Cosmic Wall is Eggman's Road to Godhood

[@dabluepittoo-aqua4213]

Something even more cool about Cosmic Wall: the symbolism of the artificial Chaos. Due to the original they're based off of betraying Eggman and destroying his spare Egg Carrier back in SA1, Eggman being able to destroy groups of Artificial Chaos more easily than the others can due to the stage design basically is a revenge by proxy.

[@marshalllawtalkingwithoutlungs]

soarin over the pingas

[@carlosemilio5180]

One thing I am confused about; In the first Eggman space stage, Omochao says that it's guarded by 50 year old GUN robots. But the levels in the ARK have Artificial Chaos, which is impossible because chaos was discovered in SA1, right? Sorry for being a huge nerd, I just want to be proven wrong

[@JulianCaesaro]

@@carlosemilio5180 The cutscene before the reveal of the Biolizard proves that professor Gerald knew about Chaos beforehand

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

Also the cool ass foreshadowing of gerald seeing the super sonic and chaos murals and shadow calling sonic the ultimate lifeform

[@megamillion5852]

I miss when Sonic had stuff like this.

[@squid24736]

"fly in the freedom" "yes, your feet will touch the ground" as someone who dedicates far too much of my time to sonic music, I deeply appreciate this

[@Arma070]

I don't get the latter one.

[@MrGamelover23]

@@Arma070 the second one is the Sonic heroes theme, I don't get the first one.

[@jojonono2679]

@@MrGamelover23 Fly in the freedom is Rouge's theme in Sa2

[@anothergamer112]

Finally some discourse about the mech levels other than "its not Sonic/Shadow levels therefore it's bad"

[@spartanq7781]

That's the majority of people who played the Sonic Adventure games in a nutshell. I hate that. It's because of that we can't have multiple playable characters again.

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

The levels in sa2 are all good overall, some just not as good (usually the opening stages aside from city and radical because they don't have as much meat when replaying) but still the quality is overall consistent, then there's fucking mad space and death chamber ...

[@DanielFahimi]

@@thatitalianlameguy2235 Death Chamber is good tho.

[@kindasomeviews]

@@thatitalianlameguy2235 im not a fan of Death Chamber either. Too many damn rooms the shards could be in. I never look forward to playing it again, even after A-ranking all the missions on it

[@Aleph3575]

Lol the mech levels are my favorite levels in this game. Except that janky "Infiltrate your own base" level early in the game as Eggman.

[@redstreak9430]

I guess it makes sense why Eggman’s levels are designed better than Tails’ since he was there from the get go and Tails was only added around halfway through development. I still think they get a bit more hate than necessary but I will admit I like Eggman’s levels better.

[@TanukiTracks]

I was wondering why Tails never got a health upgrade myself(especially since if I think Eggman's carries over to the boss version) but that does help explain it.

[@justasimplemanworkinghiswa1569]

Tails and rouge levels are🤢

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

@@justasimplemanworkinghiswa1569 Rouge only has one bad level,and the good version of death chamber. Security hall is pretty fun to speedrun.

[@TheMati2214]

I think Tails only has 2 legitemately bad levels, that being Hidden Base and Eternal Engine. With Hidden Base it's how many small platforms you have to navigate through over quicksand along with cheap enemy placement. And with Eternal Engine it's reallly bad enemy placement and bad camera in few instances outside the colony, but to be fair it's not exclusive to Tails.

[@awesomeguy2009]

@@TanukiTracks Every secondary character is missing a bonus powerup. Shadow misses the Bounce Bracelet, Rouge misses the Air Necklace, and Tails misses the Health Bonus.

[@chackbro1]

I like how there's a follow-up to this level in Shadow the Hedgehog; Cosmic Fall. It's essentially this level, but everything is falling apart because the ark is on its last legs. It's the most tense level in the game and one of the few ones I genuinely enjoy (I say this as a person who did all 326 routes in Shadow the Hedgehog)

[@TheNewRobotMaster]

That's some real dedication. Good on you. For the faults that Shadow the Hedgehog has, it is one of the very few games before or since that has really got "multiple endings, choose your destiny" right. Yeah, there's the true ending but still.

[@lpfan4491]

Honestly, the only levels I really don't like are cryptic castle and Mad matrix because they are both just really boring.

[@chackbro1]

I kinda liked those two. Cryptic castle won me over with it's atmosphere and Mad Matrix won me over with it's concept and music

[@lpfan4491]

@@chackbro1 That's actually why I like Lost Impact and The Doom, even tho the hero and dark-missions respectively are cryptonite.

[@chaosproject91]

I love Cosmic Fall in theory for exactly that tension and atmosphere, but it's actually one of the levels from the game I enjoy least when playing. Too much standing around and waiting for the next platform to fall close to you. And the long falls onto small platforms is just really poorly suited to a game on the slippery Heroes engine, where long falls tend to send you flying forward when you hit the ground. (I say this as a person who tried to do all 326 endings, but gave up around 30, and went for Expert Mode instead)

[@Nic_2751]

Great recap of your deep cut of the “REMEMBER THIS CUTSCENE FROM SONIC ADVENTURE 2?” to remind us your father journey of analyzing Sonic Adventure 2.

[@Nic_2751]

*far not father

[@mr.kingkayyy7401]

ZoomZike: "Needless to say this finally leaves quite the impression, closing off the best mech stage in this game which in tern leads to the best cutscene in the game. It truly represents Eggman's path for conquest and for all intensive purposes godhood." Eggman: "Yush"

[@acedelta12]

Time stamp

[@realancr]

@@acedelta12 16:06

[@cybersushi4930]

*yosh

[@gian3008]

​@@cybersushi4930 **yosh

[@severianlyctor]

I always appreciated how SA2 gave Eggman more context. He didn't just effortlessly turn up at the ARK - he had his own battles to traverse on his journey, the same way the other characters do. It's neat seeing his own desperation in the plot, and not just everyone's own efforts to stop him. And that cutscene... it's easy to forget with the whole egg motif and his dramatic speeches and his campiness as a character, but the reason he's the main villain in the large majority of games is because he's fucked up and merciless at times. There was no reason for him to extract the info from Tails, because he already knew about the fake, but it makes Sonic's apparent death hurt Tails so much more if he's thinking it's his own fault in part. It's brutal, it's cruel, it's fucking perfect.

[@Nic_2751]

So many details, so many under appreciated aspects.....

[@hijster479]

I think screwing with Tails was part of it, but the main purpose was to ensure that he didn't lose the real chaos emerald. At the time everyone thought that all seven chaos emeralds unlocked the full power of the cannon, so if Sonic or Tails anticipated Eggmans plan to launch Sonic into space, they could potentially pull off the same bluff by giving Eggman the real chaos emerald. Best case scenario, He'd dispose of the real one and install the fake himself, but at the very least he might waste time trying to figure out which emerald was real and be unable make good on his threat. Eggman was thinking two steps ahead of Tails.

[@Bladehound83]

He knew they had a fake emerald, but he didn't know which one it was. He needed to make sure he got the right one.

[@spindash64]

Also, you realize this isn’t just Shadow’s revenge story, it’s EGGMAN’S. He’s hunting down the monsters who had his pacifistic grandfather tried for treason and executed by firing squad.

[@emerl298]

An Eggman level analysis? Hell yes.

[@fra93ilgrande]

Yosh! 😂

[@edgelord8337]

This game overall did eggman justice. Probably one of my favorite eggman portrayals.

[@webbowser8834]

Oh it's easily my favorite Eggman portrayal, it's not even particularly close.

[@moosesues8887]

@@webbowser8834 aosth

[@Bardock267]

I always felt Eggman's Mech stages have some of the best of it's gameplay style in the game. This, Iron Gate, and Weapons Bed really make you feel like an evil mastermind barreling thru the enemy like they're nothing and asserting your Egg-dominance on your way to world conquest. Mech stages may be the lesser of the three gameplay styles, but even then they still have some great moments like say Tails blasting thru the GUN troops in Mission Street, or nuking everything in Weapons Bed. (Except the Cannon's Core sections, those are the only parts of this game I really don't like)

[@Nastara]

Seriously. Eggman’s stages are just pure chaos destroying everything in your path because anything besides Sonic is a mere inconvenience. Tails meanwhile feels like he’s dealing with overwhelming odds and he uses his genius to get ahead at the last moment

[@briansilva3344]

Could be because Eggman’s stages were made at the start of the creative process, like Sonic and Knuckles.

[@smoothie7362]

you thought i wouldn’t catch that fly in the freedom line

[@zoomzike]

;D

[@mysticrainbowdragon]

Or the pyramid cave one

[@lolmandude]

The power of yosh really works in space

[@runningoncylinders3829]

SMG2 knew that also.

[@spindash64]

“Allow me to show you what 350lbs of _muscle_ is capable of!”

[@tjlnintendo]

God I miss Eggman being playable in the main series games… er.. game, since its the only time. I thought Eggman’s levels were all pretty good. Tails’ was hit n miss.

[@ykgcaramel6515]

Probably because Tails was added in late in development

[@tjlnintendo]

@@ykgcaramel6515 Yeah. He definitely felt rushed.

[@no.402]

Eggman is playable in Sonic Chronicles

[@tjlnintendo]

@@no.402 Does that count as main series game? I would assume not.

[@TwitterVS]

imagine making a video like this for a sonic forces level. it would be like 2 minutes long lol

[@zoomzike]

I did for Lost Valley aha

[@austria-hungary7680]

@@zoomzike What about sonic heroes, Sonic adventure 1, any 3d sonic game during and before generations?

[@MrMisterMisterMr]

Also fun fact: Sonic Team added even more enemies to Cosmic Wall in the Battle release of the game, and increased the Hard Mode point requirement for A rank; Cosmic Wall Mission 5 is the only mission in the game that requires 100,000 points in SA2B (it only requires 50k on DC). Cosmic Wall is not only the best mech stage in the game, but I'd say it's one of my top 5 stages in SA2B, period. Like you said, it not only manages to perfect the mech stage formula, but it also allows you to go balls-to-the-wall with your combos. There's barely any moment that I'm not getting either a 1500 or 2000 point bonus from my combos.

[@whydoievenbothertryingwith6679]

This level is far from perfect, but it definitely made me appreciate the more on rails mech shooting a little more...

[@Lucaccino17]

I'll never get tired of you making the video last exactly as long as the in-game timer at the end of the level. I love that little detail

[@thundervaart]

Holy crap, that is too awesome. Didn't notice it until now

[@binge-ington6115]

I thought this would be about secret lore of Eggman becoming a god.

[@agentblackbird9435]

Words cannot describe how much I love this comment

[@kingoftherevolution4855]

I love that you try to get in the head of devs, and do your best to theorize what reason some decisions were made that most either would assume is arbitrary, or not think about it being an active design decision at all

[@Miss-Alexis]

Loving these SA2 level analyses! They really went all out with this game

[@dip.918]

Oh my God, even with the section at the end you timed the win with the video length. Bravo for commitment.

[@peterporemski9574]

“Balls to the cosmic walls” ZoomZike 2021

[@DrMechano]

I really appreciate you looking at Cosmic Wall. Eggman's my favorite character to play as in SA2, and my favorite character in the Sonic series. Most people only really talk about the speed stages so hearing your perspective on my favorite level in the game was a treat. You never disappoint, Zoomzike.

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

5:31 That look down below showing space & Earth... that feels so intimidating to me... sends chills down my spine

[@runningoncylinders3829]

"Now you know why I am the best!"

[@originalname1]

Ah yes; this stage and Security Hall were the ONLY stages I A-ranked first try on my first playthrough. The latter, A-ranked by dumb luck but Cosmic Wall was essentially one of the most engaging mech levels I've ever played. It made me realize how to stay organized and bruteforce-y simultaneously. Thank you Zike for also appreciating almost every single detail in these awesome stages, and for making me learning to love said-stages.

[@tss3393]

15:59 *I'VE COME TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT* - wait, wrong script.

[@deletedTestimony]

Always felt like the rail shooter segments were a reward for trudging up there, you finally get in a place where you can just go wild without worrying about platforming and just shoot. Like an inverse of the Sonic stage "You beat the challenge now have fun running fast for a bit" reward system. You ran around a lot and now you get to just kick back and blast stuff.

[@lvl5Vaporeon]

This levels music is hype also

[@demonicbunny3po]

I’ve been enjoying these stage breakdowns. Kinda want to go back to the game. Especially the chao garden.

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

@Ican Plays YES

[@JJ-ml7pq]

1:35 I interpreted “can’t lose” as him saying there’s no way he can lose- ie. literally can’t.

[@tablebasse1299]

MORE MORE MORE I just love how thought out your whole analysis is on all those SA2 vids you did and it's always a delight to watch

[@BlaxxShadow]

Finally someone talked about this legendary stage. I agree that if all the mech stages were setup like this, they'd rank among the speed stages.

[@webbowser8834]

It's really amazing how this one stage fixed EVERY SINGLE ISSUE I ever had with the mech stages. The extra mobility truly made all the difference.

[@dr.frankenstonk7603]

you didn't even mention how much of a banger the music is.

[@TheNewRobotMaster]

3 points: 1) I am pretty sure the difficulty in climbing the wall with the camera being "uncooperative" (i.e.: forcing you to make blind jumps at times and encounter hidden enemies) is likely intentional as the level clearly represents Eggman's difficulty in actually scaling that wall to beat Sonic. It suddenly gets easier at the last climb where the camera shifts because Eggman finally got to a place where he could beat Sonic and the gameplay reflects that. That, or just as you said it would be too boring and difficult to make the player do that several times. 2) the shooting galleries don't have much danger because that's not the point of a shooting gallery. The real danger of the shooting gallery is the very real possibility that your shots are not good enough and that A rank (post-Dreamcast) is out of your reach. 3) all the music in this game is a banger but Cosmic Wall is easily the best Eggman theme and within the top 5 of the game. I listen to this track in my car, it's so good.

[@jackhumphries1087]

Fun fact: cosmic wall mission 5 has the highest A rank point requirement in the game(50,000 on Dreamcast, 100,000 on other versions)

[@EggWithAKnife]

I actually really loved the rail segments in this level. The thing about Cosmic Wall is it takes one of the biggest core aspects of the mech levels and ramps it up to 1000, that being *unloading hellfire and watching the numbers fly.* The rail segments feel like a way of letting you do just that, in a style similar to a shooting gallery as you said. Cosmic Wall is even more unique because it has the highest score requirement for an A rank out of all the other levels, at a *phat* 100,000 points (in the Gamecube version, at least. Dreamcast was a laughably easy 53,000). When I was A-ranking every level, I remember it was crucial on the rail segments to resist the urge to wipe out a whole bunch of enemies at once. Instead, you'd be awarded generously for taking them out in chunks so you get the smaller combo multiplier several times (ultimately adding up to a bigger total than you would with nonstop PERFECTs). So it not only teaches you to rethink your approach to the levels, it feels like a serenade to your own awesomeness just watching the board *flood* with multipliers as you hand out devastation. It's just SO hype.

[@comicfan1324]

Got to be honest I thought the Mech levels were pretty cool when you play as Eggman, even if they were flawed. If SEGA ever makes a game with egg man has the focus I would want them to refine this game play style for it.

[@_SYDGAMING_]

Epic recap my dude. Always love your deep dive into my favorite game. This was the one time Eggman didn't screw up and could have killed sonic in the space pod if sonic didn't get lucky with that fake chaos emerald and used chaos control.

[@MmeCShadow]

Cosmic Wall is such a blast to play. The booster mechanic makes it feels fresh and open, the density of enemies gives you a constant satisfaction of hearing the laser target and then listening to the explosions, it has some neat verticality to the wall-scaling segments, and those on-rails sections are appreciated as breaks, since it's the second longest level in the game (behind only Cannon's Core). Also did not realize WHY it was called Cosmic Wall until this video and feeling a bit silly.

[@bobbob1876]

Not even ten SECONDS in, and I'm impressed! Finally; someone mentions that Eggman held a GUN to a LIVING BEING'S head! I love you, ZikeyZoom. You're the best.

[@UltravioletNomad]

I just realized that the ending rail section of Cosmic Wall is extremely similar to the beginning of the Final Rush and Final Chase, which is fitting, they're moving away from the core on the way back down to the canon. I just never put it together that the reason they both start with these grinding sections is because the Surface of the Ark is covered with these transport rails likely used to move cargo between different livable stations, probably the most reasonable explanations for crazy grind loops outside of the Suspension lines from Radical Highway.

[@zoomzike]

Great observation!

[@ChaoProfessor]

I would really love to see you praise every level of SA2 - I can't get enough of these videos!

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES MORE SA2 PRAISE PLEASE

[@M4XD4B0ZZ]

Poking eyes? I thought it was a drill for harvesting asteroids

[@louiepikmin3184]

Literally one of the best stages in the game and most underrated stages in the series

[@0101799]

After watching your video about the Green forest, I was so shocked that there were so many alternative options!!

[@inkchariot6147]

If this Eggman was in forces, he would've ordered Infinite to kill Sonic upon first meeting him, carpet bombed the city, and executed everyone of Sonic's friends.

[@123stinko]

If you spam the shoot button at those container things during the rail shooters instead of locking in, you will get way more points

[@dnd1016]

‘By that logic, you can shoot omachao’ 10/10 agree.

[@HLRxxKarl]

I think the whole point of this level being so easy and giving you free points in the on-rails sections was to increase the chance that the player would get an A rank in this level on their first try. On my first complete playthrough of this game, I remember this being the first stage I ever got an A rank in, and it was shocking. That's probably done intentionally to further emphasize just how powerful Eggman is in this moment.

[@Losaren]

at this point, i await the video titles almost as much as i await the videos... great analysis dude! being able to play as eggman in this game was such as blast, especially back in the day when he was still a major threat to the other characters.

[@sanglish18]

In my opinion Hidden Base is the best shooting level, Cosmic Wall is good but there is too much waiting on rails. In Hidden Base these moments can be all avoided by the player skill and the entire stage have a good progression from far from the pyramid up to the top of it Good video!

[@goatprince1]

Hidden BASED, you mean.

[@Kurayamiblack]

Hearing Eggman shout "Yush!" with his arms in the air while in a half-body mech suit jumping gleefully like a child after completing a destructive rampage costing someone else billions of dollars is a hilariously precious memory 😆

[@shawnleeguku]

It's so refreshing to see the mech gameplay being discussed more than just dismissed entirely. This is without a doubt the best one, though I'd say all of Eggman's levels have some merit. Since it's spooky month, is Pumpkin Hill next?

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES MORE SA2 PRAISE AND SHADOW PLEASE

[@joey5745]

The music on this stage is so good!! But I often forget about it bc the entire game has so many bangers,

[@GhostiBliss]

Doing a loop as Eggman is something I've always wanted to get

[@Kinzokugia]

"This mech was perfectly designed for space." With it's open cockpit, no radiation protection, and no life support systems, perfection for space.

[@zoomzike]

I mean hey he can breathe!

[@WaterKirby1994]

The Ark has an air shield that likely also shields from external radiation I'm sure it's fine.

[@SilverLining1]

I've been wondering for awhile: do you have the skill to analyze a rouge or knuckles level? Because they're randomized, nonlinear, and exploration-based there's a lot more level design to talk about. Are you up for the challenge?

[@Tobunari]

You live up to part of your name

[@joey5745]

I think he can do it, the lyrics in Knuckles songs can be useful, plus the quotes, and hint boxes will provide plenty of analysis and insight,

[@coolness124321]

@5:12 "You'll come across the first checkpoint" It's actually the second checkpoint

[@zoomzike]

oopsie

[@omarpikm2101]

DON'T GIVE HIM MY LIFE FOR A PISS ROCK

[@alka6432]

Awesome video, maybe you could do pumpkin hill next that level is one of my favorites in any sonic game

[@Maple.]

This game is almost a masterpiece

[@syweb2]

Why "almost"? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES GOOD GAME

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

It is a flawed masterpiece

[@whitescarfy7094]

in the rail shooter sections, it can be quite easy to get damaged by artificial chaos by not destroying them quick enough in hard mode, usually being in front of the rail. (not to mention that the level in general gets very challenging, at least the first time you play) also, i love how this is one of the (if not only) levels where the points reaally mean a lot to the score, considering the time score is usually overpassed due to the length of the level. thanks for the nice video as always! :D

[@SgtSega]

He wanted to live up to his grandfather's reputation.

[@lance2580]

I remember how awesome it was when I guaranteed an A Rank during the Hard Version of this stage by not only collecting every single ring, but also managed to pass the score threshold for the A Rank! I even chanted E.G.G.M.A.N. near the end of the stage! One of the best runs I had in this game!

[@yawningabyss681]

Im so glad you're giving stages other than the speed stages attention, I personally really enjoyed the mech stages and thought they were almost on par with the speed stages. Though I was overall meh about the treasure hunting stages, never hated them (apart from death chamber and mad space) and never really loved them either.

[@cloudycanine9682]

I really enjoy how useful the Laser Blaster upgrade from Iron Gate is in this stage, enemies are often placed near those pyramids meaning that the optional shot upgrade rewards you on later playthroughs of this level

[@wasssimmons3255]

"what comes up must come down your feet will definitely hit the ground" nice sonic hero's reference there.

[@nicotrost8461]

I guess they saved the railshooter sections being dangerous for the hard mode to not frustrate new players too much. So that they can focus on having fun zooming through space instead of having to worry about surviving.

[@dojostudios6330]

Sonic Adventure 2 has a hard mode?

[@justcallmekai1554]

@@dojostudios6330 Yes it's the 5th Mission for each stage

[@spartanq7781]

@@dojostudios6330 You must be new here.

[@nicotrost8461]

The missions are usually quite fun in hard mode. I was always looking forward to playing them. Just this 4th timed missions were a bit annoying.

[@dojostudios6330]

@@spartanq7781 I guess you could say that. I finished the story mode, and I want to get all A ranks, but I had no idea I had to go through a hard mode for each stage. I just managed to get a B rank for City Escape! 😅

[@omaridaniels8427]

Great analysis. Eggman definitely could've used more levels like Cosmic Wall that let him just go anywhere.

[@legoferrari14]

I wondered when you were gonna get to analyzing the Eggman stages!

[@Baka_Crazy]

Such a coincidence that this video found me plus this is my favorite Eggman stage. I felt so invincible when I played it. It was a wonderful experience as a child!

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES GOOD

[@Tetsaga]

Ya know.. I'm not really a fan of sonic, but I really enjoy these videos for whatever reason.

[@emblemwarrior11]

Man am I glad to be able watch these again. Lost internet for a while, good to be back.

[@archon378]

I live for these SA2 level analysis's now. I didn't know how much I needed these.

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES MORE SA2 PRAISE PLEASE

[@evangelos4346]

I really hope you can cover more of these levels. I love it!

[@comicfan1324]

9:30 That reminds me of the Ark Levels from Shadow the hedgehog. Nice to see where they got their inspiration.

[@kindasomeviews]

Not to mention the music for this stage. Hands down the best mech stage track. Always gets me pumped to destroy everything i see and look forward to playing it again! This was always the best mech stage in my head. Also when i get the final upgrade hear, it feels like it makes Eggman the best mech character and he's that much more ahead of Tails' mech. That dark blue hud really stands out too, love it.

[@ryarod]

Only with your analysis do I realize that Cosmic Wall has a story within a story, and is a game within a game. I now wish and hope that if I ever start making games, I can make likewise.

[@MeeraRustshieldSystem]

This is also easily my favorite of the mech shooting stages by far in every regard, with only Weapons' Bed getting a close second Also, as for there being no damage in the on-rails sections: I always thought that was because the challenge there wasn't "not dying" (since in general the mech shooting stages are meant to be easier by design if you know what you're doing due to the auto aim), but rather "score higher". These stages are as arcade-y as Sonic can get and Sonic gameplay has always stayed true to its arcade-y replayable score-based gameplay. This, coupled with the fact that this is a shooting gallery (where difficulty has always been about getting higher scores, and not about the actual game being difficult) AND the fact that this level requires an insane amount of points to get the A Rank, all made that a good decision in my eyes. I loved replaying this stage and trying to optimize my shooting chains during these to get the A Rank, it was actually one of the best stages to try and A Rank imo, even better than most Speed and Exploration stages.

[@sonicboy678]

It's worth noting that the mechanics of this stage make it so easy to get a good score that they had to _increase the score requirements post-Dreamcast_ just to make it more difficult.

[@theagn9234]

This level has my favorite music out of all the levels and is up there with Pyramid Cave’s and White Jungle’s. Good video my dude

[@GolemAvalanche]

Wow, this got long. Cosmic Wall is probably my favorite level in the game, and it really does serve as the culmination of Eggman's levels as a whole. But part of that is how the mech shooter stages' design and the Dark Story levels' design intersect. I got the feeling in SA2 that the Dark side characters were supposed to be the "harder" ones to play as, a sentiment supported by Heroes stating it outright for its Team Dark. What was meant to make Team Dark's levels harder was a greater focus on combat, in part due to a greater enemy density, and this is certainly present to a degree in SA2's Dark side levels. But the thing is, greater enemy density can actually be a positive during the mech stages, because the intended way to gain points is by chaining large numbers of enemy lockons - up to an extent. See, the chain bonus reaches its maximum at a chain of 11, meaning that chaining more than 11 foes at once is just missing out on points. Tails doesn't really encounter this issue, because his levels are more about survival and have fewer but often more dangerous enemies, but Eggman faces it right at the start of Weapons Bed. You start the level facing about 15 or so inactive GUN mechs, all sitting ducks, and a savvy player will eventually realize that the objective is to not get greedy, to try and get one 11-chain while leaving fodder for more chains and more bonus points. Cosmic Wall ups the ante for rationing your targets. While there are, as you mentioned, many basically-harmless enemies who only exist to get shot, I'd argue that their purpose is not to challenge Eggman's health but his score, and subsequently the player's ability to keep chains going while also using a new movement style specific to this level. Enemies aren't nicely gift-wrapped for you like on Weapons Bed, so you have to boost-hover over fairly long distances while navigating stuff like the Artificial Chaos, who actually can fight back and ruin your chains, or the bomb-bots, where you have to lock-on all their targets before they deploy those bombs at you. When you encounter the golden spinny-boys, you'll eventually notice that each of them has two target points, changing the way you ration your targeting when they're around. Even in the rail-shooter sections, the reason the enemies can't really hurt you is because your challenge here is strictly about how well you can rack up 11-chains without waste. Tails's levels, from beginning to end, are about navigating awful deathtraps and hostile enemies using a clunky walking plane. Eggman's best levels are about destroying swaths of foes with calculated precision, using exactly the amount of effort he needs and no more.

[@zoomzike]

Very well written, thanks!

[@Nastara]

Yessss! This is why Eggman mech stages work so well. Calculated destruction and creation IS Eggman.

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

@@Nastara YES MORE SA2 PRAISE PLEASE

[@LupinticDream]

Sonic Adventure 2 was peak characterization for Eggman. He's so unapologetically awesome in this game. I mean, he pissed on the moon, it doesn't really get more iconic than that.

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES GOOD

[@WC3fanatic997]

The best portrayal of Eggman, in his best ever level, at the pinnacle of his power and (almost) success, barreling like a juggernaut through an army of machines and enemies with pure grit and determination, in a very clear and obvious showcase that nothing will stop him from finally getting what he wants, all to an absolutely banging soundtrack that stood out even among the plethora of gems the game had already. This was the point when you'd believe this man might finally take over the world.

[@BrandoSheriff]

8:43 As long as I've been playing this game, I was today years old when I learned THAT was the reason this level is named Cosmic Wall.

[@DiggitySlice]

I never, ever had a problem with the mech levels as a whole. They move fast enough and jump high enough for the levels they're in. If you think they should be different, the level design would need to be changed as well, which means you have a totally different game. Reminds me of people who complain that the 3D Sonics aren't enough like the 2D Sonics.

[@zoomzike]

Level design stays the same, just fix their turning so it's less clunky (similar to Gamma from SA1)

[@llamason7044]

When is the SA2 level tier list?

[@jameshayes685]

Always the best stage ever! I hold 6th highest score on the ps3 version ;) Covering this deserve a sub!

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES GOOD

[@lks19]

btw I'm pretty sure that the drill at the end destroyed by eggman is that metal scrap that Sonic had to outrun at the end of Final Rush.

[@CJtheACE_]

Love these videos! Can’t wait for one on Final Rush 😳🙏

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES MORE SA2 PRAISE PLEASE

[@Someguyhere111]

My personal fave mech levels are Eternal Engine and Lost Colony, but Cosmic Wall IS a very fun level with its floating mechanic and it being a demonstration of Eggman's destructive capabilities. The whole thing is essentially destroying everything around you and racking up points XD

[@Officialencode]

I love this whole game! Thanks for your commentary on the level design

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES MORE SA2 PRAISE PLEASE

[@scarface1ghost624]

Awesome video as always. I think in somes cases like these, the hard mode deserves a mention, generally those more drastic gameplay changes like the rail shooter are mostly used just to spice things up without much difficulty, but it's on hard mode were we see their true colours. Also, the second Eggman Railshooting section is VERY similar to a section of Sonic Final Rush, indicating perhaps that they are going through very similar challenges but for different outcomes(master plan success Vs Stop a disaster), also I think one of the Ark levels in Shadow the Hedgehog also uses a very similar section to it

[@marsupialmole3926]

This stage is the best mech stage in the game by such a large margin that it honestly raises questions about why they thought making the other mech stages the way they are was ok

[@hugoflores1093]

I really love the mech stages for the A Ranks and the flow a skilled player can get, a little trick i know i didn't invent is to jump while turning, the speed is preserved and the turn seamless With that in mind Eternal Engine is my favorite Mech stage but yeah Cosmic Wall is great

[@Lanewreck]

The one thing i truly appreciated about being able to play as eggman only in this game. Is all his music slaps.

[@megame5573]

When you finished the level, I half expected you to add in Eggman's A Rank voice clip to finish off your video: "Now you know why I am the best!"

[@dip.918]

ANOTHER SA2 ANALYSIS LET'S GO

[@fazelfarrokhi1998]

YES MORE SA2 PRAISE PLEASE