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Sonic Adventure | |
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Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
Publisher(s) | Sega |
Director(s) | Takashi Iizuka |
Producer(s) | Yuji Naka |
Programmer(s) | Tetsu Katano |
Artist(s) | |
Writer(s) | Akinori Nishiyama |
Composer(s) |
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Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
Platform(s) | |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Platform, action |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Sonic Adventure[a] is a 1998 platform game for Sega's Dreamcast, and the first main Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature three-dimensional (3D) gameplay. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles 'Tails' Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their quests to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds and stop Doctor Robotnik from unleashing Chaos. Controlling one of the six characters—each with their own special abilities—players explore a series of themed levels to progress through the story. Outside the main game, players can play minigames like racing and interact with Chao, a virtual pet.
Following the cancellation of the Sega Saturn game Sonic X-treme, Sonic Team began work on Sonic Adventure in 1997. A 60-member development team created the game in ten months, drawing inspiration from locations in Peru and Guatemala. Yuji Uekawa redesigned the characters for their transition to 3D, and features were added to take advantage of the Dreamcast hardware. Sega announced the game in August 1998; it was released in Japan that December and worldwide in September 1999.
The game received critical acclaim and, with 2.5 million copies sold by August 2006, became the Dreamcast's bestseller. Reviewers lauded the visuals and gameplay, calling it a major technological advancement; some speculated that it could re-establish Sega as the dominant console manufacturer after the relatively unsuccessful Saturn. Others were frustrated by the camera controls and glitches, and reactions to its audio were mixed. Despite this, journalists have ranked Sonic Adventure among the best Sonic games, and it is recognized as an important release in both the series and the platform genre. A sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, was released in 2001.
Sonic Adventure was ported to the GameCube and Windows in 2003 as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, featuring updated graphics and more challenges. A high-definition version was released digitally for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2010, and for Windows in 2011. Reviews for these versions were less positive; critics felt the game was not ported well to newer hardware and that it had not aged well, while running at an inconsistent frame rate.
- 3Development
- 5Reception
Gameplay[edit]
Gameplay screenshot showing Sonic in one of the game's levels, Speed Highway.
Sonic Adventure is a 3D platform game with action and role-playing elements.[1] Players control one of six anthropomorphic protagonists as they venture to defeat Doctor Robotnik and his robot army, who seek the seven magical Chaos Emeralds and the evil entity Chaos. Six player characters are unlocked as the game progresses, each with their own story and attributes. Sonic the Hedgehog performs a spin dash, homing attack, and light-speed dash; Miles 'Tails' Prower flies, swims, and attacks robots using his tails; Knuckles the Echidna glides, climbs walls, and punches; Amy Rose can defeat enemies using her hammer; Big the Cat is slow and carries a fishing rod he can cast; and E-102 Gamma can shoot laser beams.[2][3]
At the start of the game, the player is placed in one of several Adventure Fields, open-ended hub worlds inhabited by advice-giving non-player characters. The player character is guided and instructed by the voice of Tikal the Echidna. Through exploration, the player discovers entrances to levels called Action Stages, some of which must be opened using keys hidden in the Adventure Field.[4]:141–142 Once the player accesses an Action Stage, they are tasked with a specific objective, which is different for each character.[5] Sonic and Amy must reach the level's end; Tails must reach the end before Sonic; Knuckles must find three hidden shards of the Master Emerald; Big must fish for his pet frog; and Gamma must fight his way through stages using projectiles as a defense.[3][4]:140
Some levels include minigames separate from the main story. These feature different styles of gameplay, among them rail shooting, racing, and sandboarding. Some minigames can only be accessed with particular characters. Fulfilling certain objectives allows the player to obtain bonus items. Unlocked minigames and stages the player has completed can be accessed from a Trial Mode on the title screen.[3]
Like previous Sonic the Hedgehog games, players collect golden rings as a form of health: if the player character is in possession of rings when they are hit by an enemy or other hazard, they will survive, but their rings will scatter and blink before disappearing. Canisters containing power-ups such as speed shoes, additional rings, invincibility, and elemental shields are also hidden in levels. In several stages, the player engages Robotnik or Chaos in a boss fight and must deplete the boss's health meter to proceed.[6][7] Each character starts with a limited number of lives, and the player loses a life if the character drowns, gets crushed, or is hit without any rings in their possession. The game ends when the player runs out of lives. Lives can be replenished by collecting 100 rings or a 1-up.[3]
Players may also discover Chao Gardens, hidden, protective environments inhabited by Chao, a virtual pet. Players can hatch, name, and interact with a Chao,[6] and raise the status of their Chao by giving it small animals found by defeating robots. The Dreamcast's handheld Visual Memory Unit (VMU) allows the player to download the minigameChao Adventure, in which their Chao walks through a course to evolve and improve its skills.[5][8] Evolving one's Chao improves its performance in competitions called Chao Races. Eggs that can produce special types of Chao are hidden throughout the Adventure Fields. Players can earn emblems by playing through Action Stages, searching through the Adventure Fields, or winning Chao Races.[2][9] Each Action Stage has three emblems that can be earned by replaying the stages and fulfilling objectives, such as beating the level within a time limit.[3]
Plot[edit]
Doctor Robotnik seeks a new way to defeat his longtime nemesis Sonic and conquer the world. During his research, he learns about an entity called Chaos—a creature that, thousands of years ago, helped to protect the Chao and the all-powerful Master Emerald, which balances the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds. When a tribe of echidnas sought to steal the power of the Emeralds, breaking the harmony they had with the Chao, Chaos retaliated by using the Emeralds' power to transform into a monstrous beast, Perfect Chaos, and wipe them out. Before it could destroy the world, Tikal, a young echidna who befriended Chaos, imprisoned it in the Master Emerald along with herself.
Seeking to use Chaos, Robotnik releases it from the Master Emerald, and tests the creature's natural form on the city of Station Square. When Sonic sees local police fail to defeat it, he and Tails work to stop Robotnik from empowering it with the Chaos Emeralds. At the same time, Knuckles, the only remaining echidna, sets out to find the shards of the Master Emerald and repair it. Activating a new series of robots, including one named Gamma, Robotnik orders them to find Froggy, an amphibian who had eaten a Chaos Emerald after mutating from contact with a piece of Chaos the night he was released. His owner Big seeks to find him as well. In Station Square, Sonic's friend Amy finds a Flicky being pursued for a Chaos Emerald in its possession, and decides to protect it. When both are captured, Amy convinces Gamma not to work for Robotnik, who helps her to escape, before seeking out and destroying the other robots in his series, sacrificing himself in the process.
Despite Sonic managing to disrupt Robotnik's plans, Chaos manages to absorb all the Chaos Emeralds. Transforming into Perfect Chaos, it rebels against Robotnik and attacks Station Square, devastating the city. Bartender 9.4 sr3 serial key. Having experienced flashbacks from Tikal, who was released herself, Sonic realizes that Chaos has been in constant torment and sorrow, and that imprisoning it again will not stop it. Using the Emeralds brought to him by the others to transform into his super form, Sonic fights Perfect Chaos and defeats it. Returned to normal, Chaos calms down when he sees the Chao living peacefully in Station Square. Realizing its pain is gone, Tikal decides to take it somewhere safe to live in peace. With Sonic having won, he decides to leave to pursue a fleeing Robotnik.
Development[edit]
Background and concept[edit]
During the early 1990s, Sega was one of the most successful video game companies due to its Genesis console. Sales for the console were driven by the popularity of its flagship franchise of 2D platformers, Sonic the Hedgehog.[10] During this time, series co-creator Yuji Naka worked with Sega Technical Institute (STI) in the United States to develop Sonic games. After the completion of Sonic & Knuckles in 1994, Naka moved to work with Sonic Team in Japan.[11] STI began developing Sonic X-treme for the Sega Saturn, which would have been the first Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature full 3D gameplay. X-treme suffered a series of setbacks and was canceled in 1997.[12][13] The cancellation is an important factor in the Saturn's commercial failure; without it, the system had no original Sonic platformer.[14] Meanwhile, Naka and Sonic Team developed original Saturn games, such as Nights into Dreams.[4]:67[15] Due to the series' relative lack of presence on the Saturn,[b] according to Retro Gamer, '[b]y mid-1997 Sonic had essentially been shuffled into the background.. it was astonishing to see that just six years after his debut, Sonic was already retro.'[10]
Naka still wanted to make a 3D Sonic game, and felt that only Sonic Team should do it; for this reason, he refused to let STI use the Nightsgame engine for X-treme, a factor in that game's cancellation.[17][18] In August 1996, Nights into Dreams designer Takashi Iizuka proposed a role-playing-style Sonic game with a greater emphasis on storytelling, which formed the basis of Sonic Adventure.[19][20] Iizuka felt that Sonic fans had been let down because the team was not focusing on the series. Additionally, Kazuyuki Hoshino, who would serve as art director on Sonic Adventure, said he thought during the Saturn era Sonic had become outdated and strove to reinvent the character.[10]
Sonic Team started to work on Sonic Adventure in April 1997 on the Saturn with a 20-strong team.[4]:139[20] Sonic Team created the first prototype using the Nights engine,[18] but the Saturn's limited capabilities made development difficult.[4]:65 Sega president Hayao Nakayama informed Naka of the Saturn's successor, the Dreamcast, and he believed the new console would allow Sonic Team to create the ultimate Sonic game.[4]:67 When the team learned the Dreamcast was nearing completion, they moved development to take advantage of its greater quantity of RAM, stronger CPU, and the VMU. Not wanting to waste their completed work, they placed it as a bonus in the compilation gameSonic Jam, the final Sonic game for the Saturn.[4]:65[20] In July 1997, Sonic Team began redeveloping Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast, and the team expanded to 60.[20]
Iizuka served as director on Sonic Adventure, while Naka produced.[21] Although at the time one of the largest video games created,[1][22][23]Sonic Adventure was completed in a relatively brief 10 months.[20] Sonic Team undertook development in conjunction with the Dreamcast, aiming to release the game in December 1998, even if it meant making improvements after release.[4]:69[23] Developing Sonic Adventure at the same time as the system, which was not completed until two months before the game's release,[24] gave Iizuka influence over the console's development;[25] for example, he was able to request more RAM for the console specifically for Sonic Adventure.[23]
Art direction[edit]
Yuji Uekawa redesigned Sonic to appear slimmer and more 'mature'.
Sonic Team felt challenged by the new hardware to recreate Sonic and his world in a new way.[26] They began development using the character designs from the Genesis games, but quickly discovered the characters' bodies were too short and their heads too big, making them difficult to see. Yuji Uekawa redesigned each character to suit the transition to 3D and to give them 'new, edgy, more Western' design.[26] Looking to the animation of Walt Disney and Looney Tunes for inspiration, he made Sonic more mature, taller, and slimmer, and gave him longer quills. He darkened his blue color and gave him green irises in reference to Green Hill Zone. Uekawa tried to make Sonic look like a comic book character and compared the style to graffiti. After redesigning Sonic, he made the other characters fit this new art style.[26]
Because Sonic Adventure was a Dreamcast launch title, the team strove to demonstrate the console's capabilities with realistic graphics, which they felt would appeal to consumers. To achieve a more realistic feel for the environments, the core members of Sonic Team visited temples, jungles, and ancient ruins in Mesoamerican landscapes, including Cancun, Guatemala, and Peru. While Sonic Team members had to draw artwork by hand for games in the past, for Sonic Adventure they were able to use photographs taken during their visits as textures.[10] The greatest influences were the Tikal ruin in Guatemala and Machu Picchu in Peru.[25] The character Tikal was inspired by Peru and took her name from the Guatemalan ruins. The team also wanted to add elements unexpected in a platform game; the level in which Tails sandboards was inspired by a group of sandboarders in Ica, Peru.[4]:68[19] The 3D visuals were created using a Voodoo2 graphics chip.[20]
Design[edit]
One of the biggest challenges the designers faced was transitioning the series' 2D style to 3D.[23] In the Genesis Sonic games, the player simply had to go right to reach the end of a level, but in Sonic Adventure they could move in every direction. The designers created models for the stages before testing it as the player character, resulting in trial and error.[10] Some levels, such as the Lost World, were rebuilt dozens of times;[19][27] others referenced past Sega games, such as Ice Cap (Sonic the Hedgehog 3) and the Tornado levels (Panzer Dragoon).[4]:142 One particular difficulty was defeating enemies; in the 2D games, enemies were beaten simply by jumping on them, but this was harder to achieve in a 3D game. Therefore, Sonic was given the ability to target enemies in mid-air.[19] Iizuka said the cinematic sequences were conceived to take advantage of the environments, 'giving the player an element of discovery in addition to the platforming'.[23][25]
Stages featured gameplay similar to the original Genesis games and were designed to take at least five minutes to complete.[22] Sonic Team split levels into parts to save memory. Because Sonic Adventure had a stronger emphasis on storytelling than previous games in the series, the team implemented hub worlds to 'draw the players deeper into the world.' The hub worlds' emphasis on exploring to find new areas and power-ups was inspired by The Legend of Zelda.[10] When seeing the completed level designs, Iizuka and Naka decided to re-purpose them for other player characters.[22] Iizuka said they felt it would be 'a waste if Sonic just quickly ran through the levels that we spent so much time creating'. The first characters besides Sonic added to the game were Tails and Knuckles; Tails' stages turned portions of Sonic's levels into races, while Knuckles' treasure-hunting missions were designed as a contrast to the others' straightforward ones. Sonic Adventure was the first time Amy was playable in a Sonic platformer, and Iizuka aimed to use her to add tension, such as hiding from pursuers, that Sonic's gameplay could not offer.[10]
Sonic Adventure features two new playable characters, Big and Gamma.[10] Sonic Team had already implemented an in-game fishing rod with no context or use, leading to the creation of Big.[28] Big was designed to be giant and relaxed so the player would not expect something more intense.[10] Gamma and his playstyle were created in response to fans who wanted elements of a shoot 'em up in Sonic[22][19] and because of Iizuka's desire to include 'some type of satisfying gameplay that couldn't be done with Sonic'.[10] Neither Big nor Gamma were intended to play a large role, thus both of their campaigns were short.[29] Iizuka also wanted to create a villain who would have been impossible to make on older hardware. He settled on something liquid and transparent and created Chaos. Iizuka presented the concept to Naka, who was impressed.[19] Chaos was originally intended to have realistic blue scales in his final form, but this was abandoned because of the technological constraints of the Dreamcast.[30]
According to Iizuka, the team tried to include as much content as possible.[23] One addition was the Chao-raising system, which Iizuka conceived to take advantage of the VMU.[4]:70 Sonic Team had used a similar virtual pet system, the 'A-Life', in Nights into Dreams;[19] Iizuka used the A-Life as a base, while improving it with the VMU and the option to improve its skills.[4]:71 Iizuka hoped it would be made into a character players could touch and raise.[25] It was also designed to appeal to casual gamers not familiar with games like Sonic,[19] and to add replay value.[31] The design took considerable time to finalize and had to be made as simple as possible because the virtual pet's look changes form as it evolves.[25]
Audio[edit]
While some Sonic games, such as 1993's Sonic CD, contained limited voice work, Sonic Adventure was the first Sonic game to feature extensive voice acting.[1] The decision was made early in development as the game was more story-focused than previous Sonic games. Sonic Team's staff had differing opinions about how Sonic should sound. Iizuka recalled that the only element they agreed on was to avoid using an anime voice actor, favoring a film actor with an 'over-the-top' voice.[23] Sonic Team cast Jun'ichi Kanemaru as Sonic. In an interview celebrating his 30th anniversary as a voice actor, Kanemaru said one reason he was cast was because of his ability to speak English.[32] The English-language voice cast consists of Ryan Drummond as Sonic,[33] Corey Bringas as Tails, Michael McGaharn as Knuckles, Jennifer Douillard as Amy, Jon St. John as Big, and Deem Bristow as Robotnik.[21]
Sonic Adventure's score was primarily composed by Jun Senoue, with additional music by Fumie Kumatani, Kenichi Tokoi, and Masaru Setsumaru.[34][35] The group created the main theme, 'Open Your Heart';[21] other vocal themes were performed by Marion Saunders, Dred Foxx, Ted Poley, Nikki Gregoroff, Tony Harnell, and Johnny Gioeli.[4]:143 The team preferred 'hot, funky, and rock 'n' roll' music over the electropop of earlier Sonic games.[22][11] Iizuka stated the style was adopted because the Dreamcast's sound was a significant advance from that of the Genesis.[23] Some tracks were rearranged from the 1996 game Sonic 3D Blast.[36] A two-disc soundtrack, Sonic Adventure 'Digi-LOG Conversation' Original Sound Track, was released in Japan in January 1999.[37] In May 2011, a 20th anniversary edition of the soundtrack was released.[38] Digital versions were also released on iTunes and Spotify in September 2014 and January 2017, respectively.[39][40][41]Brave Wave Productions released a vinyl LP version of the soundtrack including interviews with Senoue and Iizuka in 2018.[42]
Release[edit]
The original Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast (top) compared to Sonic Adventure DX on the GameCube (bottom)
Sonic Adventure was kept a secret during production,[20][22] though screenshots were leaked in mid-1998 and plans for a 3D Sonic game had long been rumored.[22][43] It was unveiled by Naka and the rest of Sonic Team on August 22, 1998,[22] at the Tokyo International Forum. The team showed off several dynamic elements, such as a chase sequence from the first level and Tails' sandboarding sequence. Naka described the debut as intense, having '[given his] all' to make it fit for release.[4]:69
On December 23, 1998, Sonic Adventure was released in Japan.[44] The Japanese version shipped with many glitches and camera problems; several members of Sonic Team flew to Sega of America to patch the game, delaying its western release for several months.[4]:69 The localized version was released in North America on September 9, 1999,[45] and in Europe on September 23, 1999.[46] It includes Japanese and English-language audio tracks, as well as Japanese, English, Spanish, French and German subtitles.[47] Online features—including Chao daycare and downloadable content (DLC) such as minigames and new level assets—were also added.[48] The localized version was later released in Japan as Sonic Adventure International.[4]:69[49]
Prior to the launch of the Dreamcast in the United States, Sega made an exclusive deal with Hollywood Video to allow customers to rent the Dreamcast console along with a non-retail version of the game, Sonic Adventure: Limited Edition.[50][51] The promotion began on July 15, 1999 and took place at 1,055 Hollywood Video stores across the country.[52]
In 2001, Sega announced it would transition from a first-party to a third-party software publisher.[53][54] Wanting to reach new players by creating an enhanced version of one of their older games, in June 2003 Sega released Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, a port of Sonic Adventure for the GameCube and Windows.[4]:141[19] While mostly identical to the original release, Sonic Adventure DX features updated graphics, including higher-resolution textures and more detailed character models,[9] has a locked frame rate of 60 frames per second,[2] and sports a redesigned Chao-raising system that uses connectivity with the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It includes 60 new missions and the option to unlock all 12 Sonic games released for the Game Gear.[9]Metal Sonic can be unlocked as a playable character if all 130 emblems are collected.[55] These features were added to appeal to players of the original game.[4]:141
In September 2010, Sega rereleased Sonic Adventure as a downloadable game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, followed by a Windows release in March 2011 via Steam.[56][57][58] This version is based on Sonic Adventure DX and supports high-definition visuals,[56] but the new missions, Metal Sonic, and the Game Gear games were removed; the missions and Metal Sonic can be reimplemented by purchasing them as DLC.[59] The game was also included in the Dreamcast Collection compilation in 2011,[60] and is backwards-compatible with the Xbox One.[61]
Reception[edit]
Reception (Dreamcast) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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As the first fully 3D Sonic platform game, Sonic Adventure was highly anticipated.[6][22] It received critical acclaim,[4]:143[62] and some critics called it one of the greatest video games of all time.[46][64] It is the bestselling Dreamcast game; by August 4, 2006, it had sold 2.5 million copies, including 440,000 in Japan and 1.27 million in the United States.[4]:143[65]
The visuals and presentation attracted wide acclaim.[6][66]Arcade magazine described it as a 'quantum leap forward' in aesthetics and visual detail in video games,[66] and Hyper estimated they even exceeded what was possible on high-end personal computers.[67]IGN called it the most graphically impressive platform game released up to that date, praising its cinematic sequences and describing it as 'engrossing, demanding, and utterly awe-inspiring'.[6]GameSpot agreed and said only Soulcalibur's graphical quality surpassed that of Sonic Adventure.[7]Edge felt the graphical features showed off the Dreamcast's potential to the fullest and that the game was 'perfect' as a showcase for the system.[22]
The audio received mixed responses.[5][7]GameSpot and Game Revolution called the full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes and voice acting well-produced and fitting, though GameSpot noted poor lip-synching.[5][7]IGN thought the cutscenes were repetitive and voiced strong disapproval of the voice acting, declaring it 'a complete joke' and 'downright awful'. IGN had a particular distaste for Tails' voice, and retrospectively called it among the most annoying to feature in a video game.[6][68]AllGame was conflicted; they appreciated Tails' portrayal but found Sonic's and Knuckles' voices unfitting.[8]GameSpot and AllGame praised the rock-style music,[7][8] but Game Revolution described the score as 'absolutely horrible'.[5]
The gameplay was generally praised.[27][69]GameSpot admired the straightforward, linear approach to the 3D platform genre and particularly praised it for keeping the basic gameplay of the original Genesis games.[7]IGN said the game would keep players busy even after completion, noting its internet connectivity and other extras.[6] On the other hand, Game Revolution said apart from being quicker, it did not advance the platform genre's design.[5] Retrospectively, 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die called its environments vast and twisted, stating it 'brilliantly' captured traditional Sonic elements.[27]
The Chao minigame was noted as a major departure from the gameplay of the series.[5][8]GameSpot wrote that 'while really just a diversion', the Chao were an interesting, fun addition, singling out their internet functions as a highlight.[7]AllGame said the Chao helped increase the replay value, although it was 'strange', required patience, and did not provide bonuses in the main game.[8]Game Revolution called the Chao 'a neat addition' and praised its use of the VMU.[5]
Some critics compared Sonic Adventure to Super Mario 64—Nintendo's 'groundbreaking' 1996 game that propelled the Nintendo 64 and the 3D platform genre.[22][8]Edge said Sonic Adventure was a worthy rival to Super Mario 64,[22] but AllGame wrote that Sonic Adventure was not as ambitious and that those looking for exploration would be disappointed with its linear gameplay. They compared it to the similarly linear Crash Bandicoot but felt Sonic Adventure was more confined. Still, they praised the gameplay as varied and said its replay value was strong.[8] Game journalists Rusel DeMaria and Johnny L. Wilson retrospectively wrote Sonic Adventure was not as strong as Super Mario 64 and 'failed to catch on with players in nearly the way that [Mario] had done', though it had fascinating features, such as 'the use of the Tamagotchi-like memory card to incubate eggs for little pet creatures' and 'some good action segments'.[70]
The camera system and glitches were criticized by many reviewers.[71]IGN called the camera 'incredibly' frustrating and inconsistent, and GameSpot noted it caused problems with collision detection.[6][7]Edge complained the camera sometimes goes behind walls.[63] Authors from GamesRadar retrospectively wrote that Sonic Adventure was 'horrendously buggy', singling out falling through floors and getting stuck, but also said the sheer amount of content made up for this.[71]
GameSpot thought Sonic Adventure redefined the possibilities of the platform genre,[7] and according to Computer and Video Games (CVG), 'many things you thought were impossible to see and experience in computer games are now here'.[46]AllGame wrote that the game was an impressive showing of the Dreamcast's potential and that it was among the best of the series.[8]Edge said its criticisms such as scenery pop-up and instances of poor collision detection are 'minor flaws in an otherwise very fine piece of work'.[63]Arcade and CVG speculated the game could save the Dreamcast,[66][72] which had not sold well by the end of 1998.[66]CVG also thought it could re-establish Sega as the dominant console manufacturer after the relatively unsuccessful Saturn.[72]
Rereleases[edit]
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut was received less positively than the original.[73]GameSpot was disappointed the rerelease did not address the problems of the original version, irritated the graphics were only marginally different, and dissatisfied with its collision detection. They offered some praise for the extra features, such as the missions, but concluded players were better off playing the Dreamcast version.[2]IGN agreed, calling it 'a sloppy port of a game that has long been undeserving of its high praise.' IGN noted its frequent frame rate drops and called its camera one of the worst they had ever seen. They said the connectivity to the GBA Sonic games added depth but concluded this did not compensate for the problems in the port.[9]Nintendo World Report was more positive, praising the Game Gear games for retaining their multiplayer support and finding Sonic and Tails’ gameplay enjoyable.[36]
Reviews of the 2010 rerelease were generally unfavorable;[74] most of the criticism was directed at the perceived lack of effort put into the port.[56][75]IGN called it 'so fundamentally flawed that it borders on unplayable', observing that the sections that worked best required the least input from the player. They criticized the lack of widescreen support but offered minor praise for its steady frame rate.[75]1UP.com lambasted the port for what they called its slapdash quality, criticizing its display, controls, and dated design, and saying it 'feels like it wasn't even tuned for the Xbox 360 controller and its analog sticks'.[56]Destructoid was less harsh, writing that fans of the franchise would be able to enjoy the game but warned casual players that 'all you'll find is a relic that was once considered greatness', and that it pained them to say that.[76]
Legacy[edit]
With most contemporary 3D platform games focusing on exploration and collecting items, Sonic Adventure stood out with its linear gameplay.[7] According to GamesRadar, as one of the first sixth-generation console games, it changed the industry 'forever'.[71]Joystiq wrote that both Adventure and the original Sonic the Hedgehog had innovated—in 3D and 2D games, respectively—through effective linear level design and by feeling 'good to play'.[77] In 2009, GamePro listed Sonic Adventure as the seventh-best platform game of all time, saying it had not aged well in certain aspects but its core gameplay remained among the best of the Sonic series.[69] Several journalists ranked the game among the series' best,[78][79] but Kotaku argued the addition of voice acting and greater focus on plot changed Sonic into 'a flat, lifeless husk of a character, who spits out slogans and generally has only one personality mode, the radical attitude dude, the sad recycled image of vague '90s cultural concept'.[80]
Many of Sonic Adventure's designs and concepts were reused in later Sonic games. The direction, basic gameplay, and Uekawa's modernized character designs became series staples.[81][26] One level in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehogreboot heavily references Sonic Adventure's Emerald Coast stage.[82] To celebrate the Sonic series' 20th anniversary in 2011, Sega released Sonic Generations, which reused aspects from past games in the franchise. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows versions contain reimagined versions of the Speed Highway level and the Perfect Chaos boss fight,[83][84] and the Nintendo 3DS version contains a remake of Emerald Coast.[85]
Several characters that first appeared in Sonic Adventure appeared in later games. As well as appearing in Sonic Generations, Chaos is an antagonist in the 2017 entry Sonic Forces;[86] it and Gamma are playable characters in the 2004 fighting gameSonic Battle;[87] and a recreation of its boss fight appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.[88] The Chao creatures also feature predominantly in later games.[29][89] One of the characters introduced in Adventure, Big the Cat, became infamous for his negative reception. Game Informer considered his gameplay painful and boring,[90] while Destructoid decried his portrayal as a 'mentally handicapped imbecile' and his voice actor's incoherent performance.[76] Big is widely considered by video game journalists the worst character in the Sonic franchise,[90][91][92] and was named one of the worst game characters in a poll conducted by 1UP.com.[93]
On October 4, 1999, Sega announced that a sequel to Sonic Adventure was in development.[94]Sonic Adventure 2 made its debut at E3 2000[95] and was released in June 2001.[96] The sequel was designed to be more action-oriented than the slower-paced, story-centric Adventure and to give all the characters equal playtime.[29] Like its predecessor, Sonic Adventure 2 received positive reviews.[97] A concept for Sonic Adventure 3 was reworked into the 2008 game Sonic Unleashed.[98] In 2017, Iizuka stated there were no plans for a third Sonic Adventure game, saying it would not advance the series' design. He did not rule out the idea, saying 'If we can get the gameplay to evolve and get to a place where Adventure 3 makes sense, then you might see an Adventure 3 come out'.[99] In December 2018, Iizuka expressed interest in remakingSonic Adventure.[100]
The plot of Sonic Adventure was adapted in the second season of the 2003 Sonic the Hedgehoganime series Sonic X. American licensing corporation 4Kids Entertainment hired a new voice cast for the English-language dub but the Japanese cast from the games reprised their roles in the original version of the show.[101]Archie Comics also adapted the game in its Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. The comic offered an explanation for the altered character designs and established that Station Square was hidden beneath Sonic's planet, Mobius.[102]
Notes[edit]
- ^Japanese: ソニックアドベンチャーHepburn: Sonikku Adobenchā?
- ^Only three Sonic games were produced for the Saturn: Sonic 3D Blast in 1996, and Sonic Jam and Sonic R in 1997. Sonic R was the only original game in the series for the Saturn, as 3D Blast and Jam were ports of Genesis games.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ abc'First Look at Sonic Adventure'(PDF). Computer and Video Games (203). October 1998. Archived(PDF) from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ^ abcdVaranini, Giancarlo (June 23, 2003). 'Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut Review'. GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
- ^ abcdeSonic Adventure instruction manual. Sega. 1999.
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External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Sonic Adventure |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sonic Adventure. |
- Official website‹See Tfd›(in Japanese)
- Sonic Adventure DX at Sega's official website ‹See Tfd›(in Japanese) (archive)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonic_Adventure&oldid=904304488'
Dreamcast Conversion is a mod for Sonic Adventure DX, created byPiKeyAr.
Description:
This mod attempts to restore Dreamcast assets (including levels, textures, sounds and some objects/effects) in Sonic Adventure DX PC. The main focus of this mod is porting Dreamcast Sonic Adventure Action Stages, Adventure Fields and boss arenas to SADX. Some level object ports have also been done to improve texture quality and restore missing detail, animations and effects. A companion mod called Sound Overhaul restores some of the deleted sounds and replaces most ingame sound effects with higher-quality sounds ripped from the Dreamcast version. The long-term goal of this project is to reproduce the Dreamcast SA1 experience in SADX PC as accurately as possible, including graphics, sound, branding etc. This mod is designed for use with SADX Mod Loader. It is split into several mini-mods which you can enable or disable independently.
To tun this mod use SADX Mod Loader.
Report problems with download to [email protected]
Name | Type | Size | Date | Total | 7 days |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sonic Adventure DX - BetterSADX v.4.0 | mod | 502.6 MB | 2/20/2017 | 4.9K | 107 |
Sonic Adventure DX - ENG | demo | 106.2 MB | 2/9/2004 | 5.7K | 35 |
Sonic Adventure DX - Dreamcast Conversion v.7 | mod | 413.6 MB | 12/3/2017 | 998 | 17 |
Sonic Adventure DX - Sonic Adventure Generations DX v7.0 | mod | 185 MB | 5/15/2017 | 831 | 11 |
Please consider supporting The Cutting Room Floor on Patreon. Thanks for all your support!
< Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (GameCube)
This is a sub-page of Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (GameCube).
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut is a port of Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast. In addition to the extra content, there are actually tons of changes from the original version, ranging anywhere from tiny to huge.
As can be expected, anything having to do with the Dreamcast was removed in the port, such as the file selection menu, the posters in levels that referenced the Dreamcast, and button prompts. These changes were made for obvious reasons and won't be covered here. Extra content that was simply added to justify the port (including Mission Mode and the Game Gear games) won't be listed either.
- 2Gameplay Differences
- 5Adventure Fields
- 5.1Station Square
- 5.2Egg Carrier
- 5.3Mystic Ruins
- 6Stage Differences
- 7Bosses
- 8Chao Gardens
Menu Differences
- The 'PRESENTED BY' text above the SEGA logo uses a different font and the trademark symbol was changed from '™' to '®'.
GameCube |
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- The Sonic Team logo is now a static screen, rather than being part of the intro movie.
GameCube |
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- The game's sound credits were moved from the end credits to an additional screen appearing after the Sonic Team logo.
- The memory card screen was changed to accommodate for the GameCube. Rather than eight possible slots, there are now only two. This lowers the max possible file count from 24 to 6.
- The file select screen now displays the selected memory card alongside the files.
GameCube |
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- The game's logo was completely redesigned for Director's Cut. The cork-board and mirages were replaced with something a bit clearer and more generic. The intro movie was modified accordingly to include it.
- The title screen was totally redesigned. The Dreamcast version focuses on the game's logo, with pre-rendered mirages of Station Square and an unknown castle-like structure in the background. The background may or may not feature animated ripples (see the original game's regional differences). On the other hand, Director's Cut features a large pre-rendered 3D Sonic next to the logo with scrolling clouds in the background.
GameCube |
---|
- The background of the menus that reflect the title screen are also different as a result, but the format of the menus remain the same in the GameCube version.
- The second option in the Trial menu was changed from 'Mini Game' to 'Sub Game' for the GameCube version. This only applies to the English text - the Japanese equivilent of the option is unchanged.
- Seeing as the GameCube cannot get online, the Internet option on the main menu was removed. Furthermore, the options for 'Mission Mode' and 'Mini Game Collection' were added.
GameCube |
---|
- In the Options menu, the Dreamcast version's TV Setting was replaced with a toggle for the GameCube's rumble feature. The TV Setting allows setting 50/60 Hz mode.
- The File Change icon's red arrows are animated in Director's Cut, but not the Dreamcast version.
GameCube |
---|
Gameplay Differences
- All cutscenes can be skipped by pressing the Start button. In the Dreamcast version, only the introduction could be skipped.
- Director's Cut runs at 60FPS during main gameplay, compared to the original game which would only run at 60 FPS in menus or Twinkle Circuit. Unfortunately, the new higher framerate is unstable and frequently dips.
- The game's loading times are notably different. In general, the GameCube version loads slower than the Dreamcast version, but appears to transition between areas in the adventure fields faster due to its higher frame rate.
- The collision in the game appears to have been heavily modified, with most of the collision barriers either being weakened or removed in DX.
- Cream the Rabbit makes a cameo appearance in the GameCube version where at a certain point in each character's story she can briefly be seen flying around Station Square.
- Gamma's adventure mode is no longer permanently stuck at night after completing his story.
- One cutscene at the end of Amy's story fades out early in the GameCube version to avoid displaying an animation error.
Pause Menu
GameCube |
---|
- A 'Free Camera' option was added, allowing full camera control via the C-stick. The original game supported only rotation and first-person view; this mode is kept as 'Auto Camera'. The camera resets to 'Auto Camera' whenever a new map is loaded.
- A map option was added to the pause menu in adventure fields.
- In the Dreamcast version the start button was used to confirm choices in the pause menu. The pause menu controls were changed in DX to use A and B as confirm/cancel choices respectively, with the start button being used as an alternate cancel.
- The pause menu's background was changed from a transparent rounded gradient into a solid blue box.
- A flashing effect was added to the pause menu's cursor.
- The pause menu now specifies which game mode the player is currently in.
- The racing bar in Tails' stages does not disappear while the game is paused in the GameCube Version.
- In the Dreamcast version, the player could remove the overlay from the Pause screen by holding the X and Y buttons. This ability was removed in Director's Cut.
- The GameCube version has a greater draw distance.
Graphical Differences
- The Dreamcast's palette based lighting system (Lantern), was completely replaced for the GameCube version, with something more generic; each stage is lit very differently to its Dreamcast counterpart, including the character lighting and stage fog.
- The HUD was repositioned slightly and made bigger in the GameCube version. This has the side effect of making the HUD somewhat blurred though.
- All of the main character models were enhanced greatly for Director's Cut, though the animations weren't updated.
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
- The 'Now Saving' icon that appears in the upper right corner of the screen doubles as a progress bar that gradually fills as the save/load progresses in the Dreamcast version. The text was changed in the GameCube version: now it is located on the bottom-right or top-right of the screen, is in a generic white font, and does not double as a progress bar. The GameCube version also includes a 'Now Loading' variant.
- Transparency issues on the Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Big life box icons were fixed.
- The life icon for Tails was remade - his head is slightly larger and his hand was removed.
GameCube |
---|
- The names on the character select wheel are slightly transparent in the Dreamcast version, but are opaque in DX.
- The original game's textures seem to have undergone some minor quality loss in DX, with many having more artifacts present than their equivilents in the Dreamcast version.
- The aliasing problems that were present in the Dreamcast version have been fixed.
- The Dreamcast version featured rather low-quality water textures with choppy animation. In Director's Cut, the GameCube's TEV system is used for more advanced water effects, including more realistic textures and rippling on objects below the surface.
GameCube |
---|
- In the original Japanese release of the Dreamcast version, Sonic's feet had a unique 'wheel' effect while running at top speed, akin to the classic games. The blur effect was removed for later releases, but the shoe distortion remained. In DX, the distortion effect is no longer present, though Sonic's shoes do have a texture bug in the state it would have appeared in. The distortion effect never appeared for the light shoes, so the bug only happens with Sonic's regular shoes.
Original JP (DC) | Revised (DC) | Director's Cut (GCN) |
---|
Audio Differences
- The music stops while selecting a file.
- The music does not fade out while moving between areas in Adventure fields.
- The sound of the cars in Station Square was changed to be more dynamic.
- The waterfalls in the Mystic Ruins are louder.
- Ring, monitor, and emblem collection sounds are lower in pitch than the Dreamcast version, for some reason. The Ring sound in the Dreamcast version is the original in C Major, so the sound in Director's Cut is inconsistent with the rest of the series. The lower-pitched monitor sound got reused in Shadow the Hedgehog.
- Some voice effects were changed, like when Tails begins to fly or when Amy swings her hammer.
Adventure Fields
The Adventure Fields received more drastic changes than the action stages.
Station Square
Station Square was overhauled for the GameCube version. Most of the buildings and features were redesigned or retextured and overall it was revamped to a much higher quality than the other areas of the game.
City Hall
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
- The City Hall building itself had a major redesign - it no longer has the clock tower from the original game, instead replacing it with a copy of the building's lower segment.
- The buildings around city hall were also given redesigns.
Station
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
- There is more prominent fog.
- It's possible to see a bit further into the garage in the original version.
- The reflections on the doors are differently arranged, but they depict the original Dreamcast colors, even on the GameCube version.
- The road was changed from dark blue to more realistic gray asphalt. Similarly, the yellowish sidewalk was changed to a duller gray.
Casino
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
- The walkway is more transparent in the original version, and has more arch supports.
- The Hotel and sidewalk still use their textures from the Dreamcast version in this area.
- The sign on the burger shop (the colorful building near the back) was changed.
- The reflections on the hotel doors (back) are darker in the GameCube version.
- A sign for 'Ken's Play Room' was added next to the entrance to Casinopolis.
- The train that transports characters between Station Square and the Mystic Ruins is blue in Director's Cut instead of red.
Sewer
GameCube |
---|
- The water uses a murky green texture rather than the clearer one from the original game.
- The large box in this area was retextured.
Hotel
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
- The Hotel's interior is no longer dark at night.
- The Hotel's interior and exterior were retextured.
Twinkle Park Entrance
GameCube |
---|
- The area has a more colorful design than it does in the Dreamcast version, which is primarily blue.
Egg Carrier
The Dreamcast version has a prominent green tint throughout the Egg Carrier. This is not present in the GameCube version, with many of the green features (such as lights and glass) being replaced by blue ones.
Exterior
GameCube |
---|
- The Monorail station has a scrolling icon of the Monorail on its lights in the Dreamcast version. It was removed in the GameCube version.
- The color of the Monorail station's light on the exterior was changed from green to blue.
- Fog was added to the exterior area.
Captain's Room
GameCube |
---|
- Part of the chair in the Captain's Room was removed for unknown reasons.
Living Quarters
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
- The Living Quarters have some minor texture differences - one of the textures on the wall in the entrance area is upside-down, the color of the checkerboard texture on the rockets in the left room was changed from red to blue, and one of the textures on the ceiling of the room on the right was changed.
Pool Area
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
Sonic Adventure Dx Gamecube Vs Dreamcast
- The lights on the wall around the pool area are more rounded.
- The textures on the walls in the pool area were changed slightly.
Main Hall
GameCube |
---|
- The hint boxes are no longer purple.
Hedgehog Hammer
Other than the doors and hint box, the Adventure Field and Subgame versions of Hedgehog Hammer room are identical in the Dreamcast version. This is not the case in the GameCube version.
Dreamcast | GameCube (Adventure Field) | GameCube (Subgame) |
---|
- Parts of the Adventure Field version of the room were removed.
- The Subgame version of the room has a number of incorrect textures.
Prison
GameCube |
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- The color of the lights above the cells were changed from green to blue.
Upgrade Rooms
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- Gamma's upgrade rooms have noticably different lighting.
Chao Garden Warp
GameCube |
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- The Chao Garden warp room was given a number of texture changes.
Mystic Ruins
Main Area
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The main area was heavily redesigned in the GameCube version to have a lighter appearance than the Dreamcast version. Curiously, these changes were not applied to the other parts of the adventure field.
- The waterfall was slightly changed.
- The folding palm trees lining Tails' runway are properly lit in the GameCube version.
Angel Island
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The walls in this area are lined with trees in the original game, but were removed for the GameCube version.
- The top of the walls surrounding the area were made more jagged.
Jungle
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The paths can be seen through the canopy of the jungle.
- The color of the water is different.
- In the Dreamcast version, fog will appear while roaming the jungle itself. The fog was removed in the GameCube version.
Eggman's Base
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The glass tubes containing the robotic Sonics are brighter.
- The lower area received a slight redesign.
Stage Differences
Individual areas and levels had specific changes done to them.
Emerald Coast
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The skybox is now correctly centered around the player.
- In the Dreamcast version, the water is attached to the skybox and moves with it. In the GameCube version, the water is rendered as fixed squares.
- The water effects are considerably cheaper-looking in DX, most noticeable around the killer whale chase. Instead of actual waves appearing, the water model simply moves up and down.
- The stage has the same 'shaded areas' effect as Station Square.
- The palm trees with Kikis on were made shorter.
Windy Valley
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- A number of textures in Act 1 were made slightly darker.
- For some reason, the paths weren't darkened in DX but the grass was, leaving some odd cutoff when the two meet.
- The fog present when the tornado appears was significantly reduced.
- Some wall textures in Act 1 were changed.
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- A Rhinotank that spawns under the floor can be found in the GameCube version.
Casinopolis
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- Oddly enough, the Sonic statue still uses Sonic's model from the Dreamcast version.
- The textures on the walls of the main area and the shower room were changed.
- The 'SHOWER ROOM' sign is thicker and uses a texture instead of reflective letters.
- The lights around the lion aren't affected by fog in the GameCube version.
- In the Dreamcast version, the ring vault contains a slope. This was changed into three large steps in the GameCube version.
- The fog in the main area was reduced.
- Invisible walls were added to the top of the pinball entrances to prevent Sonic Spin Dashing into Knuckles' area.
- The walls in the upper half of the main hall were given collision when playing as Sonic.
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The textures of the walls in Dilapidated Way were changed,the trash piles were made greener and the map was given a blue fog.
- The water in Dilapidated Way is no longer green.
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- Some of the walls on the SONIC Pinball table were changed.
- Sonic is no longer pinball-colored in neither the SONIC or NiGHTS table.
- The textures on the borders of the NiGHTS Pinball table were changed.
Icecap
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- In the Dreamcast version, the stage's textures are mainly blue and brown. This was changed to white and gray for DX.
- The lighting on the player is much brighter than the original stage.
- An invisible wall was added around the bridge in Act 2 to prevent Sonic being able to clip through the bridge easily. (It can still be done though despite this)
- Act 2 was given a slight gray fog.
- Weakened collision at the beginning of Act 3 makes it possible to skip the snowboarding section in DX.
GameCube |
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- Big's act in the Dreamcast version is set at night. In the GameCube version, it's set during the day.
Twinkle Park
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The textures in Act 1 were given a major redesign. The track was given a blue theme rather than a red one.
- The beginning and the end of Act 1 were given transparent ceilings.
- The tunnels on the cart track glow in the Dreamcast version. In the GameCube version, only a certain number of parts in them glow.
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- Act 2 was given a more brighter appearance and details such as paths and red carpets were added.
- A column was added to the large pool area.
- The fog in Act 2 was reduced.
Speed Highway
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The stage loses the blue nighttime coloration it had in the Dreamcast version.
- The roads received the same changes from blue to gray as the roads in Station Square.
GameCube |
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- The Dreamcast version includes 2 circles of rings at the bottom of the section that were removed from Director's Cut.
- In the Dreamcast version, all background sounds stop after Sonic reaches the bottom. In Director's Cut, the howling winds keep playing.
- The potted plants received a minor visual upgrade for DX and the lighting is slightly brighter.
GameCube |
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Red Mountain
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The amount of color in most textures was reduced, including the grass and crates in the stage.
- Act 2 was given more fog and is overall less shiny than the original.
- The eyes on the lava platforms in Act 2 do not glow in the GameCube version.
Sky Deck
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- Many platforms in the stage had their textures changed from yellow to blue ones.
- The lighting does not change when the clouds get darker.
Dreamcast | GameCube |
---|
- The clouds that pass through the stage are stationary in the GameCube version.
- A slight gray fog was added.
Lost World
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The Dreamcast version has more foliage, some growing on the walls and ceiling. The grass is greener, too.
- The entrance to the next area changed from a square entrance to a rounded arch in the GameCube version.
- Most of the area's textures are slightly different.
- The walls of the rivulet are thicker in the GameCube version.
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The fog color changed noticeably; from a somewhat-blinding white in the Dreamcast version to a more subdued dark gray.
- The textures on the walls of various parts of the stage including the above image and the wall panel room in Act 2 were changed.
- The Dreamcast version maps a ground texture to bottomless pits, while the GameCube version uses a fog texture.
Final Egg
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- An Egg Keeper at the beginning of the stage was removed.
- The Dreamcast version of the stage has many yellow elements in Acts 1 and 3, but the GameCube version replaces it with darker elements.
- A capsule sitting out of bounds that could let the player complete the stage in 5 seconds was removed.
- The ceiling in the large vertical area in Act 2 was made entirely black.
- An invisible wall was removed behind the entrance to Act 2, making it possible to Spin Dash out of bounds easily.
Hot Shelter
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The water in Act 1 was made brighter and less green.
- The lighting in the stage was made brighter.
- The center of the drainage room was given a border texture.
- Some red elements in Act 2 were changed to blue ones.
Sand Hill
GameCube |
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- Shadows are present along the walls of the stage in the GameCube version.
Sky Chase
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- Due to the lack of Z-layering in DX, the Egg Carrier is not visible until it enters the Skybox in Act 1.
- There is more of a shadow underneath the Egg Carrier.
- The lighting in Act 2 is slightly brighter.
- In both Acts, Sonic and Tails use noticeably lower-poly models during gameplay in the Dreamcast version, likely to keep the framerate consistent. In DX, they use the same models as the rest of the game.
Twinkle Circuit
GameCube |
---|
- The stage was redesigned with mainly green colors. The (now unused) DLC courses were not updated.
- The lighting was modified significantly similar to Twinkle Park's track.
Bosses
Chaos 0
GameCube |
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- The map was updated to match the redesigned City Hall.
Chaos 2
GameCube |
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- Chaos 2 is darker.
- The glass around the perimeter of the boss arena is more opaque in the GameCube version, making it hard to see if not impossible to look at the city background behind it.
Chaos 4
GameCube |
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- Many textures were changed, including the walls and trees around the arena.
- The pond is more clear and less green.
- The pond doesn't change to a 'purified' texture when Chaos 4 isn't swimming in it.
- It's easier to see the bottom of the pond in the GameCube version.
Chaos 6
GameCube |
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- The fog was made thicker.
- Chaos is more opaque in the GameCube version.
Perfect Chaos
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The buildings around the stage were revamped heavily, with entirely different models and textures.
- Waterfalls were added to a number of buildings.
- A section of destroyed road at the starting point of the stage was removed.
- Perfect Chaos is considerably brighter in DX.
- More fog was added.
- Road segments are darker.
- The water is a slightly dirtier color.
Egg Hornet
GameCube |
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- The map was updated to match the redesigned Mystic Ruins.
- The lighting is much brighter.
- Fog was added.
Egg Walker
GameCube |
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- The map was updated to match the redesigned Station Square.
- 'The Man 3' billboard is now correctly 'Chao in Space'.
- Eggman is very brightly lit in the GameCube version.
- The Hotel's doors oddly enough aren't present in the GameCube version.
Egg Viper
GameCube |
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- The color scheme of the platforms and the walls of the arena seem to have swapped - with yellow platforms and gray walls becoming gray platforms and yellow walls.
E-101
GameCube |
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- The map was updated to match the redesigned base.
- The lighting was changed similarly to the Egg Carrier in that the green tint on the characters was removed.
ZERO/E-101mk.II
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The lighting was changed - ZERO and E-101mk.II are notably shinier.
- Fog was added.
Chao Gardens
The Chao gardens were modified to improve a Chao's ability to travel around the garden.
GameCube |
---|
- The Black Market from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle has been added to the Station Square Chao Garden, and functions the same way.
- Director's Cut uses the Sonic Adventure 2: Battle advanced Chao raising system (on-screen stats, petting, whistling).
- Chao do not have HP in DX, so they can't die from taking too much abuse unlike the Dreamcast version.
- Button icons were added to the HUD for the Chao Gardens.
Station Square Garden
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- The Dreamcast version has an oval-shaped painting of the sky. The GameCube changes this to an actual glass ceiling with a view of the sky.
- The water area was changed. In the Dreamcast version, there are minor shallow pools with two quarter-temples hugging the corners of the walls. In the GameCube version, the shallow water is still there, but the quarter-temples have been replaced with a full temple in the middle, complete with a decorative fountain.
- The Station Square Chao Garden's entrance to the Chao Races has two sets of doors in the Dreamcast version. In the GameCube version, the menus are loaded immediately after setting foot through the first set of doors, and the other set doesn't exist. The doors are designed differently; the GCN version lacks the Chao faces and adds the text 'Chao Race' above the door, so the player knows where it leads.
- The small garden/tree area got slight texture upgrades for Director's Cut.
- The GameCube version added a sign to the 'Chao Laboratory' website.
Mystic Ruins
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- A bridge and raised area connected to it was removed.
- An invisible wall was added to stop the player jumping over the fence and dying.
- Additional lighting was added for the garden at evening and night.
- The background texture for evening and night was changed.
Egg Carrier
GameCube |
---|
- The island is much shorter.
- The ocean surrounding the island is no longer deep enough to drown in.
- An invisible wall on top of the missile was removed, making it possible to stand on top of it.
- A clear perimeter of the garden was added. In the Dreamcast version, the perimeter was only an invisible wall.
- A bug was fixed where a Chao sometimes wouldn't spawn.
Chao Transporter
GameCube |
---|
- The transporter's main purpose was changed from Chao Adventure to GBA features.
- The menu is in the garden in the Dreamcast version, but on a separate screen in the GameCube version.
- The transporter was given the ability to name and delete Chao directly in the GameCube version.
- The transporter was changed from a VMU to a GBA to reflect the changes made to it.
Chao Race
Dreamcast | GameCube |
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- In the Dreamcast version, the Chao Race lobby is playable. Once the character steps on the button in the middle of the room, the menus appear; otherwise, they are free to move around. As a side note, 4 decorative Omochaos appear in this interactive lobby- this marks their first appearance, not Sonic Adventure 2. They don't fly around or say anything annoying..yet..
- In the GameCube version, the lobby is just a menu, and it has been redesigned. Instead of an 'Entry' button, the GameCube version has a walkway leading to some kind of monitor. The numbers on the walls were decorated a bit further and the arrows leading into each one were removed.
- The menus themselves have been changed and stylized further.
- The music is different. The Dreamcast version plays 'Letz Get the Party Started'- the same catchy dance music that plays in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle's Chao World lobby. The GameCube version plays a completely different, calmer track, which was also used in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle's Chao Race menu.
(Source: Sonic Retro for information on various things in this article (but not all of it).)
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