Sonic Adventure

[sluggard]

Sonic Adventure or SA is really an underrated Sonic game, Been playing through it last few days and I still enjoy it like the first day I played it, Back in 2010 when I first saw the demo on some site that I don't remember, I really liked the controls, Music and style, then I decided to Pick it up from Steam (funny thing that was the same year it came to steam).

My favorite parts of the game are the Missions, Chao Garden, Action Stages Side missions, and the Music, which in my opinion aged well, I have recently finished stories of all characters except Big, Mostly because I have been doing the Missions of other characters.

Having revisited the levels 6 years after last time I played the game makes me realize how boring some of the new Sonic games became, Sonic Adventure still had the soul of classic sonic games in it, Casinos, Slope physics, well thought of Gimmicks ... etc

Despite the hundereds of glitches and cheesy cutscenes and all, I still find it a great game, What do you think about it ? do you have any moments for you on the game to share ?

 

[Larz T]

I remember getting Sonic Adventure DX for my Gamecube for my 7th birthday alongside with Super Mario Sunshine. It was a little weird at first seeing as I played Sonic Adventure 2 first but I did have a really fun time playing it after I got used to the old style of graphics. One part I never really liked was the fishing stages. I always used to get so frustrated because I would hook Froggy to my line but then he would slip away. I never actually completed the first stage of Big's story until two years later when I finally reeled in Froggy out of pure luck lol.

Today, I still think Sonic Adventure is a good game and definitely a notable staple in the Sonic series. However, the game hasn't aged that well like most early 3D games. The camera has always been an issue but since time went on, it's become more noticeable with each playthrough and video I watch related to Sonic Adventure. Also with more recent playthroughs, Sonic Adventure's physics and collision decide it's time to stop working and just completely shit the bed. I was actually doing a Let's Play of Sonic Adventure last summer and I was running through Emerald Coast when Sonic decided to clip through the floor for no apparent reason. I've never actually seen something like that before with Sonic Adventure but I've heard more stories where Sonic and company would just completely fall through the level but I've yet to see that. Like I said earlier besides the game not aging well, I still think it's a good game and really fun to play. I recommend anyone playing Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast or Gamecube if you can.

Spoiler: TL;DR

I think Sonic Adventure is a good game but it hasn't aged well. Also, check out this video of Sonic clipping through the floor.

 

[sluggard]

I always used to get so frustrated because I would hook Froggy to my line but then he would slip away.

It's a bit tricky, You have to press your action button repeatedly to Lure and as soon as he grabs the bait you press down key/move backward to start pulling him, do not press any button besides down key to start pulling him, then you can press jump. the evilest Big Fishing stage is Ice cap because of the small hole lol.

I haven't encountered any serious glitches at all while playing to be honest besides some animations issues here and there.

EDIT : I Just finished Big's story after I figured out how to throw bait inside that small hole, God it was the only thing that kept me from progressing, Now I can continue unlocking rest of stuff :) (After 6 years lol).

 

[sluggard]

SA was also the first 3D Sonic game I played, it is the reason why I started to like Sonic games, I wasn't aware that Sonic got 3D titles back then (having only played the Genesis Sonic 1 and 2), until I saw the demo and I was impressed, The gameplay was a bit different yet close to the original games.

Back then I was a huge fan of Third-person games so I guess that's one of the reasons that brought my attention to it, at first it felt weird but I started to get used to it, The quality looked alright because I had a potato PC back then :P so it looked like many other games I played on it.

 

[Lach]

I got Sonic Adventure DX (PC) from my parents as a reward for doing well in school in like second grade or something. I never actually knew it was called Sonic Adventure, because my 7-year-old eyes only saw "Sonic DX" on the cover and that was all I knew it as. A couple of years down the road we ditched our PC and got Macs instead, so I couldn't play it anymore. I left it at my grandparents' house one time and they subsequently lost it. Thankfully though, several years afterwards, it was released on PSN, which is where I finally learnt its true name and got to play it again after so many years of nostalgic thoughts, as well as beat it completely, which I wasn't capable of doing back when I was 7. Man, I would love to be able to show my younger self the secrets from all the Sonic games he couldn't ever complete. He would be in heaven.

 

[SANICBOOM644]

Sonic Adventure DX supposedly has watered down graphics and textures from the original, and there's a way to mod the Steam Release to look like the original.

I remember playing SA on my tablet a few years back using Reicast and it ran incredibly smooth. It was incredible to see the huge worlds, and I was disappointed when SA2 ditched them in favor of Cutscenes only. My favorite level from it isIce Cap

 

[sluggard]

If you put them side by side you'll see DX is graphically better (but that's probably just my opinion lol), The 3D Models have more polygons and the Lighting generally looks better (This is noticeable especially on Red Mountain and Ice cap) :

EDIT : Here's a vid.

 

[Boinciel]

Is this a joke? DX stripped out all of the lovely atmospheric lighting and cool textures from Adventure and replaced them with bland realistic textures and flat lighting. DX was a complete downgrade and the game has only suffered since then in subsequent ports. There's a guide to get the old lighting and Dreamcast assets back on the PC releases - should be easy to find.

 

[Lach]

I'm kind of partial to DX because it's nostalgic, but even I agree that the original has a sleeker look. I feel the same way about Sonic R; the PC release is the one I am acquainted with but the Saturn version just has a brighter, vintage atmosphere.

 

[sluggard]

There's a guide to get the old lighting and Dreamcast assets back on the PC releases.

I'll have to try this, though I prefer PC Red Mountain lighting, It may be because of textures.

 

[sluggard]

I never understood the complaints about Big the Cat, it's a fine Character, his storyline can be finished in about 20 minutes (probably less if you skip the cutscenes), In my opinion Amy is by far the worst character, you can rarely reach it's top speed at action stages, and it's so confusing to aim your Hammer at enemies.

 

[Chaotic Chao]

I never understood the complaints about Big the Cat, it's a fine Character, his storyline can be finished in about 20 minutes (probably less if you skip the cutscenes), In my opinion Amy is by far the worst character, you can rarely reach it's top speed at action stages, and it's so confusing to aim your Hammer at enemies.

It's...confusing to aim your hammer at enemies?
...Literally just face them and press B, lol

Big and Amy are both kind of in the same "too slow" boat, but Big is much worse than Amy for a multitude of reasons.
First of all, Big is a LOT slower than Amy. It may seem like their speeds are similar, but there's one critical, massive difference between the two: Amy has a moderately fast air speed, whereas Big does not, meaning with Amy you can kind of just spam jump to go fast whereas with Big...you're a sitting duck.
Second of all, although fishing for Froggy with Big is incredibly easy, the game encourages you (and forces you if you want all the emblems) to find lures and fish for other things, too. THIS is where Big's gameplay goes to absolute nightmarish, terrible trash. Watch in vain as the fish you hook swims away from you every time you try to lure it in, knowing that the only thing that'll let you catch the damn thing in the end is RNG. Wait for 10 to 20 minutes with a fish on your hook only for you to inevitably lose the thing for seemingly no reason somehow.
Lastly...uh, it's fishing. In a platformer. Now, the Adventure games are my favorite video games of all time, but seriously? That was a mistake not even I can deny, and it wasn't even executed properly to make up for it.

Tl;dr: Big is slower than Amy and it takes forever to get emblems with him, which is why he's an awful character.

 

[sluggard]

It's not so easy to just face them and press, you usually end up hitting to early or hitting at wrong angle, Plus with Big, I could at least Ignore his slowness due to how fast I could reach near fishing spots, they're usually right near start points, I agree that Big doesn't fit in a platforming game but completing his levels was at least ... like ... comfortable and his controls weren't as frustrating, with amy, if you just mistakenly turn at another angle, you just lose momentum and speed which felt awkward.

EDIT : By mistakenly I mean most of the time lol.

 

[Chaotic Chao]

So walking across entire Adventure fields and searching for lure upgrades with Big at his pace was acceptable, but it wasn't okay for Amy who unlike him never even has to set foot in an Adventure field again looking for power ups after her story's done...?

There are only two enemies in Amy's campaign that require timing to defeat...no, actually, only one. The E-09 Buyon can be defeated just by hammering its head at any point. Just jump and hit it. The E-19 Egg Keeper, on the other hand, requires you to wait for it to attack first, yes.
Though maybe it's just me, but I don't see a problem with having to actually put thought into killing things rather than just hammering away mindlessly and expecting to kill shit. Same with maintaining momentum...and you barely have to think about that either, because again, just spam the jump button and Amy will start going fast again damn near immediately (or just run up some stairs with her and watch that girl suddenly become faster than Tails and Knuckles).

Oh, and one more thing to note - Amy's got Zero to worry about, so even at her slow speed she's always forced to keep moving or she'll take damage. Amy's story just showcases much more professional and more well-thought out design decisions that could admittedly be a hit or miss, whereas Big's is riddled with fundamental flaws I can't see how anyone would legitimately enjoy...

 

[sluggard]

It may be a personal taste But I just can't handle her controls, I rather be able to move at a stable speed at the Small Adventure fields than play with her Immersion breaking controls, If they gave her the Same controls as Sonic but lower speed, It would have been better.

 

[Chaotic Chao]

Well yeah, taste is taste. But objectively, the design of Big's stages are just so much more poorly executed than Amy's, and this is true regardless of taste. Forcing the player to rely on RNG for potentially half an hour on just one level out of four to 100% the game is bad design no matter how you slice it.

It's like...how I don't at all mind the changes made to emerald hunting in Sonic Adventure 2 as opposed to 1, but I can admit that the changes made the mode objectively worse. The hints are not at all helpful for someone without a good understanding of the level they're in already...and people who DO have such an understanding won't need hints. The radar is also less accurate and the game forces you to find the emeralds/keys in order, which is limiting and stupid. But do I love it? Yes, often even more than Adventure 1's emerald hunting, because taste is taste.

 

[sluggard]

Half an hour for one Level ? It took me Half an hour to finish all of Big's levels, It is by far the shortest Storyline in the game, I'm not a Big fan of it (no pun intended) and I don't think it suits the rest of the game but I still think amy's stages would have been much more fun to replay if the controls weren't one of her .. Biggest issue (Heh), This makes me avoid replaying her stages most of the time because the movement is irritating.

 

[Chaotic Chao]

Half an hour to complete the missions for one level. Not getting the emblems for Big is the only way you'll be able to tolerate his stages, I can assure you. Try catching a 2000g fish and then we'll see if you can still stand the guy >_>

 

[Prime 2.0]

That's not even getting in to those lure powerups - how do you know when you have enough lures to get the fish you want? That thrice-damned twinkle park mission had me wasting hours because I thought I had all the lures in the game when I had actually missed one as a kid. You have no out-of-character way of determining what your fishing strength is with the game itself, you can only determine that by trying to fish and seeing what the highest you can catch is, and when you're trying to complete missions that's just a horrid waste of time.

The ideal approach for his missions is to just look up all the lure locations, get them, and then do all the missions with your overpowered gear. Some can be found along the way playing the first time in story mode, but leaving that up to chance when it smoothes out the experience so much, and is outright required for some of it just drags the whole thing down further.

I say all of this with the caveat that I enjoyed the exploration in Big's stages - there's a scenic quality to the places you visit in them that's muted in the action stages of the other characters, and Hot Shelter's puzzle sequence in particular showcases the kind of interesting things that can be done when the interactive elements of a stage are unhurried... but then the actual fishing sucks. I replayed hot shelter while doing its missions more than once because I was just bored of sitting in one place for so long and wanted to do something slightly more exciting as a break.

 

[SSNTails]

Sonic Adventure or SA is really an underrated Sonic game

How old are you? Back when the game came out, everyone was like, "OMG A NEW SONIC GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS". Which was an absolute eternity considering during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, sequels popped out one year after the next for both Mario & Sonic.

In fact, everyone was so happy to finally be getting SOMETHING from Sega that wasn't 3D Blast, they were willing to ignore some very big flaws with the game and essentially tarred and feathered anybody that was critical (me).
Now it's funny how those same issues ended up evolving into the 'Sonic Cycle' and spawned the whole 'return to the classics' movement.