Sonic Adventure
| Sonic Adventure | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Yuji Naka, Takashi Iizuka |
| Platform(s) | Dreamcast |
| Release | .svg){kind=small} December 23, 1998 September 9, 1999 October 14, 1999 December 3, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, limited multiplayer (Tails can be controlled in Sonic's stages with controller 2) |
Sonic Adventureソニックアドベンチャー (Sonikku Adobenchā) is a video game created by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998 in Japan by Sega for the Sega Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG, (although the final game was an adventure game not a standard RPG)[citation needed]. The final updated edition, known as Sonic Adventure International, was released on September 9, 1999 in North America, October 14 1999 in Japan and Europe, October 18 1999 in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and December 3 1999 in Australia. A director's cut version was released in 2003 as Sonic Adventure DX for the Nintendo GameCube and PC CD-ROM. It has sold over 1 million copies in the United States alone, making it the top selling Dreamcast game of all time.[1]. Its sequel is Sonic Adventure 2.
Plot
Centuries ago, the Gods bestowed upon the planet seven Chaos Emeralds. These emeralds were a source of absolute power. However, absolute power corrupts absolutely — and it did not take long before wars broke out over who would control the Chaos Emeralds' seemingly unlimited power. This angered the Gods, and so, they created one singular Master Emerald, which held powers that could control and neutralize the Chaos Emeralds. And with the Master Emerald, came a guardian spirit. It is said that a single tribe of Echidnas angered the spirit by attempting to steal the Chaos Emeralds and ruining the sanctuary it was protecting. They were all but completely destroyed within a single night, and the guardian spirit was never seen again. The monster was then named "Chaos," the God of Destruction.
In the present day, the nefarious Doctor Robotnik learns of the legend surrounding Chaos. Believing it to be true, he seeks out the Master Emerald and shatters it, freeing Chaos in the process. Dr. Robotnik's goal is to control Chaos, and use its destructive powers to conquer the world. When Sonic the Hedgehog learns of this, he and his friends spring in to action to stop Eggman — but none of them know the whole story behind Chaos and his entrapment within the Master Emerald. Slowly, through many visits from an Echidna spirit named Tikal, they learn that she had befriended Chaos, and that night: when the Echidna tribe attempted to take the Chaos Emeralds, she sealed both herself and Chaos within the Master Emerald to ensure Chaos would not destroy the world with his rage. Now that Chaos has been freed, Tikal begs Sonic to seal him in the Master Emerald once again. Sonic disagrees — being trapped within the Master Emerald will not stop Chaos' rage, it will just fuel it. Using the power of the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic, Sonic fights Chaos, and Chaos is defeated — his rage neutralized by the overwhelming power of virtue. With the world saved, Tikal and Chaos depart for parts unknown.
Production
Sonic Adventure was generally considered the most impressive display of graphical prowess the genre had seen at the time.[citation needed] It was one of the first titles to be released on the Sega Dreamcast and was also the first "true" Sonic game since Sonic & Knuckles in 1994. It was largely considered by fans to have been a major comeback for Sonic after a series of negatively received low-key games released in 1995 - 1997 (Sonic 3D Blast, Knuckles' Chaotix, etc.) that deviated from the classic Sonic formula. [citation needed]
Unique is the ability to take a Chao creature found and hatched within the game and place it onto a VMU device for adventure, fighting, and breeding with other Chao on other VMU devices, which can be interconnected.
Sonic Team traveled to many places to compile footage for and get ideas for designing the stages, including Chichen Itza, Cancún, Tulum, Tikal, Cuzco, and Ica.
The theme song of the game, Open Your Heart was created by the band Crush 40.
This is the only time in an extensively voice-acted Sonic game that the English voices were developed after the completion of the Japanese version. As a result, the script was localized more than usual in other languages. There are small lines added to the English voices, and even an odd few where they were changed to a different character. Due to the long wait for an English version, future games would produce the Japanese and English voice acting simultaneously, and would base themselves off a single script with little variations.
One of the biggest changes to the localized script was related to the main antagonist, Dr. Robotnik. He had been referred to as "Dr. Ivo Robotnik" in the west and "Dr. Eggman" in Japan, but Sonic Adventure is the game which actually made the name Eggman well-known in North America and Europe. Sonic Adventure tried to merge both names so that his name so that Dr. Ivo Robotnik (his Western name) was his real name, while Dr. Eggman (his Japanese name) was his nickname used by Sonic and friends. This was also attempted in some other Sonic games, most notably the English manual of Sonic Drift 2. This was not in the original Japanese script, however, and the game continued to call him Dr. Eggman. However, Japan would eventually adopt the western name as his real name; in Sonic Adventure 2, it is revealed that "Robotnik" is his surname in Japan, while "Eggman" is really an alias or nickname. The name Dr. Eggman is used much more often now, as Robotnik now usually refers to Prof. Gerald Robotnik or Maria Robotnik.
Sonic Adventure was re-released on the Nintendo GameCube under the title Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut on June 17, 2003 in North America, June 19 2003 in Japan, and June 27 2003 in Europe, and later made available on PC CD-ROM. The update includes enhanced graphics (including a change in almost everyone's appearance to further resemble their Sonic Adventure 2 appearance), a new Mission Mode, and the playability of every Sonic the Hedgehog Game Gear game. However, Sonic Team did not remove all the glitches. Also, unlike Sonic Adventure 2, many of the exclusive Internet features were not incorporated into the GameCube version. Via Action Replay, it can be seen that some racetrack designs were inserted but ultimately abandoned.
Characters
Unlike the previous action game in the series, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Adventure has six different characters to choose from, providing two more than the four (Sonic & Tails combo being the fourth) available in the earlier Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Playable heroes
Sonic the Hedgehog
The main hero of the game with supersonic speed. Sonic's story revolves around Dr. Robotnik releasing Chaos from the Master Emerald. Sonic battles Robotnik and Chaos in an effort to save Earth. Sonic has run ins with the other five main characters and must find the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman and Chaos do. Sonic's goal in levels is to either collect a Chaos Emerald or free animals from a capsule. He goes through every single stage except Hot Shelter.
Miles "Tails" Prower
Sonic's twin-tailed sidekick, who starts to believe in himself. After Sonic rescues Tails from Emerald Coast after a "Tornado" prototype experiment goes wrong (And crashes), the two-tailed fox sets out to help Sonic collect the Chaos Emeralds and stop Chaos. Tails' final battle is against Eggman's Egg Walker. Tails' goal in levels is to race Sonic (except for his last stage, in which case it will be Eggman) to the target (Chaos Emerald, missile, capsule, etc.)
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald. The Master Emerald shatters when Eggman frees Chaos and Tikal's spirit from within it, causing Angel Island to fall out of the sky. (The chunk of the island containing the Master Emerald Shrine somehow separates from the island on impact, and a long bridge connecting it to the main Island then appears, possibly constructed by Knuckles). Knuckles' goal is to reassemble the shards of the Master Emerald. His levels are large, in which Knuckles must hunt about the various Action Stages for three shards per stage using a sort of "Emerald Sense" radar to detect nearby Emerald shards. Knuckles is the only character able to dig, glide, or climb walls.
Amy Rose
Amy Rose is walking through Station Square one day when a tiny blue Flicky falls from the sky and lands on her head. It is discovered that Dr. Eggman needed this Flicky (nicknamed "Birdie" by Amy) because of the Chaos Emerald in its pendant. Amy and Birdie must escape ZERO the Chase Master, one of Eggman's robots, throughout the levels until Amy confronts it during the final battle. Amy Rose uses a hammer known as the Piko-Piko Hammer to fight and do high jumps by smashing the floor. Her stages involve fleeing from ZERO and grabbing a balloon at the end.
Big the Cat
Big the Cat is a newcomer to the Sonic series of games. Big the Cat aptly fits his name as he is a massively round, purple cat. Big's best friend is a frog that he has creatively named "Froggy". Froggy becomes possessed by Chaos' tail, and swallows Big's "lucky charm", a Chaos Emerald, which causes him to mutate. Froggy then runs off, and Big's story begins. Big's levels are fishing minigames, in which Big must fish for, and catch, Froggy. Big may also catch a number of other fish for additional points.
E-102 Gamma
E-102 Gamma is one among a series of robots designed by Dr. Robotnik for the purpose of collecting Chaos Emeralds. After an encounter with Amy Rose, he suffers a malfunction and gains a "conscience". He then turns his aim to destroying his robotic brothers and freeing the animals trapped inside them. Gamma's levels are shooting levels, and the player destroys enemies by letting Gamma lock on to the enemies and fire homing missiles at them. There is a time limit, and the player loses a life if and when it expires. Gamma can gain extra time by destroying multiple enemies in a single lock-on. His missions end when he destroys a certain target (generally other E-Series robots). His final battle is against his older "brother", E-101 Beta.
Upgrades
Throughout the game, each character is able to acquire accessories which bestow enhanced or additional abilities to them. Some are completely optional and just add extra moves or make the game slightly easier, while others are needed to complete the game. Most accessories involve a change to the graphics of the character who got them - eg, when Sonic gets the Light Speed Shoes, his shoes change visibly both in-game and in the cut-scenes. These accessories are the following:
Sonic the Hedgehog
- Light Speed Shoes
- Crystal Ring
- Ancient Light
Miles "Tails" Prower
- Jet Anklet
- Rhythm Badge
Knuckles the Echidna
- Shovel Claws
- Fighting Gloves
Amy Rose
- Warrior Feather
- Long Hammer
Big the Cat
- Life Belt
- Power Rod
- Four Lure upgrades (can be gotten in any order)
E-102 Gamma
- Jet Booster
- Laser Blaster
Villains and minor characters
Dr. Eggman
Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as Dr. Eggman, has formulated a new plan to conquer the planet, this time not relying on his robots alone, but employing a strange liquid creature known only as Chaos. He has also constructed a new vessel: The Egg Carrier.
Chaos
Chaos is the guardian of the Chao. He is apparently water or a plasma-like material and changes form after consuming a Chaos Emerald. After he is neutralized by Super Sonic at the end, his fate is left unknown.
Tikal the Echidna
A mysterious echidna girl who appears whenever Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, E-102 Gamma and Big are sent back in time. She is trying to stop her father, Pachacamac, from stealing the Chaos Emeralds from the Master Emerald shrine. In the end, Tikal appears in the destroyed Station Square and asks Sonic to defeat Perfect Chaos. She appears in levels and the adventure fields as a ball of light.
Chao
Chao are featured in the flashbacks, said to be Chaos' children. They exist primarily in the Chao Gardens as a sort of intelligent virtual pet for the player to raise, an 'evolution' of the A-life system from NiGHTS into Dreams... Chao can be taken with the player by downloading the minigame Chao Adventure to their VMU, or in the GameCube version, by downloading the Chao to a Game Boy Advance.
E-100 series
Dr. Eggman's E-100 Series series of robots play a large role in Gamma's story, as he is one of them, and is out to destroy the others.
- E-101 Beta is a black robot with two gun arms. He is the first boss in E-102 Gamma's side of the story, and is later upgraded into E-101 Beta mkII, who is Gamma's fifth and final boss.
- E-103 Delta is a blue robot who is Gamma's second boss, waiting at the end of Windy Valley.
- E-104 Epsilon is an orange robot who is the third boss of Gamma's side of the story and is fought at the end of Red Mountain.
- E-105 Zeta is a purple robot who is Gamma's fourth boss and is located at the end of Hot Shelter. While at first humanoid, Zeta is altered into a cylinder-like form with several turrets.
Gameplay
The game is divided up into two stages: Action Stages, and Adventure Stages. The division of Action Stages and Adventure Stages was a serious departure from all previous Sonic games, as all prior Sonic games, as well as the subsequent Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes, had been a continuous stream of playable levels.
This file may be deleted after 2007-07-08.
Action Stages
Action Stages are basically playable levels. This is the only type of area where Sonic or any of his companions will encounter enemies (most boss battles appear to take place in the Adventure Fields, but they are actually in Action Stages designed to look like the Fields.). There are eleven action stages, accessible by different characters; Sonic has the most of them, accessing 10 out of 11 (the only exception being Hot Shelter); The character who accesses the least stages is Amy with only three. Besides Big (who accesses four stages), all other characters access five stages. Also, each stage is accessed by three different characters except Lost World, which is accessed by only two characters. The best thing to compare Action Stages to would be the levels of all previous Sonic games. However, unlike previous Sonic games, Action Stages are not made up of Zones and Acts. Instead, the game plays more like each adventure field is a zone and the action stages are the acts in the zone. The Action Stages have separate areas that could be considered "Acts," but they are not separate levels, like in the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
Adventure Fields
Adventure Fields are non-linear game stages, generally designed for (light) puzzle solving, exploration, and plot advancement. They contain very few items (enemies, rings, etc.). The purpose of the Adventure Field is not unlike Overworlds found in RPGs. Every Adventure field links to the other two fields and a Chao Garden. They also have four emblems each. They are each packed with various powerups for different characters. There are three Adventure Fields:
Station Square
Station Square is part of a large, metropolitan city, and is the location of Sonic's first fight with Chaos. Some areas of the city are inaccessible to certain characters. Robotnik plans to destroy it and construct "Robotnikland" on its ruins. It contains a train station that connects to the Mystic Ruins, and a boat landing (unavailable until the area is available) which leads to the Egg Carrier. Station Square also contains a casino, a beach, and a hotel. In the hotel, the elevator on the left leads to the Station Square Chao Garden.
Contains: Emerald Coast, Casinopolis, Twinkle Park, Speed Highway.
Mystic Ruins
The Mystic Ruins is a large mountainous area and the largest Adventure Field in the game. It has a clearing with a train station that goes to Station Square, and below is a boat landing that goes to the Egg Carrier. Tails' Workshop is located here, and nearby that is the entrance to the Chao Garden disguised as an abandoned mine. A windy cave leads to the fallen Angel Island, and an icy cave. A cart leads through another mountain to a dense jungle, which offers an ancient Echidna temple, Big the Cat's house, and Robotnik's base, the Final Egg.
Contains: Windy Valley, Ice Cap, Red Mountain, Lost World, Final Egg.
Egg Carrier
Dr. Robotnik's massive flying airship. It has two different forms, and depending on which form it is in, access to certain areas may become available. Other than that, the stage is quite self-explanatory. Notably, this is the Adventure Field where most characters fight their final bosses (except Sonic and Tails). There is also a large Chao garden in the Egg Carrier that can be accessed by entering the password "EGGMAN".
Contains: Hot Shelter, Sky Deck.
Reception
The reception at the time of release was overwhelmingly positive, including reviews from GameSpot and GameSpy being above 90%. The current Game Rankings average ranking is 88%.[2]
Recently, however, in an age of more polished platformers, the game's flaws are more glaring, causing opinion of it to fall somewhat. This was intensified when DX was released, which fixed some of the errors, but in fact also added some. [3]
Voice actors
| Role | English Voice Actor | Japanese Voice Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Sonic the Hedgehog | Ryan Drummond | Junichi Kanemaru |
| Miles "Tails" Prower | Corey Mitchell Bringas | Atsuki Murata |
| Knuckles the Echidna | Michael McGaharn | Nobutoshi Canna |
| Amy Rose | Jennifer Douillard | Taeko Kawata |
| Big the Cat | Jon St. John | Shun Yashiro |
| E-102 Gamma | Steve Broadie | Joji Nakata |
| Doctor Eggman/Doctor Ivo Robotnik | Deem Bristow | Chikao Ōtsuka |
| Tikal the Echidna | Elara Distler | Kaori Asō |
| Pachacamac | Steve Broadie | Tōru Ōkawa(?) |
Dreamcast versions
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure was originally meant to have a frame rate of 60 frames per second, no polygon tearing (jagged edges), and little to no pop-up. The December 23, 1998 launch of the Sega Dreamcast prevented the developers from achieving this, resulting in a max framerate of 30 FPS, noticeable polygon tearing, a lot of pop up, and frame rate drops, sometimes with extreme slowdown.
Sonic Adventure: Limited Edition
Exactly the same as the above version, except without the Internet option.
Sonic Adventure International
Shortly after the U.S. launch of the Dreamcast, Sonic Team released Sonic Adventure International. This was the same game, but with additional features that provided a more complete experience:
- The complete English voice track and the complete Japanese voice track were included.
- A new option was added to the Options screen, giving the user the choice of text in five different languages: English, Japanese, French, Spanish, and German.
- A few glitches were fixed.
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
Sonic Adventure DX (ソニックアドベンチャー デラシクス, Sonikku Adobenchā Derakusu), Director's Cut, is a video game for GameCube and PC CD-ROM. It's the basic Sonic Adventure with more stages and some improvements.
This game was released as an enhanced port[1] of the original Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast (1999), with several additional features. The PC version was released at first in only Japan and Europe, but was eventually released in the US later on in a limited amount. Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut included a mission mode, which included 60 missions to complete throughout the adventure fields and action stages. Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut also includes a mini game collection, which is comprised of 12 Sega Game Gear games featuring Sonic and friends. The reviews received were generally less positive than those of its Sega Dreamcast predecessor[citation needed].
Unlockable games
This game features many unlockable games previously available on the 90s Sega Game Gear handheld game console. If the start button of the second controller is pressed, then the game screen will split, and two one player games will go on at the same time. Additionally, Gear-to-Gear cable emulation is present, enabling the games that have two-player modes to be played in these modes if both players access the proper options within the game.
- Sonic the Hedgehog - 20 Emblems
- Sonic Drift - 40 Emblems
- Sonic Chaos - 60 Emblems
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 80 Emblems
- Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - 100 Emblems
- Sonic Drift 2 - 110 Emblems
- Sonic Triple Trouble - 120 Emblems
- Tails' Skypatrol - 130 Emblems
- Sonic Labyrinth - 20 Missions
- Sonic Spinball - 40 Missions
- Sonic Blast - 130 Emblems, 60 Missions
- Tails Adventure - 130 Emblems, 60 Missions
Changes over the original Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut is a port of Sonic Adventure International, a re-release of the original Sonic Adventure, and includes everything that was added to that version of the game. Several additions/changes were made to the game when it was ported to the Nintendo GameCube. They include:
- Enhanced graphics: The main characters were re-created with higher polygon counts, resulting in smoother models. Shader technology was also implemented for effects like rippling water (Shader effects are not present in the PC version). Shadows are cast by buildings and mountains in some places. Some of the new textures are high-resolution, but some are simply "different". The draw-in distance was improved greatly, and there is less pop-up involving larger objects and little or no fog. However, clipping and other graphical problems are nearly the same, and small objects still pop up.
- The original 60fps frame rate was partially restored. Unfortunately, due to the unstable nature of the Sonic Adventure engine, the frame rate frequently fluctuates ramdomly between 60fps and 30fps, usually very rapidly, and even in places where few objects are displayed, and/or where the Dreamcast version didn't slow down. (However, some effects that caused slowdown before do not affect the framerate in the GameCube version.) Cutscenes now run in a low frame rate, but this seems to have been intended.
- A Camera option was added to the pause menu, allowing the user to select either the original Auto Camera or the newly added Free Camera; which was usually nearer to the character, and the player controlled where it was exactly with the C Stick.
- Changes (mostly minor) were made within the levels themselves in an effort to help patch some of the game's problems concerning collision detection. However, many glitches were not fixed, and some were even actually added[citation needed].
- The Internet connection feature was removed. However, most of the downloadable content from the Dreamcast version was included in the GameCube port. Six voice tracks, for menu screens, that included voices of the six main characters that were originally downloadable via the Internet feature are included and used in the GameCube port. Most other online content was replaced by the new Mission Mode, though leftovers can be seen using an Action Replay.
- Many changes to the Chao System were made, including removing the Chao Adventure VMU minigame (instead replaced with a Game Boy Advance connection feature). Additionally, the Chao Raising engine and models from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was adapted and used. In fact, Chao from SA2: B may be imported into SA: DX using the Game Boy Advance. Also, the Entrance to the Chao Race has been modified, and players can no longer walk around the interface. Instead, a simple menu is displayed, with the same area serving as a lone background. The menu interface was designed to replicate the one shown in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.
- 60 Missions were added for an all-new Mission Mode, which task the player with completing certain goals within the Adventure Fields and Action Stages for Emblems, similar to the Mission Mode found in Sonic Jam's 3D Sonic World.
- A reward for collecting all the Emblems was added: The option to play as Metal Sonic, who, despite new sound effects, some different animations (including that he doesn't stand up straight) and a new player model, plays exactly like Sonic, and is only available in Time Trial and boss mode.
- Cream the Rabbit makes several cameo appearances during the main game and Mission Mode.
- In the Dreamcast version, E-102 Gamma's Adventure Field was playable at night after beating his story. This seems to randomly happen in the GameCube version. What actually causes it is unknown. Strangely, the PC version follows the Dreamcast version by having the Adventure Fields always playable at night.
- As mentioned above, a Mini-Game Collection mode was added allowing access to 12 Sega Game Gear games.
- The ability to skip cut-scenes by pushing Start was added in.
- A Map option, found on the pause menu while in Adventure fields, was added. This provides a complete map of the Adventure Field the player is currently in. It should be noted that the maps that are displayed are the same maps that were once viewed through the online homepage on the Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure Browser, as part of the Sonic Adventure Hint sections. The only minor difference is that players can view it at any time during gameplay, as well as display a pointer exactly where they are located.
References
- ^ U.S. Platinum Chart
- ^ http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/198694.asp
- ^ For example, characters now slide off the Burger Shop's statue when they try to land on it, and they can slide through walls as well.
External links
- GameSpot page on Sonic Adventure
- Sonic Teams's Sonic Adventure DX site (in Japanese)
- Sonic Adventure Manual
- IGN page on Sonic Adventure DX
- Download.com link to download Sonic DX demo for the PC
- Sega American page on Sonic Adventure DX
- Sonic Adventure DX (GameCube) on GameSpy
- Sonic Adventure guides and trivia