This game is both a challenge, and a real blast of Sonic Speed!
Possibly one of his fastest games ever.
User Rating: 8.9 | Sonic Advance 2 GBA
Gameplay: In this game, you accelerate and run faster than you do in Sonic Advance. In this game, these large stages have a roller-coaster-like feel to them. Infact, some stages don't require much thought to clear. You mostly just hold forward on the d-pad, avoiding obstacles and traps as you go along. However, after the first 2 stages, you really need to start thinking more. Otherwise, you'll end up falling to your death or getting killed because you have no rings. This game has larger stages which seem twice as long as Sonic Advance's stages. This is a great thing because Sonic and his friends pick up speed and run through the zones faster than they did in Sonic Advance. Another thing the gameplay gives us is more grinding... Alot more grinding! Rails are alot easier to jump onto and can be used by any character. Infact, rails are so easy to use, that they blend right into the stage's design. And if you wish to beat the game, you you must collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds for Sonic. Yes, those magical gems of power that Sonic manages to lose each time a new game released. But searching for them brings a great new challenge to the gameplay. I guess now would be a good time to talk about Special Stages. First, you must collect all 7 special rings in one of the stage's acts. If you can do this without dying, and clear that act, you will be given one chance to win a Chaos Emerald in the Special Stage. Special stages are flat, 3D-looking areas on which you run around collecting rings, while trying to avoid Eggman's robot, Zero. (Yes, I am referring to the robot from Sonic Adventure; the one who chases Amy) If you can manage to collect 300 rings in the amount of time given, then you'll obtain that's stage's Chaos Emerald. Now, collecting Chaos Emeralds isn't the only real challenge in this game. The stages are also littered with enemies just like Sonic's other 2D platformers. And, as usual, Dr. Eggman's special boss machine is waiting to crush you at the end of 2 acts in a stage. But this time the boss fights aren't attatched to the end of a zone's second act. They are fought in another section of the stage. These bosses are now fought while running, rather than staying still in a small room. This added a new, challenging twist to boss battles which actually worked out quite nicely since they were glitch-free and had very accutare physics involved. Personally I liked this because it combined Sonic Speed with great battle scenerios. And as usual, 8 hits is the magic number for a boss' defeat. And the last thing I will mention is an improvement to the character selction screen. Yes, a new character makes her grand debut in this game... Cream the Rabbit! She's alot like Tails in the way that she can fly, but she uses a different method to keep herself airborne. Cream flaps hear ears like wings and takes flight. Although she cannot fly as long as Tails can, she does fly faster in a horizontal direction, thus giving you an advantage if you wish cross over a large open area. -
Graphics: The graphics were done quite nicely. Although they seem less detailed in some areas than they were in Sonic Advance, they still look great as you zoom by at Sonic speed. Even the backgrounds look more intersting. Backgrounds can have heat waves, moving stars, or awesome-looking patterns like the ones seen in Techno Bases
And the characters look even better. For example, Sonic no longer starts his run by immediately pumping his arms to the max. He gradually swings his arms, then pumps them harder and harder as he runs faster. Or if you are running quickly and collide with an enemy, you'll flip forward rather than jumping backward. Also, the Special Stages look really great on GBA with their 3D-looking lay out. However, they do look just a little bit messy, but you don't notice it too much when you're in a frenzy to collect 300 rings in a short amount of time.
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Sounds & Music: In my opinion, this game had the best music out of any of the 3 Sonic Advance games. The music has a great beat which keeps your mind focused on the high-speed action in the game. The tunes fit the stages appearance very well. The sounds of bells in Ice Paradise, the the computer noises in Techno Base, and the instruments of Music Plant each made the levels more enjoyable. Even the event music make you feel the emotions being portrayed in each scene. And as usual, the sound effects are as beautiful as ever, since alot of them were from Sonic Advance.
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Result: This is one of Sonic's best 2D games, with it's great speed, graphics, and music. It's complete with unlockables like sound test, Tiny Chao Garden, and and other Time Attack modes. Plus, there's a 2 to 4 playes VS mode. And the fact that the game hardly has any negatives makes this game a great addition to anyone's game collection. Yes, this game was truly better than the first, and deserves a good "thumbs up"!
