Playing this very recently just like Adventure 1 (played both with mods that restore and improve the game to its original Dreamcast state) opened my eyes, but not in as much of a positive way as it did with SA1. This game can be downright infuriating sometimes and I think some of its lows might just be lower than absolutely everything in SA1. I cherish this game for Shadow The Hedgehog though, one of my favorite characters ever made. His characterization here is extremely well done and playing the game in Japanese with its subtitles shows the story in the way its intended. I like the goofy nature of the english lines but the translation is absolutely terrible and leaves out vital details sometimes.

This is a very story forward game for me, while the gameplay is good it definitely can be condemned for its limitations placed on top of the player and the fact it doesn't innovate very much, but everything works and nothing is broken, and it feels good too. The reason I love this game so much is because of one thing, Arthur Morgan. I am a huge fan of Rockstar but outside maybe one character, there is nothing quite like Arthur Morgan in video games. He is the key to this game, without him this amazing story would fall apart. Everyone involved in his creation, and Roger Clark voicing and acting him physically should be given payment until they die. Besides this, do I even have to mention the beautiful graphics to you? Go play this game. The only part of this game that's a low point is the first hour (or having to use the Rockstar Launcher on PC).

The level of polish and detail here is immense, inside the sandbox of this game if you feel like you can do something you most likely can. Somehow this game made around a PS2's limitations feels less limited and hand holding than almost every single game that will come out in this era and the ones that have been shortly before. Amazing visuals, story and music just elevate the fundamental inner workings of the game to a higher status. My only complaint is that the Big Shell from MGS2 is amazingly designed and I do prefer manmade environments in my MGS compared to the jungle.

MUCH MUCH better than I thought. Replaying it with my older brain now makes me appreciate the game so much. Especially with all the mods I installed that fix this shoddy PC port to restore it back to how the game is played on Dreamcast. It makes me realize this definitely was a good transition to 3D for Sonic, and the reviews of the time reflect that. But as you know, the internet did its thing with this game, I think defamation is a key factor in the negative reception of this game especially compared to the rest of the Sonic series. If you're gonna play, install the mod fixes and have fun. Amy and Big are really the only down points of the game, and even then, they’re completely manageable and moreso boring instead of broken. Sonic controls the best he has in 3D in this game in my opinion. (review from Feb 16th, 2023 on Steam)