Finaly got around to playing this after years of wondering why so many people my age worship this game and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. I don't think I have my full answer yet, until I play 2 and spend serious time with Chao Garden. But I think I can understand why so many people have such a strong attachment to these games. This definitely isn't a good game, it can be kinda confusing and non-sensical on how you get from one area to the next. Pretty much all the play styles that aren't Sonic and Tails suck, especially Big’s campaign. But I think people latched on so hard to these games due to its production elements. Even though it obviously doesnt hold up visually very well at all, for the time this was a very visually impressive game for the dreamcast. The music is insanely good. The story, while kinda stupid, takes itself very seriously in the best way possible. It’s just a pretty ambitious game and I think a lot of kids/people back in the early 2000s really latched on to it and have fond memories of it as a result. It’s just detailed and expressive enough that children can project their own imagination over it and fill in all the blanks and weakness of the game. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely still a fun and entertaining game thats probably really fun to replay over and over if you know it like the back of your hand. I’m really looking forward to eventually playing 2, as that is the clear fan favorite between this, 2 and Heros.