Sonic for the next-generation (Sonic Adventure (DC))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Sonic Adventure (DC)
Date:	03/09/09 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great graphics and levels

Disadvantages: Dodgy camera

Sonic Adventure is probably the most famous game ever released on the Dreamcast - it wholly revamped the Sonic franchise, bringing it into the 3D world, with amazing graphics, and whilst reaction to the change was naturally going to be a little mixed, what Sonic Team ultimately pulled off was a considerable achievement - a living, breathing world of one of the most acclaimed and beloved video game series of all time.

The plot's hardly rocket science - a planet called Mobius has seven Chaos Emeralds on it, which are a source of unfounded, absolute power, which Eggman (formerly Dr. Robotnik but changed due to legal reasons) wants to find. He, with the aid of a new enemy, called Chaos, attempts to find all of these crystals and bring about total world destruction, so it's up to Sonic and his team, including Tails and Amy Rose, to stop him with their unique abilities of speed and flight.

The kicker of the game is that you can choose to play as a number of different characters throughout the game, giving you an altered perspective that is powered through the 128-bit Dreamcast, considering these vast options were never really available on previous systems due to technical limitations. Although it is essentially interchanging characters, it's a fun addition, considering each character has their own special abilities, making each run through a little different.

The most stark change from the previous games it the meat of the "zones" themselves - no longer must you proceed on a fairly linear track, but instead you're free to roam around the map for the most part, finding out rings and other goodies. Whilst this does hamper the brilliant lightning pace that the original games had, it's also a brave and admirable experiment, for which I praise Sonic Team. For the most part, it's a success, and to make sure that the die-hards are pleased, there's also a few on-rails sections too.

Although there are a few camera niggles, this is a wonderfully crafted game that shakes up the conventions of the series considerably, presenting a wholly different type of beast that is nevertheless visually stunning, artistically realised, and retains the mood and tone of the series. Excellent.

Summary: A superb adventure game