Sonic Boom Boy (Sonic Adventure (DC))

Member Name: shep

Product:	Sonic Adventure (DC)
Date:	21/01/01 (188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: now at a great price!

Disadvantages: very few - it's great!

"Sonic is back to save the world in his biggest adventure yet. The mad scientist Dr Robotnik has found a way to harness pure evil from the chaos emeralds and destroy the world. Joined by friends new and old, Sonic must keep Dr Robotnik from obtaining all seven emeralds and unleashing Chaos on the world..."

Put simply, "Sonic Adventure" is one of the most downright *fun* games that I've played for years... I can't remember the last time I played a game compulsively right through to the end - but Sonic Adventure had me hooked from start to finish!

Don't be fooled by the "Adventure" tag - Sonic Adventure is a dyed-in-the-wool action game which very true to it's "Sonic the Hedgehog" origins - but now in ultra-slick, ultra-fast 3D - it's like playing a cross between a platform game and high-speed racer, with just a sprinkle of pinball action thrown into the mix for good measure.

The action phases are interlinked by so-called "adventure zones" - these are 3d environments where you wander around looking for the entrance to the next "action" zone, meeting up with characters + watching set pieces which progress the plot of the game. Occasionally you'll be required to carry a key item from one location to another in order to progress, but it's not particularly difficult stuff, and the game always drops plenty of hints to steer you in the direction of the next action sequence.

The graphics are spectacularly fast, but you really need a TV that will run at 60Hz for best results, as if you opt to use the 50Hz display mode some of the cut-scene sequences are a bit jerky. The sound is reasonable - each character has their own theme music (with lyrics!), which I defy you not to be humming after a few hours of play... but (as with most videogames) the voice acting is distinctively stilted and B-Movie-esque. However, if you're a real purist, you can play wi
th the original japanese soundtrack and english subtitles (!)

As you play the game, you meet up with other familiar characters from the sonic mythos - Tails the fox... Knuckles the Echidna... Sonic's girlfriend "Amy"... and some new characters ("Big the Cat", and "E102-Gamma" the robot). As you meet each character, you unlock a new game that can be played in parallel to the main adventure - so, in effect, there's actually 6 different adventures to play through! Each of the adventures is interlinked, and hints at a much grander "back story" to the game, and once you've completed all 6 games, a mysterious 7th character is unlocked for a grand finale sequence which nicely ties everything together.

Your objective in the action zones changes depending on which character you're playing; Sonic's action zones involve a straightforward dash to the finish line while collecting golden rings (just like the original 2d games), whereas E102s action games involve zapping targets with his inbuilt laser against a strict time limit.... and Big the Cat's action level objectives involve finding a pond and catching some fish (Sega Bass fishing style!!).

There's also some pretty good sub-games thrown in for good measure - a snowboarding game... an afterburner-esque skychase sequence... and a futuristic racing game (rendered with a smoothness that puts the likes of wipeout to shame)! There's even a tamagotchi-esque "virtual pet" side-game, which allows you to download creatures ("Chao") from the game to the SEGA visual memory card.... unplug the memory card, and you can play "Chao Adventure" on the inbuilt LCD screen! When your chao's stats have been built up, you can plug the card back into your dreamcast machine and upload him back into the game! Very nice!

The longevity of the game is further extended in a number of ways... as you encounter each
of the action zones + mini games, it becomes unlocked to be played in "trial mode". Trial mode gives you instant access to the stage from the game menu, and there are 3 "difficulty" levels to achieve for each trial... for example, "Level A" can be completed by getting to the end of the stage... "Level B" is achieved by completing the stage with a certain amount of rings... "Level C" is achieved by completing the stage within a (very difficult!) time limit. Each time you achieve a trial level, you get a sonic "emblem" added to a "collector album" page. You also get awarded emblems for achieving certain tasks within the adventure, or achieving various results on the sub-games (which are also unlocked for trial mode)... so, even though it might only take you a few weeks to complete the adventure, you could be tied up for months trying to collect a full set of emblems!

What's more, if you connect your dreamcast to a phoneline you can download further expansions for the game; new "challenge" trials, and even new level scenary (when it's Xmas, you can have Xmas decorations!). You can also upload your challenge scores and see where you figure in the world rankings.

Criticisms:

Most reviews complain about the camera code in this game, and I have to agree that it's a bit dodgy - occasionally, the camera will get trapped behind a wall and you have to do a lot of frantic button pressing to bring your character back into view! Also, I don't think the sound has been implemented in this game as well as it might have been - sometimes, the cut-scenes are accompanied by backing tracks, and vocals on the tracks will either clash with the characters spoken words, or a cut-scene will end suddenly mid-lyric, without any kind of fade - but maybe this is just an example of sloppy westernisation.

The "Chao Adventure" game also annoys me. While it
's very well executed, "tamagotchi" style games really aren't my cup of tea, and it's infuriating that you need to spend a considerable amount of time playing this part of the game if you want to complete the full set of Sonic Emblems.

Also, arch enemy "Dr Robotnik" is referred to throughout by his japanese pseudonym "Eggman"... which seems a bit odd when you're used to him being called Dr Robotnik!

My only other criticism would be the difficulty curve - the game is a breeze for the first 75% or so, and then the difficulty ramps up quite rapidly... although this is a problem that I also found with earlier sonic games.

Otherwise, "Sonic Adventure" is a brilliant, well-polished piece of work... it's an essential part of any dreamcast owner's collection, and about to be re-released on Sega's "millennium" budget label at 19.99 - bargain!

Summary: