After loving Sonic Adventure, I had high hopes for going into Sonic Adventure 2: Battle for the first time. I have heard online from some of my favorite YouTubers and social media that this game is the best 3D Sonic game of all time. Where do I stand with this? Let's just delve right in
First off, the game goes for a more linear structure rather than an sort of open-ended hub world like in the first game, focusing on more of the levels themselves. I don't mind that at all, and for a game like Sonic Adventure 2 being linear isn't a bad thing, most of the time. The game is split into three stories; Hero, Dark, and Final Story. Each playable character has their own set of levels, playstyles, and music
Sonic and Shadow are the fast-paced ones, with their goal being to simply reach their targeted destination. Speaking of Shadow, Sonic Adventure 2 marks his debut as the anti-hero hedgehog and the rival to Sonic. First impressions of his debut is pretty solid, and made me like the character even more. Anyway, we have Tails and Eggman's stages which consists of them riding on their mechs, destroying robots in their path and reach the goal. Lastly, we have Knuckles and Rouge's stages, which consists of finding three shattered pieces of the Master Emerald like in the first game. Speaking of, this also marks the debut of Rouge as a white bat who is a determined treasure hunter, a part-time government, and acts as a rival to Knuckles
I love how there is so much variety in all of the levels and they are fun to complete; it's just a shame that the later levels are an exercise in frustration. Enemies constantly appear and they randomly drop when I was getting constant speed. It honestly feels like I'm being punished for going fast in the Sonic and Shadow stages. I don't mind a game being challenging, but it can feel cheap at times
Remember when I said that its variety of levels are one of its strengths a few sentences ago? I think it's also one of its weaknesses too. It feels a bit underdeveloped, an example I can think of is the treasure hunting stages. It feels like a bit of a downgrade compared to the first game where the detector only detects the specific Emerald piece in numerical order rather than detecting multiple pieces when something is close to them. Meteor Herd and Mad Space are infamous example of this, as these are the longest I've spent in a level, aside from Cannon's Core. Speaking of, the Final Story takes all of the later Hero and Dark levels and combines it into one aggravating mess, with Cannon's Core and the boss, Biolizard. I wouldn't have a problem with Biolizard if they just removed the water current that screws me up sometimes. Needless to say, I was livid near the end and I just wanted to be done with it, but at least Final Hazard wasn't that bad
One of the best things to come out of Sonic Adventure 2 is the soundtrack. In my opinion, one of the best Sonic OSTs since mostly ever song featured is a certified banger. God, City Escape, Pumpkin Hill, For True Story, Live & Learn, etc, are all excellent. Live & Learn is one of the best songs for a final boss, period. While both Adventure 1 and Adventure 2's soundtracks are both greats, I'm giving the slightest edge to Adventure 2's
One more positive thing about this game is the Chao Garden. While I haven't spent that much time there, I can't deny that raising and feeding you Chaos is adorable, and one of the best things to come out of the Sonic series
Despite my issues, I still enjoyed Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. While I don't agree with this being the best 3D Sonic game, I can totally see why some people do and hold it near to their hearts. While I enjoyed my experience with Sonic Adventure 2, I still think the first Adventure is the best out of the 3D Sonic games I've played
First off, the game goes for a more linear structure rather than an sort of open-ended hub world like in the first game, focusing on more of the levels themselves. I don't mind that at all, and for a game like Sonic Adventure 2 being linear isn't a bad thing, most of the time. The game is split into three stories; Hero, Dark, and Final Story. Each playable character has their own set of levels, playstyles, and music
Sonic and Shadow are the fast-paced ones, with their goal being to simply reach their targeted destination. Speaking of Shadow, Sonic Adventure 2 marks his debut as the anti-hero hedgehog and the rival to Sonic. First impressions of his debut is pretty solid, and made me like the character even more. Anyway, we have Tails and Eggman's stages which consists of them riding on their mechs, destroying robots in their path and reach the goal. Lastly, we have Knuckles and Rouge's stages, which consists of finding three shattered pieces of the Master Emerald like in the first game. Speaking of, this also marks the debut of Rouge as a white bat who is a determined treasure hunter, a part-time government, and acts as a rival to Knuckles
I love how there is so much variety in all of the levels and they are fun to complete; it's just a shame that the later levels are an exercise in frustration. Enemies constantly appear and they randomly drop when I was getting constant speed. It honestly feels like I'm being punished for going fast in the Sonic and Shadow stages. I don't mind a game being challenging, but it can feel cheap at times
Remember when I said that its variety of levels are one of its strengths a few sentences ago? I think it's also one of its weaknesses too. It feels a bit underdeveloped, an example I can think of is the treasure hunting stages. It feels like a bit of a downgrade compared to the first game where the detector only detects the specific Emerald piece in numerical order rather than detecting multiple pieces when something is close to them. Meteor Herd and Mad Space are infamous example of this, as these are the longest I've spent in a level, aside from Cannon's Core. Speaking of, the Final Story takes all of the later Hero and Dark levels and combines it into one aggravating mess, with Cannon's Core and the boss, Biolizard. I wouldn't have a problem with Biolizard if they just removed the water current that screws me up sometimes. Needless to say, I was livid near the end and I just wanted to be done with it, but at least Final Hazard wasn't that bad
One of the best things to come out of Sonic Adventure 2 is the soundtrack. In my opinion, one of the best Sonic OSTs since mostly ever song featured is a certified banger. God, City Escape, Pumpkin Hill, For True Story, Live & Learn, etc, are all excellent. Live & Learn is one of the best songs for a final boss, period. While both Adventure 1 and Adventure 2's soundtracks are both greats, I'm giving the slightest edge to Adventure 2's
One more positive thing about this game is the Chao Garden. While I haven't spent that much time there, I can't deny that raising and feeding you Chaos is adorable, and one of the best things to come out of the Sonic series
Despite my issues, I still enjoyed Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. While I don't agree with this being the best 3D Sonic game, I can totally see why some people do and hold it near to their hearts. While I enjoyed my experience with Sonic Adventure 2, I still think the first Adventure is the best out of the 3D Sonic games I've played