Pretty good game, to be honest. Coming back to it after a couple years, I enjoyed it quite a bit- more than I thought I would.
Not once did I run into any glitches or major camera issues. For the most part, I thought the characters controlled just fine. Now, that doesn't mean the game has aged perfectly, not by any means. I just think that, overall, Sonic Adventure has aged about as well as other major franchises from that era (I'm talkin' Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, for example). It's actually pretty surprising how well Sonic Team managed to transition Sonic from 2D into an ambitious 3D experience.
Sonic's developers have always had to make a game that focuses on going fast not have incredibly short levels and last a total of 4 hours. Usually, the way they tackle this is by making you reply the same levels for better ranks, as other characters, to find collectibles... Sonic Adventure decides to give you multiple campaigns focusing on each respective character's gameplay gimmick. No doubt about it, Sonic's campaign was the one I enjoyed the most. Like I had stated before, I think Sonic Team did a surprisingly great job translating Sonic's traditional 2D gameplay into a 3D environment. Sonic goes fast, but I rarely found myself struggling to control him. Usually because the developers were kind enough to add walls or railings to keep you from falling off when doing sharp turns and speedy segments. Plus, building up speed with your the B button and using the homing attack feels nice.
For all the good things I have to say about Sonic's campaign, I do think the rest aren't that strong. Tails was also fun but it's pretty much Sonic's levels just easier because you can fly. Knuckles' levels were simple enough that looking for all the emerald pieces didn't take too long so his campaign wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. Gamma's levels were shockingly easy and short (which isn't automatically a bad thing but there isn't much to it, really). I'd say Amy's was the other campaign that I thought had more meat on its bones. And then there's Big the Cat. This is how I went about it: I looked up a single guide on how to reel in fish. I gave it a quick read and went down to business. Probably beat his campaign in one sitting. Honestly? It wasn't tedious or anything. Emphasis on 'or anything'. That's the problem, it was kinda boring. Maybe I'm just not a fan of fishing mini-games much less those that are required to unlock the final level.
At the end of the day, Sonic was still the best character to play as. But I didn't dislike any of the others. I appreciate how they decided to switch things up instead of doing what games like the Advance trilogy do and having you play the same levels over and over again just with different characters (that control similarly anyways). That being said, the hub world was a little annoying to traverse at times. Really, it's just that I would get lost and had to find the glowing orb that told me where to go. Not the worst hub world ever, but I can't say I cared for it all too much.
What makes this game shine, though, is the story. Sure, the voice acting is off and the cutscene direction is awkward most of the time, but that's what gives it its charm. Not to mention the fact that it gives Sonic and the rest of the cast their own personalities in a way that just wasn't done in the 2D entries. Heck, it defines these characters for the next 20 years. There's also the introduction of humans and weird plot-lines with experiments and the authorities. Sonic Team took some real risks and made bold choices with regards to the story, and I think it paid off. Among those being the beautiful decision to compose hard rock themes for Sonic to jam to. I gotta hand it to 'em.
Overall, I had fun. I can say with confidence that Sonic did not have a rough transition into 3D. That's not to say this game aged well, I don't think it did in a lot of areas. But, to be honest, most games from this era suffer the same kinds of issues. Sonic Adventure is nonetheless a fun adventure, with charming presentation, and gameplay that's fun at best, okay at worst.
Not once did I run into any glitches or major camera issues. For the most part, I thought the characters controlled just fine. Now, that doesn't mean the game has aged perfectly, not by any means. I just think that, overall, Sonic Adventure has aged about as well as other major franchises from that era (I'm talkin' Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, for example). It's actually pretty surprising how well Sonic Team managed to transition Sonic from 2D into an ambitious 3D experience.
Sonic's developers have always had to make a game that focuses on going fast not have incredibly short levels and last a total of 4 hours. Usually, the way they tackle this is by making you reply the same levels for better ranks, as other characters, to find collectibles... Sonic Adventure decides to give you multiple campaigns focusing on each respective character's gameplay gimmick. No doubt about it, Sonic's campaign was the one I enjoyed the most. Like I had stated before, I think Sonic Team did a surprisingly great job translating Sonic's traditional 2D gameplay into a 3D environment. Sonic goes fast, but I rarely found myself struggling to control him. Usually because the developers were kind enough to add walls or railings to keep you from falling off when doing sharp turns and speedy segments. Plus, building up speed with your the B button and using the homing attack feels nice.
For all the good things I have to say about Sonic's campaign, I do think the rest aren't that strong. Tails was also fun but it's pretty much Sonic's levels just easier because you can fly. Knuckles' levels were simple enough that looking for all the emerald pieces didn't take too long so his campaign wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. Gamma's levels were shockingly easy and short (which isn't automatically a bad thing but there isn't much to it, really). I'd say Amy's was the other campaign that I thought had more meat on its bones. And then there's Big the Cat. This is how I went about it: I looked up a single guide on how to reel in fish. I gave it a quick read and went down to business. Probably beat his campaign in one sitting. Honestly? It wasn't tedious or anything. Emphasis on 'or anything'. That's the problem, it was kinda boring. Maybe I'm just not a fan of fishing mini-games much less those that are required to unlock the final level.
At the end of the day, Sonic was still the best character to play as. But I didn't dislike any of the others. I appreciate how they decided to switch things up instead of doing what games like the Advance trilogy do and having you play the same levels over and over again just with different characters (that control similarly anyways). That being said, the hub world was a little annoying to traverse at times. Really, it's just that I would get lost and had to find the glowing orb that told me where to go. Not the worst hub world ever, but I can't say I cared for it all too much.
What makes this game shine, though, is the story. Sure, the voice acting is off and the cutscene direction is awkward most of the time, but that's what gives it its charm. Not to mention the fact that it gives Sonic and the rest of the cast their own personalities in a way that just wasn't done in the 2D entries. Heck, it defines these characters for the next 20 years. There's also the introduction of humans and weird plot-lines with experiments and the authorities. Sonic Team took some real risks and made bold choices with regards to the story, and I think it paid off. Among those being the beautiful decision to compose hard rock themes for Sonic to jam to. I gotta hand it to 'em.
Overall, I had fun. I can say with confidence that Sonic did not have a rough transition into 3D. That's not to say this game aged well, I don't think it did in a lot of areas. But, to be honest, most games from this era suffer the same kinds of issues. Sonic Adventure is nonetheless a fun adventure, with charming presentation, and gameplay that's fun at best, okay at worst.