I had a love->hate relationship with the original Sonic Adventure. After my initially ecstatic opinion of the game turned sour, I started to desire something that had more of the elements that made the 2D Sonic games fun. An emphasis on straightforward action with levels progressing immediately after another. Multiple routes to take in a level, and hidden areas to look for. A level select to jump to your favorite levels and continue playing from there.
I got all that with this game. I just wish they'd gone further.
The adventure fields were ditched. Instead of roaming around and looking for a level, you go to them directly. Levels are longer, and the level design is a lot more tight. While there aren't really any major alternate routes to take, there's moments where you get to split up and take different paths briefly before they recombine, which addresses the issue but doesn't reach the level of the Genesis games. And the game rewards fancy stunts and skilled movement and platforming, with hidden items, more well-hidden alternate routes that can only be reached by fancy jumping (especially in Final Rush).
But it's not quite there. Remember how you had to play as different characters and gameplay styles in the original Sonic Adventure? While there's nothing quite approaching "going fishing as Big the Cat", the gameplay style changes in each level. Two levels have you driving a car down a very linear road with no alternate routes at all. Many levels have you searching for hidden pieces of an emerald in what later become some rather enormous levels. And there's also levels where you ride a mech and shoot enemies. While these are all action-oriented gameplay styles, I still feel the game would have been a lot better if you only played a Sonic-like style of gameplay all throguhout, with character differences (i.e. Knuckles gliding and climbing walls, Tails flying) accounted for, like on the Genesis.
The original Sonic Adventure was experimental - very flawed, but very creative. This game plays it more safe, but the constant gameplay style switching holds it back a bit from how fun it could have been. Still, not including the fan-made Sonic Robo Blast 2, this is the closest Sonic has gotten to recreating the classic Genesis style of gameplay in 3D.
3D Sonic that plays closer to the Genesis games, but not quite there yet
I had a love->hate relationship with the original Sonic Adventure. After my initially ecstatic opinion of the game turned sour, I started to desire something that had more of the elements that made the 2D Sonic games fun. An emphasis on straightforward action with levels progressing immediately after another. Multiple routes to take in a level, and hidden areas to look for. A level select to jump to your favorite levels and continue playing from there.
I got all that with this game. I just wish they'd gone further.
The adventure fields were ditched. Instead of roaming around and looking for a level, you go to them directly. Levels are longer, and the level design is a lot more tight. While there aren't really any major alternate routes to take, there's moments where you get to split up and take different paths briefly before they recombine, which addresses the issue but doesn't reach the level of the Genesis games. And the game rewards fancy stunts and skilled movement and platforming, with hidden items, more well-hidden alternate routes that can only be reached by fancy jumping (especially in Final Rush).
But it's not quite there. Remember how you had to play as different characters and gameplay styles in the original Sonic Adventure? While there's nothing quite approaching "going fishing as Big the Cat", the gameplay style changes in each level. Two levels have you driving a car down a very linear road with no alternate routes at all. Many levels have you searching for hidden pieces of an emerald in what later become some rather enormous levels. And there's also levels where you ride a mech and shoot enemies. While these are all action-oriented gameplay styles, I still feel the game would have been a lot better if you only played a Sonic-like style of gameplay all throguhout, with character differences (i.e. Knuckles gliding and climbing walls, Tails flying) accounted for, like on the Genesis.
The original Sonic Adventure was experimental - very flawed, but very creative. This game plays it more safe, but the constant gameplay style switching holds it back a bit from how fun it could have been. Still, not including the fan-made Sonic Robo Blast 2, this is the closest Sonic has gotten to recreating the classic Genesis style of gameplay in 3D.