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.

Some amazing stuff here but the bad stuff is almost game ruining. Unlike Adventure you can’t just pick one character and play levels with just them, Adventure two makes you rotate between the characters. This makes casual playthroughs more frustrating than fun. But when the game is good? It’s some of the best that Sonic has ever been.

The game looks decent. There are no locations that wow me in concept alone. The games visuals are carried by the camera angles that occasionally change to convey a sense of speed.

What people remember about the game is its attitude. The music gives every stage so much more oomph that the graphics sometimes lack. The story has more edge and drama to it.

(Reseña sacada de mi cuenta de Steam: APolChrome)

Después de haber completado el bando de "héroes" de la campaña de Sonic Adventure 2, creo que puedo hacerle una reseña bien estructurada. Pues, Sonic Adventure 2 me ha encantado. Si el original ya me pareció un juegazo, este me parece que lo supera en todo. Es una barbaridad lo bueno que es. Pero voy a profundizar un poco.

Jugablemente, es espectacular. Los controles respecto a los del primero, son bastante mejores y ofrecen más precisión (que en un plataformas de velocidad, pues se agradece). Aparte, tenemos más personajes en la misma campaña y realmente se sienten únicos. Aunque voy a hablar de eso luego. La variedad mecánica del juego me ha sorprendido para lo simple que es realmente. Consigue que cada fase sea diferente y que podamos afrontarla de muchas maneras. Además, incluye poderes a los personajes, que parece raro, pero creéme que te acaba gustando mucho, porque es hasta de metroidvania.

El diseño de niveles me ha encantado. En cada campaña, hay 3 tipos de niveles (los voy a llamar por los personajes a los que pertenecen en los héroes) los de Sonic (niveles clásicos, donde el objetivo es ir rápido), los de Tails (suelen ser en espacios más cerrados y controlas a un mecha que es una pasada) y los de Knuckles (que consisten en buscar en su mayoría 3 trozos de Master Esmerald). Aunque estos últimos pueden dar bastantes dolores de cabeza, en general consiguen dar un equilibrio al juego y que no todo sea un tipo de nivel u otro. En algunos de ellos hay boss-fights al final. Simples pero hay alguna que está muy bien diseñada y que merece completamente la pena.

Audiovisualmente, es muy bueno. Mejora en todo al primero. Lo único en lo que no lo mejora es en las expresiones faciales (pero es que en el primero eran una risa tremenda). Los modelos, los entornos, el diseño de personajes y enemigos. Todo es mejor que en el primero. Y la OST es increíble. Vale que es Sonic y estamos acostumbrados, pero es que es temazo tras temazo.

Narrativamente, me ha hecho bastante gracia. Está mejor que el primero (porque en este apartado, el primero era casi inexistente) pero es que hay cosas muy raras y sí, es un juego claramente ficticio (controlamos a un erizo azul), pero es que en esa ficción es más ficticio. Pero me ha gustado

Resumiendo, Sonic Adventure 2 es un juegardo que te dará dos campañas que si bien de duración no son la gran cosa, te servirán para entrenerte unos fines de semana y pasar un muy buen rato. SI te gusta Sonic (y más si te ha gustado el primer SOnic Adventure) es un must-buy. Recomendadísimo

While Sonic Adventure released as a launch title for the Dreamcast in 1998, it's sequel (aptly named Sonic Adventure 2) released after SEGA's announcement of the discontinuation of the Dreamcast a mere 3 years later. In fact, a retooled version of SA2 released on the Nintendo GameCube half a year after it's original Dreamcast release. Sonic on a Nintendo system was unthinkable only a few years earlier but thus was the fate of the now hardwareless blue hedgehog.

With the sequel, SEGA cut a lot of the chaff and developed a more stream-lined, focused sequel. SA2 doubled-down on some of the best elements of Sonic Adventure, though I do miss a couple of things that were dropped in the process. SA2 gives us another charmingly overly-dramatic story but it's told from only two perspectives this time that mix together three different playstyles: Sonic & Shadow's action stages, Eggman & Tails' run 'n' gun stages and Knuckles' and Rouge's treasure hunting stages.

The level design philosophy of Sonic's stages has changed subtly when contrasted with SA1. A lot of experimental and explorational aspects have been dropped in favour of high-octane stages that put the emphasis on speed and action. Admittedly, the stages feel tight and satisfying and the new rail-grinding mechanic really compliments the speedy gameplay. Whether you prefer SA1 or SA2 stages more is a matter of preference but unfortunately Sonic still isn't great to control. That 'floaty' feeling persists; Sonic feels too fast for his own good and feels quite unruly as a result, prone to launching himself off stages or bumping into walls ungracefully. It's a shame this key problem wasn't really addressed in the sequel but, again, it's not a game ruining issue for me.

Moving on, the run 'n' gun stages are largely forgettable affairs, so I don't have anything to say about them. The treasure hunting, on the other hand, are a lot more involved and interesting than in SA1. Knuckles and Rouge have their own bespoke stages that are quite sizable and obviously actively encourage exploration. I enjoy scouring every nook-and-cranny of the treasure hunting stages and find them to be a slow-paced, welcome reprieve from the blistering action of Sonic and Shadow's stages. Ultimately then, of SA2s six playable characters, I enjoy four of the characters stages a lot which inches SA2 slightly ahead of SA1.

Here's a few more compliments I want to pay SA2. First, the Chao garden is now a fully formed feature and is an addictive little side-game all by itself. It's puzzling that SEGA effectively dropped the concept after this game. Second, SA2's soundtrack might well be the best in the series. Every character has a different genre of music that plays during their stages. All Sonic stages have a butt-rock soundtrack, Knuckles stages have some great hip-hop tracks, Rouge's stages are complimented by smooth, jazzy compositions etc. It's a fun little detail. Finally, the GameCube port has a multiplayer versus mode which is honestly an immense amount of fun. I found myself replaying the game endlessly with buddies thanks to this mode.

A final question arises, though. Is SA2 BETTER than SA1? In many ways yes but at the risk of sounding hypocritical after complaining of SA1's bloat, a lot of the quirky, experimental parts of SA that I personally enjoyed have been removed here. There's no overworld, which is a massive shame and makes SA2 feel like a smaller-scale adventure. The level gimmicks also feel a lot tamer. There's nothing as 'different' as Casinopolis' pinball machines or Twinkle Park's racetrack, for example. It's for these reasons that I rate SA2 exactly the same as SA. I honestly can't decide which game I enjoy more. They'll probably always be on an on even keel.

This is my favourite game of ALL TIME; it's, no doubt in my mind, peak.

The gameplay with Sonic being about fast action platforming, Knuckles about exploration, and Tails about his giant fucking mech. It's all so good.
Especially when you can also play as the villains!!! And every game where you play as the villains are peak.
The level design is so good, too; I love how Sonic's levels never give you a chance to breathe with it being all fast action-packed until the very end. I love how Knuckles' levels are so wide and huge, really making use of his gliding ability to explore the world. And I love how Tails is in his big fucking mech!!!
The story of this game is top-notch, peak fiction. It is Sonic's best story in a game without a SHADOW of a doubt. Shadow's backstory is so amazing, I love how tragic it is; it really gets you into his character. I love how whimsy and stupid it can be while also taking itself really seriously, it really does feel like I'm playing a movie. Martin Scorsese who?
Don't even get me started on the music, man. Escape From the City, Pumpkin Hill, Wild Canyon, E.G.G.M.A.N., Fly in the Freedom, fucking LIVE AND LEARN. This is clearly Sonic's best soundtrack he's ever had, constant bangers with no misses.
Then the Chao Garden??? Ohhhh my god, bro.

Overall, not only does it have Tails in a fucking mech, but it also has Rouge the Bat. Easily my favourite game of all time.