s always been “Open Your Heart” for me – Maybe just because it was the first song that made such an impression.
The tragedy is that Sonic Adventure is not considered a classic compared to Super Mario 64. According to Metacritic, it’s rated almost as badly as Sonic 06, and I have to wonder if the nostalgia has completely clouded my judgment? But playing it again recently, no; I must state that the kids were wrong.
These Metascores you find are not for the Dreamcast version, but for a port based on Sonic Adventure DX (first released on the GameCube). This so-called “Director’s Cut” does improve some elements — like doubling the frame rate to 60FPS, updating the character models to those used in SA2 without gloves, and letting you skip cutscenes — — but it also inadvertently adds a whole bunch of control issues and glitches that didn’t exist in the original Dreamcast version. For a more detailed look at all the issues that arise in DX ports, this YouTube video from Cybershell is highly recommended.
How Sega screwed up Sonic’s best 3D game for posterity is almost criminal compared to the outrage Nintendo initially caused with its botched N64 emulation of Ocarina of Time on its Nintendo Switch Online service. For a true Sonic Adventure experience, you’ll need to play the Dreamcast version on original hardware or through emulation, although a bunch of mods on the PC version reportedly do restore the game as close to the original as possible.
If you do manage to play Sonic Adventure in its original form, you’ll find that many of its charms and inventions are still there. Especially when compared to the tediousness and bloat seen in later entries in the series, Hedgehog suffers from an identity crisis, suffers from questionable design decisions, and seems to just linger on past successes.
Critics have long since dismissed Sonic in 3D. Much of the excitement around Hedgehog these days has to do with his 2D outings. Check out the excellent fan-developed Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins (although this may have been the beginning of Sonic 2D’s decline… again). While Sega is aiming for a high score for Sonic Frontiers, it remains to be seen whether 3D Sonic will cut it in 2022. From what we’ve seen so far, Sega appears to be backing up the wrong adage. I’ve definitely wanted to join past investor calls, though, where executives said they were targeting a “satisfactory 6/10.”
Who knows, the much-anticipated “open area” gameplay could be a game-changer, and Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka says his goal is to have this new version lay the groundwork for future Sonic games, and I’m going to open my heart and Expect the team to live and learn from the best. After all, developers want new games to be as impactful as Sonic Adventures. All I can say is: good luck.
