Sonic Adventure 2

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 102 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 102
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 102
  3. Negative: 9 out of 102

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  1. KnucklesChaotix
    Oct 13, 2012
    6
    Sonic Adventure 2 could have been a lot better from the get go. It's not the port that's mediocre, but the game itself. Eggman's and Tails' gameplay is slow and has bad platforming, the controls are wonky, and it's just slow in general. Knuckles' and Rouge's gameplay is a little better, but it involves wandering around the level, looking for hints as to where the Chaos Emerald shards areSonic Adventure 2 could have been a lot better from the get go. It's not the port that's mediocre, but the game itself. Eggman's and Tails' gameplay is slow and has bad platforming, the controls are wonky, and it's just slow in general. Knuckles' and Rouge's gameplay is a little better, but it involves wandering around the level, looking for hints as to where the Chaos Emerald shards are hidden, similar to Sonic Adventure 1. The best gameplay is Sonic's and Shadow's, which is more running, but still not enough speed to match it up to a game like Sonic Unleashed or Sonic Generations. The Chao Garden is fun, but some of the nitpicky details make it a tedious gameplay mode at times. And the Cart Racing more isn't nearly as good as the SA1 version. The multiplayer is good though, and the new HD graphicss make the game look fabulous.… Expand
  2. Tokyochuchu
    Oct 28, 2012
    6
    Sonic Adventure 2 is a solid game. It has a lot of variety due to the multiple characters you play as. The graphics are nicely formatted for widescreen and everything runs super-smooth and in HD. Basically speaking, the game looks beautiful. If you buy the Battle DLC, Sonic Adventure 2 also has a fantastic offline multiplayer mode, too. It actually still remains the best multiplayer SonicSonic Adventure 2 is a solid game. It has a lot of variety due to the multiple characters you play as. The graphics are nicely formatted for widescreen and everything runs super-smooth and in HD. Basically speaking, the game looks beautiful. If you buy the Battle DLC, Sonic Adventure 2 also has a fantastic offline multiplayer mode, too. It actually still remains the best multiplayer Sonic experience on offer. Unfortunately, the game is also riddled with faults. Clumsy cameras, imprecise controls, cheap unfair deaths and an untold number of glitches all raise their hands in this title. It's nowhere near as bad as some of the later Sonic titles ('06, we're looking at you!) but it'll definitely rankle if you're looking for a super-polished game. It also bears mentioning that Sonic Adventure 2 is one of the most difficult Sonic games, so if you're coming off the back of some of the more 'casual' Sonic titles, it might be a bit of a shock. Ultimately, Sonic Adventure 2 makes for a decent game but it doesn't quite rank among Sonic's best.… Expand
  3. Jrc126
    Feb 27, 2014
    6
    Good gameplay,bad sound,better graphics, SA2 for the nintendo gamecube version is the better definitive version and i said "a heckalot" don't get the dreamcast or the 2012 release
  4. SlyguyReviews
    Aug 31, 2014
    5
    A lot of people are going to hate me but the thing that breaks me is the treasure hunting stages and the mech stages, I can handle the treasure stages in SA1 but they slowed it down by making you get the things you need to get in order. the mech stages are slow and pointless. the speed stages are fun and all but what kills me is that hate sonic unleashed for the were-hog stages for beingA lot of people are going to hate me but the thing that breaks me is the treasure hunting stages and the mech stages, I can handle the treasure stages in SA1 but they slowed it down by making you get the things you need to get in order. the mech stages are slow and pointless. the speed stages are fun and all but what kills me is that hate sonic unleashed for the were-hog stages for being slow when SA2 has the same problems. that's all thanks for reading.… Expand
  5. timmyrw55
    Oct 4, 2014
    6
    Sonic Adventure 2 can be a rather fun game when playing as Sonic or Shadow. But the other character sections sour the game for me.

    Let's start with the story. I can enjoyed the dark story, as it gave some good character interactions and a backstory for Shadow. The hero story I found confusing if you played it first over the dark story and the characters are much more annoying. The sound    Sonic Adventure 2 can be a rather fun game when playing as Sonic or Shadow. But the other character sections sour the game for me.

    Let's start with the story. I can enjoyed the dark story, as it gave some good character interactions and a backstory for Shadow. The hero story I found confusing if you played it first over the dark story and the characters are much more annoying. The sound editing is horrific as most of the time you cannot hear what the characters are saying over the loud music(while is sometimes very catchy and other times just forgettable/dated)

    Sonic and Shadow's stages are extremely fun to play. They are get to the goal speed sections with good ol homing actions and light speed dashes. I find these levels to be very well-designed until the space-themed levels. They use the gimmicks of gravity switches and rails and this can be a huge pain.

    Knuckles and Rouge's treasure hunting sections I actually didn't mind too much. It was actually fun to glide around and search for treasure. Only problem is the radar is all messed up. It will only go after one treasure at a time, which can make you glide right past treasures countless times. Also these levels can either be really short or really really long. Depends on where the treasure is. These levels are just okay.

    Then there is the shooting sections with Tails and Eggman. These are not to my liking at all. The control in these sections are very clunky as both characters seemed very weighed down with not much floating abilities. Also the biggest problem in this section(as well in some Sonic stages) is that enemies COME OUT OF NOWHERE. They just pop right down from the sky and land on you! That's not fair! The shooting sections are extremely repetitive. Just shoot shoot shoot.

    Only 10 out of the 30+ stages are Sonic and Shadow stages and that is really upsetting. If it was balanced more, this may be a better game. Also for the other modes (Chao garden, multiplayer, etc), they are good time wasters. Except kart race that is just awful. Actually I should give multiplayer more credit. It is extremely fun to play with friends, especially if you have the battle version of this game.

    The Good
    + Sonic/Shadow stages
    + Some hunting stages
    + Multiplayer/Chao Garden
    + Live and Learn

    The Bad
    - Tails/Eggman stages
    - The other hunting stages
    - Terrible voice editing
    - Pathetic boss battles
    - ENEMIES OUT OF NOWHERE

    Score: 6/10 Fun game with some major annoyances that bring down the whole experience    … Expand
  6. FossAngelAria
    Apr 1, 2018
    7
    Growing up can suck sometimes. The games that you swear you love as a child, you start to notice minor things that can just ruin your experience.

    Let me say this right now: The game is playable and it is still fun. The music (for the most part) is amazing! I may have grown out of the vocal songs, but the songs where you are going through the stages (especially Metal Harbor) is an    Growing up can suck sometimes. The games that you swear you love as a child, you start to notice minor things that can just ruin your experience.

    Let me say this right now: The game is playable and it is still fun. The music (for the most part) is amazing! I may have grown out of the vocal songs, but the songs where you are going through the stages (especially Metal Harbor) is an awesome piece of music. The songs in the Knuckles stages are admittedly a guilty pleasure of mine.

    The Sonic & Shadow stages are still fun to this day! I love how they play, I love how they handle and I still go back to them today.

    ...Ok.... now it is time to talk about the things that I don't like about the game. I notice small things nowadays that I didn't notice as a kid. I hate how the treasure hunting stages are handled... for the most part. The main thing that I can't stand about the stages is the fact that (unlike in Sonic Adventure 1) you can only track one of the Emerald/Keys at a time. I always thought that was weird as a kid, but I just ignored it, because as a kid, they were still fun to me. However, now I simply can't get past that. I feel like it breaks the pace. Admittedly, while the stages are slower then other parts of the game, I they are something that I can get used to if they were fun to play. Sadly, (to me at least) they aren't very fun to play. I do like some of the Knuckles and Rouge stages, but for the most part, I simply don't like them. I believe that SA1 did the stages so much better. I also now notice how hard Knuckles and Rouge are to control. In the stage Pumpkin Hill, the level is large and expansive and it takes advantage of how Knuckles is handled. In my opinion, that is a good stage. Not the greatest, but not bad either.

    The main problem I have with the treasure hunting stages are how small and almost claustrophobic some of them feel. I mainly notice this is the pyramid levels, were you have find keys in order to move on with the story... and it looks the same. Everything looks the same and I never know where I am going in those levels! Yes, I got used to them and I can now clear them in about 3 minutes, but that isn't the point. The point is that it left a bad impression on me which is something that a game should never do! Especially so early in the Dark story. Need I say anything about the final level for Knuckles and Rouge? Yes they are big, but they are too big. Pumpkin Hill was perfect in terms of how big a stage should be and I never got lost. I never know where to get in the final treasure hunting stages.

    I can easily classify the treasure hunting stages as the worst thing about the game, but unfortunately that honour goes to the mech shooting levels... ok... they are bad once you get the hovering upgrade, but the first stages in Dr.Eggman and Tails' levels can BURN IN HELL. I seriously do not like those stages! The mech is so hard to control! Again, I may have loved them as a kid, but unfortunately, I just find them so hard to control! The hardest thing to explain is control as well, because unless you play the game, you don't know what I am talking about!

    Ok, the best thing I can say is that it honestly feels to me like the mechs struggle to turn around. The core shooting is fine and I feel like the shooting levels are more about platforming. However, I feel like until you get the hovering upgrade you will struggle. Also, I feel like the stages go on for longer then necessary.

    I understand that all I have been doing is mainly just complaining about the game, but I will say this: there are things that I do like about the game. The Chaos being one example and another being the boss fights. I feel like there are no bad boss fights in the game! I seriously do like how the bosses are handles. The character battles could be better, but they are something that I feel no need to complain about. The final battle is also something that I always look forward too!

    Not going to spoiler it here, but it is seriously worth playing through the game just to experience it.

    There is a lot more that I wanted to say about the game, that I unfortunately had to cut out otherwise it would be too long (you know, since the characters limit).

    Sorry if I didn't get all my points across. Aside from that, I really do like this game and it is still fun to play even after all these years... at least the Sonic & Shadow stages are, as well as some of the treasure hunting stages.

    I had to completely cut out about what I said about the story, but long story short, I still find it oddly enjoyable. It is technically bad and not a good story, but I still love it for whatever reason.

    Oh! And I believe that the PS3 version of the game is just fine as it is. I didn't really notice anything wrong or any differences between this version or the Gamecube version (the one that I grew up with).

    In the end, SA2 isn't a bad game by any means.    … Expand
  7. Resetto
    Sep 6, 2022
    7
    Kinda overrated and dated, but still a decently fun time with lots of charm and Chao Garden
  8. jacktwelve
    Sep 28, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Adventure 2 is the second (proper) 3D sonic game, it came out about little over 20 years ago (at the time of this review) for the Sega Dreamcast And I personally I think its a solid but flawed game. The game follows a level by level structure and has 3 main gameplay styles: Fast paced Speed levels where you play as Sonic or Shadow, Mech Shooting where you play as Tails or Eggman, and Treasure Hunting where you play as Knuckles or Rouge.

    The Speed levels are ton of fun and highly replayable. Its the standard sonic gameplay loop of running through mostly linear levels from point A to point B collecting rings which let you take hits. The sonic and shadow feel good to control and the controls are pretty responsive. The only issue with the speed levels is the fact that most of the moves and abilities you can do in this game such as the spindash, light speed dash, summersalt, and bounce attack are all mapped to the same button which can lead to accidental deaths. Other than that the speed levels are pretty much awesome. I'd give this gameplay Style a 9/10.

    The mech shooting levels are linear point A to B levels where you blow up every enemy that shows up on screen. These levels in don't break the pace of game and keep the focus on action and skill oriented gameplay. The mechs are kind of slow and clunky but once you get used to the controls there's not really that many issues. I did find that tails level had cheap enemy placements where you get attacked by an enemy you couldn't possibly see coming on a first playthrough especially in the level Eternal Engine. Eggman definitely gets the better levels in particular the level Cosmic Wall being a really fun level due to the low gravity leads to some really platforming sequences. So i would rank the mech shooting stages as a 7/10, it has its issues and a little bit of a learning curve to it but it can still be be fun.

    Next up is treasure hunting and I don't enjoy it that much. Basically in these levels you explore these big mostly non-linear levels in search of emeralds or keys. The emeralds or keys are always in randomly generated locations which makes these level kind of annoying if your trying to get an A rank. But the real issue is I feel that the treasure hunting just breaks the pace of the game too much especially in the second half of both campaigns when the levels become really big and more complex. That said it can still be enjoyable but its not for me. I give this gameplay style a 5/10, it passable but slows the games pacing to a crawl.

    The Boss fights are a mixed bag. The rival fights are mostly kind of basic and uninteresting, with the exception of Sonic vs Shadow towards the end of the campaigns, this fight is actually pretty fun. The gun robot fights are ok but forgettable. And the boss fights against the ghost king, egg golem, Biolizard, and final-hazard (THIS FINAL BOSS FIGHT IS SO COOL) are great.

    The music is a 10/10. One of my favorite pieces being City Escape, Supporting me, Pumpkin Hill, For a True Story, Pyramid Cave, E.G.G.M.A.N and of Course LIVE AND LEARN

    My opinion the story is that its stupid and campy but its of a lot fun and has a lot of charm. There's actually stakes and character development for some of the cast. I'll give the story a 6/10

    If your looking for a solid 3D platformer and don't mind some jank I recommend this game as its one of better 3D sonic games and a genuinely fun game.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. Play UK
    Nov 30, 2012
    69
    Sharp when played in short bursts. [Issue#225, p.83]
  2. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Nov 20, 2012
    50
    The only real reason to purchase this port is if the prospect of scouting out a Dreamcast and a copy of the game seems a bit pricey. [Holiday 2012, p.81]
  3. Push Square
    Oct 16, 2012
    80
    Sonic Adventure 2 offers the same thrills as its Dreamcast and GameCube predecessors without sacrificing too much. The online features from the Dreamcast title are unfortunately stripped, and the GameCube extras are only available as paid DLC – making this PSN download worth skipping if you already own either of the original titles. But for those who haven't yet experienced the fast paced adventure, this is a stellar port of an old classic.
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