Sonic Adventure 2 - Escape From The City / City Escape | Reacting To Video Game Music!

[@cashordeals3672]

🗣 OH YEAH

[@GLXY23]

ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

[@AsparagusEduardo]

​GOT PLACES TO GO GOTTA FOLLOW MY RAINBOW

[@jagerzaku9160]

CANT STICK AROUND HAVE TO KEEP MOVING ON 🗣️🔥🚨

[@millythompsonfromtrigun98anime]

GUESS WHAT LIES AHEAD

[@DennyZenny]

ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!!

[@mashedpopatos2463]

"You were totally singing along werent you" Caught red handed...

[@for_the_lore5567]

With a giant smile on my face

[@DivusMagus]

We have to. It's the law. Especially the "Wooo!!!"

[@XG417]

Guilty as charged, baby

[@cheplays2482]

"Oh yeaaaaaahhhh~" 😂

[@jarelldavis31]

If you didn't have the urge to sing, you're not a Sonic fan.

[@MetroidFission]

Love this song. Only thing I have to add is this: This stage begins with Sonic falling from a helicopter in the sky onto a ""snow""board (here, sliding on a metal sheet in the city streets) and the song starts EXACTLY as he hits the ground, after the bass lick. It's so perfect.

[@Kniffel101]

Maybe you didn't remember, but Sonic literally rips the "snowboard" sheet out of the helicopter itself! =P

[@Swaggless]

Also, there's a police broadcast that you hear because the police are trying to capture Sonic and the lyrics start RIGHT when the announcement ends. The timing of it all is so satisfying.

[@MetroidFission]

​@@Kniffel101 I do, I just opted to keep my comment a little shorter :p

[@Zeek0079]

​@@Kniffel101 multiplayer started with snowboards single player was the panel from the helicopter

[@grimms1916]

Fun fact for all yall: the origin of Crush 40's name is awesome. The lead singer's favorite soda is crush, and at the time of its formation, he was approaching his 40th birthday. So the two were combined, because he wanted to "crush my forties"

[@theduggening3061]

Dan from game grumps basically made that joke about how the band was named. Hilarious if true.

[@grimms1916]

@@theduggening3061 It is! Gioeli said as much during an interview back in 2001

[@ThePoltergust5000]

"Is Sonic Adventure really heavy on the vocal stuff?" Omg. Someone get Jesse some Knuckles raps, STAT

[@jagerzaku9160]

Whispering “death chamber” into my girls ears at nightz

[@Neo-Metal17]

They have many besides those Sonic's 2 themes Knuckle's 2 themes Tail's 2 themes Amy's theme Big's theme Eggman's theme Rouge's theme Shadow's theme Knuckle's SA2 stages Rouge's stages City Escape Open Your Heart Live and Learn

[@SaiyanHajime]

Space Trip Steps PLEEEEASE

[@kwagz3314]

Pumpkin Hill!

[@jackelewis6111]

@@kwagz3314 Seconding Pumpkin Hill!

[@FuzHammer]

For clarification's sake City Escape is the level's name Escape From The City is the song's name And also every one of the 9 levels in Sonic Generations has both a Classic and a modern version so yes there is a "Classic" City Escape

[@TheRealBatabii]

oh no he didn't listen to the classic version?

[@Much_Ado]

@@TheRealBatabii he said towards the start of the video, it wasn't requested

[@Doodle1678]

@@Much_Adoa real shame because I LOVE classic city escape hopefully it gets requested at some point

[@TheUltimateShade667]

@@Doodle1678 It's basically just a slightly altered version of the SA2 track. Its an original composition but its called classic for a reason.

[@Doodle1678]

@@TheUltimateShade667 it’s based off the beta version of the track too. And has part of Endless Mine in it.

[@RCDreamsArts]

11:20 It's funny that you say that, because in the stage you land on a board and have to go down through a city similar to San Francisco.

[@TarvouldsQuest]

The term you're looking for is "Butt Rock" and yes, Sonic is filled with it. And we LOVE it.

[@olivia7782]

I'm glad the consensus seems to have come back around on Sonic butt rock bc for awhile everyone seemed to think they were too cool for it but FUCK THAT no one is above rad guitar solos and belting cheesy lyrics is good for the soul

[@thenightstar8312]

Actually that term is completely inaccurate to this, and no it's actually not. "butt rock" is another term for hair metal from the early 80's. This is NOTHING like that even remotely. This doesn't sound a thing like Poison or Whitesnake. This feels like early 2000's skate-pop. Not only is that an ENTIRELY different sound outright, but you're also 2 whole decades off.

[@TarvouldsQuest]

@thenightstar8312 naw it's Butt Rock for sure.

[@Skye2993]

@@TarvouldsQuest Sonic has too much butt rock in my opinion during these days, while I do like it I miss the 90’s music he used to have especially Sonic CD now it’s cheesy generic rock music all the time.

[@kaz7886]

@@Skye2993 Nah. the most recent game was unique and it was different. The games always had the same kind of music, Forces changed it up a bit. Frontiers took a whole turn, pure fucking ROCK.

[@sometf2player752]

13:30 fun fact this part of the song is a reference to Sonic’s theme from Sonic adventure 1 and 2 being “it doesn’t matter” it’s a nice detail

[@FlapNasty3]

Also at around 11:18 the guitar riff is directly from the Snowboard Race multiplayer level. So many callbacks to the history of Sonic. Gotta love it.

[@smahlt]

Yes, every single one of us were singing along to that.

[@Gu3ssWhatsN3XT]

I just can't not sing this song anytime i hear it

[@J2ojuiced95]

City Escape/Escape From The City is a classic, easily one of the most iconic songs in the whole Sonic franchise. I played SA2 as a kid thanks to my older brother having a Dreamcast, so this song really does take me back. Both the original and Modern version (there was a 10 year gap between the two) were composed by longtime Sonic composer Jun Senoue, with the vocals being performed by Ted Poley and Tony Harnell, both vocalists from 80’s metal bands. Hopefully the Classic version is eventually requested too. I didn’t know it was missing when I requested the Modern one.

[@Jack-The-Gamer-]

At this point, we just need a Sonic Adventure 2 playthrough. I honestly think you'd LOVE it. It's just fucking stylish.

[@tekanoes6341]

There’s another Generations remix of City Escape for Classic Sonic not included that I think is also top tier 🙏 great reaction though these songs are peak nostalgia

[@mechamaya]

Damn I was a young kid when I played the genesis Sonic games, but Sonic Adventure 2 and this song are probably the most memorable of Sonic for me. I played Adventure 2 on the Gamecube so much in high school.

[@Rain1]

I'm in the same boat as you. Always tried for that ultimate neutral Chao I can't remember what it was called but never being able to get it cuz I always just screwed up somehow lol. Chaos Chao?

[@Multigameguy35]

For Context, SA2 starts the game with Sonic running from the military and escaping them through what is basically San Francisco, skateboarding down-hill past trolleys and all.

[@vincentpey3929]

This stage begins with sonic escaping from a military helicopter and then skydiving into the city where he uses the torn of door of the helicopter as a sort of skateboard sliding down the street. Probably the most over the top opening to any game/stage.

[@oniisan_afk]

I'm so hype for him to get to Sonic Rush honestly. So happy that you got to this amazing song too! It was definitely Sonic Adventure's most iconic song alongside Live and Learn. But theres a lot of great ones, along with the variety of genres Sonic always goes for.

[@BananabroJr]

I can't believe after all these years we're finally rolling around at the speed of sound

[@Stormfall7]

This song (and stage) is so iconic. Speaking in terms of the SA2 version, It's impossible to forget the intro to this stage, the way the music lines up with Sonic reaching the ground and boarding down the sloped city streets. I've probably played this stage like 100+ times. I still remember restarting the level, perfecting that boarding section to get an "A Rank" on the stage for the first time. This game was everything to me and my friends back in middle school.

[@Delta_064]

That stage is so iconic that despite NEVER having played SA2, I have an (almost) perfect mental map of the stage structure, How? I have no idea, I've seen so many clips that I've already lived and learned it

[@ScriptZac]

"Hmm, follow me, escape from the city... What could it mean?" Sonic is trying to get out of a city.

[@jacobmullis8632]

Hmmmm 🤔

[@FirevexBg]

Finally you reacted to this. You should honestly see a footage from City Espape. It's one of the best opening levels in video games period imo.

[@JetBalrog]

The comment toward the end reminds me of how I have a friend who's got a decently important role at a hospital now, and he just hosted his first Tabletop Pathfinder session for people he worked with and they all loved it so much and it's like... it's so heartwarming to see things that used to be looked down upon be treated with the respect and joy they deserve. It's so nice.

[@richardp5893]

This song is everything, if the third Sonic movie doesn't have it we riot (sonic movie 3 is going to be based on Adventure 2)

[@JessesAuditorium]

I still need to watch those movies... I remember the whole fiasco with remaking what Sonic looked like and that was the last I heard from it lol.

[@richardp5893]

​​@@JessesAuditorium I would imagine the movies are on Paramount Plus, and yea that whole sonic design thing may have been a disaster but it was also the start of a new era of sonic where people started liking the guy again, he wasn't very favored by the general public in the 2010s, with mediocre games plaguing the franchise

[@AnnaChicky]

seriously, if they don't have City Escape or AT THE VERY LEAST Live & Learn playing at the climax, I'll be very disappointed

[@Multigameguy35]

@@JessesAuditorium Just know that the Sonic in that movie is his own thing, not the Sonic of the games. I gotta prime you with that first lol

[@2009SONICFAN]

It's inspired by sa2. It's gonna have plot points from it. But won't be a 1 to 1 copy. Since that would be pointless. You may as well play sa2

[@LockelyFox]

Something many folks don't know/catch is that City Escape features a bit of the melody from an old track called Endless Mine from Sonic 3! Its always callbacks and leitmotif from the Genesis era.

[@JomaXZ]

The album version of City Escape Modern has some extra vocalization at the start and over the solo. There’s also a proper ending mixed in. Said solo uses the main melody from Sonic’s theme song from Adventure 2, ‘It Doesn’t Matter’.

[@ElderDragon96]

"You were totally singing along, weren't you?" I was, and I have no regrets.

[@CyanBlur]

Really do enjoy re-living these first time experiences through you. There's a few games where it's like "man if only I could wipe my memory and experience that all over" you know?

[@ShayTheValiant]

The opening lyrics were a big meme for a time. Someone or something starts moving really fast, or ironically slow? "Rolling around at the speed of sound, got places to go, gotta follow my rainbow!"

[@TheRealBatabii]

It's as big as "gotta go fast"

[@undeadMonk]

This is from the *_first_* level. The very first bit of action you, the player, get to participate in, is backed by this track. Holy hell, what a nostalgic feeling...

[@kevin13cabello]

Og Escape from the City is my favorite but the classic version of it is a very close 2nd place so I'm a little disappointed all 3 weren't requested together. Classic is such a unique remix that I love so much so I hope you get to it someday.

[@DarkHaseo21]

"Feels like Im watching a skateboard movie from the 90's" -> You're basically "snowboarding" down a city like imagine San Fran hills on a piece of metal that you ripped off of a helicopter hahaha.

[@thenonexistinghero]

There are 2 kinds of people in this world. People who like Escape from the City and people who have never heard it. I feel sorry for the latter, their life must suck so much.

[@daniellaster9154]

Performed by two returning guests musicians (from Sonic Adventure) Ted Poley and Tony Harnel. Tony was in a band called TNT and Ted Poley was in a band called Danger Danger, both Hair Metal/Glam Rock bands. Tony performed both versions of Sonic’s Theme, “It Doesn’t Matter” while Ted performed Big’s Theme “Lazy Days (Livin’ in Paradise)”. They would return in 2011 for Generations to perform for “Escape From The City” again.

[@davidwhidden9337]

Is this song cheesy? Yes. Is this song catchy? Heck Yes. Did I sing along with this video? I'll never tell...

[@BlameJeux]

"you were totally singing along, weren't you?" He's reading minds

[@porgy29]

One of the things that makes Escape from the City great is how it fits into Adventure 2. You start the campaign, Sonic jumps out of a plane, that baseline hits, and Sonic lands and starts snowboarding down a steep set of streets (think San Francisco). Eventually there is even a semi truck barreling after you taking out parked cars and such as you go. I'm not even a huge sonic fan, but it is one of the best openings to a game I have ever played.

[@kev1nno]

My favorite versions of this song are actually the ones you didn't listen to here - the Classic version from Sonic Generations and the 30th Anniversary Symphony version ... Speaking of which, the 30th Anniversary Symphony could be another reaction at some point if you're looking for a longer video (The symphony is ~2 hours). The whole concert is on KZbin officially, (there's no crowd in the theatre, as it happened during the Ronaᵀᴹ). Hell, even if you're not planning to do a video on it, I highly recommend giving it a watch/listen. It's awesome

[@rontheauraknight9606]

6:26 in Sa2 each playable character has their own genre of music. Sonic has a more classic rock sound which you hear here. But each character hate their own unique sound

[@TheZebbga]

For Context: City Escape is the first level in Sonic Adventure 2. It starts with Sonic escaping from a Police helicopter and then scateboarding down the streets as this music starts. You hit the ground the second the music goes "Woooo!" There is no context yet as to why Sonic has been captured, you find out later, but this is probably one if the best opening levels in a video game.

[@gregbrown8881]

You have no idea how glad I am that you finally listened to these songs. "Escape From The City" is up there with "Live and Learn" and "Open Your Heart" as an iconic piece of Sonic music. I think it's actually the most popular of the three because it plays during the first stage of SA2, and it fits the level so perfectly. The level itself is also a stand-out experience because it starts with Sonic gliding downhill through busy city streets on a piece of metal as if it was a snowboard, and ends with him being chased by a giant truck that just plows through everything in it's path. It all comes together in such an amazing start to an amazing game that I'm not surprised to see how many people still love that song.

[@olivia7782]

Yeah it's probably my personal most iconic opening level of all time and I think the best opening in the entire series. Certainly makes a statement straight out the gate.

[@AnnaChicky]

ah darn, Classic is missing😔 I love that version gotta remember to request that at some point, if no one else will

[@VelvetAura]

Saaaame

[@jagerzaku9160]

We need 8000 requests. Classic City Escape is literally orgasmic, the perfect song.

[@El_Omar2203]

Escape from the City is the name of the song, while City Escape is the proper name of the stage. Sonic Adventure and its sequel have very similar soundtracks but Sonic Adventure 2 features vocal tracks in regular levels and not only the final boss.

[@Vinylmelody1517]

The song is so literal in context of the game.

[@jagerzaku9160]

This is probably THE MOST ICONIC song in Sonic bar none. When you inevitably check out Classic City Escape you should look up and watch gameplay for this level. I know you normally don’t but for this specific song you have to to understand just how immaculate the vibes are. Can’t wait for more sonic reactions lol, fantastic video as always.

[@Axxidous]

Every STAGE in Sonic Generations has a modern and classic version because each stage picked from a past game is remade twice, once for Modern gameplay and one for the classic Genesis gameplay. So there's 2 versions of the song for those 2 versions of the stages. Boss fights and themes outside of that have just one remix.

[@thatrandomgamer6278]

So, all 3 versions of this song (there is indeed a Classic version) are sung by Tony Harnell. This is your first time hearing him. The actual song itself is done by Jun Senoue. He is the guitarist of Crush 40 and was lead sound director for the games from I believe Sonic 3 up until Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005. As for why it goes from Escape from the City to just City Escape, that’s because all of the songs in the Adventure games have actual names. So Escape from the City is the name of the song for the stage City Escape. Sonic Generations doesn’t have this so it’s just the name of the level, being City Escape. City Escape itself is based off of San Francisco as the team working on Adventure 2 were living there for a while. It’s the first stage of SA2’s Hero Story and it involves Sonic fleeing the military due to being wrongfully accused of crimes committed by Shadow, but that’s a whole other can of worms. Sonic Generations is a time travel story involving levels from Sonic’s past as well as a past version of himself (Classic Sonic). Generations has two acts for each stage, Act 1 has you playing as Classic Sonic and it’s the same style of gameplay as the Genesis games. Act 2 has you playing as Modern Sonic and utilises both 3D and 2D sections. Edit: Ted Poley is the lead singer, not Tony Harnell.

[@FSAPOJake]

Tony Harnell isn't the lead vocalist. Ted Poley is. Tony does the high harmony.

[@LowerBlack64]

Fun fact about the stage: the reason you can cause so much damage to the cars is because the team had a very difficult time with San Francisco's parking and traffic. They made the property destruction as a direct reflection of their frustrations.

[@thatrandomgamer6278]

@@FSAPOJake Thanks for the correction!

[@legoboy7107]

Pretty sure Jun Senoue was lead sound director for Sonic and the Black Knight too, that game's music is full of his stuff and a whopping, like, four new Crush 40 songs or something.

[@blazewind]

This game was probably one of the top 5 games I played the most on Gamecube which was a re-release called Sonic Adventure 2 Battle! Before that, I had seen commercials on TV and thought it looked like a big improvement from Adventures 1, which I really only played in Toys R' Us Kiosks. Couple of fun facts about the commercials, first was that for some reason it featured a couple dudes shouting at real life hedgehogs and getting absolutely nothing out of them. Second was that one of the commercials for the "Hero Side Story" ended with "Goodbye Sonic, forever", and even back then I thought that was nonsense. I'm pretty sure I was about 8 or 9 years old.

[@henriquemarques4903]

Sonic Heroes is a game you haven't checked yet, with the eponymous song as a main theme.

[@nathanperquin9910]

oooh the theme for the final battle with metal madness

[@arkdetective]

​@nathanperquin9910 What I'm Made of is the name of that song. Also, This Machine, the team dark theme, and We Can, the team sonic theme, would be great for him to react to. Level wise, Seaside Hill, Ocean Palace, Rail Canyon & Mystic Mansion would be great to watch him react to.

[@iaxacs3801]

Heroes is an OST full of some of the franchises best songs. No matter how many times i die in Rail Canyon I just cant hate the stage for the music alone

[@jagerzaku9160]

So many bangers from heroes. Bingo Highway, Power Plant, Ocean Palace, Special Stage and of course the vocal tracks.

[@AxeloftheKey]

This is the backing track of the very first level in the Hero campaign of Sonic Adventure 2 (where you play as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles). Sonic is in a city trying to escape from bad guys. He snowboards down a street on a hunk of metal, then grinds his way around before getting chased by a giant monster truck. He does, in fact, escape the city at the end.

[@TheProswagonist]

Sonic Adventure 2 music was VERY character focused. Each character had themes in genres specifically for them. Iirc, City Escape is the only level theme for Sonic with lyrics and the only song with lyrics that isn't a Knuckles stage. And Knuckles is the only character with lyrics in all his stages (side note, they're all rap lyrics as well, since Knuckles' music was all hip hop themed). I would highly recommend Adventure 2 because it really gives some much personality to each character.

[@possibly_ben]

half of shadow's stages (white jungle and final chase... yes he only has 4) have lyrics, and if you wanna count these, there's tabitha fair's scatting in rouge's stages, and the "eggman" from... e.g.g.m.a.n., in iron gate

[@stunfisk6902]

To answer your question about the music in the adventure games, there are a lot of vocal heavy songs but most are reserved for character themes or important levels or boss fights.

[@OmgItsShadow99]

YESSSSSSS!!!!! I have been waiting for so long for this song!!!! Thank you so much for going over sonic music. I loved those games and songs and I’m happy other people are enjoying it.

[@Sageharpuia0]

Man, I loved the hell out of this soundtrack when I was a kid, and honestly, my love for it has only gotten stronger over the last 20 years. It's so cool to look back as you get older and occasionally have stuff pierce through nostalgia and just hit you like "Man, this is still great." Or it's still just nostalgia, I'm fine with that too haha.

[@AsparagusEduardo]

Sonic Adventure 2 was not only the last Sonic game on Dreamcast, but the first one in GameCube as Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. The end of an era and the beginning of a new one 😊

[@helenfotopoulou5125]

Sonic Adventure and SA2 use different genres depending on the playable character (there are plenty). So Sonic's stages have this exact kind of cheerful rock, Knuckles has hip-hop, Rouge has Jazz, Amy is radio pop, Shadow has industrial, Eggman and Tails are more instrumental... You have mostly been sent tracks from Sonic's stages because they're the most iconic ones 9even though they're ALL iconic in my opinion).

[@zacharydavis3579]

This song is everything to me. Was singing this in the shower as a tween and still will do it to this day. Was the first level, too!! The “modern” one incorporates Sonic’s main character motif from Adventure and Adventure 2. It’s called “It Doesn’t Matter” and both versions will be worth a listen one day!!

[@olivia7782]

The remix from The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog is also actually pretty sweet, a lot of people missed that one bc of the game its in but its a groove

[@bigthecat100]

A great 3D Blast track that has a surprisingly chilled out vibe is Rusty Ruins from the Sega Saturn version :)

[@_veloxity91]

SA2's Escape From The City is like THE Sonic song. Mainly because it was a lot of people's introduction to the series, City Escape being the first level.

[@finalrush7]

There it is. Possble the greatest Sonic song of all time next to Live and Learn. A simple yet legendary masterpiece

[@Barbosa999]

It's what I call Sonic Underground style...

[@Epyo]

There's no nostalgia for this song, because anyone who's heard it, still listens to it regularly!!!

[@Multigameguy35]

It's not just about reliving childhood to me. I also just look forward to hearing musical terms and insights that I myself don't know. Which might get me even more understanding of an already familiar song. There's plenty of times where you or someone else has pointed out an instrument or beat that I on my own listens never really tuned into. So that's fun. And of course it's fun having one more person show interest in or become a fan of something you know or feel is cool. Both the pleasure of gift-giving and of feeling validated I guess

[@cattunger]

i fw crush 40 to this day. i am 24 now. i first played sonic adventure & sonic adventure 2 when i was like... 8

[@BulldogPCs]

The general gist of the Sonic Adventure games is they were the first 3D Sonic games and the really stepped up the story and presentation, letting you play through the story as multiple characters to see each one's perspective with a different gameplay style, and to this day they have what are still considered to be some of the best-written stories in the franchise. Sonic Adventure 2 was also another anniversary title, specifically for the 10th anniversary of the series, and I think was the last Sonic game to be released on one of Sega's consoles, though a couple years later it got updated and ported to the GameCube as Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, being the first official Sonic game not on a Sega console Music-wise, the songs for Sonic's stages do sound a lot like Escape from the City in terms of style, but each character in Sonic Adventure 2 has a different music genre for their stages (e.g., Sonic has this more late 90's sort of rock though this is his only vocal track, Tails has a sorta electronic rock, Knuckles has full-on hip hop rap songs with lyrics sung by the rapper Hunnid-P, Rouge has jazz, Eggman I think has more industrial rock; there's a wide variety here). Personally Knuckles and Rouge have my favorite tracks in the game. Every character also has their own lyrical theme, though Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles get remixes of their themes from Sonic Adventure 1 (It Doesn't Matter, Believe in Myself, and Unknown From M.E.)

[@wonderx9997]

“You were totally singing along weren’t you?” Me who memorized the lyrics: ….nooooo….😂

[@sometf2player752]

20:08 the Dreamcast was pretty impressive for the time it had full online functionality and both Sonic adventure and Sonic adventure 2 used it

[@justanotherguy9102]

As a "younger fan" (grew up with Colours which was the game before Generations), I have a weird case of nostalgia. At the time I was playing the modern games, KZbin came to be pretty big so I'd always watch playthroughs and lets plays of the older games (some with commentary and some without.) By the time I was able to actually play the older games for myself, I had a bunch of nostalgia since I was playing the games I used to watch others play. City Escape is also the first stage of SA2, widely considered the last uncontroversial game, so it's the level most people remember as their first experience of Sonic Music. It's also one of the most fun levels to try to speedrun in the game so we all heard it a lot. As a recommendation, I suggest the later final bosses Sonic has had: "Solaris Phase 2", "Super Sonic vs. Perfect Dark Gaia" and "vs. Nega-Wisp Armor - Phase 2." They're all grand orchestral versions of the main theme and hit a different aspect of Sonic music that you haven't experienced yet.

[@Much_Ado]

so, the first console I ever owned was the Gamecube, and the first two games I ever owned were Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 and the port of Sonic Adventure 2, and man what a way to have started my gaming journey

[@olivia7782]

"It sounds like I'm watching a skateboard video from the 90's" and that is EXACTLY the vibe of the Adventure games SA1 and SA2 originally came out for the Dreamcast, but after the console went under (RIP) they were ported elsewhere. Most kids I know played them on Gamecube, me and my sibling included. Way after my Sonic phase and wayyyy after my sibling was ever into it besides through hearing about it from me, she had it on a mix CD she burned for her commute, bc 1) Sonic music never stopped being good 2) sometimes you need the kinda energy this brings going to work in the morning. Found out from a friend she used to carpool with recently that she played it for him too, and despite knowing like nothing about Sonic he still remembers it. She's gone now and that CD is certainly trashed or lost behind the great couch of time at this point, but it's a nice memory.

[@absoutezeo2126]

"Escape From the City" is the name of the song, while City Escape is the name of the stage it plays for. Hope this helps!

[@Riverbui]

SA2 leaves a strong first impression. You start out with Sonic falling out of a helicopter on a metal plank and essentially sledding downhill, ramming into cars while a huge truck is trying to run you over and this song playing with absolutely zero context. I don't think you were too far off on your 90's skateboard reference Sonic Adventure was a complete reimagining of Sonic in a 3D environment with multiple different characters you can play as who have their own experiences. Sonic got reimagined several times over his lifespan. Like with Sonic The Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Boom, and I think Frontiers is something of a reset as well.

[@paxcaster]

this song playing in the first level of the game really made the whole experience feel like an over the top saturday morning cartoon

[@Monke80s]

I have a lot of love for SA2's original song, but I just adore Sonic Gens' modern version. It's my personal favorite. The bass, the added parts referencing Sonic's character theme song from SA2, the more thrashy and melodic guitar sounds. Amazing, I love it.

[@Blurro]

11:21 "sounds like im watching a skateboard video" The intro and first section of this level is Sonic on a skateboard with skateboard gameplay lol

[@chillmccool]

I heard this at the Sonic Symphony at Boston, live with an orchestra and rock band playing. I still have the recording of this song particularly, with everyone including myself embracing the corniness and singing along in unison, a killer crowd lol. Easily the best day of my life.

[@olivia7782]

Brooo that sounds transcendent. I'm happy you had that experience but very jealous.

[@segafan2437]

"Talk about low budget flights, no food or movies? I'm outta here! I like running better." When you said "sounds like a skateboard video from the 90s" this is literally it. Sonic adventure2 had a collab with the SOAPSHOES and introduced grinding on rails as a main mechanic in Sonic games that has stayed ever since! This song is all the vibes of Sonic as a chstacter. He is running, doing flips, tricks and smirking and having a great time. And yes. Dreamcast then later to Nintendo Gamecube

[@raye-raphaelsashay8521]

As a kid, I let my older cousins and siblings actually progress in this game, and the only thing I did was play City Escape over and over to collect items to raise my chao. And I never got tired of hearing this song

[@DukeVesperia]

If you haven’t heard any of the Knuckles music form Sonic adventure 2, you gotta hear his main theme, Pumpkin Hill and Meteor Herd. Those are all fantastic with Meteor Herd being the favorite.

[@tylerherr4288]

people say that music has the power to connect people together city escape is one of those songs that proves that we all have that feeling when we listen to it even if you dont know about sonic or even anything about the song itself we feel like it feels awesome and we can feel that other people feel that it feels awesome this IS awesome

[@Hell_Soll]

the thing with Classic/Modern songs is, in Sonic Generations you play as classic and modern Sonic, so regardless if it's a old 2D Sonic stage or an newer 3D one, both Sonics got there own versions of those stages, classic Sonic had strictly 2D sidescroller style levels while modern Sonic had a mixture of both sidescroller and 3D, so they had to compose 2 versions of each stage song, modern and classic.

[@pikmints]

Sonic Adventure has 6 playable characters (during regular play), each of which have their own style of music play during their stages. Escape from the City plays during one of Sonic's levels, Live and Learn is the opening theme but shares a lot of elements with Sonic's specific style of music in that entry. Pumpkin Hill is another noteworthy song from Sonic Adventure 2 and shows Knuckles' music style for the game.

[@butterbean804]

We are slowly getting Jesse ready to listen to the most reference heavy song...Sonic Youth

[@n1fffan]

Escape From The City is the song name, City Escape is the stage name. This song is really one of my favorite sonic tracks, and a huge reason why SA2 is one of my top 3 Sonic games the vocals are done by Tony Harnell. I know nothing about him outside of his stint in Sonic games, personally, but he has done vocals for several tracks, in the Adventure era. There are 2 other versions of Escape from the City that are definitely worth listening to, one being from Generations, being the classic stage version you alluded to (yes, there is in fact a classic version). The other being Escape From The City - Funk RMX (featuring the female vocalist from the Persona games, Lyn... honestly, when that one came out, i definitely didn't see it coming) personally speaking, my favorite is the Generations Modern version, especially with that new breakdown. my jaw absolutely dropped when I listened to the song the first time, was singing along, and suddenly I was hit with "surprises are hiding out in front of me"

[@superplushroompower-up]

So the name of the song is Escape From the City. The name of the stage that it plays during is City Escape. So both were always correct. Also, siding with everyone else, classic was sorely missed. Maybe the catchiest version IMO. Edit: It's also the first stage of Sonic Adventure 2, and the stage is VERY iconoc and memorable.

[@raye-raphaelsashay8521]

I think this song is a big deal because it's from the opening stage of the game, so it makes a huge impression and sets the tone of the game. It's also one of the most likely stages to be replayed in challenge modes, so you might hear it quite a few times.

[@millythompsonfromtrigun98anime]

Escape from the City is my epitome of “This sh*t means something to me, man!”, and I’m so glad your finally heard it

[@FSAPOJake]

Vocals and lyrics by Ted Poley, who's in Danger Danger, one of the most underrated hair metal bands. Their song "Naughty Naughty" kicks ass!

[@El_Omar2203]

Danger Danger, having a song called Naughty Naughty, I see a "pattern pattern" here lol

[@FubukiSeba]

Dude I know it's like a massive shift from especially a Sonic soundtrack, but I'd love to see you give your thoughts on some Silent Hill music or something. Specifically Laura's Theme from Silent Hill 2 or the Silent Hill 1 Main Theme. Just some insane bangers, trust me. Anyways you're chill af yo, I love your vids lol

[@hmmmmname]

"You were totally just singing along weren't you" Absolutely.

[@mojojojox5043]

A yes, City Escape. Arguably the most iconic Modern Sonic song. This is in my collection so naturally it was an option for a suggestion. Luckily other folks got on top of suggesting it. The guitars are rambunctious and the vocals got that attitude to them. I love Jun's guitar tone so much, this style fits Sonic's free spirit and attitude to a T. This may not be that big of a deal nowadays when vgm has plenty of vocal music, this is one of the games to that had it on a level theme which blew people away at the time. The modern version is pretty cool too, I do prefer the original riffs to this one but it's still really great. I like how they go a bit more crazy, it's almost like Sonic isn't as young and has been through the ringer a few times. This is re-recorded just so you know. The new section is very much in the style of later Sonic music which is a cool bridge. It does a great job showing how Sonic has changed over the years. It's a banger, I do still prefer the simplicity of the original but this one is still pretty cool.

[@VelvetAura]

This song is so iconic and memorable. For an entire generation of Sonic fans, myself included, the level that this music accompanies was our first introduction to a Sonic game. Personally I knew him from his cartoons beforehand, but the first Sonic game I laid eyes on was SA2Battle, the gamecube port of Sonic Adventure 2. SA2 was the swan song game of the Dreamcast and of SEGA's consoles themselves, like you mentioned. Anyhow, because of this song's catchy nature and the fact that it's a pretty basic punk song, it is very transformative and has been covered and rearranged countless times. There are so many people who have probably heard "rolling around at the speed of sound" and don't even know specifically where it comes from, but this song has in itself kind of transcended the game it came from into general video game pop culture, and for good reason

[@xX_Thaddeus_Xx]

It's funny you say it's so faithful--they did, in fact have the OG vocalist do a new recording, as evident by the fact that there's a *new verse.* Well, almost more of a bridge, but still, new lyrics. You can hear that they're a little older, but it's fairly subtle.

[@dawk7]

It's a Karaoke Song. It's a Karaoke Song and that's why we all love it. ...okay it's also a first stage song, so that's a hell of an intro to Sonic Adventure 2 to stick to everybody that's played it.

[@DrakeSilvos]

Gotta FOLLOW MY RAINBOW

[@Arksimon2k]

Instant classic. I wasn't much into Sonic but I got Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on Gamecube and completely fell in love with this stage and the song.

[@stephanied1024]

I adore these cheesy Sonic songs and have so many fond memories of these games... Still some of the most fun I've had playing a game! I had the anniversary soundtrack and spent so much time listening to those damn songs, haha. Listening to it again after so long is weird because on one hand I feel old, but also it's so nostalgic. I remember being young and carefree and having the time of my life.

[@KEEPTALKIN8215]

Now would be a perfect time to react to a shadow the hedgehog song like "I am all of me" thanks to the sonic 3 trailer being out.

[@icephoenix2470]

OOOOH fun idea, maybe livestream a reaction to the 2021 online Sonic Symphony? Maybe you'll recognize a few songs...

[@bluejay22]

I never heard the Generations version. Never played that game. I’ll be getting the new version of Generations with Shadow so I’ll be playing it soon. I thought the Generations version of the song was just a remix until I heard a couple verses that I didn’t hear in the original song. I remember when I first got Sonic Adventure 2. I got a GameCube and got Sonic Adventure 2, went to a friends house and we played the hell out of it.

[@sometf2player752]

11:24 well sonic starts the stage while snowboarding down a city street using the peice of a broken helicopter on a hot summer day so I guess it’s kinda accurate