EPG Review: Why I Prefer Sonic Adventure 2 (DC) Over Sonic Adventure

Let the backlash commence. While Sonic Adventure and Heroes have certainly gotten their share of unwarranted hate lately, Sonic Adventure 2 has seen the most degradation from people who actually claim to be Sonic fans. Nobody else is willing to stick out their neck to defend this game, so it might as well be me. This is my longest video to date, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the video.
Game Mavericks (Let's Play Channel):
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[@Haedox]

This review was honestly my favorite thing you have ever produced. So much comedy and so much is going on in every frame. Everything is so dense, including your argument, analysis, and all the things in between. Great job, mang!

[@itsbrunhilda9704]

Was that you at the end? Sorry if it ain't, the guy kinda looks like you

[@Haedox]

Josep Prats Nope, it's EPG's bro Eric XD

[@theundead5548]

+Haedox You rock!

[@squirrel1331]

Haedox i love you

[@MegaAnifreak]

Unpopular Opinion I like all of the play styles in SA2

[@marcus7984]

So do i.

[@romeilwilson6778]

me too.

[@eziotru]

Yeah, I think they are all good.

[@ikagura]

+MegaAnifreak I like eggman mech and knuckle's hunting stage very much

[@ayjay576]

+MegaAnifreak I love Fast Paced Style of Sonic and Shadown and also like Knux and Rouge's Treasure Hunting, Specially because of their Music, (Pumpkin Hill and Dry Lagoon are my jams. Tho, Meteor Herd and Mad Space can go blow up in a fire, specially Mad Space), but Tails and Eggman's Mech Shooting, I don't dislike the playstyle itself as I loved playing as Gamma in Adventure 1. But here... They are SOOOOOO slow, and the mechs do all kinds of annoying sounds like the Jumping, Stopping and specially that god awful Lazer Lock-On (seriously, I dispise how annoying that sounds) but, even with all of that, it's very satisfiying to just lock on to a buncha enemies and see those Points rank up (C wut I did thear?) and Cosmic Wall is the Best Mech Shooting Level by far, but, something I can't get over is, WHY the heck is Tails on a Mech? It makes sense for Dr. Eggman but, Tails? I just don't understand, and I don't think it's even explained in the Story. Anywho, that's just my opinion, and sorry for the Text Wall, I get REALLY caried away when typing my opinion on Games =D

[@StephenKnux]

This deserves endless views, it's rare you see reviews this unbiased/intelligent. Pretty much 98% of my thoughts on the game expressed in video form. Keep it up

[@thalesoliveira712]

+StephenKnux youre right my friend

[@neonsilver1813]

+StephenKnux Most likely we'll never see another review like this again.

[@ActRuNeo]

So, what are the rest 2% of your opinions that are different?

[@dylanbaron__]

+StephenKnux STEPHAAAAAN

[@Kitsunebyanothername]

Same

[@KingKlonoa]

Hohboy. I ultimately prefer Sonic Adventure 2 for the things it did better than Adventure 1. I think it had a lot more stages, I actually prefer the music, and it just had more meaningful content. The places I feel Adventure 2 fall a bit short are in weird nitpicks I have with each playstyle. I loved spamming the spindash button in Adventure 1 to rocket around at crazy speeds, but I don't think Adventure 2 can emulate that effectively. I also make the observation that SA2's level design is more linear overall, but not by much; nor do I think it's to its detriment. The turning problem with Tails and Eggman really annoys me. I can get over it because I really like the playstyles, and it has more to offer than Gamma's extremely short levels, the slower movement discourages me from going back to some levels. However, I still think the levels are really fun to play. Considering I have never noticed the emerald detector was nerfed UNTIL reviews started pointing it out, should tell you that it has never fucking bothered me and I think is the most overblown nitpick of this game. And I know I'm in the minority with this, but I enjoy Mad Space because of its sheer scale and can get over the wonky gravity. In fact, the only level I never like playing over again is Aquatic Mine because I find the emeralds can sometimes be annoying to find. It kind of baffles me that people can call this game garbage by any stretch. At the very fucking least, it's comparable to Adventure 1, and in my opinion, it's a lot better. I think you're one of the few reviewers out there who's done his best to defend Adventure 2, because it very well needed to be.

[@liammcguire1954]

KingK i agree with u. People are so headstrong over sonic adventure 2’s playstyles and dismiss them without putting much thought or time into them, not really seeing how these playstyles are very fun if u know how to play and master them, which was fun. All the difficulty of the levels are fair(except the mission 3-4 kart missions). The ranking system was a fine addition, I had fun a ranking all missions in the game. It’s my fav sonic game too. I think it has the best gameplay, best design, and best story. Not the best soundtrack tho, that goes to unleashed

[@bbumbs747]

Hey Im 4 years late into this but in the tails/eggman stages try jumping with every tight turn you take, turning in the air is way more tight for some reason,but if what I said doesn't help,thats fine,its just helped me personally

[@jambofatherandsongaming2692]

@ELI BONHAM SUBJECTIVE i prefer SA1

[@duelmastershideout278]

Oh hey kingk

[@DalyzorTheDerp]

>sex music you mean.......jazz?

[@Sonic-vb8sn]

That's racist to jazz music

[@LatterDayPup]

Sonic5558 so muscist

[@lpfan4491]

you like jazz?

[@onijester56]

@@lpfan4491 Being fair, Jazz isn't singularly "muzak". Hell, there's very little difference between Jazz and more-well-respected genres/forms (such as Funk and Ska) from the compositional and instrumental standpoints.

[@lpfan4491]

i am xD i was just meming

[@Supersayainpikmin]

I like how most people who review this and the first game be all like, "Oh, Sonic fans can't an opinion," but they clearly have never seen SomeCallMeJohnny's review. Never once does he say something is shit and leave it at that, not only does he give a reason, but he doesn't also over exaggerate the bad parts. I swear you and him are probably the only people I want to watch Sonic reviews from, except for something like Rise of Lyric where it's so bad it doesn't matter. And not to mention, a lot of the other guys also shit on Sonic fans, so that's a plus for watching you two.

[@The810kid]

Yeah Johnny's a good reviewer

[@kylee2002]

SuperSaiyanPikmin Yeah those two are good reviewers.

[@Supersayainpikmin]

Caleb's Crannie Oh, cool. I'll check him out. Thanks!

[@douglas4610]

Peter Knetter is a GREAT KZbinr,and expect him talking with cardboard people

[@ygobe2]

It doesnt matter, now what happens To the sonic community Long as the youtubers drive an opinion It doesnt matter who gives hate and who does not. (Instrumental) It doesnt matter, sonic youtube controversy edition.

[@fadedneonzzz9259]

I don't think it was johnny's review that caused the negative stigma, but he could have started it, but I ProJared's review that really started it. Also the game grumps also perpetuate the negatives of SA and SA2

[@BOScomix]

+FadDed NeOnzZz no the last 2 you said were too recent.

[@c0mf0rta61ynum6]

+FadDed NeOnzZz Indeed. Any time somebody brings up reason to hate SA2, they just say "You're just a nostalgiatard, watch ProJared's review. Then you'll see why it sucks."

[@fadedneonzzz9259]

+c0mf0rta61ynum6 while there were some valid criticisms that ProJared pointed out, I still think that most sonic haters use that as ammunition against fans of the game

[@c0mf0rta61ynum6]

FadDed NeOnzZz Exactly, they're not forming their own opinions, they're just mindlessly parroting the reviewers.

[@stevedoidoultimate4815]

Exactly. Johnny said the game isn't as good as SA1, while ProJared said it is downright bad.

[@MaddoxProductions1]

I've never seen an SA2 review that focused so little on telling the story before. It's honestly really refreshing not to hear every single plot hole pointed out and screamed at by people who take the narratives of a talking blue hedgehog way too seriously.

[@SidGameReview]

+MaddoxProductions1 THANK YOU!

[@Skallva]

+Project1114 Dude, his point was that Sonic games have never needed a deep and compelling plot because of their style and complaining about its shortcomings is not that important in the grand scheme of things.

[@turtleanton6539]

Hahahahaha! IKR

[@obd9660]

@@Skallva Yeah, but for whatever reason, tons of people flock to Sonic games for story moreso than other 3+/E rated games like say, Crash Bandicoot or Spyro The Dragon.

[@inendlesspain4724]

I'll never understand people who say we shouldn't take the stories about a talking blue hedgehog seriously, because I never see people making the same argument when people take seriously the stories about a millionaire who at nighttime dresses up in a skin-tight bat-suit to fight crime, or a teenager who gained superpowers by getting bitten by a radioactive spider. I agree that in the case of video games bad stories shouldn't be used as an argument to bring the whole thing down, but why is it so bad to care about these stories in the first place? Besides, in the case of Sonic, story and worldbuilding was always something of a selling point, whether it's the games or some other media; there's a reason why the Sonic Archie comics are the longest running comics based on a video game of all time, and one of the longest running comics in existence. And look, if you still don't care fine, you can still focus on the gameplay and ignore the story, just don't tell me I shouldn't care because you probably don't like it when people tell you that the Adventure games are bad and you shouldn't like them like so.

[@davidmccright3764]

I was about to lose all hope in the internet before I saw this review. Sonic Adventure 2 is my favorite game of all time. I've gotten back into playing it recently, and so I wanted to watch some reviews on it to keep me hyped whilst I take a dump. I went into KZbin under the impression that everyone loved the game and thought it was the best Sonic game, like when I had last watched reviews for it back around 2009/10. Wow, was I wrong. I was starting to feel bad about my favorite game, because it's easy for the internet to get to you. It all started when I watched ProJared's review. From there, I watched many more hoping someone still liked it, but no such luck. But you, my friend, have spoken out and said things that I've been wanting to say since I started checking out these reviews. Thank you so much! Let's hope that this will help the internet love Sonic Adventure 2 again.

[@ahatt96]

+David McCright Knowing the internet's general hatred for Sonic I doubt that.

[@davidmccright3764]

+ahatt96 Very unfortunate. How did Mario keep from attaining such a cancerous internet following?

[@ahatt96]

David McCright By not taking a risk. The last Mario game I really enjoyed heavly was Sunshine and I still prefer 64.

[@davidmccright3764]

+ahatt96 Same. The last Sonic game I played was Generations, since I don't have a Wii U and I loved it. Lost World looks promising though.

[@ahatt96]

David McCright I beat Lost World and it was alright. I found it far better than Unleashed and Colors, but it didn't do much for me. Hope you enjoy it though.

[@GeekCritique]

I'm not done yet, but I always enjoy what'cha bring to the table, and I'm glad someone will take the time to debate this one. Although, from my perspective, I didn't really see the shift in opinion around 2012 that you describe. I knew people online who absolutely hated SA2 the day it came out, and while most opinions weren't that extreme, the one thing everyone online seemed to agree on back in '01 was that it was a step forward in some ways and a step back in others from its predecessor, though how far those steps went depended greatly on your preferences. I guess I can see the younger set of Sonic fans picking it up with the re-release and having it clash with their nostalgia, but it was divisive and controversial right from the start. Which is why it was always funny to meet people a few years younger than me who'd tell me things like, "Man, Sonic 2 Battle Adventure was the last time Sonic was good! Why can't they just do that again?" That's a real quote. I'm not exaggerating.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

It's possible that in my own personal milieu, most people I knew just preferred SA2 and I never noticed that it's quality was heavily debated even in 2001. What I know for sure is that my opinion changed around 2012. This went from my number 1 Sonic game to just somewhere in my personal top ten. Johnny allowed me to notice flaws I didn't see before or wasn't willing to acknowledge. I went through something of a journey in 2012-13, where at first I hated it and everything about it because that's what Johnny's review led me to believe, and then I realized that the things I was led to hate weren't that bad to begin with (or innocuous enough). In spite of its flaws, major and minor, I still think this is a fun Sonic game worth playing, and I personally consider it better than the first.

[@CyberWolf3858]

+ExoParadigmGamer I went through something similar with KH1. I was watching a blind playthrough of it and the guy playing talked about how terrible the level design, story and bosses were and for a while I believed him. I ended up not playing the game for a couple of months not playing it but eventually I did and realized that it's still a solid game and the dude is full of it

[@ronaldmichaels3280]

ExoParadigmGamer I went through the exact same phase before Johnny made his review, and before then everyone was like "why do you hate this game? it's the number one sonic game!" but now everyone hates it. My points at the time and johnnys were different actually but we had the same idea. But later When I started to realize that I was being super nitpicky, I decided to play it again, and it's now somewhere in my top 5 Sonics.

[@MariusUrucu]

I agree 100% with this review. Although Sonic's and Tails' levels were more fun to me in the first Adventure game, Sonic Adventure 2 is a better package as a whole. On a side note, I like the treasure hunting levels more than the mech stages (flesti kcuf og nac ecapS daM hguoht), because of how the characters control, expansive levels and memorable setpieces.

[@SuperPiposaru]

!flesti kcuf og nac ecapS daM thgiarts nmaD

[@gamermanx3096]

Marius Urucu ereht did uoy tahw ees I

[@RonDaBlue]

?siht gniod ew era yhw

[@AccelerateHedge]

@@RonDaBlue desrever era stnih s'ecapS daM esuaceB

[@lite64]

What's that I'm seeing? A positive review of Sonic Adventure 2? I thought those were extinct since 2012!

[@dreamcastdazia4753]

@@ygobe2 And you point is? xD

[@galfinsp7216]

I’m sure they existed, this was just the first high-profile review

[@apathy2454]

@@dreamcastdazia4753 it’s a joke 🤡 calm down

[@dreamcastdazia4753]

@@apathy2454 ???

[@averytubestudios]

Exo 2016: "My longest video yet" Me: Laughs

[@williamwhite1036]

Sonic Unleashed ended up taking that spot

[@GamerGuyd7Aces]

Definitely enjoyed this video Exo! Made me look at Sonic Adventure 2 differently now.. I remember back when it first came out, it's rating was around the 80% percentile.. So it was a B rated game. That has clearly changed over the years, and it's funny how people contradict themselves so much just to bash on everything Sonic. Anyway, I look forward to your Sonic Heroes review! :)

[@dreamcastdazia4753]

I never watched this video until today surprised to see you here honestly. So when you made that video about preferring SA1 over SA2 was that before watching this video or after?

[@KOTEBANAROT]

>its not a good plot Nah... yes it is. It is a very good plot, the best plot sonic ever had. Amazing balance of tense and relief, action and mystery, tearjerk and hype, the characters are at their absolute BEST, and has real deep lore and close attention to details such as the project shadow article being an actual vital piece of evidence of why Sonic can use chaos control. Its SO fuken good. Absolutely stan this game 👌

[@beta511ee4]

Your opinion, m8.

[@GatorRay]

I can't stand Projared's review of Sonic Adventure 2 & consider it my least favorite video on his channel.

[@MariusUrucu]

+tim5fl You should check his Metal Gear Rising One Minute Review for maximum cringe. He lost all credibility to me after that review.

[@oscarzxn4067]

+Marius Urucu Just for one bad review vs almost every other?, really?

[@GatorRay]

Marius Urucu Okay.

[@MoonlightXYZ]

+tim5fl I can agree with some of his opinions, but SA2 isn't a bad game like he says.

[@GatorRay]

ACACE10 I'm fine with that.

[@Beagleman1996]

Though I'm still not a massive fan of SA2, I'll say this is easily the best video I've seen on the game; it was in depth, informative and comparatively unbiased. On the subject of using one's own opinion as an excuse to criticise a game, something that irks me when some people hate on Colours is that "oh, the level design is too blocky, therefore it's bad". Yes, I'll agree the level design is somewhat clunkier than past Sonic games, but it's still quite interesting and varied (and, like SA2, the 3D areas do have more in them than some claim).

[@Beagleman1996]

+TheArceusftw Well I know Balenaproductions can't stand Colours mainly for its level design, and I will admit, playing Modern Planet Wisp in Generations (where the 2D sections feel very similar to Colours) put the improvements of the rest of Generations into context. As I've mentioned elsewhere, some aspects of Sonic Colours have overstayed their welcome (such as the light-hearted story), which is why I think some dislike it now more than they did back in 2010.

[@shellshock638]

Awesome review by the way! Personally I think Projared's review of Adventure 2 and the Game Grumps playthrough of 1 ruined the Adventure series reputation. And like you say they like to compare them to modern standards rather then the standards of thier time. Some cashual critics are also really inconsistent with older games. Like seriously Mario 64, Crash bandicoot and Pokemon Red are put in Top 10 list of best games of all time yet Adventure 1 and 2 are considerd some of the worst.

[@c0mf0rta61ynum6]

+Anyway Channel. Oh my god, ProJared's review of Adventure 2 was one of the absolute worst reviews I've ever seen of any video game.

[@darkparadox2456]

game grumps playthrough was a absolute train wreck not to shit on them there great guys but, god do they suck at the game blaming stuff on the game that's your own fault i agree with gitching through the stages is the game problem you running off the stage isn't the game fault

[@shellshock638]

javon toran Yeah it really seems like Arin did it for views and to arm strong his opinion that Sonic sucks. I don't even want him to play Colors or Generations now. Its obvious he'd just make them look bad on purpose and poison more minds of the general audience.

[@MariusUrucu]

+Anyway Channel. It's really sad how easily popular KZbinrs can warp other people's views regarding games. It's as people cannot judge for themselves nowadays. If we're talking about ProJared, you should watch his Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance One Minute Review (and his extended thoughts on NormalBoots, since he deleted the video on KZbin), then Caddicarus Metal Gear Rising Drive Thru. Caddi didn't played MGR:R until almost 6 months ago, because of a friend (ProJared), telling him about how flawed or downright bad the game can be at times. Also note that both of them are Metal Gear Solid fan(boys), because they openly admited it. Yeah, fanboyism and mob mentality can be a toxic combination, especially in the gaming community.

[@ahatt96]

+Anyway Channel. Meh Colors is pretty bad, but Generations is alright.

[@nikeunderarmour64]

LIVE AND LEARN! HANGING ON THE EDGE OF TOMORROW!

[@FlameMaster-ib3ej]

+nikeunderarmour64 Live and Learn is my favorite Sonic song

[@theretiredmilkman]

FROM THE WORKS OF YESTERDAY!!!

[@ygobe2]

@@theretiredmilkman IF YOU BEG OR IF YOU BORROW!

[@ygobe2]

@@theretiredmilkman took a long time to continue that, am I right

[@TheRyanSucksAtGames]

This is probably the best review of SA2 that I've ever seen. When you were calling out the fact that, supposedly, these games are "I/2 or 1/3 good", I was grinning like a mad man. I still think SA1 is a better game, personally. Yes, there are linear levels, but they still feel much wider and more spacious than that of SA2. It's not to say SA2's speed levels are bad, far from, I'm just saying I think the way how SA1's levels were designed (most of them, anyway) fit Sonic better. I feel there's a better balance between the speed, platforming and exploration. But that's just my opinion. I stand that SA2's speed levels are like roller coasters in the sense that they feel like they're on a set track, but they're so fast paced and energetic and fun that you don't care. It works for what it's trying to do, and that's what matters in the end. And while I still think SA1 is better, I COMPLETELY understand why you think otherwise. Except for the fact that you would rather play as Knuckles/Rouge in this game than Amy in SA1. I THINK SHE'S A LOT OF FUN GOSH DANG IT. I applaud you, Mike. This is probably your best one yet. And I'm interested to hear what you have to say about Heroes. I personally thought it was pretty decent. Not amazing, but fun at times.

[@raphaelbrown6314]

like hell sonic heroes is decent its pretty cool sonic game

[@AutisticTransbian04]

I'd put cooper castille's review of it up there,and ruby of blue's response to projared's review as well (even though it's not a review)

[@jordancromwell]

@@raphaelbrown6314 Its is

[@beta511ee4]

@@AutisticTransbian04 Why Coop?

[@moncay3238]

@@beta511ee4 Cooper doesn’t like his old videos so he wants to re-review the games in the future

[@paulhammond3186]

Is there anyone else that actually enjoys the treasure hunting stages for what they are, exploration? For me, SA2 greatly improved these levels over SA1's small and relatively unexplorable levels. I agree with EPG about Security Hall and Mad Space for the reasons given but can't help but think SA2's levels only get slated compared to SA1 because they are an increased challenge. Heck, the 5th emblem for these levels was some of the most challenging and fun times I've had in a Sonic game.

[@protoblur8866]

FINALLY someone else who likes the TH stages!

[@retrodude1131]

I enjoy them quite a lot, especially Meteor Herd. It's pretty relaxing to just fly about in open levels and take a look at the different setpieces.

[@SouprSpookr]

The fact that you said "crannys and Nooks" will drive me crazy ever time I watch that part.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@ashtonbrown1393]

+ExoParadigmGamer i would like to do a debate with you over this game

[@Infindox]

Random Fact: You can also get an A Rank by collecting EVERY ring in a level. At the end you get a "Perfect!" icon over the ring total and automatically get an A regardless of score. (minus chao finding and of course 100 ring missions) This is extremely hard to do, however, outside Knuckles and Rouge missions. (near impossible on most Sonic and Shadow levels)

[@Shade2800]

You sure you don't want to become a professional reviewer as your job. Because frankly, you do a pretty darn good job at it, probably better then I could.

[@Supersayainpikmin]

Personally, I prefer the first game still. But it's finally about time someone stood up to these games.

[@raythepony]

As a Dreamcast Sonic fan myself, I find it odd that I don't come across many people, like me, who think that Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are just as good as each other.

[@ChiefMedicPururu]

Hi.

[@acetrainer9856]

Hey there.

[@AGZhark]

Ok? Not to you, I’m taking to these bots down there

[@acetrainer9856]

@@AGZhark I'm just letting this person know that there are people that think sa1 and 2 are as good as each other. Have a problem?

[@AGZhark]

Ace Trainer Yes

[@BrackDawgxo]

Probably one of the best SA2 reviews that I've watched. Well done man!

[@xcalibur64]

If not THE best.

[@CaptFalcon725]

87% is 7/8s. But I prefer SA2 and you make a lot of great points.

[@thecardusguy5610]

......Why doesn't this guy have more views?

[@FlameMaster-ib3ej]

+Dr. Cardus I know right, this guy is awesome and this has to be the absolute best Sonic Adventure 2 review I ever seen.

[@xcalibur64]

He needs like a million views or better yet a million subs.

[@blackhoggaming]

*sigh* who knows?

[@turtleanton6539]

He has

[@ygobe2]

@@xcalibur64 I wish I could make a new video watching site, but if I did, it would probably still get buried under KZbin.

[@Infindox]

Thank you so much for making this video. I think I'm the minority in liking SA2's music a bit more. I just found it more catchy. Knuckles's music was... ehhhhh but hey, Pumpkin Hill. xD

[@DarkLink1996.]

+Torrie Starfrost The great emer-ald's allows me to feel.

[@marcus7984]

I like sa2's music more to.

[@xcalibur64]

The music in Knuckles' stages is 🔥

[@lpfan4491]

i personally wasnt able to stand the musics guts in aquatic ruins xD

[@ilopominecrafter]

I do like sa2 a little more than sa... but heroes i say is better. Sonic music from the 2000’s is hard to rank since it’s all soooo good. 2010’s is easy since they are all at the bottom

[@jacobmoore7090]

"sex music" jazz?

[@smileyarc]

Exo- "Mech shooting bosses require more then just standing in place and mashing the shoot button" Speedrunners- stand in place and mash the shoot button and win in 15 seconds

[@LucasMBoysOurRoy]

SA2 is the perfect example of hating something just to be hip or jump on the bandwagon. I bet, if I became a popular KZbinr and made a video review about Colors, and said my opinions on the game, I bet that everyone would start to immediately hate Colors. People need to make their own opinions about games, and not just jump on the bandwagon to be "hip". It's just stupid.

[@blackhoggaming]

BoysOurRoy /// Lucas M oh boy you would not believe what you said about colors is now coming true. While I haven’t seen a big youtuber say colors is bad, it seems a big majority of the fan base thinks it is

[@cliffordbatteau5824]

@@blackhoggaming While I don't think Colors is a bad game at all, I can't forgive it for leading the path that Lost World and Forced went with

[@blackhoggaming]

Clifford Batteau Lost World? I’m assuming you’re talking about the story then

[@-Anonymous-.]

Thank you.

[@moncay3238]

Holy crap you predicted it

[@xenomorphxx1218]

This is the best review of Sonic Adventure 2, I do like Somecallmejohnny’s review of it, but that video was way to bias

[@applem5192]

Why is it?

[@Bardockssj2003]

To be fair projared's review is even worse

[@SupertoastGT]

I love SA1 and SA2 equally. There are things I love and hate about both in every aspect, but I love them and consider both to be the last good 3D sonic games. I also prefer the emerald hunting over the shooter stages.

[@CrazyGreyRabbit]

In my opinion, SA2 is actually one of the best in the entire series, including right next to the classic ones.

[@hylianfelldragon1308]

I like how everyone used to love SA2 and then out of fucking nowhere everyone destroys SA2 like it's as bad if not worse than Sonic 06/ Boom Rise of Lyric!

[@magiciansapphire9278]

Spidertendo I think it because people are holding Sonic 06 flaws to the Adventure series due to similar gameplay stlyes even though 06 does it on a far worse level.

[@solaris6428]

Spidertendo Honestly it's just a bandwagon and it's pretty dumb.

[@lpfan4491]

and its not even the fault of 06 itself that the gameplaystyles were so butchered,but rather sega rushing it(yet again).the execution is descent and there are no completely aweful gameplaystyles aside from amy,they just needed more work and polish.but that can be said about the whole game except mephiles

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Only brain-dead retards will say that it's worse than those two pieces of shit. SA2 is a great game, regardless of its tiny little flaws.

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

LPFan They also should never have disrespected Sonic in 06.

[@jacklazzaro9820]

Says he got an A rank while using three separate hints in Death Chamber *plays footage from Egg Quarters* Though, looking back, might not be that big of a deal.

[@SageDarkwind]

"If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs." - Steven Universe 2013 Also, I'm calling it now, in a few short years, they'll start calling Sonic 3 and Knuckles a bad game.

[@beta511ee4]

Arin could have easily jump started that.

[@SidGameReview]

+Magnetin Darkwind i totally agree with that, since the sonic hate train seems to be going backwards, the general consensus was that sonic heroes was a good game, now its bad after that people started hating on adventure 2, and now the hate is mostly on adventure 1 whats even worse is that people who like the classic games are more or less supporting this hate train, they think it helps prove that the classic games are better, but what they don't realize is that with no 3d sonic games to hate, the haters will start hating the classics!

[@Supersayainpikmin]

I doubt it. The games are older, so that process, in theory, should have happened before the Adventure games.

[@SageDarkwind]

I wouldn't put it past these guys.

[@magiciansapphire9278]

They're some people who hate any Sonic game past the very first one due the later games having more playable characters, so it's kind of already happening

[@TajirMusil]

this game went from over parsed to over hated

[@TB_3300]

It's about time someone can defend this game properly. I've always loved this game and never understood why it was hated. It's actually my favorite game of all time.

[@RarefoilB]

SomecallmeJohnny's SA2 review but it's the complete polar opposite.

[@xcalibur64]

His review is not as good as this.

[@entertainer_ev2747]

Also I love Johnny but his views on 3D Sonic games especially are affected by his fetish for open level design

[@acetrainer9856]

@@entertainer_ev2747 Since when is prefering open level design a fetish?

[@entertainer_ev2747]

@@acetrainer9856 lmao im just saying for him his preferences are what makes Sonic level design good and bad for him.

[@acetrainer9856]

@@entertainer_ev2747 Oh, fair enough.

[@xXKillaBGXx]

Both Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast brought great childhood memories to me. I wish I can go back.

[@earlduran6419]

Sonic X has episodes based on Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 for some reason, Not only has some differences but makes me confused the timeline.

[@pt_samurai474]

I played SA2 before SA due to their releases on the GameCube. Good review!

[@kirbyofthestarswii]

Sonic adventure 2, my first sonic game (well the gc version) and my favorite one. I love this game so much. Yes it has flaws, but I don't care, the game is tons of fun to play. I don't even care about the bad writing because the game is very quotable, and who cares about the story in a platformer. I wish they would give another chance to the sa series gameplay styles, I would love to control sonic like he did in sa1 and 2. I don't know which sa game's music I prefer but I definitely prefer sonic and shadow's gameplay more than any story in sa1.

[@king-k9675]

I disagree with the claim that story doesn't matter. Plus I think SA2 has the best story in any Sonic game. It may have a couple flaws, but it's a million times better than the crap that any Sonic story 2010-onwards has put out.

[@TheBlueTyphoon17]

Excellent review, EPG. I still find myself preferring SA1 over SA2, but I do agree with you on some points. The Sonic and Shadow levels are just as fun as Sonic's stages in SA1, though there should've been more of these stages, for both stories. The story and presentation are much better (despite the bad sound mixing), the Chao Garden is a little more interesting, and the Multiplayer is still easily the best in the series. The points I disagree with you on are the Mech Shooting and Treasure Hunting. Compared to Gamma, the Mech stages definitely have more interesting level design, but the controls were terrible. In addition to the Mechs moving slower, turning and platforming feels noticeably clunkier. It's especially noticeable in the desert and space levels. My hands always tense when I'm attempting to jump from platform to platform, because I've counted many times where I suddenly died due to wonky collision detection. That and I think the enemy placement can be just as obnoxious as Sonic 2 Metropolis Zone. As for the Treasure Hunting, it baffles me why they decided to nerf the radar and hint system when they were completely fine in SA1. You can still find the Emerald shards out of order, but that's completely luck-based. With these changes, for all you know, you could be potentially close to an Emerald shard, but if it's hidden underground or inside an enemy or crate, you won't be able to know for sure, because the damn radar may not want you to find it yet. And the only way you're gonna understand the hints is by replaying the stages over and over again to be familiar with specific set pieces. It also doesn't help that some levels are gargantuan, and depending on the location of the Emerald shards and what order the game wants you to find them, they can either beaten within two minutes (the first levels, Aquatic Mine, and Egg Quarters), or they can go on for an eternity (Death Chamber, Security Hall, and the space levels). These levels are the definition of padding. I don't find the game terrible, but what really makes me so conflicted is not so much the game itself, but the legacy it left behind. To this day, not only is SA2 considered to the best Sonic game, but the last good Sonic game in general. I can respect this opinion, but I don't agree with it all. I'd rather play the Genesis games. I'd rather play SA1, Colors and Generations. Hell, I'd even play Heroes, Unleashed, Black Knight and Lost World over this.

[@eva24gelion]

Amazing post

[@xcalibur64]

I think the mechs control better than Gamma because while they're more stiff, they're not as slippery as Gamma and it feels more tighter.

[@TheBlueTyphoon17]

Xcalibur64 I honestly never had an issue with Gamma's control.

[@jarellnyc]

TheBlue Typhoon17 i can’t be mad at this. I just feel like SA1 and SA2 are the last two great sonic games that came out before colors and generations. Because at the time SA2 came out nobody knew what was going happen to the series after. It left a great impact until 2012 where ppl bashed on the game because how “ shitty “ it was and everyone was being biased and just basing their opinion instead of speaking facts and comparing everything. That’s mainly because the ports were transferred

[@jarellnyc]

TheBlue Typhoon17 were transferred over poorly and they didn’t really work on fixing all the issues that the Dreamcast and GameCube versions had. I don’t blame you if you feel like you would play other Sonic Games over it but you gotta admit SA1 and 2 are in conversation for one of the best or best of the sonic games not only in the 3D era but just in general while that can be argued.

[@timmymesak]

i like knucks' gameplay better in SA1 cuz of the radar... in MY experience i have had a LOT more trouble cuz that damn radar

[@timmymesak]

as a matter of fact i am ordering either SA 1 or 2... I chose SA 1 cuz i like every gameplay alot except for big screw him

[@Trapsistion]

18:06 Wait, isn't it called Sky Rail instead of Rail Canyon?

[@papersonic9941]

yep, he proba ly mixed it up with the one from Heroes

[@rotundmonibuv5103]

Yeah, Rail Canyon is from Sonic Heroes

[@whatshappeninganymore2473]

Projared.Just eat your heart out.

[@ElectrikStatik900]

The Sonic fanbase in a nutshell: Guy 1: Sonic Adventure 2 is my favorite game :D Guy 2: Aw yeah it's quite a cool gam- Guy 3: Sonic was never good because the play styles are different from each other in the Dreamcast games Guy 1 and 2: Yep. Never good. Guy 4: Yeah, Shadow the Hedgehog was such a cool and edgy game!!!! Guy 3: Oh mah gosh definitely!!!! Guy 1: But he uses guns in that game Everyone: *OH MAH GOD SHADOW IS THE WORST GAME IN THE SERIES LEOEFNSNFAJHFOADJSJ* Guy 2: Sonic is always good, especially his modern games. Guy 1: Yeah man, I totally agree! Guy 3: Sonic Colors has terrible graphics. Disappointing. Everyone: omg sanik was never gud lol (repeat for 5 hours each day) Guy 4: Yes! Sonic Mania, a classic Sonic game I asked for is coming! Guy 3: Me too, I wished for this epic comeback from the blue blur. (2 months later) Guy 1: I didn't ask for this game. 0/10. Guy 4: This game wasn't what I asked for because the SPRINGS ARE MISSING!!!! 0/616!!!!! Everyone : it's a cool game yeahhhhh (repeat for a month)

[@RetropolisZone]

Great review. While Sonic Adventure 2 is flawed it's certainly not this awful crap it's sometimes made out to be. Also, Exo, I've got a question: do you really think Shadow is a bad game evaluated on its own merits? I recently played through the game for the first time in almost a decade, and ended up getting all the A ranks in it. While it's certainly very flawed, the game does too much right from my point of view to be considered terrible. I think people are way too critical of it and overblow the game's issues far too much. I found it to be fine for what it was trying to do, gameplay-wise at least. Not great, just decent.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

I'd have to replay Shadow.

[@RetropolisZone]

+Turnabout Gaming I doubt there are many people here who know that I do critical reviewing too (judging by my subscriber count, lol). Well, of course you do. I think I understood you hated the game, so yeah, cool to get my unpopular thoughts on Shadow out there.

[@RetropolisZone]

+Turnabout Gaming Fairly sure it was you, yeah. Might have been an older comment, though. I was expecting to have a miserable time with Shadow after all the extreme negativity it has received from a lot of fans, but I had a pretty good time and found it OK as a game, for reasons I'll explain in next week's video, of course.

[@beta511ee4]

+Retropolis Zone I've seen some of your Sonic reviews, and already your content is turning out great! To me, your SA2 review is the second best I've seen on the Internet.

[@RetropolisZone]

+Skeeter Mania Thanks man! Really appreciate it. Shadow the Hedgehog is far in the works as well as Ocarina of Time. Not sure which of the two will come first yet, but they will come. :)

[@SQGReviewShow]

LMFAO! Was that Eric Zander photo bombing the ending shot?! Great review, Mr. EPG! :D

[@itsbrunhilda9704]

He looks like haedox

[@SQGReviewShow]

Josep Prats LMFAO. He kind of does from a distance.

[@joshukaunarak]

I hate it when people complain about bad lipsynching. As a German, I'm used to see arbitrary lip movements to the spoken text. Most of my life I didnt even know lipsynching was a thing. The fact that it was a subject of complaints shows how "spoilt" English speaking people are. In my opinion these complaints are pointless whatsoever.

[@theundead5548]

I agree with you 100% here. You said lots of things that needed to be pointed out. Keep up the great work Exo.

[@SantaFishes101]

The only things I disagree with you on: I think SA2's music is better... The kart racing is awful.... The story is good ~ Somersault is bad because it negates the ring dash a lot of the time... and, finally... THE RAIL SYSTEM IS AWFUL AND SKY CHASE SUCKS. .... But, aside from those things, this is my favorite game of all time. :D Yahooo!!

[@Orange_Swirl]

+Canalave Maiden The rail system is awful? How?

[@SantaFishes101]

Sonic Kirby Because the momentum hardly ever works correctly, and switching rails just makes you fall to your death most of the time. It feels great to do rails right, but I find that to be rare. :(

[@Orange_Swirl]

Canalave Maiden Oh. Well, I have a tip for you; only use the crouch button when you're going down a slope that is a straight line. If the rail isn't straight, I recommend spin-dashing into it. However, you must be very careful not to spin-dash off a ledge. I do agree with you about the rail-switching in this game, though. Other than that, the rail system is, for me, the easiest thing in the game to learn. If they were to make a Sonic Adventure 3, I'd recommend them to make the player use the d-pad + the jump button to switch to rails instead, since precision is difficult in a 3D environment.

[@SantaFishes101]

Sonic Kirby Yeah, thanks for the tip. :'3 I dunno if I'll ever master it, though. A ranks on all stages is too damn lofty. Anyways, the d-pad thing is a good idea. The thing is, you just have to be so precise it is impossible. :Y EHH.

[@Orange_Swirl]

Canalave Maiden Hey, not a problem! And thanks!

[@Roge9]

While I don't consider SA1 or 2 great games, I do understand your point of view.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

Thank you. That's all I can ask for.

[@Roge9]

+ExoParadigmGamer No, thank YOU for the great videos :)

[@davidavery7718]

Look at that a review that focuses on actual gameplay and doesn't talk about furries, plot holes, and excessive extra characters. Probably the only real fair review I've seen of this game

[@ChiefMedicPururu]

He's not the only one.

[@SayuriSRC]

Even as someone who speedruns SA2 constantly, I don't like most of the game, honestly. I hate the treasure hunting and mech stages. I would've loved for the whole game to just be Sonic and Shadow stages.

[@xcalibur64]

No, leave the mech and treasure hunting stages in the game.

[@sparksthedaytrader9606]

Xcalibur64 nigga.

[@jarellnyc]

Then the game would just be bland and would have no life at all

[@DrMadd]

My biggest problem with treasure hunting is that they take way too long. If you don't know where the emeralds could be, you could spend at least 20 minutes on one stage. More if it's a big one like Pumpkin Hill and Meteor Herd. Plus the hints are complete ass. I ended up not using them because their "advice" made no damn sense because most of the "landmarks" are hardly noticeable. It's like looking for something in a zoo and being told it's near an ice cream stand. How does that help? I think the mode could be significantly improved by adding a map feature that highlighted these "landmarks" so I could better understand what I'm looking for.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

I've never once had one of these stages take longer than ten minutes in my eleven years of playing this game, even on my very first playthrough. No offense, but if it's taking you 20 minutes to beat these levels, I'd posit that it's probably due to player error. Also, level three hints tell you exactly where macguffins are with exasperating precision. Use that *with* the radar, and levels will be done significantly faster. I guarantee it.

[@DrMadd]

ExoParadigmGamer Maybe you're right but my brother and I worked together on these stages and this was about a week after we beat the first game and it really hindered our experience.

[@rotundmonibuv5103]

SA1 treasure hunting stages were soooo much better than this game's. Compact stages with worthwhile hints, and didn't take too long. Plus, there were no bullshit rank in requirements.

[@jayblunt3742]

This was a good review, you explained what makes every play style good. Im glad someone actually does that. Great review!!!

[@33pandagamer]

Sonic Adventure 2's story is the reason I became a Sonic fan. I enjoy the story so much. The way Shadow is, and the complexity of his character are what really make the story shine. I also enjoy how the other charters were written as well. They have complexities and real personalities that shine through beautifully. It's a shame that a lot of these complexities and personalities are either flat-out ignored or dumped down to a caricature in the modern games. To be honest, I know the story has some issues, but I don't really care. The story means a lot to me and is extremely good in my opinion.

[@Bardockssj2003]

Seriously the story and Sonic Adventure 2 is the best the Sonic Series has ever had this and Sonic 3 & Knuckles have the best stories

[@Obscure_man31]

Somecally call me jhonney didn't say 1/3 of the game is good. he said he enjoyed 1/3 of it and in his sonic 06 review he said he dosent review bassed on fact but from his own experience and opinion. So jhonney is more of a opinionated reviewer.

[@tailsfan109_SonicSFM_Gamer]

It's nice to see a review from someone who doesn't bash every part of the game and actually cares about the execution of the gameplay styles instead of the fact it's just there. I still love this game to this day, and still enjoy what the game gives out.

[@neonsilver1813]

I think anyone who say's they love Adventure or Adventure 2 understand the #TrueSonicSpirit. But I personally prefer Adventure 2. There really shouldn't be a divide with the Adventure games, especially with how the fanbase is now. If you like anything Adventure related even if you dislike the other game, you are okay in my book. (I'd like to count the advance games in that little circle as well). Getting into the argument of which SA game is better is definitely not really safe IMO. That's just me.

[@SuperSonicWarrior93]

Neon Silver Indeed. And I really hope we get a Sonic Adventure 3 someday. But it should be done by fans. And it should take place immediately after this game, and have a post-credits scene leading up to Heroes.

[@neonsilver1813]

Agreed.

[@eziotru]

SA2 is better than SA1, but both are good on their own merits. Sonic Generations is still the best Sonic Game.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

Oh yeah. Generations and Colors are better than both Adventure games.

[@eziotru]

+ExoParadigmGamer Let me guess, you are considering Sonic Heroes a Dreamcast Era game because that is how Generations presented the game.

[@xcalibur64]

+ExoParadigmGamer I disagree entirely. I love the Adventure games better than Colors and Generations, but Unleashed blows them out of the water.

[@turtleanton6539]

Mania. 3andknuckles

[@damienvoltaire5626]

@@ExoParadigmGamer I agree about generations but colors no

[@hawk6901]

Best SA2 review period thank you Exo!:)

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

Speaking of the Classic Sonic era Sonic games, Sonic 1 (Part 1) was for the Genesis/Mega Drive, Sonic 1 (Part 2) was for the Game Gear and the Master System, Sonic 2 (Part 1) was for the Game Gear and the Master System, Sonic 2 (Part 2) was for the Genesis/Mega Drive and Sonic CD for the Sega CD/Mega CD was in between Sonic 2 (Part 2) and the Sonic 3 series. There is your correct main Classic Sonic games in that particular order.

[@StarWarsNerdyGuy]

Wait, people ACTUALLY complain that "rankings don't belong in a Sonic game"?? Seriously???

[@AGZhark]

Duh. The classic ones didn’t. The only had scores

[@bleakburd4965]

@@AGZhark His point still stands. Complaining about rankings in a Sonic game are just mindless nitpicks!

[@AGZhark]

@@bleakburd4965 It’s not. It’s supposed to be as motivation for the player, to aim for the best and get a good rank

[@abyssbun444]

I'm so glad to see that someone is actually willing to give the game a fair chance it's not perfect but it deserves more credit than it gets keep up the good work dude :)

[@BlueSpindash1]

Thank you for this. I agree with literally everything.

[@llllvvvv1233]

conkers bad fur day released around the same time had better voice acting animation and script on inferior hardware. Saying that because other games were of lower quality as the standard for the time is not an excuse.

[@oscarzxn4067]

Mhhh, i'm not sure that the games began to have a really good story presentation with ps2 games, because in the 90's a lot of rpg's, graphic adventure, action adventure or visual nobel had excelent story telling. It wasn't the general rule, but still, jak or mgs2 didn't do that much for the narrative in games in my opinion (also the the narrative on mgs2 is very similar to the first game).

[@RyanEaiseProductions]

Bruh, when you cut to SA1 by the pool and timed the dead air between sentences and responses I cried from laughing so hard. Love your videos man, please keep em up!

[@Chronobus]

I'd like to point out some of the things you said about the gameplay for Sonic and Shadow. 13:03 "It still seems to me that many people are more offended by the fact that they have to play multiple gameplay styles than they are offended by the execution of the individual gameplay styles themselves." It's a fair point though. Sonic games are about speed and platforming and many people play Sonic games for that reason. It's not fair to expect someone to play the gameplay styles they didn't buy the game for just so they can unlock all of Sonic and Shadows stages and enjoy them only. Sonic Adventure has an advantage because if you only wanted to play Sonic stages only, you could do so. Even if only complaining about the forced multiple characters isn't enough for an argument, the fact that the levels for these gameplay styles overstay their welcome is a problem. I enjoyed none of the mech or treasure hunting stages at all because of this reason with the pyramid and space levels being the worst offenders. This is exactly why the Werehog levels are an absolute chore to go through but that had problems worse than this game. 16:08 "Some people have complained that while Adventure 2 has more levels, many of them often share similar themes and set pieces, but these same people are apparently fine with the classic Sonic having multiple acts in a zone." Difference is, the set pieces in the classic games are nice to look at and have variety while in Sonic Adventure 2, they are bland and uninteresting, making the levels feel the same as each other despite the level layout. The same can be said for Sonic Adventure against Sonic Adventure 2. 16:58 "Adventure 2's level design is definitely more straight forward but it doesn't necessarily make it bad and a lot of people take it for granted." The problem with it's straight forward level design is that focuses only on being fast with not much else going on. When Sonic Adventure allows more playability within it's levels like Casinopolis giving you the choice to play pinball or go down into the sewers to get your rings, it makes Sonic Adventure 2 look inferior by comparison. Combine that with Sonic Adventure 2's blander looking set pieces and Sonic Adventure 2 doesn't feel fun to play at all regardless of which character you pick.

[@beta511ee4]

He was judging the games as individual packages. Inevitably all of the playstyles in BOTH games are going to be judged. In this case, this would require him to play every single playstyle.

[@Chronobus]

Skeeter Mania Doesn't make Sonic Adventure 2 any less shittier.

[@retrodude1131]

A couple of things: 1. If you didn't want to play the other gameplay styles, why did you buy the game? The back of the boxart of the GameCube version states you can choose between Hero or Dark, so that would tell you would have two set of stories. Surely that would tell you you'd be playing with three characters within one story? Besides, there's info on SA2 everywhere on the internet. 2. That's only personal preference. They may look bland to you, but some do find SA2's levels nice to look at. Just treat the similar stages as different acts. White Jungle is essentially Act 2 of Green Forest. It's rather unfair to compare the look of 3D levels to how 2D levels look. 3. Personal preference again. Sonic's always been about speed, ever since Sonic 1. And there's still plenty of platforming. Yes, Sonic 3 + Sonic And Knuckles did have alternate paths, but while SA2's levels are mostly speed related, I don't see how it's a bad thing. Surely it being fun is the most important factor?

[@NickBailuc]

I greatly appreciate your videos where you do lengthy reviews of the sonic games. I wish more youtubers were this dedicated to reviewing games. Good luck in your education!

[@Finners978]

This game is my favourite video game ever!

[@somethingsomething9008]

Did you ever think that some' sonic fans dont play bayonetta

[@kingkirby1394]

Why do so many people actually complain about the emerald radar, let's remember that knuckles stages in adventure 1 could usally be beaten in less than a minute sometimes less than 30 seconds! So I completely understand why they nerfed the radar, although they still should have went off for any emerald you came across in any order

[@toadrules4658]

I love the clever phrasing of the title. At a glance, it seems like another "my game is good, yours is bad" video. But you said you prefer, which doesn't mean you hate it. Good title when you think about it.

[@ElectrikStatik900]

Exo, your reviews on these games are quite possibly the most reasonable ones and most likable. Great job on ACTUALLY explaining how you feel about the Dreamcast Sonic games!

[@TheTC]

"Sex music"? R&B is sex music? Well, I guess you couldn't call it "black music" since Rap and Rock is already in the game... Though if anyone's music is "sex music" it's Amy Rose, for real, listen to her instrumental, it's cheesy porn! BOW CHICKA WOW WOOWW

[@Sydney_Angelyt]

Whenever I play SA1, I believe that one is better. Whenever I play SA2, I change my mind and believe that one is better.

[@kieranstark7213]

I know exactly how that feels. Both games (for the DreamCast) are just as good, and yet, both are better in different ways.

[@saricubra2867]

@@kieranstark7213 They ruined treasure hunting with the padding with the linear radar by the way. And the mech movement is terrible vs Gamma, very, very clunky camera for those. Sonic/Shadow level design, nowhere near as satisfying as Sonic's SA1 levels. I had more fun replaying SA1 than SA2, it feels like without the fan made improvements, SA2 kinda falls apart gameplay wise and now i don't care so much for the chao garden as before (a lot of grinding).

[@jaysaiyajoestar1220]

So... Nobody ever talks about the fact that SA2 Sonic's Shoes are different with Every other games huh?

[@FlameMaster-ib3ej]

I still love sonic adventure 2. Good review.

[@detectiveg7885]

I love your content keep it up your one of the few reviewers that actually are not always so negative and actually really intelligent and not biased

[@homersams9015]

SA2 was not the last first party game on the dream cast.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

I'll gladly correct myself on that. What was the last first party title on the system, and when was it released?

[@homersams9015]

Sega did a lot of sports stuff, post dream cast and I believe Shenmue two was done by them as well.

[@homersams9015]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dreamcast_games Just look at this.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

I thought Shemue 2 was an Xbox game.

[@homersams9015]

In America, yes. But that was because the American branch of Sega didn't want Shenmue 2 in America on the dream cast (not sure if Europe got it) but Japan definitely got it on the dream cast.

[@decadentgamer3108]

I will say that I prefer SA1 over SA2 but ONLY because it felt like I was on a real adventure. I know some people hated the hub worlds but I like hub worlds and they help immerse me into the adventure hence why I liked the atmosphere of SA1 over SA2 even though SA2 had the better, engaging story (even with the plot holes) and I honestly think it would've been so cool to see hub worlds in SA2, imagine exploring the Space Colony Ark and reading item props that clue you in to the lore of the story or exploring the touched up Station Square. I don't know about you but I would've loved that. Aside from that, I think this has to be one of the best reviews for this game. It was unbiased and went into good explanation about why certain aspects were actually not as bad as the crowd would have you believe. I'm pretty sure that the only reason the game got and continues to get hate is because it's the cool thing to do at this point. SA2 is flawed but you said best, what Sonic game doesn't have its fair share of flaws? At the most, SA2 is a good game that offered a pretty wholesome experience with lots of content to keep the lone player busy, what more could you ask for in a game? Anyway, great video.

[@keikoandgilly]

I open the floor for discussion as a Classicist-Dreamcast Sonic Fan: I think the Knuckles levels in SA were much better than SA2. Because in the first game, you could find the gems along the way because they were not locked away unlike SA2. Instead of being open to find the nearest emerald in your scanner, you were locked from them until you found the one you had to look for. That being said, I love the DC games as much as the classics. The Dark Ages can go @#$% itself.

[@SidGameReview]

+keikoandgilly i see where your coming from, but saying that the levels were better just because the radar system was "better" is not fair, you could say "the radar in SA1, was better than SA2" but not the whole levels as thats an unfair comparison. as for myself, i prefer the radar and stages in SA2, the whole hate with the radar system kind of surprises me, since i played this game for YEARS before i heard people complain about it. i mean generally sonic games have this trait, where the more you play them, the better you get at them, personally i did not grow up with sonic 2, i grew up with sonic 1 and 3, and i can say with confidence that the genesis version of Sonic 2 is HARDER than freaking dark souls, i totally agree with EPG on his review of sonic 2, but classicist would never say that because they have bias, they have been playing the game for 20 years, and because of that they can't look at the game objectively, the point i am trying to make is that the reason they have this bias is because as i said, the more you play them, the better they get, they have an insane amount of replay value. this applies to Sonic 2 and SA2 the same could be applied to the hunting stages, the reason the radar system is the way it is in SA2 is to put more emphasis on the ranking system, to make you practice the stages in the same way that sonic 2 does and i think it works well with it. i mean its totally possible to find emeralds that the radar system did not pick up! if you do it fast enough you get a score of PERFECT, which helps you get an A ranking easier. this ranking system is further emphasized by the side missions each stage contains. i got so good at the stages that most of the time all of them will take me less than 2 minutes to finish, i finished mad space, the stage everyone bitchs about in less than 2 minutes. what i personally never get about the bitching people do is that, the computer monitors will give you hints! and if you ask it 3 times it will straight up tell you EXACTLY where the emerald is! i agree with EPG here, this is much better than the hint system in SA1 where it would hold your hand and show you were the emerald is, that is frankly insulting.

[@keikoandgilly]

I see where you are coming from, and shall retort and add: // but saying that the levels were better just because the radar system was "better" is not fair, you could say "the radar in SA1, was better than SA2" but not the whole levels as thats an unfair comparison. \\ Well let's put it this way, some of the levels in SA1 were good, and some of the levels in SA2 were good. I especially loved the open world kind of levels and both SA 1 and 2 had that. I did not like the clustered temple stages in SA2. //i agree with EPG here, this is much better than the hint system in SA1 where it would hold your hand and show you were the emerald is, that is frankly insulting.\\ I in no way defend the hint system in SA1, that, I agree, took the fun out of hunting in SA1. However, the radar system in SA1 is better than 2, and as a result, a good Knuckles treasure hunting level would incorporate the best of both.

[@SidGameReview]

keikoandgilly //Well let's put it this way, some of the levels in SA1 were good, and some of the levels in SA2 were good. I especially loved the open world kind of levels and both SA 1 and 2 had that. I did not like the clustered temple stages in SA2. >> i agree with you to a certain extent, i suppose during development, they tried to keep the number of stages balanced between the 3 gameplay styles, which i think caused the difficulty to increase an unbalanced amount in the treasure hunting stages when going from stage to stage, that i could see, while the stages in SA1 were all straight forward and frankly a little on the easy side (except for sky deck) i would still much rather hunt the emeralds in SA1 and SA2 than play ANY of the horrible special stages in the classics. //I in no way defend the hint system in SA1, that, I agree, took the fun out of hunting in SA1. However, the radar system in SA1 is better than 2, and as a result, a good Knuckles treasure hunting level would incorporate the best of both. >>how would they do that? i mean that to me would take all the fun out of the ranking system, and it sounds kinda lazy, i suppose the common sense fix to this would be to have an easy mode that would disable the ranking system and make all three pieces of the chaos emerald to go off.

[@JessieEchidna]

I always preferred Sonic Adventure 1 over 2 just because I like how the stages in Adventure 1 consist of multiple sections (which may be referred to as "acts" but aren't mentioned in-game at all) which drastically change music and theme. In Sonic Adventure 2, every stage just sticks to one mechanic and theme and just stretches out as long as they could make it. The moment the stage starts looking like it's about to go somewhere and become a different experience -- bam, there's the end of the stage. If you were to cut out some of the filler areas and stage prop repeats (I'm looking at you, swinging vine around the tree that appears like 3 times) and mash some of the stages together, then yeah you might basically get "Sonic Adventure, but better". It's not a big flaw, but those scene changes are actually what keep me excited to see what comes next in Adventure 1, wheras in Adventure 2 the entirety of each stage (barring weird gimmicks like City Escape's streetboarding and whatever exciting spectacle they throw at the very end of the stage) can really be seen in the first 30 seconds of play and it never changes.

[@JessieEchidna]

Also Sonic Adventure 1 being my first-ever experience with a modern 3D console after living with a Genesis for my whole life might've had soooome sway on it. ^^; I can't say the Adventure 1 physics engine throwing me into death pits all the time wasn't frustrating as all heck to someone still getting their "3D legs".. I guess it could be at least partially the same sort of nostalgia that drives people to prefer the original Pokémon Red over modern Pokémon games even though they're in many ways distinctly better -- The first one had this sense of wonder to it with weird random things like the drunk old man in the road, allusions to non-Pokémon animals, space museums, and actual crimes (a burgled house, stealing Pokémon) which all sort of... Went away, later on in the series, as it became more streamlined and culturally-friendly.

[@Lordgenome76]

Decent video, but...: 1) There's no reason to call out specific reviewers, or claim others are "parroting" his opinion. There's a good way and a bad way to do that, and all you did was insult KZbin critics at large. It's especially confusing because from what I've seen, the consensus is that SA2 is BETTER than SA1. Not worse. This is because the gameplay was streamlined down to the most significant parts of SA1 - that includes sticking Tails in a mech, since E-102's gameplay was alright and Tails' SA1 gameplay was really pointless. Furthermore, the levels are specifically crafted for each type of gameplay, meaning that everything feels less hackneyed and chopped-up in general. This is the rationale I've heard around the web, and seems to be more common than the blind SA2 hate you refer to. 2) You do the "it's not perfect" thing way too much. This is called strawmanning, and it's kinda annoying. Almost no one is claiming Sonic games are perfect, or complaining about Sonic games not being perfect. They're complaining that the games aren't good, which is a reasonable non-extreme claim worthy of discussion. When you throw the discussion into extremes i.e. either the game's perfect/abysmal or it's just okay, you're not really making a statement here.

[@beejork2320]

From what I've seen and heard, the whole SA1 v SA2 thing seems pretty down the middle to me. Also, you say that the whole 'it's not perfect', thing boils the argument down to extremes, and while that is true, I think it's important to note the reason that argument most likely exists is that it's a reactionary move to the series' detractors arguing extremes of their own i.e. Egoraptor off-hand calling both SA1 and SA2 'just as bad as Sonic '06', or that one JimmyWhitzel review of SA2 where he more or less just treated the game like one big joke. It's these extremes that make people, who enjoy these games for the legitimate quality they see in them despite however few or many flaws they have, vouch for them as much as they do, It's not about deciding how objectively good or bad they are, it's trying to show people what there is to like about them.

[@Lordgenome76]

RileyBlackfox Those are exaggerations, but that doesn't change the strawmanning going on in EPG videos. That said, I certainly have a bigger problem with the people calling SA1/SA2 unilaterally "horrible" and equating it to Sonic 06 based on a few issues. It reeks of historical revisionism, and I was old enough to remember both of these games being very popular on release. (Ego's probably pandering to the little kids born at/after the Dreamcast era)

[@magiciansapphire9278]

1) The "Better Game" argument between SA1 and SA2 is very middle road and still rages on today 2) They're people who claimed the Classic Sonic games are perfect in every way (SomeCallMeJohnny admitted in his Sonic Mania Reaction video, that's how he personally fell about Sonic 1,2,3 & Knuckles) and you got more baised and an elitist Classic Fans who would overlook or defends some of the flaws of the Classic games, even though their great games, they still have flaws.

[@RyanEaiseProductions]

Hey, me again, When talking about the stiffness differences between EGGMAN & Tails VS E-102 GAMMA, and you did the bit with AMY shaking her head as you said "absolutely not!" broke me. HAhhahahahahahahaha

[@AGZhark]

...

[@GaminTank]

Sigh, another Sonic game... I KNOW I'M GOING TO LOVE PLAYING!!! Oh and I'm surprised your brother never interrupted in that last bit. Unless there are some outtakes? Anyways, great review man.

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

Eric just wanted to make a cameo, so I thought "Why not have him stand in the background and eat bread?"

[@GaminTank]

ExoParadigmGamer Oh ok! Just gotta say, his acting is some next level stuff! :p

[@Lightspeeds]

+ExoParadigmGamer Did he have an after dinner mint?

[@ExoParadigmGamer]

Naw.

[@ashleyw9307]

Good video. I'm not a huge Sonic fan by any stretch of the imagination and only like a handful of Sonic games, but SA2 is definitely amongst the Sonic games that I like. It's not a perfect game, but it is certainly a decent one with variety and replay value, and some pretty fun and memorable levels. That SA2 has gone from being generally well liked to being labelled as one of the worst in the franchise is rather bizarre to me (especially when the likes of 06 and Boom exist).

[@Firegodot]

sa2 has the superior chao garden...nuff said

[@DADA-yt1pt]

I couldn't agree more with the ending segment. It's always a healthy mindset to be critical of the things you love but still embrace how you truly feel about a game. Rather than defecting to popular opinion and blindly defend a game and act like it's perfect in every way or unfairly bash it and call it garbage.

[@SonidaMarks]

Am I the only fuckin one that likes the treasure hunting stages?

[@xcalibur64]

No

[@magiciansapphire9278]

Sam No

[@yibby7]

I agree with most of your agruements expect for the treasure hunting sections The Hint system is real hard to use because you must know the whole layout of the level to use it and its very hard to find the emeralds on your first playthrough of the game which is a bad design choice and it toke a lot of memory to remember every last emerald location for that A rank imo they should have made it system that has the ability to turn on and off so on your first playthrough of the game there is like a thing like tikal that tells you where the emerlad is like "go up here" "turn left" but the catch is that you will always get an e rank when you beat the level so it can help out newcomers who just wanna beat the game and not stay in a level for like 10 mins

[@successfulfailure3272]

I'll give my reasons on why SA1 (IN MY OPINION) is better. [But not better by much] Before I start, I started to grow a love for SA2 now, and Eventually its going to bite me in the rear. Reasons I prefer SA1 over SA2 [1] Music is better [2] Tails and Eggman are decent, it doesn't feel right when tails is in a Mech. Also I just gradually got bored playing them. [3] Knuckles and Rouge's Stages are nearly good as SA1's, I already beat the game.. and is a pain to play other stages. [I prefer Dry Lagoon,Wild Canyon,Meteor Herd,Pumpkin Hill, and Possibly Aquatic Mine] [4] I like the design Models of SA1 better. But I'll admit that they are more weird then SA2's models. [5] I didn't like pyramid Cave. [Ignore this one if you want to avoid Nitpicks] [6] They were some laughable cutscenes and Cliche's that made me prefer SA1's Story. [Examples: Sonic Suddenly learns CHAOS CONTROL, or Sonic couldn't save shadow yet.. Sonic doesn't die] [SA1 also did have these Cliche's but These ones are more Laughable.] [7] This is possibly going to be a sin to some people. But I enjoyed playing Amy. Yes she was slow. But was still fun. Can't explain it. [8] Now Big the Cat is obviously not good. I nearly got a Migraine from trying to finish Ice Cap. But I found out by just getting Froggy to bite the fish and you start becoming trigger happy by going UP and Down on the Analog stick and roll froggy in. And when you do beat a Big stage.Yes maybe a waste. BUT THE FEELING OF ACCOMPLISHMENT IS SO GREAT. But I still like SA2. And its no way near 1/3. Snowball's chance in hades for that to be true. About the Cutscenes: They are Repeating and boring. And I agree But I disagree on the end credits in a way. I enjoy seeing the end screens for Sonic,tails,knuckles,and Big. 4/7 Ending Credits I enjoyed. I'd rock out to the songs that played. Statistically, SA2 is better. In my Opinion: SA1 is better But not by Much. [This is Just opinion.] [insert Nice Negative/Positive Criticism here]

[@xcalibur64]

I thought SA2 had better music.

[@edwardrobinson919]

Awesome points.

[@obd9660]

So, are you saying people can't give criticism? I don't know if you know this, Exo, but some people criticise things because they care about the quality, not because they're mindless haters. Has that ever occurred to you?