No other Sonic game, 2D or 3D, has kept me coming back to play it more often than Sonic Adventure 2. It exists in that rare Goldilocks zone for video games since it has both a low skill floor and a high skill ceiling. This means the game is accessible to anyone willing to learn it while still rewarding those seeking a challenge. More impressively, it achieves this balance across multiple different gameplay styles, and there's even an adorable virtual pet game thrown into the mix.

Despite this breadth of content, SA2 never feels like it's spreading itself thin. The speed, mech shooting, and treasure hunting stages all expand on the mechanics of the most successful gameplay styles from SA1 (trading the shared character-level layouts of its predecessor for more focused courses suiting the movement options of each playstyle). This is one of those games that feels satisfying just to move around in, so the fact that the levels are so tightly structured on top of that creates an a real sense of flow. Trying to achieve the A-rank point requirements for each stage gives me an adrenaline rush comparable to mastering a track in a racing sim. These stages are stylish too, thanks to a very unique art direction; even the cheesy anime OVA-style cutscenes have a cinematic flair to them, especially noticeable in the final act. The soundtrack impresses me the most with how ambitious it is: each playable character gets a different genre for their level themes tying into their overall vibe — just about every track is a banger. It’s easy to spend hours raising Chao too, the cutest virtual pets I’ve seen in a game, and they're actively supported by PC mods to this day, so you can pretend the Dreamcast is still dropping DLC for the little guys.

This game takes many risks, so it’ll always be more polarising than a by-the-books platformer, but that's also why it earns my respect.