Sega's flagship Dreamcast launch title was truly a memorable one, as well as a great one.
User Rating: 9.4 | Sonic Adventure International DC
Sonic Adventure, when it was released alongside the Dreamcast on September 9, 1999, was the first new "true" Sonic the Hedgehog game for a console in years -- the last being Sonic 3D Blast for the Sega Saturn and Genesis, way back in 1996 (and even then, you could argue that Sonic 3D Blast wasn't a "true" Sonic game). Still, the game, in my eyes, has to be viewed as the greatest Sonic game of all-time... at least for those that are 3-D. Yes, Sonic Adventure is the first fully 3-D Sonic game. Plot-wise, the game has Sonic and friends going after the infamous Dr. Robotnik (a.k.a, "Eggman") yet again. Dr. Robotnik, after having his plots spoiled countless times by Sonic, decides to create a new plan, with him this time "teaming up" with Chaos, the water-based "God of Destruction." However, in order to fully realize Chaos' potential, Dr. Robotnik needs the seven Chaos Emeralds for Chaos to use. Of course, as soon as Sonic hears about this, he shifts into gear and begins his quest to stop Dr. Robotnik for the umpteenth time and bring peace to the world once more. Sonic Adventure, as previously mentioned, takes Sonic and his pals (and enemies) into a fully-realized 3-D world and does it wonderfully. The game's many areas have been created meticulously with outstanding detail; in fact, Sonic Team actually went down to Central and South America to study the landscape and environment, which ultimately assisted in the creation of several of the game's areas. However, the game does feature occasional drops in the frame-rate as well as some pop-up and draw-in. The frame-rate drops can potentially mess you up a bit as you maneuver Sonic and his friends throughout the game's environments, but most of the time it won't. The game, for the most part, is graphically great. In terms of gameplay, Sonic Adventure is tight and spot-on most of the time. The game controls beautifully with the Dreamcast controller, as moving Sonic and friends through the game's numerous stages is actually something that really isn't bothersome. Still, though, there always seem to be a fault, and this game is no different in that respect: the camera, at times, is just simply awful and that, frankly, is inexcusable. In a game that features a fully 3-D world, as well as a character as fast as Sonic, a bad camera is the last thing you should have to worry about, and sadly, it isn't. While it won't bother you more times than it does actually bother you, it still doesn't excuse Sonic Team from not making sure that the camera was fixed before the game was released. Hell, they delayed this game for the sole reason of improving the camera and what do they do? Not improve the camera. Sonic Adventure also enables you to control up to six -- not all at once, though -- characters (and a secret seventh) in your quest to thwart Dr. Robotnik's plans again. Several of them are familiar, like Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, while others are new, like E-102 Gamma and Big the Cat. Overall, the cast has a nice amount of variety; a bit more than you would probably expect from a game like this. One cool new addition that Sonic Adventure has that other Sonic titles don't is the ability to raise Chao, either in the game or with a VMU. Chao, basically, are cute little virtual pets. You can have battles with other Chao on your VMU or race them. They also are necessary for earning several emblems which, as a result, are needed for gaining a 100% complete game save. In terms of music, Sonic Adventure is a solid game in that department. Featuring some pretty catchy tracks, the music is good overall. However, the game is lacking in the voice area, with the voice acting decent in some areas, but pretty bad in most of the others. Sonic Adventure is a pretty lengthy game as it should probably take you around 10-20 hours to complete the meat of the game. Obviously, you're looking at a higher ballpark figure if you're looking to collect and see absolutely everything that the game has to offer. The replay value is also assisted in the facts that not only are there seven characters to play as and Chao to breed, but also the amount of emblems there are to collect. With 130 in total, it'll take you quite a bit of time to collect them all, but once you do, pat yourself on the back because you've done an outstanding job. Overall, Sonic Adventure, along with games like Soul Calibur and NFL 2K, really made the Dreamcast's launch a special one. It features the return of Sonic in his first "real" Sonic title in years and it has loads of features to keep you entertained for days and weeks. As Sega's flagship Dreamcast launch title, Sonic Adventure excels in nearly every area that is truly vital to the creation of a game that is not only great, but also memorable.
