Even if I am not a Sonic fan, I can admire one thing: there's heart in this. A big and earnest effort to create and craft a story which has deep roots in the past of the characters and whose shoots point off in the infinite horizon of the future. It's innocent, but has also depth, from what I saw; and that, no matter how clunky the cut-scenes and the gameplay, is something I can admire and respect.
Sonic Adventure & the 2000s Sonic Games had passion put into them. The problem is the 2010s didn't give a crap about the series & if you actually look you can tell. SoA hired lead writers with no knowledge of the series just because they were inexpensive & made some bloodbath animal cartoon & kept them around for the entire 2010s decade. The people who chose the 2010s VAs didn't have any real understanding of the series which is why a few strange choices were made. Then the games themselves, you can tell Generations didn't have any real passion put into it, just doing the bare minimum for an anniversary title.
@@WaterKirby1994 "you can tell Generations didn't have any real passion put into it, just doing the bare minimum for an anniversary title." *Glances at 3D All-stars* Yeah about that In a seriousness I think that's way too harsh, the people in charge of the story probably didn't care at all (honestly I don't even know if people were paid to come up with this story) but they remade the 2D Sonic physics/gameplay pretty faithfully (when they didn't have to bring back classic Sonic at all in the first place) and completely reimagined zones from the main games for a 3D/2D playstyle, it's not what I'd call the "bare minimum", it does show some level of care imo, it's just too bad the scenarists were on vacation...and apparently never came back
Sonic DID in fact have a rough transition into 3D. Games like 3D Blast, sonic R and the cancellation of Sonic X-treme were the rocky transition. Sonic Adventure is when the series properly transitioned into 3D. So yes, there was a rough transition. I constantly see that phrase being misused and it's frustrating. But yeah, Sonic Adventure is a personal favorite of mine!
Well the thing is, Sonic Adventure is the only game to be seen as a true 3D Sonic game. 3D blast was a faux 3D game that had a more 2D Zelda like action game design Sonic R was a spin-off racer and Sonic X-treame was more rough transition in a development sense. As far as the general public is concerned, that game never existed.
This was an absolutely wonderful transition into 3D despite its warts and flaws from a modern lens. Because of the series' subsequent dip in quality and the Adventure formula's evolution coming to a halt/being butchered via 06, people ABSOLUTELY turned their backs on the Adventure games and literally rewrote history acting as if these games weren't the shit. Given a revisit of the formula and a competent development team that truly gives a shit, Sonic Adventure's formula/control could legit hold the key to a truly great modern, fully 3D Sonic title that meets in the middle for classic and modern fans.
I didn't play these games as a kid I beat Sa1 and 2 not more than a month ago for the first time. They were great and absolutely hold up. Especially with the modloader SADX Still looks good.
Fun fact, if it's your first playthrough of a level, 10 seconds will be added to the timer (you can see this in this video, with Tails' Windy Valley). This is because, for some reason, they think it'd take you 10 seconds to jump on the capsule in subsequent playthroughs, and they adjust your Level C time accordingly. Weird...
I do think it's more generally true. More in that Sonic has had a bit of an identity crisis in the early 2000s which made his games more unfocused and inconsistent compared to his peers. It's not "3D Sonic Bad" but "3D Sonic isn't as cohesive". Like, take Mario. Super Mario 64 may not be a faithful translation of 2D Mario but it's a fun open ended platformer. Sunshine continues that. Galaxy acts as that faithful translation. These games are consistent in their execution and know what they're doing. You don't have Galaxy 2 having levels where Mario has to go do kart racing because Nintendo wanted to show off that the Wii can do Kart Racing really well. But with Sonic, like yes, you have the Adventure levels which are great, but you have stuff like Tails, Amy, Big and Knuckles levels which don't carry that same excitement. And much of these were included to show off what the Dreamcast can do rather than because it was what the game specifically required. You have stuff like Shadow the Hedgehog which opt for a new gameplay style with level pathways that have a very boring way to access them. You have 06 which is very buggy even if the individual ideas are actually cool. You have Unleashed splitting up the fun Day Levels with diet God of War Werehog levels. You have the Wii games which take away much of what makes these earlier games so cool. It almost feels like Sega didn't think basic Sonic on his own would be enough. Like if Early 3D Sonic games were made the way Nintendo makes 3D Mario Games, then Adventure would be mostly Sonic and his levels pushed to the extreme with maybe Tails and Knuckles guest starring in a few levels custom made for them.
The phrase of Sonic having bad transition into 3D, IMO is actually true The thing is people have used that phrase wrong for a long time. It’s a better way to describe Sonic’s time on the Saturn than it is for his time on the Dreamcast
@@dreamcastdazia4753 because it goes to show how difficult it was to have a good 3D Sonic game or at least a functioning one on the Sega Saturn. They end up succeeding with their next console: the Dreamcast
@@hwanniggles187 That game was made for the mega drive. It was ported to the saturn due to Sonic Xtreme being cancelled. And its not even a 3D platformer. It's an isometric platformer which is a sub genre of platformers it self. It was just the closest thing to a 3D platformer on the mega drive at the time. A 3D sonic game would have worked perfectly for the Saturn. There is literally Sonic R and Sonic Jam as an example. And other 3D games that sonic team made like Nights and Burning Rangers. So try again
It's worth mentioning that, at the time of release, Adventure 1 was the first 3D platformer since Mario 64 to be made by a japanese developer, unless you count Chameleon Twist or Megaman Legends. Everything released in between ( Crash trilogy, Spyro, Banjo, Gex, Croc ) were either made by americans or brits
Idk if I'm forgetting another platformer, but I think SA was the first 3d platformer to use cutscenes as it's main form of storytelling. The Mario game that came afterwards, Sunshine, also used cutscenes. Maybe that was just a coincidence, but its funny to think that cutscenes that are now considered "trash" actually inspired Nintendo to do the same
Eh, if anything they were more inspired by Banjo Kazooie and probably Crash Bandicoot. The cutscenes in Sunshine don’t feel like Sonic cutscenes and they’re not really numerous enough to count towards the “story”.
Liked the video before the ads were finished. SA1 has a ton of ambition and heart that make for a lasting gem. I can't stop picturing a remake on PS4, XBO, and Switch.
I have no nostalgia for this game. Playing it on Steam last year makes me wish I did. It’s one of the best Sonic games. I actually liked Amy’s stage. Imagine if they fleshed her gameplay style out like how they made her in Advance.
I thought I was the only one who played it recently for the first time and liked it more than modern sonic games. I played it on PS Now and enjoyed it a lot.
I first played it a few years ago for PS3... I didn’t grow up in the Dreamcast era and I never had gotten to experience it during my childhood like I did the Classic games (thanks to Sonic Mega Collection Plus) and Unleashed on the PS2... I loved SA1. Heck when it comes to Sonic’s play style, I prefer SA1 to SA2, as the action button gave me more trouble in SA2, while Sonic seemed more responsive in SA1. SA1 (and 2) was an amazing experience and I wish I did play them as a kid, but hey... better late than never.
@@hugoflores1093 calling colors 2D is like calling crash bandicoot 2D. There simply not 2D they have to much 3D in them and there 2D Section are actually 2.5D
As someone who also grew up with Sonic Adventure I agree with this video completely. SA is rough around the edges as an early 3D game, but that's part of why I appreciate it and I love how the Adventure era expanded on the lore of the Genesis era. It makes me sad that all this lore was retconned in modern Sonic games
@@superhedgehog6447 I think they're right, the Adventure era is still canon. Chaos appears in Generations as a boss, and in Forces, where he SHOULD have been a boss, but we got "Zebra Zak" Zavok* instead. *this is a Game Apologist joke and reference, not a serious comment like that's actually his name.
Oh man... That Amy Themes' Bass Line just fucking slaps. It's way too good. Hell, it took me years later to find out the singer was a Britney Spears dancer? Kinda makes sense when you think of the time.
Amy Rose (in the 2030s Sonic movie to celebrate Sonic’s 40th anniversary making her in her late 30s): *listens to Britney Spears (You Drive Me Crazy, Toxic, Till the World Ends, Baby One More Time, Gimme More) non-stop before moving on to LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!*
@@kieranstark7213 I... could honestly see Amy doing something like that in the future (Whether it's in another Sonic movie or in another animated cartoon or as some reference in the games, at some point).
We will probably never get a game as stylish and ambitious in its concept as Sonic Adventure. Just imagine if they had much more time and experience to use and polish the game further.
I do think it's more generally true. More in that Sonic has had a bit of an identity crisis in the early 2000s which made his games more unfocused and inconsistent compared to his peers. It's not "3D Sonic Bad" but "3D Sonic isn't as cohesive". Like, take Mario. Super Mario 64 may not be a faithful translation of 2D Mario but it's a fun open ended platformer. Sunshine continues that. Galaxy acts as that faithful translation. These games are consistent in their execution and know what they're doing. You don't have Galaxy 2 having levels where Mario has to go do kart racing because Nintendo wanted to show off that the Wii can do Kart Racing really well. But with Sonic, like yes, you have the Adventure levels which are great, but you have stuff like Tails, Amy, Big and Knuckles levels which don't carry that same excitement. And much of these were included to show off what the Dreamcast can do rather than because it was what the game specifically required. You have stuff like Shadow the Hedgehog which opt for a new gameplay style with level pathways that have a very boring way to access them. You have 06 which is very buggy even if the individual ideas are actually cool. You have Unleashed splitting up the fun Day Levels with diet God of War Werehog levels. You have the Wii games which take away much of what makes these earlier games so cool. It almost feels like Sega didn't think basic Sonic on his own would be enough. Like if Early 3D Sonic games were made the way Nintendo makes 3D Mario Games, then Adventure would be mostly Sonic and his levels pushed to the extreme with maybe Tails and Knuckles guest starring in a few levels custom made for them.
Great video! In-depth and well thought out. I remember when Sonic Adventure first came out and I wanted to play it so badly. I got a dreamcast about 3 years ago and finally got to play sonic adventure. I was expecting a a terrible early 3d sort of game, but wow. It held up and is by far my favorite 3D sonic game. I had played Generations before this and although I liked generations, Sonic Adventure just felt right. Anyways, awesome video!
sOnIcs rOcKY sTarT iN 3d!! Honestly do think that Adventure 1 is a flawed but still incredibly fun game, was the best adaptation of the 2d games to 3d and had a huge sense of style and charm
3d blast and sonic r were his first 3D games man. Adventure is a good game, but to say he didnt have a rocky start isn't exactly true. zelda's transition into 3D was Ocarina, Mario, 64, Final Fantasy, 7. Those were the first 3D games for those franchises, while sonic took a while for a true 3D and had a few attempts in between
Man.. I would kill to go back in time and work with Sega to make a "Cannon's core" style level on the destroyed aquatic ruins of Station square for SA1. imagine a massive full 5 character stage for that venue, I always wanted a level in that environment too.
I love the SA world, I always like how it’s place in a real world with the hotel, casino, the train. It was a good immersive experience and imo it made the world feel bigger than it was. I love the music too, it’s so nostalgic
Ah when Sega cared to make their characters interesting instead of meme fodder. The ridiculous nature of this franchise works much better when the characters take it seriously to some extent. Modern Sonic as he stands today just tries too hard to stay light hearted through memes instead of just writing a fun story that takes itself serious but not TOO serious like SA1 and 2 and Heroes, even Shadow the Hedgehog gets it more right than forces imho
I actually liked SA1 and 2's ammount of seriousness. I think it's the best it's been. Shadow and 06 was trying to take itself too seriously, while Colors onwards are too lighthearted for me to not cringe on some of the cutscenes. SA1 and SA2 did the seriousness perfectly tbh.
@@marr_cel ok maybe the story structure is technically less of a mess in forces but I think the dialog of shadow is better or at least everyone feels more in character For example in Shadow tails can be seen actually making an effort as a hero away from sonic going to eggmans park and trying to protect the president, in forces he cowers in fear of Chaos 0... When he's been shown to be a capable fighter time and time again I won't say shadow is a good game but at least it had a better idea if who all the characters actally are
About your criticisms of Tails' playthrough, I think it isn't as big of a problem as you say because you have to know where to fly to skip the whole stage. You won't know that on a first playthrough, and it'll take quite a bit of practice to get to the point where you can skip levels consistently
The problem with this is that in most Sonic games, practice allows you to go fast without stopping, not outright skip 90% of the level with more automation than Sonic Forces.
They almost NAILED 3D Sonic, these Sonic levels are still fun as hell. SO frustrating they didn't simply refine and improve that aspect and filled their games with unnecessary, though sometimes fun, gimmicks.
It is pretty weird especially since the controls would only get worse after this game (and Adventure 2 although I will say the mech stages don't control as well as gamma) and sonic & co. would only get less precise as the series went on. It's like if you created the greatest painting in existence and then you decided to gradually put unnecessary color and lines into it to make it look worse.
I find it curious how when people talk about other landmark early 3D titles, they're always described in a way where they're greater than the sum of their parts. Mario 64, Crash, Ocarina of Time, Spyro, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil... and I think that's the right thing to do. Even if parts of these games don't age well, there's still great value in what they brought to the table and did for their respective series in context of the gaming landscape at the time. And there's still value in revisiting or replaying them. But for some reason, Sonic Adventure doesn't get to have that. When reviewed, it's not afforded the luxury to be recognized for its contributions and evolutions to its own series. For some reason when talking about this game, it must *necessarily* be defined by its flaws as an early 3D title. I appreciate retrospectives like this that take the time to explore what SA1 did for the series in context of its time!
I agree. All of those games have problems, and I do believe SA1 is the only one of that bunch where the problems are considered a deal breaker. When I think the game is a pretty solid base overall. It's not like Secret Rings or something where I just feel like everything needs to go. My point being that I don't even think SA1 is doing anything that horrific for a vast majority of it's runtime.
good ol' Sonic bias. I swear for this series critics seems to follow the ''a chain is only as strong as its weakest link'' mentality, meaning they immediately seek the worst thing about it and act like it ruins everything good.
The Adventure era isn't perfect but I feel like it (and the Dark age) were the last time Sega really hit the nail on the head when it came to Sonic's storyline and overall Sonic flare. The Meta era isn't all terrible don't get me wrong but I just feel like the newer games in the series moreso play it safe. Lost World was a failed attempt at bringing in the Mario crowd and Forces used the boost formula lazily again and generally fumbling the overall plot. I hope in the future Sega take more risks with the Sonic series like they used to
I feel like the dark ages and meta ages are similiar to how Star Wars failed. The Dark ages are like the Prequels where very interesting and fun ideas are executed horribly, while the Meta ages are just polish on a corporate, souless ghost turd. (like the Sequels) As genuinely awful as the Dark age was for Sonic, I can't lie, I had some fun with those janky ass games, despite how trash they can be.. the meta age... hmm not so much. soul-ess, boring, little gameplay and no story to speak of.. Its like movies that are so bad they're good vs movies that are polished and boring as hell.
@@KaiserMattTygore927 Except for Shadow the Hedgehog, I really hate that game after finding out I had to play through it 10 times to get the true ending. In a way that was worse than Sonic 06.
@@KaiserMattTygore927 literally only Shadow and 06 fall into the category of a mess of a game. Even then i give 06 itself a pass because the reality is its an unfinished product but will flack Sega for actually thinking it was a good idea to release an unfinished product. Secret Rings was just mediocre gameplay wise, but has a cool story with Sonic in the Arabian stories. The rest of the games are great games. Dont see why its called "The Dark Ages" minus 2 games
What I really admire about this game is the ambition to add so much to the Sonic series. Trying to translate Sonic into 3D is already one big task to do but they also put into the effort to have a full story with full 3D animated cutscenes and voice acting, many playable characters with their own gameplay styles, several lyrical tracks, and so much more. They even put in the effort for lots of new little things such as emblems and unlockable abilities.
This game has had my respect for many years, with a lot of that coming from the sheer amount of ambition present. On top of everything else, I still think it’s quite enjoyable. Looking forward to the SA2 video.
Man this, Adventure 2, Sonic 06, and the genesis games are probably one of the most reviewed games on UA-cam. Sonic might be a less quality series than Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby, and some of Nintendo's other offerings, but I swear he gets more overall attention than they have, previous game wise.
Zelda titles come out like every 5 years or longer and Metroid barely gets anything, of course Sonic who got near yearly releases until recently would get more attention.
@@TZMHBT Up to now Zelda got something every year, remake, spin off, 3d main entry, or 2d side game. Metroid is going to get something. Anyway I'm talking about the meta era Sonic. I noticed how Sonic Adventure, Adventure 2, and 06 still get reviewed today years beyond their relevance. While Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games from the early 2000's I feel don't get that much attention. Not that they don't get reviewed beyond their relevance, they do. But Sonics Adventure games I swear get more.
@Starscream91 I'm referring to the 2000's here when they were all just as active. I've seen more Adventure reviews than Ocarina of Time, Metroid Prime, and Mario 64.
@@jinmiguel6884 Just sounds like bias, cause I can assure you that to this day, people still yearn for Windwaker, Twilight Princess and the Metroid Prime series. GameCube games as a whole are very popular right now, and their increase in price shows it. Adventure is around 22 years old, and a lot of the people who grew up playing it now have nostalgia for it. Add the constant discussions around whether the game aged well or not and you have a recipe for constant reviews and retrospectives.
I prefer 3 & Knuckles over Adventure 1 But Adventure is still the next epic project they had in mind It moved the series I just find ignorant when people say that this game started the rift Sonic 06 would consumate
Remington Steele Adventure 1's story is no grand epic and isn't the best-presented, but you're mad to call it fundamentally dogshit just because it tried to be any bit serious. Adventure 2 was the start of pretentious story bullcrap. The main thing that Adventure 1 did to upset detractors was have alternate gameplay for the side characters, which didn't necessarily need to continue into a sequel. Unfortunately, Adventure 2 literally doubled down on that. And SMH at unironically praising Mania for "going right and having a few level transitions", especially as "a breath of fresh air".
Sonic Adventure obviously isn’t some magnum opus but it definitely isn’t some shitty rushed mess that people didn’t care about. It’s flawed and the cutscenes haven’t aged well, but especially for its time it’s an extremely ambitious and fun game
Fully agree, the game was fantastic in it's time; there were so many extras, not to mention the VMU game and looking after the Chaos. Critics are usually people that played the game 10+ years later or were mario fans :D
I bought Sonic Adventure for the PS3 in 2014. It was my first "true" 3D game to play from the 90s, and I will say that it's still fun to play this day and age, however, Big did take time to figure out. I personally don't have much grudge on the cutscenes, since I was expecting something like awkward animation or strangely different voice acting. It was however truly hilarious though how they reacts, like Sonic surprised by a Chaos Emerald. I even dare to say that Sonic's story alone made the game worth a try. A game that has aged doesn't always reflect on how fun it can still be. I liked the game then, I still like it now. Especially with mods
People say that the adventure games suck cause they’ve aged... so? Does it really matter? It was really good for it’s time and the formula they had for the adventure games was perfect. The adventure style isn’t old or bad, it just needs more definition
Even though generations made me love and prefer the boost formula, by no means does that mean the adventure formula was bad, it's what made me love the series growing up and i see mad potential with it. I do wish they return to it and refine it with the modern tech we have today. Sucks 06 kinda made it a dead gameplay style.
Thought it could have used more time in the oven . 1.lots of glitch squashing 2.voice acting & lip syncing 3.had enemies in the hub transitioning sections . 4.gameplay refinement ,camera and controls
He started calling himself Eggman because that was his original japanese name. The translators just didn't want to always change his name from japanese (Eggman) to Robotnic. With the start of 3D his japanese name became his worldwide name. So people who complain about the name change are always a bit strange to me because in actuallity Robotnic is the fake name and Eggman was his real name from the start.
Tadao Kou Robotnik is his real name, eggman is a nickname, according to this game. It’s further solidified because of gerald robotnik in sa2. He’s even called robotnik in japan.
@@Tom-jw7ii Yes but in japan he was called Eggman since day 1. The name Robotnic is something us westerners came up with and that's why it became part of the canon. BUT if you actually look at the first japanese Sonic games you will see that he is called Eggman over there.
Tadao Kou Yes. In japan his name was always eggman, until sonic adventure. But it’s not like they ever specified that eggman was his real name. They just called him that, so the change in sonic adventure doesn’t actually conflict with either version.
Perfect Chaos Defeating the Egg Carrier 2 was meant to show it's power how it basically one shot what was a Hub for multiple levels that you played through.
But no, you see, we have to specifically and exclusively nitpick Sonic to death because 06 is a thing. And also because it's apparently fun to deliberately antagonize the fanbase. "Ewww look at all the autistic furry losers! HAHAHAHAHA!" Fuck off trolls.
I actually love that he pointed that out. And that he basically points out why Sly doesn't get anywhere near as much flack for reasons that should've been obvious to us all along. Sucker Punch was better at editing cutscenes like that six years after Sonic Team was at the time. Editing can make or break story beats, just tell that to Star Wars.
That said, it's crazy when you think this game was released in 1998 in Japan, just 4 years after Sonic 3! The mid 90s were a bewildering time of change in gaming.
I feel like mentioning how "over reviewed" adventure 1 is is kinda unnecessary. There doesn't need to be some sorta condition or perfect time to talk about something on the internet that you're passionate about, even if someone has made another video expressing similar points. Just do you, and let the content you make stand on its own (bc it certainly does).
Played that game as a kid. My english skills back then were non existent but the game had options for Spanish subtitles (which I could understand for the most part). Playing a game like that and actually being able to understand the story was a completely new thing for me, amd hearing the songs at the end actually made me cry. I have lots of found memories with this game. I love it.
I honestly love each and every one of your closing reflections about the games you review because they are so concise and concrete and you can really feel and hear your sense of passion for them! Keep up the great work definitely a UA-camr who’s videos I genuinely look forward to!!
This game was a huge part of my childhood, as were games such as Adventure 2 and Heroes. That being said, I think I actually slightly prefer Adventure 1 over Adventure 2 gameplay-wse, contrary to popular opinion... there was just a certain magic this one had that SA2 didn't have - for one, SA1 had a wider variety of music. SA2 had mostly rock, and as SomecallmeJohny once said, ''I like rock. But I don't want to be listening to it ALL the time.'' (or something across those lines, I can't remember) and Knuckles and Tails had better gameplay mechanics in the first Adventure game compared to SA2. Overall, I REALLY love SA2, but SA1 is where it's at for me, personally. And then there's Sonic Heroes, another game which I grew up with and love, but I'll get more in-depth on that game some other time.
Two days ago I just started playing SA2 for the first time on dolphin emulator. And I gotta say it was really good of course the camera controls were somewhat hard to use or control but not to a point where it was impossible to beat. Heck I first thought the treasure hunting stages were going to be difficult but was easier than I thought
After perfect chaos has been defeated Station Square is in ruins, disfigured buildings line the streets, and there are dozens of victims trapped in the wreckage... Tails: All's well that ends well
I honestly really liked how you worded that analysis of the 3 3D sonic gameplay styles. Out of the 3 yes the *adventure style* does replicate the Genesis classic gameplay style the most but in 3D so rating it on that, it is the best I like how its not condescending like to put down the success of the boost formula or even the potential of the parkour system. Its not saying the boost formula is bad because its not, its a very great and successful formula that works for sonic but even id say its not a 1 to 1 creation of a classic sonic game. It takes the typical sonic formula and does its its own fun thing with it which i personally prefer, but i do love the classic and adventure games. Tbh i just love sonic games despite the formula.
It's sad that sonic peaked at the adventure series. I'm heading into my 30's waiting for sonic to be truly great again. Mania was phenomenal but I want 3D sonic to continue the bold story telling sonic adventure gave me.
@@joefawley9264 I don't even trust SEGA to do THAT right. Knowing them, they'd re-write the stories to be more in line with the Meta Era stories, complete with unfunny jokes and bastardized characters. I'd much rather have Switch versions of the Sonic Adventure games than fully-fledged remakes. Besides, I never had an issue with the presentation of either Adventure game, and I actually find the goofy animations of Sonic Adventure to be part of that game's charm.
Starscream91 If you can handle it when a franchise about a billionaire who dresses up as a bat and fights a clown or four mutated turtles who were taught ninjitsu by a mutated rat takes itself seriously, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to do the same for Sonic.
@Starscream91 I do have to say though that the jokes in Sonic Colors were pretty hit or miss. That game just kind of sat in the middle when it came to the levels of seriousness and humor it had and it often wasn't very good, at least in my eyes.
NICE, someone else that doesn't shit on the 3D formula because it wasn't Sonic 3 in 3D. And yes, it wasn't perfect, but then again, even the creme of the cream, Mario 64, has aged a lot as well.
Oh man, this was such a great video! I played it when it first came out on my Dreamcast and I remember it so fondly. The open world(ish) design was so great and I loved it so much. The 2 things I remember most about this game were the following: 1) hating everything about big the cat 2) THE AMAZING FINAL BOSS!!! I was probably 8 yo when the game came out and I remember the final boss being really difficult, but after beating it, I would just replay it because it was so fun and the music was so f’ing good. Great video!
Sonic did have a rocky 3D start. Has Adventure aged in areas? Absolutely (presentation). However if someone were to ask me what was the definitive version of the cast I would direct them to the Sonic era of 1998-2004. It was simply the era where every Sonic character was just at their best and most consistent (with exception of Sonic Battle) despite being the most technically flawed, Adventure is no slouch in the character department and besides Archie or IDW its what I would call "Sonic cast" as their best. And despite their technical shortcomings the Dreamcast era is still my favorite. Sonic is written to be cocky, laidback, always looking forward to action/adventure and has corny jokes. What I enjoyed most was how each character served to play off different aspects of his personality. He's normal around Tails and shows their brotherly dynamic. When it comes to Knuckles, there was sort of a rivalry friendship going on, contrasting to Knuckles then mellow, duty bound, street smart persona. When it comes to Amy he shows an annoyed side due to her childlike naivety. But isn't afraid to be serious when she's in danger. That's part of what made the cast appealing how they all affected the main character or play off of him. With Tails he's the inventor genius, but not to the degree where it consumes his persona and fighting capabilities are thrown away. Part of his story was wanting his own independence away from being Sonic's sidekick. That scene where he hights Eggman at Station Square was one of the best moments and a defining one for his character. I also liked the clash of "Genius vs Genius" scale they had with Tails vs Eggman. Its even more impactful in SA2. Even though his campaign sucks gameplay wise its one of my least favorites to play. His story is one of the best tho. With Amy, this might be unpopular. But until recent games this was the best version of her. It balances the best of both personas. Amy still likes Sonic, but its played in a way where she admires him as an idol. And there's more to her crush than she wants him. (such as her missing "the good old days hanging out with him, showcasing she missed the sense of adventure he brought) even her first meeting with him was asking how he has been. But she also has childlike naivety. While there's a mission to stop Eggman and a missile she's concerned with a bird's safety, not because she's stupid or unaware, but because she sees things in a different perspective. And while her gameplay is underwhelming I think it made sense for her to be lacking in comparison to Sonic, Tails and Knuckles it works to show her inexperience compared to them in fact from a gameplay sense Amy did develop. By Sonic Heroes she leads her own team and can run fast. I also loved the arc in both Adventure games where she had a need to want to be included. Amy had other goals that balanced it out. Need I also mention her scene with Gamma? Amy was allowed to have her own goals like protecting Gamma and the bird. Amy and Tails had the best arcs in the game that served to help their character. Which also helps because they are my favorite characters. When it comes to Knuckles, I like how they can show him tricked by Eggman, but not do it in a way where he comes off as stupid. Its more nuanced and Knuckles still remains honor bound in protecting the Mast Emerald. I also miss his rather gruff and more mellow persona. His voice also really helped with that. Or the fact he was suppose to be a treasure hunter. Even Big the Cat had something that wasn't just memes. Do I even need to mention Adventure 2? The Dreamcast era easily had the best characters for any of them. And even with all the game's faults I still love coming back to them! Also this isn't to say Dark Age doesn't do character right, they do.(, Rush games, Black Knight and Unleashed being best ones) I just think in some cases characters started getting sporadic with their proactivity (namely in how they started being playable less outside of spin offs like Riders or party games) and character inconsistency or flanderization beginning to kick in (Knuckles, Amy, Shadow being examples) I also like the detail of how each character's perspective is shown differently from their point of view. With better writing this could've been better on execution moment (i.e it trying to shove 6 different perspectives and not knowing how to connect them well), but serves decently for what it does in the moment.
Straight-up, Big the Cat's MO in a new Sonic game with higher stakes than ever before with a story told purely from the unique perspectives of its characters is GENIUS. Granted, the motives for putting Big in the game were dumb, but the concept of just... a guy who likes to fish getting caught up in the world-ending resurrection of an ancient mutant water demon is so good from a writing perspective, and I hate that no one sees that Big is supposed to be an everyman, an average joe of a fish FAR out of water.
Its such ashame that these iconic characters been flanderized badly during the 2010s. Not just that but the entire brand has lost its integrity and identity starting with Colors and it just got worst from there. At least In terms of how the characters act and the storytelling. The overused retarded memes definitely don't help this situation.
@@superhedgehog6447 I mean... Okay, memes are fine, but good lord it'd be much better if they had memes standing alongside a main series that carried itself with dignity.
@@theinimitablejora522 Yeah at least that.....but sadly that's not the case. I really don't get why Sega went with this self deprecation direction for the franchise.
This was my favorite and most memorable sonic game I played as I never fully played the classics and I really only had adventure Dx, Heroes, Shadow, both riders (which I actually liked given it’s hoverboards) but I enjoyed Adventure DX. Also nice mention of megaman legends as I also loved megaman legends 2
Finally someone else who thinks the controls just feel off in the PS3 ports. I'm well aware of how the game has aged but the PS3 ports had me wondering how I dealt with, nay loved the controls as a kid. Every review I've seen implies that the controls were always this bad and having last played and loved DX again a few years before the HD version I was just at a loss for how it had never bothered me before. Glad to know I wasn't crazy and the HD ports just don't feel right on PS3.
What's that, a Sonic game runs worse on a PlayStation? I'm not saying that to be mean, but I can't be the only one who's noticed that Sonic games fare much worse on PlayStation consoles.
@@smashmaster521 Now that you mention it I do recall the PS2 versions of Shadow and Heroes are apparently the worst versions. 06 is also worse on PS3 but that's like choosing which turd is more appealing. But its not just Sonic that Sega shafts Sony consoles with. Ever play or see how the PS3 port of Bayonetta runs? Sega decided to cheap out and do the port in house rather than have Platinum make the port. Game is supposed to be consistent 60 FPS and the PS3 port is capped at 30 if I'm not mistaken, which it struggles to maintain anyway. Despite 60 being fine on 360 and both being able to handle DMC 4 at 60 with zero problems. Sega really dropped the ball on that port and I only played it post patch. It's still borderline unplayable so I can only imagine the state it released in.
@@zeroattentiongaming820 I've heard about the PS3 version of Bayonetta being a butchered port, but I haven't played it myself. I have been playing the Switch version of Bayonetta, and can I just say that the Nintendo costumes make that version the definitive version for me? Also, I happen to like Sonic 06 because of how broken it is, or rather how much fun it is to watch people break the game.
Well Sony are a pain to work with, & were largely responsible for Sega's downfall. Keep in mind a Sony Agent named Stolar did everything in his power to ensure that Saturn wouldn't succeed outside Japan. Also PS2 was the weakest hardware of the 4 Gen 6 Consoles & that the main reason people work with them is because they are an unstoppable force that only Nintendo can ever hope to rival. Nintendo & Sony often have dethroned eachother in the console wars 5th Gen onward.
Sonic Adventure is one of my favorite Sonic games. The "flaws" and rawness of it are actually part of its appeal to me. I think a lot of modern games have become so afraid of having glitches and flaws that they now limit the amount of control the player has too much just to avoid bugs.
20:09 Actually, there kinda is. If you stand a medium distance away from chaos four at all times, you can manipulate his attacks and make sure he only uses the splash and the slash attacks. The other 2 attacks where he stretches out his arms and where he throws those balls at you take a ton of time, so you can technically speed it up compared to a normal playthrough.
I really don't understand who people say sa1 sucks, its not even that janky when it comes to gameplay, i mean yea the cuts cutscenes suck but people make this game out to be some unplayable mess
Thank you for mentioning the lore that the original Japanese manual was all about that was completely cut out of the US version for no reason at all. Sonic Adventure is literally a direct expansion of the Japanese Sonic 3 manual, which already was an expansion of aspects mentioned in the Japanese Sonic 2 manual. That’s honestly very commendable in terms of world building, yet nobody can ever appreciate it that way because the localization just omitted everything that wasn’t „funny radical cartoon animal beats mad scientist“, which led to people complaining that Sonic Adventure was „betraying the spirit of the original Classic games“.
Hot Take: I love Big the Cats story and think it's a nice change of pace after playing through 4 action orientated campaigns. Also his vocal theme Lazy Days fucking slaps dude.
I think both the adventure and boost eras (at their best) translate Genesis Sonic's formula very well, like making split second decisions and maneuver platforming challenges to access faster routes for each level
I completely agree, even though i prefer the boost i can understand when fans say adventure is a more 1 to 1 translation to the classic sonic games. Boost takes the classic and sonic gameplay and combines them and does something different with it- and for that i personally love it more
A strange thought that occured to me recently, but the Adventure era Sonic games (SA2 especially) are the world's first (and IMO best) stab at videogame... musicals. The main theme is a song, each character has a song of their own, there's a song for the final boss and SA2 also has a lot of songs during gameplay. They tell us what we need to know about the characters, what they are feeling and all that jazz, but they never interrupt the flow of the story and come off as unnatural, there isn't a "AND NOW WE ALL BURST INTO A MUSICAL NUMBER" that's typical of musicals and that's really hard to pull off right, instead interweaving them with the rest of the game and it... works really damn well in my opinion.
Sonic 06 made people think all the previous adventure games sucked. If sonic 06 had come out later, I think most people would have just targeted 06 instead of the other adventure games. It was the culture back then a bit I think, people are more wise now. Sonic adventure one has aged very well imo, especially when comparing to the new sonic games. If sonic adventure got remade and fixed all the issues (voice acting, cutscenes, pacing, bugs etc) it be the best still.
One reason people should not hate on sonic is that the characters actually have personality and mario characters rarely have personality. The reason that sonic characters have like no personality really is because of the writers.
When I replayed Amy’s stages recently I realized how many similarities there were between Zero and Nemesis, and in a few cases Mr. X from Resident Evil 2 and 3. You are a woman being chased by a beast while you attempt to flee from it and get to the next area, where you may have to solve a puzzle, but you can also fight him which would slow him down. Also they crash through walls multiple times, and that part in Final Egg where Zero is seen in the computer monitor before breaking it felt like that one part near the end of the B scenario in RE2, where Mr. X is seen in the cctv before smashing it.
When you were talking about how this world feels I instantly remembered the fact that there's Cream The Rabbit in this game. You can just see her flying by at some points in every campaign
Call me "looking through nostalgic glasses" but contrary to what you said, I really enjoyed the Sky Chase levels as a kid. Being able to fly around the Egg Carrier in 3D and truly grasp the scale of how big it was blew my 7 year old brain 😅
Iv been playing video games since I was 3 been there when Atari be was ending and the NES was reigning. Played and play all genres of games to this day. SA is my all time favorite 3D Sonic game. My favorite 3D platformer (yes I prefer it slightly to Mario 64, although they are different enough that it's apple's and oranges.) The game is also in my top 15 games of all time. Keep in mind Iv been gaming since late 80s, n played thousands of games by now. Yes the game has faults, but judged by it's time and place it released the game is really good to me and holds up for what it is/was for Sonic's first 3D game. SA has heart and love in it despite its flaws. A classic
Even if I am not a Sonic fan, I can admire one thing: there's heart in this. A big and earnest effort to create and craft a story which has deep roots in the past of the characters and whose shoots point off in the infinite horizon of the future. It's innocent, but has also depth, from what I saw; and that, no matter how clunky the cut-scenes and the gameplay, is something I can admire and respect.
Sonic Adventure & the 2000s Sonic Games had passion put into them. The problem is the 2010s didn't give a crap about the series & if you actually look you can tell. SoA hired lead writers with no knowledge of the series just because they were inexpensive & made some bloodbath animal cartoon & kept them around for the entire 2010s decade. The people who chose the 2010s VAs didn't have any real understanding of the series which is why a few strange choices were made. Then the games themselves, you can tell Generations didn't have any real passion put into it, just doing the bare minimum for an anniversary title.
I believe that you don't have to be a *fan* of something in order to appreciate it
Its the cutscenes, that is my guess
@@rageinternet9391 Mario in a nutshell. We all know him, but not all of us are fans
@@WaterKirby1994 "you can tell Generations didn't have any real passion put into it, just doing the bare minimum for an anniversary title."
*Glances at 3D All-stars* Yeah about that
In a seriousness I think that's way too harsh, the people in charge of the story probably didn't care at all (honestly I don't even know if people were paid to come up with this story) but they remade the 2D Sonic physics/gameplay pretty faithfully (when they didn't have to bring back classic Sonic at all in the first place) and completely reimagined zones from the main games for a 3D/2D playstyle, it's not what I'd call the "bare minimum", it does show some level of care imo, it's just too bad the scenarists were on vacation...and apparently never came back
Sonic DID in fact have a rough transition into 3D.
Games like 3D Blast, sonic R and the cancellation of Sonic X-treme were the rocky transition. Sonic Adventure is when the series properly transitioned into 3D.
So yes, there was a rough transition. I constantly see that phrase being misused and it's frustrating.
But yeah, Sonic Adventure is a personal favorite of mine!
Yeah
I love how everyone just repeats the same fucking rough transition line without a full explanation
@@JmKrokY
I know this comment is from last year:
Simply I agree with you.
"Not saying rough transition into 3D challenge - IMPOSSIBLE"
Well the thing is, Sonic Adventure is the only game to be seen as a true 3D Sonic game.
3D blast was a faux 3D game that had a more 2D Zelda like action game design
Sonic R was a spin-off racer
and Sonic X-treame was more rough transition in a development sense. As far as the general public is concerned, that game never existed.
This was an absolutely wonderful transition into 3D despite its warts and flaws from a modern lens. Because of the series' subsequent dip in quality and the Adventure formula's evolution coming to a halt/being butchered via 06, people ABSOLUTELY turned their backs on the Adventure games and literally rewrote history acting as if these games weren't the shit. Given a revisit of the formula and a competent development team that truly gives a shit, Sonic Adventure's formula/control could legit hold the key to a truly great modern, fully 3D Sonic title that meets in the middle for classic and modern fans.
I agree! It's like the whole world turned on this game
I didn't play these games as a kid I beat Sa1 and 2 not more than a month ago for the first time.
They were great and absolutely hold up.
Especially with the modloader SADX Still looks good.
Crazy thing is 06 sonic is still a good game. Just buggy as hell
@@boyzaya15 I heavily disagree with that statement but you do you I guess
@@thatitalianlameguy2235 don't know about that chief
Fun fact, if it's your first playthrough of a level, 10 seconds will be added to the timer (you can see this in this video, with Tails' Windy Valley).
This is because, for some reason, they think it'd take you 10 seconds to jump on the capsule in subsequent playthroughs, and they adjust your Level C time accordingly. Weird...
WHAT the fricc
I never understood why people say Sonic in 3D wasn't good. Obviously you never played Adventure when it came out on Dreamcast. This game was amazing.
I feel like 06 came out then everyone thought every 3D sonic ever sucked.
@@smallmediumatlarge damn, you and all your cousins must've been really bad at the game lol
I really like the layout of 3D sonic levels
I do think it's more generally true. More in that Sonic has had a bit of an identity crisis in the early 2000s which made his games more unfocused and inconsistent compared to his peers. It's not "3D Sonic Bad" but "3D Sonic isn't as cohesive".
Like, take Mario. Super Mario 64 may not be a faithful translation of 2D Mario but it's a fun open ended platformer. Sunshine continues that. Galaxy acts as that faithful translation. These games are consistent in their execution and know what they're doing. You don't have Galaxy 2 having levels where Mario has to go do kart racing because Nintendo wanted to show off that the Wii can do Kart Racing really well.
But with Sonic, like yes, you have the Adventure levels which are great, but you have stuff like Tails, Amy, Big and Knuckles levels which don't carry that same excitement. And much of these were included to show off what the Dreamcast can do rather than because it was what the game specifically required. You have stuff like Shadow the Hedgehog which opt for a new gameplay style with level pathways that have a very boring way to access them. You have 06 which is very buggy even if the individual ideas are actually cool. You have Unleashed splitting up the fun Day Levels with diet God of War Werehog levels. You have the Wii games which take away much of what makes these earlier games so cool. It almost feels like Sega didn't think basic Sonic on his own would be enough.
Like if Early 3D Sonic games were made the way Nintendo makes 3D Mario Games, then Adventure would be mostly Sonic and his levels pushed to the extreme with maybe Tails and Knuckles guest starring in a few levels custom made for them.
They played the DX ports, thats why
The phrase of Sonic having bad transition into 3D, IMO is actually true
The thing is people have used that phrase wrong for a long time. It’s a better way to describe Sonic’s time on the Saturn than it is for his time on the Dreamcast
No that makes no sense
@@dreamcastdazia4753 No it makes perfect sense. Have you played sonic 3d blast.
@@robotmaster4515 Yeah of course I have. Whats that got yo do with the comment
@@dreamcastdazia4753 because it goes to show how difficult it was to have a good 3D Sonic game or at least a functioning one on the Sega Saturn. They end up succeeding with their next console: the Dreamcast
@@hwanniggles187 That game was made for the mega drive. It was ported to the saturn due to Sonic Xtreme being cancelled. And its not even a 3D platformer. It's an isometric platformer which is a sub genre of platformers it self. It was just the closest thing to a 3D platformer on the mega drive at the time. A 3D sonic game would have worked perfectly for the Saturn. There is literally Sonic R and Sonic Jam as an example. And other 3D games that sonic team made like Nights and Burning Rangers. So try again
It's worth mentioning that, at the time of release, Adventure 1 was the first 3D platformer since Mario 64 to be made by a japanese developer, unless you count Chameleon Twist or Megaman Legends. Everything released in between ( Crash trilogy, Spyro, Banjo, Gex, Croc ) were either made by americans or brits
Idk if I'm forgetting another platformer, but I think SA was the first 3d platformer to use cutscenes as it's main form of storytelling. The Mario game that came afterwards, Sunshine, also used cutscenes. Maybe that was just a coincidence, but its funny to think that cutscenes that are now considered "trash" actually inspired Nintendo to do the same
Eh, if anything they were more inspired by Banjo Kazooie and probably Crash Bandicoot. The cutscenes in Sunshine don’t feel like Sonic cutscenes and they’re not really numerous enough to count towards the “story”.
@@AVGNROCKS1996Forsure Banjo Kazooie started that i feel same with Conkers Bad Fur Day
Liked the video before the ads were finished. SA1 has a ton of ambition and heart that make for a lasting gem. I can't stop picturing a remake on PS4, XBO, and Switch.
They will make Sonic look like Classic Sonic just like in Forces
I think it’s best to start with an SA remake don’t you think if that happens
@@FengTheSlayer With FF7 hitting it big, why not this late 90's game?
@@charactersin-depth3472 the thing is ff7 was planning to be remade since 2007
SA1 is a gem that will never fail to impress us with its amazing art style and amazing gameplay.
I loved it, when Sonic Team focused on world building for their stories
I have no nostalgia for this game. Playing it on Steam last year makes me wish I did. It’s one of the best Sonic games. I actually liked Amy’s stage. Imagine if they fleshed her gameplay style out like how they made her in Advance.
I thought I was the only one who played it recently for the first time and liked it more than modern sonic games. I played it on PS Now and enjoyed it a lot.
I first played it a few years ago for PS3... I didn’t grow up in the Dreamcast era and I never had gotten to experience it during my childhood like I did the Classic games (thanks to Sonic Mega Collection Plus) and Unleashed on the PS2... I loved SA1. Heck when it comes to Sonic’s play style, I prefer SA1 to SA2, as the action button gave me more trouble in SA2, while Sonic seemed more responsive in SA1. SA1 (and 2) was an amazing experience and I wish I did play them as a kid, but hey... better late than never.
The only nostalgia I have is the intro to this game because I remember watching the intro when I was a little kid
Same here. I grew up with adventure 2, and decided to try it out earlier this year. And I love it.
Imagine if Amy had tight controls, similar to Mario Odyssey but with the hammer instead of Cappy.
The most enjoyable review of SA I've seen. Good writing, pacing and humor
Ruby of Blue did a great job. I liked KingK.
@@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 JebTube also did a good job, but that wasn’t really a review
"S O N I C
H A S
H A D
A
R O C K Y
S T A R T
I N
3 D"
-Some guy who's never actually played a Sonic game.
"colors and generations are the only good 3d Sonic games"
Unleashed is probably better anyway
@@guilhermefloresfeitosaguer4543 Colors is 2D
A good 2D game, but It's funny how it's described as "the textbook example of doing Sonic right in 3D"
@@hugoflores1093 true lmao
@@hugoflores1093 calling colors 2D is like calling crash bandicoot 2D. There simply not 2D they have to much 3D in them and there 2D Section are actually 2.5D
Colors is a 2D game with 3D sections but Generations is a 3D game with 2D sections
Fun fact: “Unknown from M.E.” was partially performed by Dred Foxx, the voice of PaRappa the Rapper.
Is that the higher-pitched voice in a the song that you hear in the chorus?
Lugbzurg i believe that was the co-singer, marlon saunders
My man
not so fun fact: both dred foxx and hunnid p (who sung the lyrics for knuckles stages in SA2) have done really shitty stuff
@@OKeijiDragon parappa would never do this, yet another fallen childhood hero
As someone who also grew up with Sonic Adventure I agree with this video completely. SA is rough around the edges as an early 3D game, but that's part of why I appreciate it and I love how the Adventure era expanded on the lore of the Genesis era.
It makes me sad that all this lore was retconned in modern Sonic games
"retconned"
@@mep6302 Yes RETCONNED
@@superhedgehog6447 It wasn't retconned. The Adventure era is still cannon
@@mep6302 I do want the adventure games to be canon. You just put quotation marks on retconned. I thought you were being sarcastic
@@superhedgehog6447 I think they're right, the Adventure era is still canon. Chaos appears in Generations as a boss, and in Forces, where he SHOULD have been a boss, but we got "Zebra Zak" Zavok* instead.
*this is a Game Apologist joke and reference, not a serious comment like that's actually his name.
24:08 fun fact: I don't know why, but that long walk for Knuckles was added in DX version. Original Dreamcast version didn't have that.
The dreamcast version is just all around better anyway.
Oh man... That Amy Themes' Bass Line just fucking slaps. It's way too good.
Hell, it took me years later to find out the singer was a Britney Spears dancer? Kinda makes sense when you think of the time.
Amy Rose (in the 2030s Sonic movie to celebrate Sonic’s 40th anniversary making her in her late 30s): *listens to Britney Spears (You Drive Me Crazy, Toxic, Till the World Ends, Baby One More Time, Gimme More) non-stop before moving on to LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!*
@@kieranstark7213 I... could honestly see Amy doing something like that in the future (Whether it's in another Sonic movie or in another animated cartoon or as some reference in the games, at some point).
I Have to sHave it.
We will probably never get a game as stylish and ambitious in its concept as Sonic Adventure. Just imagine if they had much more time and experience to use and polish the game further.
Sonic 06 tried, but we all know how that turned out.
"Sonic had a rough transition to-"
J: *MY ASS*
Okay, that's weird when I think about it.
XD
I do think it's more generally true. More in that Sonic has had a bit of an identity crisis in the early 2000s which made his games more unfocused and inconsistent compared to his peers. It's not "3D Sonic Bad" but "3D Sonic isn't as cohesive".
Like, take Mario. Super Mario 64 may not be a faithful translation of 2D Mario but it's a fun open ended platformer. Sunshine continues that. Galaxy acts as that faithful translation. These games are consistent in their execution and know what they're doing. You don't have Galaxy 2 having levels where Mario has to go do kart racing because Nintendo wanted to show off that the Wii can do Kart Racing really well.
But with Sonic, like yes, you have the Adventure levels which are great, but you have stuff like Tails, Amy, Big and Knuckles levels which don't carry that same excitement. And much of these were included to show off what the Dreamcast can do rather than because it was what the game specifically required. You have stuff like Shadow the Hedgehog which opt for a new gameplay style with level pathways that have a very boring way to access them. You have 06 which is very buggy even if the individual ideas are actually cool. You have Unleashed splitting up the fun Day Levels with diet God of War Werehog levels. You have the Wii games which take away much of what makes these earlier games so cool. It almost feels like Sega didn't think basic Sonic on his own would be enough.
Like if Early 3D Sonic games were made the way Nintendo makes 3D Mario Games, then Adventure would be mostly Sonic and his levels pushed to the extreme with maybe Tails and Knuckles guest starring in a few levels custom made for them.
Am I the only one who just thought about Little Kuriboh's Naruto Abridged movie when he said that? 😂
Great video! In-depth and well thought out.
I remember when Sonic Adventure first came out and I wanted to play it so badly. I got a dreamcast about 3 years ago and finally got to play sonic adventure. I was expecting a a terrible early 3d sort of game, but wow. It held up and is by far my favorite 3D sonic game. I had played Generations before this and although I liked generations, Sonic Adventure just felt right.
Anyways, awesome video!
Don’t worry, J, I’m 98% sure nobody with disagree with your opinion of Big.
I like big game play as I had gotten all three emblem for him 0/
Ev'ixyn well, if so, i do not understand your perspective at all.
@@flashthemonkey6032 press L+R with big to cancel the fishing rod. makes his gameplay 700% less annoying
hoshihearts omochaooo nice to know, i suppose... i don’t know when i’ll be playing sa1 again...
hoshihearts omochaooo you can also move the bait when frog bites it to force a bite 0/
sOnIcs rOcKY sTarT iN 3d!!
Honestly do think that Adventure 1 is a flawed but still incredibly fun game, was the best adaptation of the 2d games to 3d and had a huge sense of style and charm
I mean he kinda did
*cough* Sonic 3D blast *cough*
3d blast and sonic r were his first 3D games man. Adventure is a good game, but to say he didnt have a rocky start isn't exactly true. zelda's transition into 3D was Ocarina, Mario, 64, Final Fantasy, 7. Those were the first 3D games for those franchises, while sonic took a while for a true 3D and had a few attempts in between
> Claims to not give any newfound revelations about this game
> Conceives of an impressive last stage that could have been
SA2 ended up doing that though!
@@aclstudios the way he described it could also be seen as End of the World from Sonic ‘06
Man.. I would kill to go back in time and work with Sega to make a "Cannon's core" style level on the destroyed aquatic ruins of Station square for SA1. imagine a massive full 5 character stage for that venue, I always wanted a level in that environment too.
I love the SA world, I always like how it’s place in a real world with the hotel, casino, the train. It was a good immersive experience and imo it made the world feel bigger than it was. I love the music too, it’s so nostalgic
Heck, Night City from _Cyberpunk 2077_ feels utterly lifeless compared to Station Square.
sonic had the best running style in this game. it was awesome.
It just gives us the early 2000s nostalgia boost for the DreamCast Era of Sonic!
Ah when Sega cared to make their characters interesting instead of meme fodder. The ridiculous nature of this franchise works much better when the characters take it seriously to some extent. Modern Sonic as he stands today just tries too hard to stay light hearted through memes instead of just writing a fun story that takes itself serious but not TOO serious like SA1 and 2 and Heroes, even Shadow the Hedgehog gets it more right than forces imho
I actually liked SA1 and 2's ammount of seriousness. I think it's the best it's been. Shadow and 06 was trying to take itself too seriously, while Colors onwards are too lighthearted for me to not cringe on some of the cutscenes.
SA1 and SA2 did the seriousness perfectly tbh.
@@YTDani75 true
shadow is worse than forces in story.
@@marr_cel how
@@marr_cel ok maybe the story structure is technically less of a mess in forces but I think the dialog of shadow is better or at least everyone feels more in character
For example in Shadow tails can be seen actually making an effort as a hero away from sonic going to eggmans park and trying to protect the president, in forces he cowers in fear of Chaos 0... When he's been shown to be a capable fighter time and time again
I won't say shadow is a good game but at least it had a better idea if who all the characters actally are
About your criticisms of Tails' playthrough, I think it isn't as big of a problem as you say because you have to know where to fly to skip the whole stage. You won't know that on a first playthrough, and it'll take quite a bit of practice to get to the point where you can skip levels consistently
The problem with this is that in most Sonic games, practice allows you to go fast without stopping, not outright skip 90% of the level with more automation than Sonic Forces.
If you play as sonic first then you will know where to go
They almost NAILED 3D Sonic, these Sonic levels are still fun as hell. SO frustrating they didn't simply refine and improve that aspect and filled their games with unnecessary, though sometimes fun, gimmicks.
Yeah I just wish they refined the Adventure style gameplay instead of getting rid of it
It is pretty weird especially since the controls would only get worse after this game (and Adventure 2 although I will say the mech stages don't control as well as gamma) and sonic & co. would only get less precise as the series went on. It's like if you created the greatest painting in existence and then you decided to gradually put unnecessary color and lines into it to make it look worse.
@@megasoniczxx 06 would be the game to perfect every gameplay style introduced beforehand.....
If it was finished. Goddamn it Sega
I find it curious how when people talk about other landmark early 3D titles, they're always described in a way where they're greater than the sum of their parts. Mario 64, Crash, Ocarina of Time, Spyro, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil... and I think that's the right thing to do. Even if parts of these games don't age well, there's still great value in what they brought to the table and did for their respective series in context of the gaming landscape at the time. And there's still value in revisiting or replaying them.
But for some reason, Sonic Adventure doesn't get to have that. When reviewed, it's not afforded the luxury to be recognized for its contributions and evolutions to its own series. For some reason when talking about this game, it must *necessarily* be defined by its flaws as an early 3D title. I appreciate retrospectives like this that take the time to explore what SA1 did for the series in context of its time!
I agree. All of those games have problems, and I do believe SA1 is the only one of that bunch where the problems are considered a deal breaker. When I think the game is a pretty solid base overall. It's not like Secret Rings or something where I just feel like everything needs to go. My point being that I don't even think SA1 is doing anything that horrific for a vast majority of it's runtime.
good ol' Sonic bias. I swear for this series critics seems to follow the ''a chain is only as strong as its weakest link'' mentality, meaning they immediately seek the worst thing about it and act like it ruins everything good.
"Though not absolutely perfect, Sonic has overall had a great transition into 3D"
Safe to say the best thing about the Adventure era is say it with me now......Crush 40
Its gonna be alright kid, everyone will live and learn
Can we FIST BUMP?
Regina De Leon Of course
Nah thats close, the best thing about the Adventure era was actual full 3D levels, Crush 40, Stories, control, ambition, and the artwork
@@theminecraft2516 I agree
YOSH!!!! You're FINALLY doing the Adventure Era. I used to think you were teasing us, but you just wanted to do the Sonic games in order.
The Adventure era isn't perfect but I feel like it (and the Dark age) were the last time Sega really hit the nail on the head when it came to Sonic's storyline and overall Sonic flare. The Meta era isn't all terrible don't get me wrong but I just feel like the newer games in the series moreso play it safe. Lost World was a failed attempt at bringing in the Mario crowd and Forces used the boost formula lazily again and generally fumbling the overall plot. I hope in the future Sega take more risks with the Sonic series like they used to
I feel like the dark ages and meta ages are similiar to how Star Wars failed.
The Dark ages are like the Prequels where very interesting and fun ideas are executed horribly, while the Meta ages are just polish on a corporate, souless ghost turd. (like the Sequels)
As genuinely awful as the Dark age was for Sonic, I can't lie, I had some fun with those janky ass games, despite how trash they can be.. the meta age... hmm not so much. soul-ess, boring, little gameplay and no story to speak of..
Its like movies that are so bad they're good vs movies that are polished and boring as hell.
@@KaiserMattTygore927 Except for Shadow the Hedgehog, I really hate that game after finding out I had to play through it 10 times to get the true ending. In a way that was worse than Sonic 06.
@@KaiserMattTygore927 literally only Shadow and 06 fall into the category of a mess of a game. Even then i give 06 itself a pass because the reality is its an unfinished product but will flack Sega for actually thinking it was a good idea to release an unfinished product. Secret Rings was just mediocre gameplay wise, but has a cool story with Sonic in the Arabian stories. The rest of the games are great games. Dont see why its called "The Dark Ages" minus 2 games
@@hwanniggles187 boom booooom sonic booooom
@@pokespartytv8086 we dont talk about that. Plus i was referring to the Dark Age games
i just love the change in tone in tails' voice when he says "That's Eggman! I wonder what happened to sonic?"
What I really admire about this game is the ambition to add so much to the Sonic series. Trying to translate Sonic into 3D is already one big task to do but they also put into the effort to have a full story with full 3D animated cutscenes and voice acting, many playable characters with their own gameplay styles, several lyrical tracks, and so much more. They even put in the effort for lots of new little things such as emblems and unlockable abilities.
This game has had my respect for many years, with a lot of that coming from the sheer amount of ambition present. On top of everything else, I still think it’s quite enjoyable. Looking forward to the SA2 video.
But j, you forgot to mention the element of the game that everyone has been clambering for for YEARS now. The ChAo GaRdEn
He did mention the Chao Garden briefly when discussing the amount of content that SEGA included in Sonic Adventure.
TOO BIG!!
I haven’t tbh.
Was never a big fan of it.
Man this, Adventure 2, Sonic 06, and the genesis games are probably one of the most reviewed games on UA-cam. Sonic might be a less quality series than Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby, and some of Nintendo's other offerings, but I swear he gets more overall attention than they have, previous game wise.
Zelda titles come out like every 5 years or longer and Metroid barely gets anything, of course Sonic who got near yearly releases until recently would get more attention.
@@TZMHBT Up to now Zelda got something every year, remake, spin off, 3d main entry, or 2d side game. Metroid is going to get something. Anyway I'm talking about the meta era Sonic.
I noticed how Sonic Adventure, Adventure 2, and 06 still get reviewed today years beyond their relevance. While Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games from the early 2000's I feel don't get that much attention. Not that they don't get reviewed beyond their relevance, they do. But Sonics Adventure games I swear get more.
@Starscream91 I'm referring to the 2000's here when they were all just as active. I've seen more Adventure reviews than Ocarina of Time, Metroid Prime, and Mario 64.
@@jinmiguel6884 Just sounds like bias, cause I can assure you that to this day, people still yearn for Windwaker, Twilight Princess and the Metroid Prime series. GameCube games as a whole are very popular right now, and their increase in price shows it.
Adventure is around 22 years old, and a lot of the people who grew up playing it now have nostalgia for it. Add the constant discussions around whether the game aged well or not and you have a recipe for constant reviews and retrospectives.
@@TZMHBT It's not about demand, it's about reviews.
5:20 I also love how Knuckles just thinks they’re being weird and not knocked out
I prefer 3 & Knuckles over Adventure 1
But Adventure is still the next epic project they had in mind
It moved the series
I just find ignorant when people say that this game started the rift Sonic 06 would consumate
It kinda did start the rift, though. But it didn't outright cement it, even in retrospect. That was the doing of its sequel.
Carbon Roller Caco what do you mean with "rift"?
Aw man, I'm a ring! The rift between the series and public acceptance.
Remington Steele Adventure 1's story is no grand epic and isn't the best-presented, but you're mad to call it fundamentally dogshit just because it tried to be any bit serious. Adventure 2 was the start of pretentious story bullcrap. The main thing that Adventure 1 did to upset detractors was have alternate gameplay for the side characters, which didn't necessarily need to continue into a sequel. Unfortunately, Adventure 2 literally doubled down on that. And SMH at unironically praising Mania for "going right and having a few level transitions", especially as "a breath of fresh air".
@@CarbonRollerCaco hes just a classic moron
This game has the best control in any Sonic game
Hi Johnny
Johny Johny Yes Papa Eating Sugar?
NOOOOOOOOOOOO PAAAAAAPAAAAAAA I WILL EAAT YOU NOW HAHAHAHHAHA COME HERE JOHNY NO PAPA UGGGHHHH
@@theminecraft2516 mamamia
Sonic Adventure obviously isn’t some magnum opus but it definitely isn’t some shitty rushed mess that people didn’t care about. It’s flawed and the cutscenes haven’t aged well, but especially for its time it’s an extremely ambitious and fun game
Fully agree, the game was fantastic in it's time; there were so many extras, not to mention the VMU game and looking after the Chaos. Critics are usually people that played the game 10+ years later or were mario fans :D
The SA games were the best of the best of 3D games, wish they’d make an SA3 but we’re probably just going to get rereleases now
There already is a sonic adventure 3 sonic 06......my favorite sonic game
If we were to get an actual Sonic Adventure 3, the story could either take place after SA2, or after Heroes.
One of the greatest transitions to the 3D era in gaming history.
I bought Sonic Adventure for the PS3 in 2014. It was my first "true" 3D game to play from the 90s, and I will say that it's still fun to play this day and age, however, Big did take time to figure out. I personally don't have much grudge on the cutscenes, since I was expecting something like awkward animation or strangely different voice acting. It was however truly hilarious though how they reacts, like Sonic surprised by a Chaos Emerald. I even dare to say that Sonic's story alone made the game worth a try. A game that has aged doesn't always reflect on how fun it can still be. I liked the game then, I still like it now. Especially with mods
People say that the adventure games suck cause they’ve aged... so? Does it really matter? It was really good for it’s time and the formula they had for the adventure games was perfect. The adventure style isn’t old or bad, it just needs more definition
Even though generations made me love and prefer the boost formula, by no means does that mean the adventure formula was bad, it's what made me love the series growing up and i see mad potential with it. I do wish they return to it and refine it with the modern tech we have today. Sucks 06 kinda made it a dead gameplay style.
"A game doesn't age, society's expectations do."
Thought it could have used more time in the oven .
1.lots of glitch squashing
2.voice acting & lip syncing
3.had enemies in the hub transitioning sections .
4.gameplay refinement ,camera and controls
He started calling himself Eggman because that was his original japanese name. The translators just didn't want to always change his name from japanese (Eggman) to Robotnic.
With the start of 3D his japanese name became his worldwide name.
So people who complain about the name change are always a bit strange to me because in actuallity Robotnic is the fake name and Eggman was his real name from the start.
Tadao Kou It robotniK
@@reginadeleon1911 Have you even read what I wrote? Do you understand words?
Tadao Kou Robotnik is his real name, eggman is a nickname, according to this game. It’s further solidified because of gerald robotnik in sa2. He’s even called robotnik in japan.
@@Tom-jw7ii Yes but in japan he was called Eggman since day 1. The name Robotnic is something us westerners came up with and that's why it became part of the canon. BUT if you actually look at the first japanese Sonic games you will see that he is called Eggman over there.
Tadao Kou Yes. In japan his name was always eggman, until sonic adventure. But it’s not like they ever specified that eggman was his real name. They just called him that, so the change in sonic adventure doesn’t actually conflict with either version.
On the topic of the Sky Chase stages, during a GDQ run the runner just moved to a corner and went to get a bag of chips.
Bro never knew it's designed this bad
I am loving this retrospective! I'm surprised that you said so much stuff I never heard from other reviewers.
Bad review. You didn't say that sonic had a rocky transition to 3D
@Holden The Gamer It is
Thank God you are sarcastic
lmao
@@errorstudioz you already know lmao
Remember how eggman was gonna suicide bomb the city when the bomb didn’t go off? Fans would’ve hated that characterization if done today.
But he would never have done that in the first place because he’d be too busy to tying laughed at by Orbot and Cubot.
Perfect Chaos Defeating the Egg Carrier 2 was meant to show it's power how it basically one shot what was a Hub for multiple levels that you played through.
"Confidence in SEGA was at an all time low..."
Am I the only one that thinks this is pretty accurate today?
I agree. I have 0 trust in Sega. Not getting hype over Frontiers yet.
@@sillybilly1068 I can’t blame you, the gameplay shown today is concerning
23:05 Glad that you've pointed out that The Sly Cooper Trilogy does that same repeated limited stock animations just like SA1.
But no, you see, we have to specifically and exclusively nitpick Sonic to death because 06 is a thing.
And also because it's apparently fun to deliberately antagonize the fanbase.
"Ewww look at all the autistic furry losers! HAHAHAHAHA!" Fuck off trolls.
I actually love that he pointed that out. And that he basically points out why Sly doesn't get anywhere near as much flack for reasons that should've been obvious to us all along.
Sucker Punch was better at editing cutscenes like that six years after Sonic Team was at the time. Editing can make or break story beats, just tell that to Star Wars.
@@UltimaKeyMaster Plus Sly Cooper has better writing and lip syncing.
@@doomarang3208 "and your suit sucks."
@@UltimaKeyMaster "(girly scream) Let's dance!"
Finally someone makes a GOOD Sonic adventure review!! My absolute all tine favorite 3d sonic ever!
That said, it's crazy when you think this game was released in 1998 in Japan, just 4 years after Sonic 3! The mid 90s were a bewildering time of change in gaming.
I feel like mentioning how "over reviewed" adventure 1 is is kinda unnecessary. There doesn't need to be some sorta condition or perfect time to talk about something on the internet that you're passionate about, even if someone has made another video expressing similar points. Just do you, and let the content you make stand on its own (bc it certainly does).
Played that game as a kid. My english skills back then were non existent but the game had options for Spanish subtitles (which I could understand for the most part). Playing a game like that and actually being able to understand the story was a completely new thing for me, amd hearing the songs at the end actually made me cry. I have lots of found memories with this game. I love it.
Jeb
Ruby
And now J's
It's a good time to defend the Adventures
What about Heroes
WHEN WILL WE DEFEND HEROES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@theminecraft2516 Jeb already defend it
And yeah Heroes needs more love
Yes it needs as much as it can get so Sega can port Sonic Heroes onto steam
@Starscream91 Why? I just want to know.
@Starscream91 at least the voice acting is good
I honestly love each and every one of your closing reflections about the games you review because they are so concise and concrete and you can really feel and hear your sense of passion for them! Keep up the great work definitely a UA-camr who’s videos I genuinely look forward to!!
This game was a huge part of my childhood, as were games such as Adventure 2 and Heroes. That being said, I think I actually slightly prefer Adventure 1 over Adventure 2 gameplay-wse, contrary to popular opinion... there was just a certain magic this one had that SA2 didn't have - for one, SA1 had a wider variety of music. SA2 had mostly rock, and as SomecallmeJohny once said, ''I like rock. But I don't want to be listening to it ALL the time.'' (or something across those lines, I can't remember) and Knuckles and Tails had better gameplay mechanics in the first Adventure game compared to SA2. Overall, I REALLY love SA2, but SA1 is where it's at for me, personally.
And then there's Sonic Heroes, another game which I grew up with and love, but I'll get more in-depth on that game some other time.
Two days ago I just started playing SA2 for the first time on dolphin emulator. And I gotta say it was really good of course the camera controls were somewhat hard to use or control but not to a point where it was impossible to beat. Heck I first thought the treasure hunting stages were going to be difficult but was easier than I thought
After perfect chaos has been defeated
Station Square is in ruins, disfigured buildings line the streets, and there are dozens of victims trapped in the wreckage...
Tails: All's well that ends well
I wasn't expecting this video, but a welcoming surprise
I've been waiting for this!
Was that a motherfucking persona reference
@@sociallyawkard5675 of course it was.
Oh my god, finally, a positive Sonic Adventure review. I'm so tired of people bashing this game and saying bs like "Sonic had a very bad start in 3D."
Isn’t this game one of the more positively received Sonic games?
The ending theme of Tails is a vocalization of the bridge zone of the SMS Sonic 1
Wrong
this is just me remembering the song but yeah i kinda hear it
I honestly really liked how you worded that analysis of the 3 3D sonic gameplay styles. Out of the 3 yes the *adventure style* does replicate the Genesis classic gameplay style the most but in 3D so rating it on that, it is the best
I like how its not condescending like to put down the success of the boost formula or even the potential of the parkour system. Its not saying the boost formula is bad because its not, its a very great and successful formula that works for sonic but even id say its not a 1 to 1 creation of a classic sonic game. It takes the typical sonic formula and does its its own fun thing with it which i personally prefer, but i do love the classic and adventure games. Tbh i just love sonic games despite the formula.
Listening to this while I’m at work and all I can think about is going home and setting up my DreamCast
It's sad that sonic peaked at the adventure series. I'm heading into my 30's waiting for sonic to be truly great again. Mania was phenomenal but I want 3D sonic to continue the bold story telling sonic adventure gave me.
So do I, but I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you. SEGA simply lacks the competence needed to deliver a Sonic game that isn't a soulless joke.
@@smashmaster521 I agree. Best we can hope for is a full remake of sonic adventure 1 and 2 to clean up the presentation
@@joefawley9264 I don't even trust SEGA to do THAT right. Knowing them, they'd re-write the stories to be more in line with the Meta Era stories, complete with unfunny jokes and bastardized characters. I'd much rather have Switch versions of the Sonic Adventure games than fully-fledged remakes. Besides, I never had an issue with the presentation of either Adventure game, and I actually find the goofy animations of Sonic Adventure to be part of that game's charm.
Starscream91 If you can handle it when a franchise about a billionaire who dresses up as a bat and fights a clown or four mutated turtles who were taught ninjitsu by a mutated rat takes itself seriously, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to do the same for Sonic.
@Starscream91 I do have to say though that the jokes in Sonic Colors were pretty hit or miss. That game just kind of sat in the middle when it came to the levels of seriousness and humor it had and it often wasn't very good, at least in my eyes.
NICE, someone else that doesn't shit on the 3D formula because it wasn't Sonic 3 in 3D.
And yes, it wasn't perfect, but then again, even the creme of the cream, Mario 64, has aged a lot as well.
Games don't age. People do
I would prefer to play Mario 64 over Sonic Adventure,, and I'd prefer to play Crash 3 and Spyro 3 over those two nowadays.
Actually... its the closest to being Sonic 3 in 3D.
No other game gets as close to that as this.
@@mep6302 It's moreso the world AROUND the game aging, than the actual game itself.
@@carnage0685 Yeah. People only critizise a game because of its age and not because of its quality.
Oh man, this was such a great video! I played it when it first came out on my Dreamcast and I remember it so fondly. The open world(ish) design was so great and I loved it so much. The 2 things I remember most about this game were the following:
1) hating everything about big the cat
2) THE AMAZING FINAL BOSS!!!
I was probably 8 yo when the game came out and I remember the final boss being really difficult, but after beating it, I would just replay it because it was so fun and the music was so f’ing good. Great video!
Sonic did have a rocky 3D start. Has Adventure aged in areas? Absolutely (presentation). However if someone were to ask me what was the definitive version of the cast I would direct them to the Sonic era of 1998-2004. It was simply the era where every Sonic character was just at their best and most consistent (with exception of Sonic Battle) despite being the most technically flawed, Adventure is no slouch in the character department and besides Archie or IDW its what I would call "Sonic cast" as their best. And despite their technical shortcomings the Dreamcast era is still my favorite.
Sonic is written to be cocky, laidback, always looking forward to action/adventure and has corny jokes. What I enjoyed most was how each character served to play off different aspects of his personality. He's normal around Tails and shows their brotherly dynamic. When it comes to Knuckles, there was sort of a rivalry friendship going on, contrasting to Knuckles then mellow, duty bound, street smart persona. When it comes to Amy he shows an annoyed side due to her childlike naivety. But isn't afraid to be serious when she's in danger. That's part of what made the cast appealing how they all affected the main character or play off of him.
With Tails he's the inventor genius, but not to the degree where it consumes his persona and fighting capabilities are thrown away. Part of his story was wanting his own independence away from being Sonic's sidekick. That scene where he hights Eggman at Station Square was one of the best moments and a defining one for his character. I also liked the clash of "Genius vs Genius" scale they had with Tails vs Eggman. Its even more impactful in SA2. Even though his campaign sucks gameplay wise its one of my least favorites to play. His story is one of the best tho.
With Amy, this might be unpopular. But until recent games this was the best version of her. It balances the best of both personas. Amy still likes Sonic, but its played in a way where she admires him as an idol. And there's more to her crush than she wants him. (such as her missing "the good old days hanging out with him, showcasing she missed the sense of adventure he brought) even her first meeting with him was asking how he has been. But she also has childlike naivety. While there's a mission to stop Eggman and a missile she's concerned with a bird's safety, not because she's stupid or unaware, but because she sees things in a different perspective. And while her gameplay is underwhelming I think it made sense for her to be lacking in comparison to Sonic, Tails and Knuckles it works to show her inexperience compared to them in fact from a gameplay sense Amy did develop. By Sonic Heroes she leads her own team and can run fast. I also loved the arc in both Adventure games where she had a need to want to be included. Amy had other goals that balanced it out. Need I also mention her scene with Gamma? Amy was allowed to have her own goals like protecting Gamma and the bird.
Amy and Tails had the best arcs in the game that served to help their character. Which also helps because they are my favorite characters. When it comes to Knuckles, I like how they can show him tricked by Eggman, but not do it in a way where he comes off as stupid. Its more nuanced and Knuckles still remains honor bound in protecting the Mast Emerald. I also miss his rather gruff and more mellow persona. His voice also really helped with that. Or the fact he was suppose to be a treasure hunter.
Even Big the Cat had something that wasn't just memes. Do I even need to mention Adventure 2? The Dreamcast era easily had the best characters for any of them. And even with all the game's faults I still love coming back to them! Also this isn't to say Dark Age doesn't do character right, they do.(, Rush games, Black Knight and Unleashed being best ones) I just think in some cases characters started getting sporadic with their proactivity (namely in how they started being playable less outside of spin offs like Riders or party games) and character inconsistency or flanderization beginning to kick in (Knuckles, Amy, Shadow being examples)
I also like the detail of how each character's perspective is shown differently from their point of view. With better writing this could've been better on execution moment (i.e it trying to shove 6 different perspectives and not knowing how to connect them well), but serves decently for what it does in the moment.
Couldn't agree more
Straight-up, Big the Cat's MO in a new Sonic game with higher stakes than ever before with a story told purely from the unique perspectives of its characters is GENIUS. Granted, the motives for putting Big in the game were dumb, but the concept of just... a guy who likes to fish getting caught up in the world-ending resurrection of an ancient mutant water demon is so good from a writing perspective, and I hate that no one sees that Big is supposed to be an everyman, an average joe of a fish FAR out of water.
Its such ashame that these iconic characters been flanderized badly during the 2010s. Not just that but the entire brand has lost its integrity and identity starting with Colors and it just got worst from there. At least In terms of how the characters act and the storytelling.
The overused retarded memes definitely don't help this situation.
@@superhedgehog6447 I mean...
Okay, memes are fine, but good lord it'd be much better if they had memes standing alongside a main series that carried itself with dignity.
@@theinimitablejora522 Yeah at least that.....but sadly that's not the case. I really don't get why Sega went with this self deprecation direction for the franchise.
This was my favorite and most memorable sonic game I played as I never fully played the classics and I really only had adventure Dx, Heroes, Shadow, both riders (which I actually liked given it’s hoverboards) but I enjoyed Adventure DX.
Also nice mention of megaman legends as I also loved megaman legends 2
About damn time,heres hoping it will kill all the unfair bias this game has!
It won't.
Finally someone else who thinks the controls just feel off in the PS3 ports. I'm well aware of how the game has aged but the PS3 ports had me wondering how I dealt with, nay loved the controls as a kid. Every review I've seen implies that the controls were always this bad and having last played and loved DX again a few years before the HD version I was just at a loss for how it had never bothered me before.
Glad to know I wasn't crazy and the HD ports just don't feel right on PS3.
What's that, a Sonic game runs worse on a PlayStation? I'm not saying that to be mean, but I can't be the only one who's noticed that Sonic games fare much worse on PlayStation consoles.
@@smashmaster521 Now that you mention it I do recall the PS2 versions of Shadow and Heroes are apparently the worst versions. 06 is also worse on PS3 but that's like choosing which turd is more appealing.
But its not just Sonic that Sega shafts Sony consoles with. Ever play or see how the PS3 port of Bayonetta runs? Sega decided to cheap out and do the port in house rather than have Platinum make the port. Game is supposed to be consistent 60 FPS and the PS3 port is capped at 30 if I'm not mistaken, which it struggles to maintain anyway. Despite 60 being fine on 360 and both being able to handle DMC 4 at 60 with zero problems. Sega really dropped the ball on that port and I only played it post patch. It's still borderline unplayable so I can only imagine the state it released in.
@@zeroattentiongaming820 I've heard about the PS3 version of Bayonetta being a butchered port, but I haven't played it myself. I have been playing the Switch version of Bayonetta, and can I just say that the Nintendo costumes make that version the definitive version for me?
Also, I happen to like Sonic 06 because of how broken it is, or rather how much fun it is to watch people break the game.
Well Sony are a pain to work with, & were largely responsible for Sega's downfall. Keep in mind a Sony Agent named Stolar did everything in his power to ensure that Saturn wouldn't succeed outside Japan. Also PS2 was the weakest hardware of the 4 Gen 6 Consoles & that the main reason people work with them is because they are an unstoppable force that only Nintendo can ever hope to rival. Nintendo & Sony often have dethroned eachother in the console wars 5th Gen onward.
I never got what was so bad about Tails' voice in this game, I think it's perfectly fine.
He actually sounds like a kid and I love it
Sonic Adventure is one of my favorite Sonic games. The "flaws" and rawness of it are actually part of its appeal to me. I think a lot of modern games have become so afraid of having glitches and flaws that they now limit the amount of control the player has too much just to avoid bugs.
20:09 Actually, there kinda is. If you stand a medium distance away from chaos four at all times, you can manipulate his attacks and make sure he only uses the splash and the slash attacks. The other 2 attacks where he stretches out his arms and where he throws those balls at you take a ton of time, so you can technically speed it up compared to a normal playthrough.
I really don't understand who people say sa1 sucks, its not even that janky when it comes to gameplay, i mean yea the cuts cutscenes suck but people make this game out to be some unplayable mess
its not janky buts its unstable if you followed the development of sa1 allot of cut content and was rushed to meet the launch of the dreamcast
It depends on how well you can identify and adapt to the jank.
I've played a good chunk of it and there are some weird problems but it's still pretty good.
@@CarbonRollerCaco it depends for sa1 dreamcast and sadx
@@CarloNassar yeah its still a fun a game but its even better with mods on pc
Thank you for mentioning the lore that the original Japanese manual was all about that was completely cut out of the US version for no reason at all. Sonic Adventure is literally a direct expansion of the Japanese Sonic 3 manual, which already was an expansion of aspects mentioned in the Japanese Sonic 2 manual. That’s honestly very commendable in terms of world building, yet nobody can ever appreciate it that way because the localization just omitted everything that wasn’t „funny radical cartoon animal beats mad scientist“, which led to people complaining that Sonic Adventure was „betraying the spirit of the original Classic games“.
This is my FAVORITE Sonic game. I still replay this game to this day
This is my favorite Sonic game ever! I wish they never got rid of the “select your character”
honestly i really love Tails' levels, or at least the idea of them. a race against Sonic is an amazing idea imo
Hot Take: I love Big the Cats story and think it's a nice change of pace after playing through 4 action orientated campaigns. Also his vocal theme Lazy Days fucking slaps dude.
i'm just binging this retrospective man, i love it soooo much. The 06 one is 2 hours and i loved every damn second of it! Keep it up!
I think both the adventure and boost eras (at their best) translate Genesis Sonic's formula very well, like making split second decisions and maneuver platforming challenges to access faster routes for each level
I completely agree, even though i prefer the boost i can understand when fans say adventure is a more 1 to 1 translation to the classic sonic games. Boost takes the classic and sonic gameplay and combines them and does something different with it- and for that i personally love it more
A strange thought that occured to me recently, but the Adventure era Sonic games (SA2 especially) are the world's first (and IMO best) stab at videogame... musicals. The main theme is a song, each character has a song of their own, there's a song for the final boss and SA2 also has a lot of songs during gameplay. They tell us what we need to know about the characters, what they are feeling and all that jazz, but they never interrupt the flow of the story and come off as unnatural, there isn't a "AND NOW WE ALL BURST INTO A MUSICAL NUMBER" that's typical of musicals and that's really hard to pull off right, instead interweaving them with the rest of the game and it... works really damn well in my opinion.
Sonic 06 made people think all the previous adventure games sucked. If sonic 06 had come out later, I think most people would have just targeted 06 instead of the other adventure games. It was the culture back then a bit I think, people are more wise now. Sonic adventure one has aged very well imo, especially when comparing to the new sonic games.
If sonic adventure got remade and fixed all the issues (voice acting, cutscenes, pacing, bugs etc) it be the best still.
Can't Believe you didn't mention "Away, before I make mincemeat out of you" when talking about Tails seeing Eggman as Threatening.
That line from Eggman was badass
One reason people should not hate on sonic is that the characters actually have personality and mario characters rarely have personality. The reason that sonic characters have like no personality really is because of the writers.
When I replayed Amy’s stages recently I realized how many similarities there were between Zero and Nemesis, and in a few cases Mr. X from Resident Evil 2 and 3. You are a woman being chased by a beast while you attempt to flee from it and get to the next area, where you may have to solve a puzzle, but you can also fight him which would slow him down. Also they crash through walls multiple times, and that part in Final Egg where Zero is seen in the computer monitor before breaking it felt like that one part near the end of the B scenario in RE2, where Mr. X is seen in the cctv before smashing it.
english: 51:41 says "FIN" instead of saying "END"
spanish: 51:41 dice "FIN" en vez de decir "END"
I’ve watched your whole sonic series, and then today just fancied rewatching the adventure 1&2 videos again. I love your videos.
Easily my favorite 3D Sonic game.
When you were talking about how this world feels I instantly remembered the fact that there's Cream The Rabbit in this game. You can just see her flying by at some points in every campaign
Sonic Adventure might not be perfect but it has the characters at it's best, something we don't see so often nowadays in this series.
Yeah, it's sad that fans especially the younger ones support the flanderized versions of Sonic and co.
Those aren't Sonic fans. They're what I like to call fanbrats.
@@smashmaster521 The Sonic franchise is INFESTED with toxic fanbrats Bruh
Superhedgehog 64 Nah, if anyone is to blame for the current tone, it’s the Genesis fanboys.
@@chrisdelgado4621 For some reason they hate in depth stories in Sonic. Even though the classic games had stories in them as well.
Call me "looking through nostalgic glasses" but contrary to what you said, I really enjoyed the Sky Chase levels as a kid. Being able to fly around the Egg Carrier in 3D and truly grasp the scale of how big it was blew my 7 year old brain 😅
I think that was an interesting perspective of this game.
Iv been playing video games since I was 3 been there when Atari be was ending and the NES was reigning. Played and play all genres of games to this day. SA is my all time favorite 3D Sonic game. My favorite 3D platformer (yes I prefer it slightly to Mario 64, although they are different enough that it's apple's and oranges.) The game is also in my top 15 games of all time. Keep in mind Iv been gaming since late 80s, n played thousands of games by now. Yes the game has faults, but judged by it's time and place it released the game is really good to me and holds up for what it is/was for Sonic's first 3D game. SA has heart and love in it despite its flaws. A classic