Sonic Adventure
Encyclopedia
is a 1999 platform
video game developed
by Sonic Team
and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan
by Sega
for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG (although the final product was an adventure game
, not a standard RPG). The final updated edition, known as Sonic Adventure International, was released as a launch title on September 9, 1999, in North America
, October 14, 1999, in Europe
, October 18, 1999, in Belgium
, the Netherlands
, and Luxembourg
, and December 1, 1999, in Australia
. It has sold over 2.5 million copies, making it the best-selling Dreamcast game. It was the first Sonic game on a sixth generation console.
An enhanced port was released in 2003 as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (see below) for the Nintendo GameCube
and in 2004 for Microsoft Windows
. The game was ported to Xbox Live Arcade
on September 15, 2010 and PlayStation Network on September 20, 2010. The game was featured on Dreamcast Collection
, a four-game bundle released in 2011.
This game is the first in Sonic series to feature free-roaming 3D gameplay. The game is divided into three types of stages: Action Stages, Adventure Fields and Subgames. The division of Action Stages and Adventure Fields was a serious departure from previous Sonic games. In addition, unlike the previous game in the series, Sonic Adventure has six different characters to choose from: Sonic
, Tails
, Knuckles
, Amy
, Big and E-102 Gamma; each with their own style of gameplay. Only Sonic is playable at first, but other characters are made available after encountering them in his story. When all stories have been completed, a final story is unlocked.
Sonic's stages involve high speed gameplay, whilst Tails' stages require him to reach the end of the level before Sonic (and in one case, Robotnik) does and Knuckles' stages see him searching the area for shards of the Master Emerald. All three of these returning characters retain a lot of their trademark moves from previous Sonic games. Amy's stages require her to escape from the E-100 Zero robot chasing after her, Gamma's stages involve shooting through levels to reach a target and Big's stages involve fishing for his friend, Froggy.
Action Stages are the main playable levels for each character, where the player must face various enemies in order to complete their respective goals. Adventure Fields split up the action, where players can explore the surroundings to advance the plot, discover new levels or search for items which enhance a character's ability (for example, the Light Speed Shoes allow Sonic to run across a path of rings). Subgames deviate from the main gameplay of the character, which include minigames such as kart racing and snowboarding. Players may also find hidden Chao Gardens, which allow them to raise Chao, a sort of virtual pet. Chao can be taken with the player by downloading the minigame Chao Adventure to their VMU
, or in the GameCube version, a Game Boy Advance
with Sonic Advance
. The player can also raise their stats by giving them small animals that they found by defeating the robots, which improves their performance in Chao Races. There are also eggs hidden throughout the Adventure Fields which can produce special types of Chao.
By playing through Action Stages and Subgames, searching through the Adventure Fields or winning Chao Races, players can earn Emblems. In the case of Action Stages, each one has three Emblems, which can be earned by replaying the stages and fulfilling certain objectives, such as beating the level within a time limit. In Sonic Adventure DX, these can unlock hidden extras such as Game Gear games.
speeds, and Miles "Tails" Prower
, a two-tailed fox
who often accompanies Sonic on his adventures; they are the main characters of the game who are in pursuit of Robotnik /DR.Eggman. Supporting characters include Knuckles
, an echidna
who guards the Master Emerald on Angel Island, Amy Rose
, a pink hedgehog who has a crush on Sonic, and newcomers Big the Cat and E-102 Gamma. Big is a purple, noticeably overweight cat who must rescue his best friend Froggy who became possessed by Chaos' tail, and swallows Big's "lucky charm", a Chaos Emerald, which causes him to mutate. Gamma is one among a series of robots designed by Eggman to take orders without question. After an encounter with Amy, 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.
The main antagonist of the game is Dr. Robotnik
, also known as Dr. Eggman because of his round body shape, who 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. Chaos also serves an antagonistic role in the game, and is the guardian of the Chao. He is apparently water or a plasma-like material and changes form after consuming a Chaos Emerald. After consuming all seven Chaos Emeralds, he turns into Perfect Chaos, which Eggman aims to use in order to conquer the planet. The main antagonist of Amy's story is E-100 Alpha (better known as Zero), the first E-100 series robot who is a large green robot and is considered the prototype. Zero is one of Dr. Eggman's Robots sent to find Amy's friend Birdie. He follows Amy wherever she goes hoping to capture her and the bird. At one point he succeeds but Amy is rescued by E-102 Gamma. Eventually Zero is defeated by Amy on the Egg Carrier.
Dr. Eggman's E-Series of robots play a large role in Gamma's story, as he is one of them, and is out to destroy or "save" the others. All of them have letters of the Greek alphabet
as part of their name. 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 Mk II, 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 made up of a few Dreamcast machines.
Friendly characters who are non-playable include Tikal, a mysterious female echidna 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. She appears mostly in the form of a pink ball of light called a Hint Orb. A major feature of the game are Chao
, small creatures who can be raised in the Chao Gardens and play a supporting role in the story.
Years later, Knuckles the Echidna guards the Master Emerald on the floating Angel Island when Chaos is released from the emerald by Dr. Robotnik. Chaos appears in the seaside resort Station Square, and is confronted by Sonic the Hedgehog who defeats him in a fight. The next day, Miles "Tails" Prower crashlands in the city after testing his Chaos Emerald-powered bi-plane. Sonic and Tails go back to the latter's workshop in the Mystic Ruins, but Dr. Robotnik appears with Chaos who eats Tails' emerald and transforms into a stronger form; Dr. Robotnik explaining Chaos will grow stronger with each emerald he eats and will eventually destroy Station Square. Sonic and Tails look for more emeralds but lose the ones they find the Chaos, two lost thanks to an encounter with Knuckles. Dr. Robotnik flies away in his aircraft, the Egg Carrier, which shoots down Sonic and Tails' pursuing plane.
Dr. Robotnik has his E-Series robots including E-102 Gamma search for Froggy, a frog who has absorbed Chaos' tail and a Chaos Emerald. Gamma finds Froggy but is chased by Froggy's owner Big the Cat back to the Egg Carrier. Tails finds another emerald and prepares the Tornado II plane to find Sonic. Sonic himself lands in Station Square where he reunites with Amy Rose, who has taken it upon herself to protect a Flicky bird named Birdy from E-100 Zero. Zero captures Amy and Birdy, escaping to the Egg Carrier. Sonic reunites with Tails and they manage to board the Egg Carrier. Knuckles also boards the aircraft after collecting pieces of the Master Emerald and seeing an image of the Egg Carrier in the emerald.
Onboard the Egg Carrier, Dr. Robotnik eliminates the rest of the E-100 robots and sends Gamma to fetch Birdy. Gamma wanders into the wrong room and witnesses his brother E-101 Beta being rebuilt, and then unexpectedly allows Amy and Birdy to escape their prison. On deck, Sonic and Tails confront Dr. Robotnik who flees down the ship, Sonic fighting Gamma but spares him at Amy's request. Tails, Amy and Gamma evacuate the ship when it begins to malfunction and lose altitude, whilst Sonic confronts Chaos who has swallowed two more emeralds gained from Birdy and Froggy. Sonic and Big rescue Froggy whilst Knuckles finishes off Chaos. Gamma tracks down his brothers and destroys them to free the animals inside, eventually confronting Beta on the Egg Carrier. He defeats Beta but is wounded in the process, both robots exploding, releasing two Flicky birds in the process. Birdy reunites with its friends when Amy visits the ship.
A day later, Knuckles restores the Master Emerald but Angel Island collapses into the sea when Chaos attacks him and Dr. Robotnik. Chaos absorbs the collected Chaos Emeralds and locates the seventh where the Tornado II crashed after Big tried to pilot it off the downed Egg Carrier. Chaos transforms into Perfect Chaos and destroys Station Square. Tikal appears, having taken each main character into the past beforehand, demanding that Chaos must be sealed back in the Master Emerald but Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds' positive energy to become Super Sonic and defeats Chaos. Chaos survives in his weakest form but discovers the Chao have lived on in Station Square, departing peacefully to the past with Tikal. Dr. Robotnik flees, with Sonic in pursuit.
Windy Valley
Casinopolis
IceCap
Sky Chase Act I
Twinkle Park
Speed Highway
Red Mountain
Sky Chase Act II
Sky Deck
Hot Shelter
Lost World
Sand Hill
Final Egg
had been unhappy with prior treatment of Sonic, especially in the Sega Saturn
racing game Sonic R
. After several titles for the Mega Drive, he worked mainly on the game Nights into Dreams...
. However, learning of the Dreamcast brought him a renewed interest in creating Sonic games. The development team focused on graphics and high resolution for this game, with Naka reflecting that "[w]e have pushed the Dreamcast as far as we can at present".
Naka aimed to create levels that would take the player at least five minutes to complete, yet retain similar gameplay to the Mega Drive titles. Following the creation of the basic level maps, Naka wondered "why don't we use this map for other characters?" This led to the introduction of Big and E-102. The development team conducted surveys of fans to ensure that the final product—especially the characters—would please them. Sega made it a top priority to keep the game hidden until shortly before its release. Despite these efforts, screenshots were leaked onto the Internet
in mid-1998. Naka presented the game to Edge
in mid-August, and official announcement fell on August 22 in Japan.
Sonic Adventure also introduced a drastic shift in the overall art style of the games that continued to be used over the next few years. The more detailed, modernized redesigns of Amy Rose and Dr. Eggman probably best reflect this. The characters resemble graffiti art in their official artwork, striking more dynamic and extreme poses. In the game, there were some unused items, such as the Sky Dragon from the level Sky Chase, the so-called unused levels, Final Egg and Lost World. The level Speed Highway is included in console versions of Sonic Generations
and Emerald Coast will be included in the 3DS version. Also, Perfect Chaos will be the subsequent boss in the console version of the game.
brought a new sound to the Sonic the Hedgehog series with this game, and as such it features many different styles of music such as jazz, rock, techno, pop and country. Each heroic player character (aside from Gamma) also has an instrumental motif that later translates into a vocal theme song that plays during the end credits of their story. The game contains vocal performances from Tony Harnell
, Karen Brake, Marlon Saunders
, Dread Fox, Ted Poley
, Nikki Gregoroff and Johnny Gioeli
, whom the latter would later join Senoue to form the band Crush 40
. The development team preferred the use of "hot, funky, and rock 'n' roll
" music over the traditional techno
-based music present in earlier Sonic games.
was released for the GameCube
and Windows
titled . The Windows version was at first released only in Japan and Europe, but later saw a limited North American release. Sonic Adventure DX includes a Mission Mode, which included 60 missions to complete throughout the Adventure Fields and Action Stages. It also contains an unlockable compilation
, which comprises twelve Game Gear
games featuring Sonic and friends. Also, if all Emblems are collected, then the player can play as Metal Sonic
. Also, Cream the Rabbit makes a cameo appearance in certain parts of the game. Reviews were generally less positive than those of its Dreamcast predecessor, scoring more than 20% lower than the original release.
On June 10, 2010, Sega officially announced Sonic Adventure would be released on both the Xbox Live Arcade
and PlayStation Network in Fall 2010. Sonic Adventure DX was released on Steam, as the first in a series of Dreamcast titles to be released as digital downloads. Additional features include enhanced graphics, surround sound, online leaderboards, achievement/trophy support and unlockable Avatar Awards, consisting of a Sonic Adventure T-Shirt and Sonic's "Speed Shoes".
Sonic Adventure was released on Xbox Live Arcade on September 15, 2010, while the PlayStation Network version was released on September 20, 2010. The initial release is based on the PC version of Sonic Adventure DX despite the game simply being called "Sonic Adventure". The DLC package, simply titled "Sonic Adventure DX Upgrade", has launched alongside the game on XBLA, for 400 Microsoft Points, and $4.99 on PSN, effectively making the entire Sonic Adventure DX 1200 Microsoft points ($15). It upgrades the game to include all of the features from the GameCube and PC versions with the exception of the Game Gear games and Dreamcast DLC.
and GameSpy
being above 90%. The current Game Rankings
average ranking is 88%. It became one of the few Sega All Stars
games. In Japan, it received an excellent 38 out of 40 from Famitsu
. Although criticized for its camera system, framerate issues, and fishing stages with Big, the game was still highly praised for retaining the fast and enjoyable gameplay that Sonic was known for in 2D as well as the game's graphics, multiple character storylines, and soundtrack. Brandon Justice of IGN
rated the game an 8.6/10, criticizing various glitches and voice acting while praising the game's visuals and gameplay. On the other hand, GamePro
gave it a 5/5 saying, "Sonic is fun, fast, and a great reason to purchase a Dreamcast".
The game has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Dreamcast game. This includes one million sold in the United States.
The GameCube version received less positive reviews, IGN gave the DX version a 5/10 criticizing the game's glitches, poor framerate, and clunky camera making it less fun to play in contrast to its original Dreamcast version but praised the overall presentation of the game.
The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports received even less favorable reviews. While some critics viewed it as a good piece of nostalgia, others criticized the lack of improvements and the game's more noticeable age, with IGN giving it a score of 3.5 out of 10, calling it "so fundamentally flawed that it borders on unplayable", making it the lowest scored Sonic game on the site since Sonic and the Black Knight
. 1UP.com
gave it a D rank, criticizing its lack of improvements and touchy controls.
Retro Gamer
gave the Xbox 360 port 63%.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Sonic Team
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG (although the final product was an adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
, not a standard RPG). The final updated edition, known as Sonic Adventure International, was released as a launch title on September 9, 1999, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, October 14, 1999, in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, October 18, 1999, in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, and December 1, 1999, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It has sold over 2.5 million copies, making it the best-selling Dreamcast game. It was the first Sonic game on a sixth generation console.
An enhanced port was released in 2003 as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut (see below) for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
and in 2004 for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. The game was ported to Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
on September 15, 2010 and PlayStation Network on September 20, 2010. The game was featured on Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection
Dreamcast Collection is a video game compilation for Xbox 360 and PC. It includes four games from the Dreamcast, Sega's video game console originally released in 1998...
, a four-game bundle released in 2011.
Gameplay
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
, Tails
Miles "Tails" Prower
, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
, Knuckles
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
, Amy
Amy Rose
, known earlier as Rosy the Rascal, is a video game character who appears in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games developed by Sega's Sonic Team, debuting in Sonic CD as the third recurring protagonist. Amy Rose was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino and based on one of Kenji Terada's...
, Big and E-102 Gamma; each with their own style of gameplay. Only Sonic is playable at first, but other characters are made available after encountering them in his story. When all stories have been completed, a final story is unlocked.
Sonic's stages involve high speed gameplay, whilst Tails' stages require him to reach the end of the level before Sonic (and in one case, Robotnik) does and Knuckles' stages see him searching the area for shards of the Master Emerald. All three of these returning characters retain a lot of their trademark moves from previous Sonic games. Amy's stages require her to escape from the E-100 Zero robot chasing after her, Gamma's stages involve shooting through levels to reach a target and Big's stages involve fishing for his friend, Froggy.
Action Stages are the main playable levels for each character, where the player must face various enemies in order to complete their respective goals. Adventure Fields split up the action, where players can explore the surroundings to advance the plot, discover new levels or search for items which enhance a character's ability (for example, the Light Speed Shoes allow Sonic to run across a path of rings). Subgames deviate from the main gameplay of the character, which include minigames such as kart racing and snowboarding. Players may also find hidden Chao Gardens, which allow them to raise Chao, a sort of virtual pet. Chao can be taken with the player by downloading the minigame Chao Adventure to their VMU
VMU
The VMU, or Visual Memory Unit is a memory card peripheral for the Dreamcast. Its official name was changed by Sega for each of the three key regions:-* Japan = Visual Memory System * North America = Visual Memory Unit...
, or in the GameCube version, a Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
with Sonic Advance
Sonic Advance
is a platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Dimps, published by Sega , by THQ and by Infogrames for Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan on December 20, 2001, in North America on February 4, 2002 and finally in Europe on March 23, 2002...
. The player can also raise their stats by giving them small animals that they found by defeating the robots, which improves their performance in Chao Races. There are also eggs hidden throughout the Adventure Fields which can produce special types of Chao.
By playing through Action Stages and Subgames, searching through the Adventure Fields or winning Chao Races, players can earn Emblems. In the case of Action Stages, each one has three Emblems, which can be earned by replaying the stages and fulfilling certain objectives, such as beating the level within a time limit. In Sonic Adventure DX, these can unlock hidden extras such as Game Gear games.
Characters
Much of Sonic Adventure centers on Sonic, a hedgehog who has the ability to run at supersonicSupersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
speeds, and Miles "Tails" Prower
Miles "Tails" Prower
, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
, a two-tailed fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
who often accompanies Sonic on his adventures; they are the main characters of the game who are in pursuit of Robotnik /DR.Eggman. Supporting characters include Knuckles
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
, an echidna
Echidna
Echidnas , also known as spiny anteaters, belong to the family Tachyglossidae in the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. There are four extant species, which, together with the platypus, are the only surviving members of that order and are the only extant mammals that lay eggs...
who guards the Master Emerald on Angel Island, Amy Rose
Amy Rose
, known earlier as Rosy the Rascal, is a video game character who appears in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games developed by Sega's Sonic Team, debuting in Sonic CD as the third recurring protagonist. Amy Rose was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino and based on one of Kenji Terada's...
, a pink hedgehog who has a crush on Sonic, and newcomers Big the Cat and E-102 Gamma. Big is a purple, noticeably overweight cat who must rescue his best friend Froggy who became possessed by Chaos' tail, and swallows Big's "lucky charm", a Chaos Emerald, which causes him to mutate. Gamma is one among a series of robots designed by Eggman to take orders without question. After an encounter with Amy, he suffers a malfunction and gains a "conscience
Conscience
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
". He then turns his aim to destroying his robotic brothers and freeing the animals trapped inside them.
The main antagonist of the game is Dr. Robotnik
Doctor Eggman
, also known by his alias , is a fictional video game character, the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series created by Sega. Dr. Eggman is a rotund, mad scientist with an IQ of 300 who plans to conquer the world in order to build his Eggman Empire and is the archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog...
, also known as Dr. Eggman because of his round body shape, who 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. Chaos also serves an antagonistic role in the game, and is the guardian of the Chao. He is apparently water or a plasma-like material and changes form after consuming a Chaos Emerald. After consuming all seven Chaos Emeralds, he turns into Perfect Chaos, which Eggman aims to use in order to conquer the planet. The main antagonist of Amy's story is E-100 Alpha (better known as Zero), the first E-100 series robot who is a large green robot and is considered the prototype. Zero is one of Dr. Eggman's Robots sent to find Amy's friend Birdie. He follows Amy wherever she goes hoping to capture her and the bird. At one point he succeeds but Amy is rescued by E-102 Gamma. Eventually Zero is defeated by Amy on the Egg Carrier.
Dr. Eggman's E-Series of robots play a large role in Gamma's story, as he is one of them, and is out to destroy or "save" the others. All of them have letters of the Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
as part of their name. 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 Mk II, 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 made up of a few Dreamcast machines.
Friendly characters who are non-playable include Tikal, a mysterious female echidna 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. She appears mostly in the form of a pink ball of light called a Hint Orb. A major feature of the game are Chao
Chao (Sonic the Hedgehog)
A is a fictional life form in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series published by Sega. Chao made their first appearance in the 1998 Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure as digital pets. They have since appeared in several video games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series as digital pets, minor characters,...
, small creatures who can be raised in the Chao Gardens and play a supporting role in the story.
Plot
3000 years ago, the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald were mysterious gems desired by the nearby echidna empire ruled by their leader Pachacamac. However, his daughter Princess Tikal befriends the harmless Chao which live in the emeralds' shrine, along with their guardian Chaos, a water-elemental deity. The echidna warriors attack the shrine, killing the Chao to gain the emeralds. The enraged Chaos uses the power of the emeralds to transform into Perfect Chaos and destroys the echidna empire. Tikal survives and seals Chaos and herself in the Master Emerald for eternity.Years later, Knuckles the Echidna guards the Master Emerald on the floating Angel Island when Chaos is released from the emerald by Dr. Robotnik. Chaos appears in the seaside resort Station Square, and is confronted by Sonic the Hedgehog who defeats him in a fight. The next day, Miles "Tails" Prower crashlands in the city after testing his Chaos Emerald-powered bi-plane. Sonic and Tails go back to the latter's workshop in the Mystic Ruins, but Dr. Robotnik appears with Chaos who eats Tails' emerald and transforms into a stronger form; Dr. Robotnik explaining Chaos will grow stronger with each emerald he eats and will eventually destroy Station Square. Sonic and Tails look for more emeralds but lose the ones they find the Chaos, two lost thanks to an encounter with Knuckles. Dr. Robotnik flies away in his aircraft, the Egg Carrier, which shoots down Sonic and Tails' pursuing plane.
Dr. Robotnik has his E-Series robots including E-102 Gamma search for Froggy, a frog who has absorbed Chaos' tail and a Chaos Emerald. Gamma finds Froggy but is chased by Froggy's owner Big the Cat back to the Egg Carrier. Tails finds another emerald and prepares the Tornado II plane to find Sonic. Sonic himself lands in Station Square where he reunites with Amy Rose, who has taken it upon herself to protect a Flicky bird named Birdy from E-100 Zero. Zero captures Amy and Birdy, escaping to the Egg Carrier. Sonic reunites with Tails and they manage to board the Egg Carrier. Knuckles also boards the aircraft after collecting pieces of the Master Emerald and seeing an image of the Egg Carrier in the emerald.
Onboard the Egg Carrier, Dr. Robotnik eliminates the rest of the E-100 robots and sends Gamma to fetch Birdy. Gamma wanders into the wrong room and witnesses his brother E-101 Beta being rebuilt, and then unexpectedly allows Amy and Birdy to escape their prison. On deck, Sonic and Tails confront Dr. Robotnik who flees down the ship, Sonic fighting Gamma but spares him at Amy's request. Tails, Amy and Gamma evacuate the ship when it begins to malfunction and lose altitude, whilst Sonic confronts Chaos who has swallowed two more emeralds gained from Birdy and Froggy. Sonic and Big rescue Froggy whilst Knuckles finishes off Chaos. Gamma tracks down his brothers and destroys them to free the animals inside, eventually confronting Beta on the Egg Carrier. He defeats Beta but is wounded in the process, both robots exploding, releasing two Flicky birds in the process. Birdy reunites with its friends when Amy visits the ship.
A day later, Knuckles restores the Master Emerald but Angel Island collapses into the sea when Chaos attacks him and Dr. Robotnik. Chaos absorbs the collected Chaos Emeralds and locates the seventh where the Tornado II crashed after Big tried to pilot it off the downed Egg Carrier. Chaos transforms into Perfect Chaos and destroys Station Square. Tikal appears, having taken each main character into the past beforehand, demanding that Chaos must be sealed back in the Master Emerald but Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds' positive energy to become Super Sonic and defeats Chaos. Chaos survives in his weakest form but discovers the Chao have lived on in Station Square, departing peacefully to the past with Tikal. Dr. Robotnik flees, with Sonic in pursuit.
Action stages
Emerald CoastWindy Valley
Casinopolis
IceCap
Sky Chase Act I
Twinkle Park
Speed Highway
Red Mountain
Sky Chase Act II
Sky Deck
Hot Shelter
Lost World
Sand Hill
Final Egg
Development
Development of Sonic Adventure began around April 1997 with a development team of 30 members. Then Sega employee Yuji NakaYuji Naka
, is a video game designer and programmer, best known as the former head of Sonic Team, a group of Sega programmers/designers, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog....
had been unhappy with prior treatment of Sonic, especially in the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
racing game Sonic R
Sonic R
Sonic R is a racing game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn and PC, the latter version being ported to the GameCube and the PlayStation 2 in Sonic Gems Collection. It features characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series...
. After several titles for the Mega Drive, he worked mainly on the game Nights into Dreams...
NiGHTS into Dreams...
Nights into Dreams... , is a video game released by Sega in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game system. The game's story follows two children entering a dream world, where they are aided by the main character, Nights...
. However, learning of the Dreamcast brought him a renewed interest in creating Sonic games. The development team focused on graphics and high resolution for this game, with Naka reflecting that "[w]e have pushed the Dreamcast as far as we can at present".
Naka aimed to create levels that would take the player at least five minutes to complete, yet retain similar gameplay to the Mega Drive titles. Following the creation of the basic level maps, Naka wondered "why don't we use this map for other characters?" This led to the introduction of Big and E-102. The development team conducted surveys of fans to ensure that the final product—especially the characters—would please them. Sega made it a top priority to keep the game hidden until shortly before its release. Despite these efforts, screenshots were leaked onto the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in mid-1998. Naka presented the game to Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
in mid-August, and official announcement fell on August 22 in Japan.
Sonic Adventure also introduced a drastic shift in the overall art style of the games that continued to be used over the next few years. The more detailed, modernized redesigns of Amy Rose and Dr. Eggman probably best reflect this. The characters resemble graffiti art in their official artwork, striking more dynamic and extreme poses. In the game, there were some unused items, such as the Sky Dragon from the level Sky Chase, the so-called unused levels, Final Egg and Lost World. The level Speed Highway is included in console versions of Sonic Generations
Sonic Generations
is a 2011 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by Sonic Team for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 3DS...
and Emerald Coast will be included in the 3DS version. Also, Perfect Chaos will be the subsequent boss in the console version of the game.
Music
Head composer Jun SenoueJun Senoue
is a video game composer and musician from Wave Master, well known for some of his contributions in many Sonic the Hedgehog games. He is also the guitarist for the band Crush 40, which also contributes to many Sonic the Hedgehog games.-Biography:...
brought a new sound to the Sonic the Hedgehog series with this game, and as such it features many different styles of music such as jazz, rock, techno, pop and country. Each heroic player character (aside from Gamma) also has an instrumental motif that later translates into a vocal theme song that plays during the end credits of their story. The game contains vocal performances from Tony Harnell
Tony Harnell
Antony "Tony" Harnell is an American hard rock singer, best known for his work with the Norwegian hard rock band TNT....
, Karen Brake, Marlon Saunders
Marlon Saunders
Marlon Saunders is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. A professor of voice at Berklee College of Music, Marlon has two solo recordings on his independent label, Black Honey Records: the improvisational A Groove So Deep: The Live Sessions and 2003's critically acclaimed Enter My Mind...
, Dread Fox, Ted Poley
Ted Poley
Ted Harris Poley is a rock singer and drummer most famous for being in the band Danger Danger.-Biography:...
, Nikki Gregoroff and Johnny Gioeli
Johnny Gioeli
Johnny Gioeli is an American hard rock singer. Originally lead singer of the band Hardline, he is also currently the vocalist of Crush 40 and German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell's band...
, whom the latter would later join Senoue to form the band Crush 40
Crush 40
Crush 40, formerly known as Sons of Angels, is a Japanese-American hard rock band formed in 1997 that is best known for their contributions to the soundtracks of several video games, predominantly the Sonic the Hedgehog series...
. The development team preferred the use of "hot, funky, and rock 'n' roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
" music over the traditional techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
-based music present in earlier Sonic games.
Ports
In 2003 an enhanced portPorting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
was released for the GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
titled . The Windows version was at first released only in Japan and Europe, but later saw a limited North American release. Sonic Adventure DX includes a Mission Mode, which included 60 missions to complete throughout the Adventure Fields and Action Stages. It also contains an unlockable compilation
Compilations in the Sonic series
This article covers the number of compilations in the Sonic series.-Dreamcast Collection:Dreamcast Collection compilation of four Dreamcast titles; Sonic Adventure, Space Channel 5: Part 2, Crazy Taxi and Sega Bass Fishing, released for Xbox 360 and the PC on February 22, 2011 in North America and...
, which comprises twelve Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
games featuring Sonic and friends. Also, if all Emblems are collected, then the player can play as Metal Sonic
Metal Sonic
is a fictional character and a recurring antagonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. In the series, Metal Sonic is an evil identical robotic duplicate of Sonic the Hedgehog, created by the series antagonist Dr. Robotnik, and is able to match Sonic's every move and even surpass his...
. Also, Cream the Rabbit makes a cameo appearance in certain parts of the game. Reviews were generally less positive than those of its Dreamcast predecessor, scoring more than 20% lower than the original release.
On June 10, 2010, Sega officially announced Sonic Adventure would be released on both the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and PlayStation Network in Fall 2010. Sonic Adventure DX was released on Steam, as the first in a series of Dreamcast titles to be released as digital downloads. Additional features include enhanced graphics, surround sound, online leaderboards, achievement/trophy support and unlockable Avatar Awards, consisting of a Sonic Adventure T-Shirt and Sonic's "Speed Shoes".
Sonic Adventure was released on Xbox Live Arcade on September 15, 2010, while the PlayStation Network version was released on September 20, 2010. The initial release is based on the PC version of Sonic Adventure DX despite the game simply being called "Sonic Adventure". The DLC package, simply titled "Sonic Adventure DX Upgrade", has launched alongside the game on XBLA, for 400 Microsoft Points, and $4.99 on PSN, effectively making the entire Sonic Adventure DX 1200 Microsoft points ($15). It upgrades the game to include all of the features from the GameCube and PC versions with the exception of the Game Gear games and Dreamcast DLC.
Reception
The reception at the time of original Dreamcast version was overwhelmingly positive, including reviews from GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
and GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
being above 90%. The current Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
average ranking is 88%. It became one of the few Sega All Stars
Sega All Stars
Sega All Stars was the name of Sega's budget series for the Dreamcast, similar to Platinum Hits, Greatest Hits, and Player's Choice, for games that have sold many copies. When a title became a Sega All Stars title, it was sold at a lower price and given reprinted labeling...
games. In Japan, it received an excellent 38 out of 40 from Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
. Although criticized for its camera system, framerate issues, and fishing stages with Big, the game was still highly praised for retaining the fast and enjoyable gameplay that Sonic was known for in 2D as well as the game's graphics, multiple character storylines, and soundtrack. Brandon Justice of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated the game an 8.6/10, criticizing various glitches and voice acting while praising the game's visuals and gameplay. On the other hand, GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
gave it a 5/5 saying, "Sonic is fun, fast, and a great reason to purchase a Dreamcast".
The game has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Dreamcast game. This includes one million sold in the United States.
The GameCube version received less positive reviews, IGN gave the DX version a 5/10 criticizing the game's glitches, poor framerate, and clunky camera making it less fun to play in contrast to its original Dreamcast version but praised the overall presentation of the game.
The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports received even less favorable reviews. While some critics viewed it as a good piece of nostalgia, others criticized the lack of improvements and the game's more noticeable age, with IGN giving it a score of 3.5 out of 10, calling it "so fundamentally flawed that it borders on unplayable", making it the lowest scored Sonic game on the site since Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic and the Black Knight
is a title within the Sonic the Hedgehog series, released exclusively on Wii as the second entry in the Sonic Storybook series, following on from Sonic and the Secret Rings. The game is directed by Tetsu Katano, who was the lead programmer of the Sonic Adventure titles and Sonic Heroes...
. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
gave it a D rank, criticizing its lack of improvements and touchy controls.
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
gave the Xbox 360 port 63%.