Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut
I still remember when this game first came out looking at it in all the magazines and really wishing I could play it. Of course that was way back in 1999 when it was a Dreamcast launch title. Fortunately I was never tempted to buy myself an ill fated Dreamcast and when it went under Sega of course went on to focus on their software instead. This then is how Sonic Adventure makes its’ debut on computer and I didn’t hesitate to finally check it out. The computer market differs quite a bit from consoles so I can’t imagine what the average computer gamer would think of playing an aging console title in this day and age but I think this game is aimed squarely at the fans of the spiky blue one. In case you don’t know the story by now it centers around the evil Dr. Robotnik and his latest madcap plan. He’s once again after the seven chaos emeralds this time to summon up some powerful monster called “chaos”. Sonic is there to make sure this doesn’t happen though and he’ll also meet up with a few of his friends in this adventure. Although this game is getting a bit long in the tooth by now there’s still a lot to get excited about here for Sonic fans and while it might look like just another simple console game at first glance you’d be surprised at how long this one will keep you busy. You can of course just breeze through in two or three hours if you do the bare minimum and don’t’ care about any of the extras or endings but true fans will find themselves hooked for days unlocking everything on offer.
Since this was a Dreamcast game like I said the graphics which once looked so awesome look a little dusty compared to recent fare and unfortunately Sega hasn’t done much to improve things for the computer. The gameworld is quite big and everything is fully 3d but the textures are pretty basic and don’t expect any fancy new features like bump mapping, pixel shaders or anything like that. The level designs are some of the craziest I’ve ever seen though and twist and turn in all directions. You might be running down the side of a building one moment or soaring high up into the heart of a tornado the next. Playing as Sonic the game is lighting fast and all those loops, twists and turns now look better than ever. There are about ten levels set in locations like the Emerald Coast, Windy Valley, Twinkle Park, Lost World and more. Of course this wouldn’t be much of an adventure game if there weren’t adventure segments too and while these parts are pretty basic they do flesh the game out a bit more than just running around would have. You’ll mostly be strolling around Station Central or the Mystic Ruins taking to people and following very basic clues to the next location but it’s a nice touch none the less. It will also be in these segments that you usually meet the other characters that you can unlock and then use to play the game. In total there are six unique characters (not counting Super Sonic which only the hardcore players will unlock) to play with and each one is totally unique. While the Sonic levels might be all about speed playing as Big the cat sees you catching fish to finish levels. Or how about searching for emerald fragments as Knuckles. If you like a bit more action and shooting then E-102 is your man er robot and for those with a cutesy side Amy Rose will brighten your game. While these extra characters might not have as much levels as Sonic they are a lot of fun to play with and change the way you play completely making for some varied and unique challenges. It’s clear to see that Sega tried to cram as much as possible into this game and the effort really pays off. The game is also jam packed with little bonus games like playing pinball in the casino, snowboarding or even a fully fledged breeding/racing game where you raise little creatures called “Chao”. This segments (which are completely optional) alone can keep you busy for ages. Completing levels and objects also earns you emblems and the good news is that for every twenty you collect you unlock a new mini game. These aren’t your average mini games though as they consist of previous Sonic titles that came out for earlier consoles like the Game Gear. Show me what true Sonic fan won’t be thrilled to have these earlier classics. You’ll have to work hard to get them all though. If the replay value wasn’t high enough already with all the characters once you complete Adventure mode you’ll also open up Trial and Mission modes for that character. Trial mode simply allows you to redo levels with new objectives like time limits or other goals in order to earn more emblems. Mission mode is more like an adventure game as you wander around finding cards that give you a specific goal to aim for and then go try and complete it. So while you might complete the game with Sonic in a day or two doing absolutely everything you can possibly do in this game could literally take weeks. Knowing the average computer player I have my doubts as to whether many will go this far. The audio is just about bearable and each of the characters has their own corny theme tune always playing in the background. All the main characters also have full speech and overall the voice overs aren’t too bad. If you plan on seriously playing this game I highly recommend a gamepad though. In fact mine got busted in the middle of the game and playing with the keyboard met with disastrous results. I rather waited until my gamepad was fixed than muddle on with the keyboard. Bottom line is if you don’t have a gamepad get one or prepare to suffer severe carpel tunnel syndrome. So far I haven’t really gone into any negative points and unfortunately the game has quite a few. The dated graphics I can still live with but the horrible camera problems really suck and at times almost spoil the game. The camera has this nasty habit of constantly switching angles while your playing and this can result in some untimely deaths if you don’t pay attention to what direction you’re traveling in. In the slower segments the camera is also often obscured by parts of the scenery or struggle to keep up with you if you move around too fast. You can manually reposition the thing but it’s still a hassle and considering the level layouts in this game something that should have been more polished. The game can also become slightly repetitive after a while and the challenge level isn’t that high. There are a few other annoying niggles but nothing as bad and nothing that will detract fans from playing the game. Sonic Adventure is going to appeal only to a certain type of player who loves squeezing every ounce of fun out of a game. Those just looking for a game with graphics that will impress their friends and the usual computer style gameplay won’t like this. While Sonic Adventure might not be the landmark title it was when it first appeared it’s still a fun and long lasting game that will thrill action fans. At least it adds some variety to the usual stale assortment of computer games. |
System Requirements
TAGS: Sonic Adventure Dx: Director's Cut, Sonic, Dr. Robotnik
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