Sonic Adventure 2 is a video game starring Sonic the Hedgehog. Released in the UK on June 23rd 2001 on the Sega Dreamcast, marking the 10th anniversary of the Sonic series, the game saw Sonic and friends taking on Doctor Robotnik in his latest effort to conquer the world, using weapons developed by his late grandfather. Sonic Adventure 2 was re-released a year later on the Nintendo GameCube, with a few enhancements and renamed Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.
Story[]
Sonic Adventure 2 invites and positively encourages players to play the game on both sides of the good and evil spectrum. Completing both the Hero and Dark stories is essential to revealing the game's true ending.
Dr. Robotnik (who from this point was known as Dr. Eggman in the games), in a raid upon a G.U.N. base in search of his grandfather's legacy, awakens a black hedgehog named Shadow, who invites the doctor to the Space Colony ARK, where he learns of the Eclipse Cannon, which holds the capacity to destroy an entire planet when powered by the Chaos Emeralds. They are soon joined by the mysterious jewel thief, Rouge the Bat, and begin their hunt for the Emeralds. Meanwhile, Sonic has been framed by Shadow, and upon his escape from prison thanks to Tails and Amy, sets off to put a stop to Robotnik and his fledgling empire.
Gameplay[]
Sonic Adventure 2's gameplay is split into three different types:
Sonic and Shadow's levels are simple platforming affairs, in which the hedgehogs must get to the end of each level. Tails and Robotnik's levels are shooting games, in which the characters, from the cockpits of their personal mecha, travel through each level, blasting apart anything that gets in their way. Knuckles and Rouge's levels are hunting levels, in which they must seek out all 3 of whatever they need at the time, be it the shards of the Master Emerald, keys, or even some of the Chaos Emeralds.
There are a few other modes of gameplay too, such as some kart racing, a number of multiplayer modes, and the Chao system, heavily expanded since Sonic Adventure.
STC Adaptation[]
The closest Sonic Adventure 2 has had to a full Sonic the Comic adaptation was the Syndicate arc in Sonic the Comic Online. After a battle onboard the Death Carrier, samples of Sonic's DNA are used to complete Shadow, the ultimate life form, created by the Drakon Empire in STC's setting. A short time later, Rouge, who in this adaptation is really working for the Drakons, kidnaps Porker Lewis, taking him and the Chaos Emeralds to the Floating Island's Haunted Hill Zone, which is based on the Pumpkin Hill stage visited by Knuckles and inhabited by the in-game pyramid's ghosts, including King Boom Boo. When the Chaos Emeralds are warped to the Special Zone, thanks to Knuckles, Shadow is unleashed upon the Special Zone, where he helps destroy it. Some time later, Shadow and Sonic clash several times on the Death Carrier, the latter only gaining the upper hand upon going Super. As Sonic and Tails escape, and the Death Carrier goes down in flames, Shadow performs an act of heroism, using the last of his power to teleport Robotnik to safety, sacrificing himself, almost matching the game's ending.
Review[]
Following the game's re-release in 2012 on digital platforms, the game was featured in Issue 259's Review Zone. Michael Corker praised the Xbox 360 version for its widescreen visuals and the return of Big the Cat, but was less pleased with the lack of attention given to sound, glitches or online multiplayer. No score was awarded.