Sonic Adventure 2 Battle is a instant classic for any platformer or Sonic fan!
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Sonic Team/SEGA
System: GameCube
Total Score: 93/100
Value Score: 9.3/10
• Story: 10/10
o SA2's storyline is divided into two sections: Hero side and the Dark side. In the hero side you will play as and see in the viewpoint of Sonic, Knuckles and Tails. However in the Darkside you will play and see the viewpoint of Shadow, Rouge and Dr. Eggman. Each character has their own role in the storyline. Sonic the Hedgehog is being chased by the military organization named G.U.N. who appears to think that Sonic's been causing issues as of recent from Shadow who they mistaken him for Sonic. Knuckles is off on a search for the lost master emerald pieces after it was almost stolen by Rogue and Dr. Eggman. Tails is off to rescue Sonic and to help his friends while Eggman is plotting to take over the world with the help of Shadow and goes off to space to find a top secret.
• Characters: 10/10
o Almost all of the characters from the first SA game have come back with some of them playing a major role in the storyline such as Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy and Dr. Eggman while there are others who are just cameos or appear in the multiplayer mode such as Tikal, Chaos and Big the Cat. Two new additions to the series Shadow the Hedgehog who looks and plays like Shadow the Hedgehog and Rogue the Bat a treasure hunter also make their appearance in this game. The chao from the first game also make a return in a side spinoff mini game feature Chao Garden which is far more bigger than in the first game but serve no other purpose storyline wise. The enemies in the game have all been replaced by G.U.N. Robots rather than Eggman's own robots which were seen throughout the series so that by itself is a fresh new feeling to the game.
• GamePlay: 9/10
o SA2's gameplay is similar to the first game but without the Open World option that was available in the original game. The levels and stages are now mission based and there is a cutscene in between them. No longer can you travel around or do some exploring other than through the stages themselves. Sonic/Shadow's levels are running levels like the usual Sonic games, Knuckles/Rouge's levels are treasure hunting/emerald piece levels where you have to collect 3 pieces to finish the level and Tails/Eggman's levels are shooting levels. Aside from that SA2 also includes a racing mini game which is offered outside the main storyline where you can play races against other characters and against people in local co-op. SA2 also brings back the Chao garden from popular demand with more features and options with the same addicting nature of the original game's version. SA2 also allows you to play co-op with friends in versus mode however it is a separate DLC for the PC version.
• Graphics: 9/10
o The visuals have improved a lot from the first game. Thanks to the addition of development far into the Dreamcast's life , the porting/transferring to Gamecube and now finally the PC version with its own tweaks make this the best looking version out of all the versions. The game also unfortunately comes with a few glitches which occur to the models of the characters and objects though. There are times where you might encounter a bug/glitch throughout stages but it's very rare.
• Sound: 7/10
o SA2's voice acting doesnt get that better as the cast of voice actors for the sequel is the same as the original. However the quality of the sound effects have improved over from the first game as it sounds far more clearer and in synch. However the game dejects from the horrible voice acting that comes with it, possibly the worst aspect out of the whole game and to make it worse no matter how much you try to change the sound settings the music more than likely always overlaps the poor acting.
• Music: 10/10
o One of the best aspects of the game, SA2's OST consists of several types of songs. Including the upbeat tracks that was well known from the first game the library consists of Rock, Pop, Rap, and Orchestral tunes to the mix. A very well balanced roster of vocals and orchestral tracks make the OST of this game one of the best in the series.
• Length: 8/10
o SA2's length consists mostly of its two storylines which can take you around 5-6 hours each along with an additional storyline afterwards which is 1-2 hours depending on the play style of the player. All in all the storyline campaign has a decent amount of hours for a platformer. However majority of the hours will be thrown into Chao Garden which amazingly has the pull that is needed for making gamers addicting and to come back and re-do levels just to enhance their personal chao.
• Replay Value: 10/10
o Replay value in SA2 is one of the best seen in games and is considered to be the best in the Sonic series. You have the option to go back to levels immediately via a simple press of a button on a map that is given to you which offers you a choice to play any level with the option to play different missions. The chao garden by itself will make a lot of people re-play stages for power ups for their chaos and the multiplayer is quite addicting as it includes Racing and competitive platforming. The game also includes a Boss battle mode which you can fight against all the bosses.
• Player Value: 10/10
o Sonic Adventure 2 is one of the best games in the Sonic series. The game brings together different elements of gameplay which were introduced in the first game but expanded it over without the worry and stress of going back and forth in a open world. The game includes a marvelous soundtrack despite its horrid voice acting, improved visuals and dynamic lighting/shading, along with a ton of replay value in its levels and addicting Chao garden mini game. Also dont forget about the multiplayer and boss battle modes which are also available. Simply one of the best games in the history of video games.