(DISCLAIMER: This is my first real blog entry and it may be a mess grammar-wise or whatever and if it is I'm sorry! It's also worth mentioning I am NOT a huge Sonic fan, but I do have fond memories of him and will treat each game fairly).
Hey, guys! So every couple years or so I get a huge Sonic the Hedgehog craving. A week ago it happened again for the first time in a couple years and I found myself replaying Adventure DX, Adventure 2 Battle HD and Sonic Generations in about a week. I'm also a little ways into Unleashed (which is okay!) and have Heroes on the way in the mail. The goal with this blog series is to give a sort of mini-review for each game and at the end after I've played every single one of them (including 06, which I've never ever played!), give you my favourite to least-favourite. I hope you enjoy! This first blog will be focusing on Adventure 1 DX solely, 'cause if I focused on all 3 I've played thus far, it'd just go on for way too long.
Sonic Adventure DX was the first Sonic game I had/beat I believe. I have a lot of nostalgia for it, but after replaying it, I'm not entirely sure why I loved it so much. It's actually pretty horrible.....But I still find it enjoyable? Let's get into it.
The Story (2/5)
I consider the weirdly over-the-top and sometimes serious storylines to be a pretty big part of 3D Sonic games, and this is where it all began for that stuff. You begin as Sonic fighting some weird blue blob monster in front of city hall, and things get pretty crazy from there. From seeings visions of the past to battling an almighty god, the game tries to go pretty big, for better or for worse. You play through the story through the perspective of six characters, some definitely more crucial than others, as you try to piece everything together. After you complete all six character's stories, you're treated to a final story the wrap up everything in a pretty cool way. The story really does try, but it could have done a lot more, and the terribly animated cutscenes don't help it out too much. Some characters get barely any screen time or development and others just seem downright pointless to the whole picture. It's all kind of a mess, but it's still appreciated and adds to the mood of the game.
The Gameplay (2/5)
I remember the gameplay being FAR better than this. Then again, kid me also loved games like Seven Samurai 20XX, sooo. Anyway, the game has six characters, who all have different abilities, upgrades, stories, etc. There's Sonic,whose ability is, you guessed it, homing attacks and super speed, and his levels are mostly just classic 3D Sonic platforming. There's Gamma, whose levels are mostly just third person shooting (not the kind you're thinking of) and boss battles, Big the Cat, who focuses on a crappy fishing mini-game in all his levels, and a few more. Sonic's levels are by far the most enjoyable in the game, but even his aren't great. The controls feel clunky and mess up most of the time, and the level design isn't fantastic. In fact some stages are just downright horrible. All the stories are only an hour or so long with the exception of Sonic so you don't have to put up with the other characters that much. Overall, the gameplay is not great. The inclusion of hub areas are a nice touch, and the graphics are good, but that's about all the really good things about it. Oh, there's also a little " animal " raising mini game called the Chao Garden. It's pretty cool too, I guess. Music is also nice.
Final Thoughts (2/5)
The game is far worse than I remember it being, but it's still fairly enjoyable if you're looking for a short-ish game and go into it knowing it's kind of a clunky mess. It still holds a special place in my heart and I'll most likely play through it another few times in my life and enjoy it somehow.
Anyway, that was my first entry in this blog series that I may or may not continue. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading~!
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