SONIC ADVENTURE 2: The Icon Reborn | GEEK CRITIQUE

Sonic Adventure 2 is a game defined by dichotomy. It's the game that split the fanbase in two. It tells a story of a Hero Side versus a Dark Side. And it conclusively ended one era, just as it began a new one... by releasing on a NINTENDO SYSTEM!?
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[@SoundOfAShadow]

Great vid! But as a music nerd, I gotta chime in on the soundtrack comparison between SA1 and SA2~ I will certainly agree that SA2 doesn't have the scope and variety as SA1's OST, but I think the reasoning further echoes a point you made earlier in the video, in regards to SA2 being a more mature experience. SA1 was certainly experimental, bringing Sonic into true 3D for the first time. But as Sega and Sonic Team tried to reimagine the critical elements of 2D Sonic in 3D, along with it came the music. Yes, SA1 has a lot of banging rock tracks, but most of the music (save for Character Theme Songs) were well rooted in composition styled familiar to 2D Sonic games. You could swap out the instruments for Yamaha YM2612 synths and most of those songs would still be bangin', and fit just perfectly into a 2D Sonic game! But as SA2 stepped up their game, aiming for a more modern, more grounded-in-the-real-world vibe, the OST got an upgrade as well. It wasn't enough to simply have a character theme- each character had that same theme's motif, instrumentation, general feel- carried over into each of their levels as well. It gave many of the levels a cinematic vibe and rooted the experience more as being "realistic." While many SA fans would argue that SA2's soundtrack lacked a lot of the vibrance and variety that the first game's OST had, I would argue that there is a level of creative brilliance in successfully writing theme songs for each character, with distinct style and motifs, and carrying all of those same elements along for the ride with the character into each of their levels. It certainly adds an extra level of character and cinematic flair to a game that aims to suspend the disbelief of anthropomorphic animals living alongside humans in a "realistic" world. As a game aims to take itself more seriously, so to does it's soundtrack. SA certainly does a wonderful job of setting atmosphere and ambience, expressing the mood of the levels and being their voice- much liek the classic 2D Sonic games. But SA2's score aims not to speak for the set-piece, but for the character's mood and personality itself, in that moment in time. It sets the tone for what the character stands for, how they feel in that moment, and what they're trying to accomplish. And I think both soundtracks accomplish what they were intended to evoke in that regard. tl;dr - SA2's OST sacrifices variety and melodic novelty in favor of playing to a character's specific traits in music form, and that's rather brilliant for a game of its time period. But that's not really anything that we didn't already know or speak of anyways. Just felt the need to reiterate. :)

[@GeekCritique]

Fan-freakin'-tastic comment, and it delves into something that, because I'm _not_ much of a music nerd, I couldn't really notice or articulate. Thank you!

[@SoundOfAShadow]

@@GeekCritique My absolute pleasure! Thanks for the stellar content, and please keep critiquing!

[@SoundOfAShadow]

@@Shadow7700 Oh, of course! They're both stellar in their own right, and I have favorites from both OSTs. More so, my point was just chiming in to say that SA2's shouldn't necessarily be detracted from for being so drastically different from SA1's- they just both aim to set completely different tones and atmospheres for their perspective games.

[@deusexmachinareznov4975]

heres on fact that will make SA2s rouge even more unsettling for you Rouge has an unlockable dominatrix outfit

[@thesamuraispirit7686]

When I first played sonic adventure 2 on the ps3, i thought i was going to love it. I was wrong. I did not like the treasure hunting stages, mech shooting stages and the sonic stages were not like Adventure's level design. I can appreciate how much more polish this game has compared to 1, the better graphics, story, less bugs and glitches but the gameplay for me isnt the same. In SA2 they present more skill based platforming but at the same time its very streamlined. You are going straight most of the time. It feels boring because of how easy it is. Im not the biggest fan of the classic games. I liked Sonic 2 and Sonic Mania, i can appreciate a lot but it wasnt my cup of tea either. I cant really pin point what it is about adventure 2 that i dont like compared to part 1. But my tastes for sonic, i guess are different bcuz i grew up differently. I grew up with Sonic Advance which isnt really classic sonic but a more modern 2d sonic game. In addition to sonic 2, sonic adventure1 and sonic advance, I love Sonic Generations. Yes, when i replay generations, each time becomes less exciting than the last but theres something about the way they handled boost gameplay that really worked for me.

[@majoraswrath8316]

Fun fact: Sonic Team added the ability to smash cars on your way down City Escape because while they were scouting San Francisco for inspiration, they got parking tickets--and were mad enough to program it in.

[@diegosmurillo]

Majora's Wrath looooool it was a fun mechanic still

[@Scroteydada]

They could be writing down things to fix but sending cars flying is more important to them.

[@diegosmurillo]

Harry Willmore what’s broken?

[@Scroteydada]

@@diegosmurillo Sonic Adventure 2

[@diegosmurillo]

Harry Willmore yeah but what?

[@evansowards5979]

Me: gets an ad over a minute long at 31:53 Josh when the ad is over: "Well that's a bit of an immersion breaker"

[@Butter-Milk]

same

[@radzilla1357]

Same

[@Smugumi-mh7ri]

Same

[@ChrisParlamas]

I was so dippy as a kid. When that scene that showed Shadow comparing saving Rouge to Maria... I thought the game was implying that Rouge was Maria reincarnated. I went on to believe that for years because I didn't replay the game for a long time. That was hard to admit publicly.

[@jaymontgomery8566]

I can relate to that feeling, and trust me when I say that A: Aren't brave enough and B: Can't think of any way-too-specific examples to share rn.

[@raymondthrone7197]

Don't worry about it, basically every kid has some completely ridiculous conspiracy theory they essentially invented out of nowhere about their favorite video game.

[@Brione30]

This games subtitles are in comic sans. I just want everybody to remember that.

[@Tiggster-qr8mw]

My favorite font!

[@littleguystar]

Brione Not in the hd version! Removal or Upgrade?

[@Tiggster-qr8mw]

little guy* they’re still comic sans in the hd version, just not bold like the Gamecube version

[@charliekahn4205]

It really doesn't fit with the style of the rest of the game. It's a quirky addition that I think looks pretty nice given the subject, but I still think a more standard font, maybe a monospace, typewriter font, would have looked better.

[@digamejh]

There are far worse things about this game than that...

[@HalfTangible]

23:49 I just noticed that the text behind Eggman says "I AM SMART". That is absolutely hilarious.

[@DarkChaos1701]

Holy shit, that is hilarious. I don't think any of my friends and I ever noticed that before and we played the shit outta this game.

[@inendlesspain4724]

"I am genius. I am great. I am brilliant. I am smart. I am wise. I am an emperor" Talk about having a big ego.

[@jamesmorseman3180]

@@inendlesspain4724 sounds shocking familiar

[@CLWenter]

Honestly, my favorite part about these reviews is that you also talk about how it felt to be a fan in the prerelease period of these games. As well as showing off a great time capsule of the way the fandom was in that period through old forum discussions and the such. It's really really interesting stuff! Really helps you stand out from the rest, and makes your videos fun to watch for those who weren't around during that period.

[@leeartlee915]

Good call. I wasn’t sure what made TGC stand out but you nailed it.

[@psyduck8025]

I didn't realize how much I appreciated Rouge's soundtrack until I got older

[@dunndorr5651]

Dude Security Hall is a BOP

[@ljpal18]

Best tracks in the game.

[@SmashedByMUNKEEz]

I still jam Rouge and Knuckles tunes regularly.

[@basalisk593]

Rouge is best girl

[@christopherlowery3797]

I’ve been listening to it a ton lately, & fee as though her music is what led me to enjoy playing Latin jazz & samba in high school so much...hell, half of the genres and styles of music I love probably originated between this, DDR & Kingdom Hearts’ soundtracks

[@MaxMarriner]

You are the only person I’ve heard speak about Sonic Adventure and NOT praise the Chao Garden. Speaking as someone who adores that part of the game, I was under the impression it was the one part of the game everyone liked.

[@decadentgamer3108]

Chao Garden was very fun back in the day, especially for kids but it has aged and it may not be as enjoyable as it once was if you don't have the patience for it.

[@Hraesvlgr]

Nah, I always found it boring. Even back then, I never was able to get in and couldn't see why everyone was so into it.

[@TheKaiwind]

Hraesvlgir my brotha, it was always my least favorite part of the games.

[@turtleanton6539]

No

[@Phoenix_Down444]

When i was a kid some of the stages seemed so "impossible" so thats why i used to like the chao garden cuz its simple and adorable.

[@toopienator]

People in 2002: "Shadow only had 4 levels?! Unacceptable! He needs his own spin-off!" People in 2005: "Why did I ask for this?"

[@adamtaurusragnathebloodedg8407]

Ow the edge

[@theoutlander1411]

In the early 00s, Shadow was completely cool. This goal oriented, self-absorbed, arrogant, brooding but powerful figure struck a chord as cool with young audiences in that time. The sort of edgy rock music in his levels were what was considered popular and new back in those days and contrasted well with the sort of optimistic, fun, snubbing his nose at authority, sarcastic but never give up kind of attitude that typified early 90s pop culture's perception as cool. Shadow's image didn't age well, often associated with emos, and then made by SEGA into a "misunderstood" character with amnesia. To audiences today, Shadow would basically be mocked as a character as a weird combination of high school shooter and incel in personality

[@expithesocfurry4099]

The monkey's paw curled it's middle finger at us

[@Nothavinit00]

Sega and 4Kids tried way too hard to make it seem "mature". I also think that the Heroes Engine and Graphics shouldn't have been used. ShtH should have had it's own gameplay style and art style.

[@kirillassasin]

Me in August 2001: you what? Just replay them.

[@chowfalp]

You’re trippin, that jazz was eargasmic.

[@jhsrt985]

THANK YOU . Thawas the only problem i had w the entire video

[@Oh_Its_Tyler]

Funny enough I liked rouges theme the most in sa2

[@jhsrt985]

All of her stage music is 2nd best music from the game period. I love bright sound

[@tdenzel101]

Wrong sonic and shadow had THE BEST MUSIC threw out while game knuckles and rouge had some good music and tails had one good stage song dr egg man beginning stage I love that track and the stage with zero gravity..

[@lirfrank]

It's more like Bossa Nova than Jazz

[@Veprem]

As a fun thing to think about, there is more connecting Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 story-wise. The architecture of the Ark's core is reminiscent of the Echidna ruins, and the Ark is filled with "artificial chaos" monsters. In SA, the ruins featured an image of Perfect Chaos. The theory is that Gerald Robotnik studied all these ruins. The Biolizard is based on the images of Perfect Chaos, and Shadow could be based on ancient predictions of Super Sonic.

[@Kirbychu1]

Which means Shadow would canonly be Gerald's recolored OC.

[@alexos9011]

@@Kirbychu1 In a nutshell yeah

[@kazineverwind5267]

@@Kirbychu1 Gerald : Original Character, do not steal! Eggman : riiiiight.

[@risingrevolt]

@@Kirbychu1 I'm at a lost of words

[@lugbzurg8987]

@@Kirbychu1 Dang, what does that make Mephiles, then?

[@NotAFakeName1]

Much like this game is defined by dichotomy, so too is my viewing experience. Do I watch the entire thing while sitting in this public library? Or do I act productively and responsibly and study for my finals? Truly, this question is the source of life's greatest turmoil.

[@jacobmonks3722]

17:13 Watch Rouge on the right. Yeah, this game wasn't meant to be wide screen.

[@appleooza1920]

I wish her model glitched out and her clothes came off😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

[@alangonzalezmartinez8189]

@@appleooza1920 dude....no man... jus stahp

[@appleooza1920]

@@alangonzalezmartinez8189 im kidding lol. I get it if you don't believe me though

[@alangonzalezmartinez8189]

@@appleooza1920 I believe you man. It was funny

[@EthanBradburyVlogs]

@@appleooza1920 furry

[@hortinus]

SA2: "The first Bad Sonic Game...?" Sonic 3D Blast: Hold my Warp Rings.

[@Rush2201]

I'd even argue that Sonic Adventure 1 deserves "First Bad Sonic Game" more than 2. Definitely agree it was the last good Sonic game. This from someone who grew up with Sonic in the early 90s. The last Sonic game I bought was Heroes, and I was so disappointed in it that I lost all faith in the series.

[@popespalace823]

@@Rush2201 How so? Adventure ones gameplay is more consistently good imo a

[@HruMan360]

Sonic R: ...

[@matthew1420]

@@Rush2201 you've given me a terminal spinal condition

[@stuffed1941]

sonic spinball: and me?

[@CountessChuchoteur]

Is anyone else satisfied that the video is exactly an hour long?

[@GeekCritique]

Yes I am.

[@BlenDer989]

i just watched the whole thing and didn't even realize it's an hour...

[@rulasmania]

They where just goofballs

[@misaeltoral508]

CountessChuchoteur except it’s not.

[@itsknighttime9572]

@@misaeltoral508 yes it is, stupid pussy.

[@duoreview7492]

The section focusing on growing up with the Adventure series hit the nail on the head. Since Adventure was my first experience with Sonic, that's how I always preferred it. It sucks because both the classic series that came before and the boost series that came after don't gel with me the same way. I'm happy classic fans finally got their due with Mania, but I'd be lying if I said that I don't yearn for the series to finally try catering to Adventure fans.

[@sonicgenesis8154]

DuoReview Same here. I love the classic series tho, but yeah I really want an adventure 3 even tho it’s probably never gonna happen

[@The_WIll_OF_D99]

Warrior15 people kinda over hype the hell out of adventure 2 and it's kinda dumb but I seriously don't whant a adventure 3 they can just make a game with that play style in mind and not make it all that buggy and plus most people who like adventure or still play it mostly do Sonic and Shadow's missions And don't really do the others cause they are weaker in comparison

[@The_WIll_OF_D99]

Warrior15 we did get adventure 3...... It was released around 06

[@Gokuvsnaruto22]

@@The_WIll_OF_D99 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYnIi52QnLqsfNU Watch this

[@sonicgenesis8154]

B.T.A Let's plays why does everyone say this...sonic adventure 3 will be called sonic adventure 3.sonic 06 was sonic 06

[@theconsolegamingbros]

This video may be one of the best reviews I've genuinely seen, especially for a game that I grew up with. It's like he was referring to me when he mentioned the children who grew up with SA2 Battle. You sir, are awesome, and you gain a new subscriber.

[@dduuddeechil]

Sonic Adventure 2: Pure 2001 distilled into a video game

[@jokerzwild00]

Does it have tribal tattoos and nu-metal? It's been awhile since I played it, it just might...

[@s_SoNick]

@@jokerzwild00 Shadow's music wasn't quite nu-metal but it was leaning heavily towards that genre. I don't recall any tribal tattoos, though.

[@demi-fiendoftime3825]

Can I go back to then?

[@kylecampbell565]

Yeah bad anime translations, focus on spectacle, having a darker story and terrorism

[@duckknuckles7880]

SoNick Technically Knux has a DLC costume with a bunch of tattoos, so kinda fits...?

[@UltimateCarl]

SA2:B will always be pretty special to me, and I think it's less because of the game itself and more because of how I experienced it with a friend. My best friend and I were both I think around 14 at the time, and already huge weeaboos. However, I was way more into generic battle shounen on top of generally being the more silly, "class clown" type of the friendgroup while he was a baby edgelord that bought everything from Hot Topic... So naturally we alternated playing each story, with me doing all of the Hero levels and him doing all of the Dark levels. Frantically switching out during the Last Story level and especially the final boss (we didn't even know it was coming up, we just started doing it on the fly) was one of my best gaming memories. I know that says more about my friendship than the game, but I still can't help but remember the game incredibly fondly. ...And after that, we went and played Vs. for like three more hours straight.

[@drazgul1]

How weird it is I had the same experience, probably in another part of the world. Back then I had a friend I played all games with and this is exactly how we played this one, even sharing the controller on the final battle to each play with either Sonic or Shadow. Then try to win on the city escapa multiplayer stage. Amazing, fond memories from this one truly

[@americanbadger6986]

Gayyyyy

[@shignificent]

That's honestly cool as all hell, and sounds like a memory that will last forever.

[@shin-ishikiri-no]

@@americanbadger6986 Brosexual... U Mad?

[@BoneZonelol]

"Eggman really doesn't need the Eclipse Cannon. If he just downloads some missiles, he can blow up whatever he wants." oh my fucking god. Also "Sonic 2: Battle Adventure" with over 9000 views and 8,999 likes.

[@shadowdeku6926]

Kind of off-topic, but I've been playing Sonic Mania again despite not loving it the first time around, and, unlike the first time, I started another playthrough as soon as I was done with this last one. I've never been a fan of classic Sonic... I just never "got" it, despite seeing fans like you praising it to death. I've always struggled to keep any momentum and so it felt like an awkward platformer series with a design that's the antithesis of everything I knew to be good game design from platformers like Mario and the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. But suddenly, I'm having a lot of fun with it, learning that screwing up and rolling with it is part of the game. I never understood that replaying these games is where the true magic lies, until listening to you. I'm not sure if I'll ever love the classic Sonic games the way many do, but I've learned to appreciate them through Mania because of listening to your infectious passion and enthusiasm for the games, despite not getting it for my 27 years of gaming, and despite desperately trying to feel the magic but failing. You and KingK both, but mostly you. Your passion is an awesome thing, capable of allowing a person to see and experience something they never could otherwise. Thank you.

[@exiled5160]

I've tried playing several times.... I still hate it lol

[@shadowdeku6926]

@@exiled5160 to be fair, I still wouldn't place it among what I consider the best of the genre. It doesn't reward exploration nearly as well as a Donkey Kong Country, and I've never been a big fan of "you have to replay it to truly enjoy it" game design. Also, why is Hydrocity in the game? But it is fun, especially on replays once you have a good handle on basic level layouts and the physics. I recommend giving it another shot.

[@Arkalidor]

You know Game Grumps? They have a history with Sonic games, and Arin specifically, who's generally quite knowledgeable about game design, has A LOT to say about modern sonic games, about how "THE POINT OF THE GAME IS TO GO FAST! WHY DO YOU CONSTANTLY THROW OBSTACLE IN MY WAY THAT MAKE ME STOP?" And when I hear him yelling about that, all I can think of is: Sonic games have ALWAYS been designed to stop you in your tracks with obstacles you can't anticipate. You've always had to learn them by heart beforehand... But 3D does give you more forward visibility

[@shadowdeku6926]

@@Arkalidor As someone who prefers 3D Sonic, I think that's a legitimate complaint. I don't mind obstacles that require players to pay attention, but they should be reasonably avoidable on a first playthrough. That doesn't mean all players have to avoid them on their first try, only that an average person's reaction time is adequate when putting forth full effort. It's no coincidence that I prefer 3D Sonic because, as you said, the increased visibility helps the design avoid this issue, and this often isn't the case in classic Sonic.

[@S3rp3rior]

Pretty much my sentiments and that extends to most 2D, platformer, pixelated games. My first console was an N64 so I grew up playing 3D games, thereby that's my preference with the exception to the pokemon series (then again that's a turn-based RPG). I appreciate the love for those games despite that I do not enjoy them myself. Hell to perfectly explain what kinds of games i like vs. games I don't: I Prefer Ocarina of Time to A Link to the Past, and I prefer Dragon Age over Mass Effect. Then through in pretty much anything Nintendo in there that fits in with that description (with all the pokemon) and that pretty much covers the kinds of game I play.

[@Vagrantkidfromtheforest]

Idgaf what anyone says, these games were excellent and I wish they'd continue making the series with this style. If you enough people don't like Shadow, they can either take him out or not make him essential to play. I loved these games. 😀

[@MrDmoney156]

For real! I agree

[@beyozenith2376]

@angel39373 So you're edgy and have amnesia?

[@beyozenith2376]

@angel39373 damn I'm sorry to hear that I hope everything gets better if they already haven't :)

[@godli6063]

I want sonic adventure 3, but this time make tails play differently, add Amy, Silver, & cream to make, flying missions 3 types of speed missions, & idk what to do with Amy

[@godli6063]

J Foster no, make a choice to have them to play seperately, or play as a team. Kinda like what you can do in mania.

[@SmaMan]

My sister and I must be the only people in the universe who really, genuinely liked the treasure hunting stages. It got to a point for me that I figured out the most optimal route to take through them, and based on what pinged the tracker, know exactly where to go from there. That's not to say I didn't run into your critiques initially though. Rouge's vault stage had me stuck for a really long time, but we kept grinding at it. And yeah, we ground through them a lot, because we also really loved the Chao Gardens. There was so much to do and experiment with, and we racked up over 300 hours on this game to breed the best Chao possible. I had no idea that editor existed... and quite frankly, I'd probably use that today if I ever were to do that again. (Mainly because I'm not 11 anymore and I don't have that crazy amount of time on my hands.) I loved this game and still do, but I think that's more about the type of gamer that I was back then. I'd only played Sega consoles at my babysitter's house before I picked up SA2Battle on GameCube, and back then, it felt like the perfect logical progression from those games. I totally see the faults though, going back to it today, but really the only thing that's keeping me from really digging into it again is the time commitment, and having to get my progress back to how it was. (Thanks for nothing, Nyko memory cards.)

[@scottcampbell3735]

Same here, I enjoyed the treasure hunting stages the more I played them by memorising the stage and being able to effectively use the hints to my advantage on the larger stages.

[@Joseph-li3df]

You seriously make some of the best analysis videos I've ever seen, Josh. I see so many people blindly loving this game because of nostalgia, and so many people blindly hating it because it's Sonic. But you analyzed both the good _and_ the bad. I love that you took the time to explain _why_ people loved it back in the day. Keep doing what you're doing!

[@Joseph-li3df]

Thanks for the heart!

[@AdeptArcanist]

For what it’s worth, if you do a perfect run of the Finalhazard, you end as shadow - so I’ve seen it argued that Shadow canonically dies because he runs out of rings.

[@autobotproductions1244]

There is in game dialogue that implies that Shadow couldn’t maintain his super form like Sonic

[@chaoscontrolled5978]

this guy is an amazing writer

[@guzma9851]

Escape from the City is my childhood song.

[@ms046]

Personally, I love Sonic Adventure 2. Although it's not my favourite Sonic game, it still holds up decently and I would love to see this game, SA1 and Sonic Heroes all ported to modern day consoles.

[@Cyperstudio]

MarioSonic04 I could pass on heroes, but agreed.

[@2002dash]

They were on PS3 and 360, it was weird though

[@2002dash]

Heroes wasn't though

[@edwardrobinson919]

Well fortunately sa1 and sa2 is on GameCube. Well I played the GC version of both Sonic adventure games.

[@lpfan4491]

heroes is pretty bland sadly

[@astrotrain3332]

Sonic Adventure 2 to me is the last real Sonic game. The last time they really cared about telling a great story and respecting the characters. I remember as a kid being absolutely crushed when Heroes came out.

[@MrDmoney156]

Yeah i never liked Heroes when it came out, Adventure 2 was my true last Sonic game as well.

[@1010otep]

the only time they cared about an actual story was satbk or gamma's story imo

[@chaomaster1783]

Matt Dawson Unleashed Colors Generations Mania

[@astrotrain3332]

@@chaomaster1783 I would say all of those didn't care about telling a great story and respected the characters. They didn't push the narrative forward or add any world building. Mania doesn't count because it's obviously supposed to be a throwback to the Genesis games. I said nothing about the quality of the gameplay, if that's what you're hinting at.

[@tails0389]

Matt Dawson Maybe Colors, Gens, And mania but I think unleashed had a great story an atmosphere of people around the world and it was a light hearted story but it’s a story that dosent really caters to the adventure fans

[@spaceonisorceress4406]

Hey The Geek Critique, this was important to me and I hope you see it: Regarding the bit at around 21:03 - I actually like the idea of Shadow genuinely struggling with the concept of his own agency; as far as we know, he spent most of his life confined on the ARK, with virtually no freedom of his own. While this likely wasn't Gerald's intent, Shadow - as far as we know - never really got to make any decisions of his own in the first place. Then you throw in that all he really remembers about his past is his best friend - to whom he was intensely loyal - and (a jumbled portion of) her wishes, and his lack of agency is excaberated. The subtext I get from this game is that Maria was probably the only person to actually treat Shadow as a friend and as his own person, rather than a glorified science project, but she herself could offer him no freedom. In that moment of SA2's endgame where he fully remembers her wishes, his reality finally makes sense, and the last thing he wants is to disrespect the memory of the most important person in his life. This was a very high-stakes and high-stress situation, and as such Shadow had no time to explore his personal thoughts on the matter; he only had time to act on his loyalty. I think it would have been doubly tragic if Shadow actually died in this game, because even in his last moments, he was thinking of Maria's wishes rather than his own. This also makes him an even more pronounced foil to Sonic; the blue hedgehog has essentially been free for his whole life, and has the agency Shadow lacks. This might be a part of why Sonic grates on him so much; I wouldn't be at all surprised if Shadow was rather jealous of Sonic, at least subconsciously. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but those are my thoughts as somebody whose favorite character is Shadow - not because of his edginess, but because of the exploration of loyalty, love, agency, and peace that he represents (I consider his characterization in Sonic Battle to be a great example of Shadow done right).

[@blur7491]

22:20 Actually, there is dialogue in the final boss that Shadow was unable to handle his Super Form, in those lines, Sonic was BEGGING Shadow to stop, but Shadow says: "I guess I know who is the Ultimate Life Form now! It is you...Sonic." Also, Unleashed will always have the best Story in my opinion,

[@freeziboi3249]

@J Foster What is wrong with it? Besides the werehogs combat music glassing over the night stages.

[@Kaitotaku]

@J Foster Nope, only Forces has actual boost to win game play.

[@Loryuo]

@@Kaitotaku i def remember boost to win being a thing unleash atleast for the 360 version, barring the final stage.

[@siresorb1419]

The Sonic franchise would've probably favored better if Sega took a more anime styled approach with their storylines instead of chasing the whole western animation DreamWorks Disney approach. Sonic's whole charm was that he was a wise ass protagonist, it only makes sense that eventually his stories would get more fleshed out.

[@superminion252]

4:18 BIG WORKS FOR GUN?!?!?

[@ToonReel001]

The problem was they did it to a fault here and made the Sonic-esque cartoon anthros look alien within their own universe. For all people complain about the Deadly Six I do think them and their world gels with the Sonic cast better than realistic human populations and militaries.

[@drifter402]

Well I don't think this comments accurate. Simply because sonic hasn't gone in any direction. After SA2 there's been no direction for this series, every game does something completely different to the point where nobody even knows what sonic is.

[@ngikjegjangbiuea]

@@NintendoDude888 ... ... ... ...YES

[@stevewoods6599]

Anime lol. Weeb

[@freeziboi3249]

First bad sonic game? No, the start of Sonic's hate? Definitely.

[@okagron]

@Johnny Buddy How about no? No way in hell is SA 1 and 2 better than Sonic 2 and 3. The latter two are pretty much the epitome of Sonic quality. And i played the Adventure games far before Sonic 2 and 3. Generations is also far better than the Adventure games.

[@jackyoungiii3770]

Johnny Buddy Bro WHAT?

[@francisariwaodo318]

@Johnny Buddy You must be on something.

[@arieln.4857]

Johnny, bravo. Seriously, you make sense here

[@electrosphere5581]

He's not wrong. Generations pales in comparison to Adventure 1 and 2.

[@AnnCatsanndra]

I had been getting so pissed off because I disliked the thumbnail enough to mark this as "Don't show me this, not interested in the video, not interested in the channel" Despite that, KZbin continued to recommend it to me multiple times per day for the past 3 days. I finally decided to watch it, and it is much *much* better than I expected.

[@GeekCritique]

Haha, well, thank you for giving me a chance! The thumbnail was meant to kind of encapsulate the dichotomy at the heart of SA2's theme and reception, _not_ to imply that I actually believe in either one of the two very black-and-white arguments.

[@sgtwolf7391]

Yeah I thought it was going to be either a LOL S0NIC W@S N£V£R GO0D LET$ AlL JuMP 0N ThE $OnIC HATe TraiN, or a let's bitch about sonic and not give any good criticism or suggestions. But no he made his video clear and offered up some good points a respectful fair way. It's not common to see that these days.

[@sgtwolf7391]

@@GeekCritique But wouldn't it be a very black and *blue* argument?

[@sgtwolf7391]

@@hectorcollazo1963 👉 👉

[@jebril]

I'm surprised how quickly you glossed over the Chao Garden and Multiplayer, both of those modes I remember sinking in tons of time as a kid with my brother and sister and realizing how busted Amy was in the races lol. Also enjoying the treasure hunting modes because I thought they were really fun, and the music was actually dope especially since the game let you play the songs separately through a soundtrack mode.

[@FinalFantasyFan66666]

I loved Sonic adventure 2 battle, mostly for the Chao garden. I was extremely dissapointed when I found out that since that game their has not been a single Sonic game with a Chao garden part to it where you can raise them and play minigames with them. For me that was the best part of the sonic franchise, and the second they decided not to make another game with a Chao garden was the second the franchise died. I never enjoyed another Sonic game after Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.

[@mystic_ramen]

Sonic Adventure DX has a Chao Garden..

[@FinalFantasyFan66666]

@@mystic_ramen If I'm remembering correctly the Chao garden in that one wasn't that great. I'd have to play it again to be sure tho. I do remember sonic adventure battle having the best Chao garden tho.

[@FLAMM3NW3RF]

Sonic advance had one...

[@FinalFantasyFan66666]

@@FLAMM3NW3RF yes lots of old sonic games had a Chao garden... But not a single Sonic game since the gba/game cube era of games has their been a sonic game with a Chao garden.

[@DarklitofViolets]

So true, especially since the Chao garden in Adventure 2 has more control and unique combinations on how you raised your chao

[@dylangaletti395]

Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 are peak Sonic games, I'll die on that hill.

[@Zenner5222]

Your channel is so underrated, and deserves so much more attention. This is better than 99% of the content that big channels make.

[@GeekCritique]

Thank you!

[@EndymionMkII]

Oh man I had missed your show and reviews so much, I love the amazing perfect blend of your nostalgia but also your critique and observation. It's funny now when I think about it both Zelda and Sonic sure share that "THE BEST X GAME IS THE ONE I PLAYED WHEN I WAS 12!", I played the hell out of Sonic Adventure 1 when I was a child and remember it more fondly than 2 because, I didn't play it as much, but when a friend lend my brothers their Genesis and Sonic 2, I was so marveled by it as it had been nothing like I had played before and it just captured me, to this day Sonic 2 is still among my fav of the series, even if I'm not the biggest fan of the hedgehog. Anyways back on track, this video was a very interesting watch, not only as because I love how you do your videos, analysis, critiques and reviews, but also because when you mentioned how this was one of the hardest videos to script and write for because you didn't want to make another video only catering for nostalgia, or just another video of "NEVERMIND, SA 2 SUCKS NOW!" but instead a much better blend of explaining your view on it but also trying to explain why this game was so formative for many in their childhood. The line that really hit me hard was "If we would try to understand each others views of where we come from in this franchise than just forcefully bashing each other with our individual opinion, this fandom would be much better." I think this was the pivotal point for me how this is not only an analysis for Sonic Adventure 2 but how this game marked both the change of an era, the start of a generation for new Sonic Fans and the Swan Song of the Dreamcast that eventually became more the rant spot for many people in later years. Once again I have to say how much I love your content, looking forward to the next episodes now!

[@bctalicorn809]

Man, your closing statements about how Sonic Adventure 2 might have been your first Sonic game, or the first game you ever loved, it got me. That is ME to a tee. The game may not be great, but it's sooo much fun. It's pretty dated in the way it controls, but I've never noticed it because I've been playing it for 15 years. I go through spells every year where I just have a strong desire to play City Escape or Metal Harbor again, so I end up playing through the whole game again. There's just something so satisfying about having to actually work to get an A-Rank/S-Rank in a Sonic game, rather than trying to keep the boost gauge full the whole time. I feel so in-tune when I play Sonic Adventure 2. The rhythm of the levels have been ingrained into my being, and I can hop back in and play through it like I have been playing it for hours every day and haven't forgot. There's just something that feels so natural when I'm speeding through the levels. The mech levels, while less entertaining, help break up the pace of the game to make those moments of spectacle that much more enjoyable. And I don't think Knuckles' stages are bad at all. His levels are actually kind of fun and rewarding, if you know your way around them and where the usual hiding spots are. Rouge is the only one that gets straight up bad levels. None of hers even compare to Knuckles' or, frankly, any of the other levels in the game. And the Chao Garden is so amazing. I use to think it was pretty boring, but then I figured out just how deep the system is. It's really quite impressive. This is the best 3D character model Sonic is ever going to get. I'm convinced no design will ever top it. Something about the way he is proportioned and his inwardly curved back just add so much personality to him. I also love that Sonic 3 & Knuckles shade of blue they gave him. Just an all-around quintessential 3D model of Sonic. Also, his Soaps are dope. I think they flow really well with the design and they really helped modernize him. And the story is by far my favorite out of the rest of the series. The unique split story that weaves in and out is just really interesting. It also contained that regular Sonic campiness, mixed in with that "serious/cool early 2000s" vibe. I love every aspect of the game and it is the golden standard to me for how to make a fun Sonic game that has ridiculously high replayablity. It doesn't really take much more than passion. You can tell that love and passion went into this game and its characters, and it's something you just don't see from Sonic Team nowadays. I hope they find their way back to when they actually cared about the brand and what the name means to people.

[@tylermcconnell3147]

I agree with a lot here. It tried many different things and it had some charm that made Sonic what it was. Even if there was a change of tone, it was still Sonic

[@jdawson7877]

Your right sa2 is not great Its amazing

[@robkam643400]

Generations is pretty great, have you played it?

[@bctalicorn809]

@@robkam643400 yeah, it just didn't hold my attention unfortunately. It's some of the best that boost Sonic has to offer, but it feels really rushed and shallow outside of playing the main levels. Personally, I've found little to no reason to revisit it. I still feel like Unleashed is the all-round best 3D boost game, but Generations gives it a run for its money, and I think the mechanics in place were pretty much at their best.

[@stevensteier5914]

Honestly I think this is probably the most complete analysis of this game I've ever seen, and it was great seeing you look over the various perspectives that this game has gained. As someone who was born in 1998 (enjoy feeling old) I think that I have a pretty different perspective on not just this game but the franchise as a whole most sonic fans around my age. My first home console was the wii and although I had a gba and ds I never got to play the advance or rush games until way later. So didn't get into the series until a little after black knight, and my first sonic game proper was a plug and play of sonic blast that my mom bought in a pharmacy (unless if you count brawl as a sonic game). So the way I played through the games was weird I started with blast but I never got far. Then I got sonic 1 on the virtual console and while I had some fun with it I was confused why there was no spin dash or super sonic. The next time I had money I got the sonic 2 and I fell in love with not just the game but this franchise on the whole, I put hundreds of hours into sonic 2. After that I had to wait for the virtual console to get sonic and knuckles so I could properly playthrough sonic 3 (which was and is my favorite). My first 3d sonic game was SADX (which is still my favorite 3d sonic game outside of maybe generations), and then I got sonic colors which was the only time as a kid I got to own a sonic game that was recently released. So while I grew up with the sa2 generation, I was exposed to all 3 eras of sonic in less then a year (2009-2010 I was 10 to 11) I also got exposed to the sonic fandom at that time through newgrounds animations and youtube videos Cybershell's old playthroughs were the first let's play I ever watched back in 09. As a result I looked at SA2 like it was almost mythical (I didn't get to play it until after the HD version came out on steam), it was the introduction of Shadow, it was the game with this really cool story, it was the best 3d sonic game that I couldn't play. This is why I loved the fact that you spent so much time talking about the various different perspectives on this game, because that's how I was introduced to sa2. Seeing sonic fans be passionate about it. (that and sonic x reruns). Anyway I've been following this channel since 2014 when you started your smash retrospective, and I've been a huge fan of your content ever since. Seeing you be so passionate about this franchise always brings a smile to my face, and I can't wait for the rest of the adventure era retrospective. (PS once you finish this current marathon could you make a video addressing the various mods for these games since I really liked how you did that for Other m and the retro retrospective, since better sadx is so good and for sa2 there's even mods to fix the radar)

[@GeekCritique]

Thanks for the kind words, and hey... before too much longer, kids born in 2008 are gonna be making us _both_ feel old. xD

[@stevensteier5914]

@@GeekCritique I think about that a lot, since I'm turning 20 and I'm watching so many youtubers who are only 1 or 2 years older/younger then me it's crazy to think how I'm gonna look at the generation who grew up with the 3ds and 8th gen consoles, and seeing what entries our generations are gonna argue over. I also only just released that you were the same age that I am right now when I got into this franchise. Also and I hope you bring this up next time you cover a series this is relevant for, but I feel like my generation has a much easier time going back through the snes and genesis library then ether the NES library, or even the PS1 and N64 libraries because of how similar the DS and GBA library was to 4th gen consoles (Yes I know the DS could do 3d but I can't stand playing mario 64 with a Dpad)

[@Falzyker]

A nice detail is that if you wait 7 minutes swapping between sonic and shadow in the final fight you lose, like literally lose, I found out that when my brother said "Let's wait the seven minutes to see if it really falls on earth!" And then suddenly it actually happened and we were really surprised.

[@alanbareiro6806]

Fuck, that's actually awesome!

[@ChaddyFantome]

Yea, the sky actually gets red as the colony enters the atmosphere and everything.

[@Meatonmytaco]

I love the hour long, heart-felt analysis. You made a point and expressed your opinion without shitting on everyone else. Keep up the good work, fellow Sonic fan.

[@SpaceTreeStudios]

You briefly touched on it a bit, I think the main reason that the narrative of SA2 only recently being criticized is because it was the gateway into the series for many fans. We were all much younger and due to the vast majority of fans loving it, is was easy to believe that that was the common consensus. But not just that, it also had to do with where we were technology wise, I.e. the internet. Nowadays we have reviews for games out the day before release, and endless trailers and preview information. Back then, the most we got were magazines and the aforementioned postage stamp videos accessed through AOL trial discs we got from cap'n crunch boxes. Kids especially would have a harder time finding out how everyone else felt about it, and most aren't going to go back to look for those old archived reviews now. So for many it really does feel like the dissonance is a new thing. We had no idea at the time because there wasn't much of a way to find out. I still get people today, sometimes even older than me, mention how they used to love the game (and yes, by calling it Sonic Adventure Battle 2). also yes, SA2 was technically my first exposure to the series, I rented from blockbuster. Then the next week I rented mega collection because it was next to it on the shelf. A week later I asked my mom to buy it for me and that's how I got into the series.

[@LinklightGaming]

I am happy you're doing this series. While I did play Adventure 1 on the Dreamcast before this game, 2 Battle is what I would consider my first Sonic game. This game has it's flaws, and yes the game has aged horribly, but something inside me can't let myself believe it can't be done again. There's something beautiful about being able to move freely, without being restricted to forward and backwards and dashing between lanes. I wish they realized that Sonic isn't just about the speed. You said you didn't feel much for the chao garden, but man did that chao garden keep me coming back, it was like my pokemon experience. This game did so many things right, it would just make me so happy to see them play on Adventure's strengths and make a game a lot of Sonic fans could enjoy. What happened man, the only thing I love about this Hedgehog anymore is his music.

[@bababobo5067]

Articuno same here.

[@codacious14]

It's aged fine, atmosphere is pretty good

[@appleooza1920]

Mario 64 aged horribly too. Both games are loved though 😍

[@retrosoul8770]

People saying something has "aged bad" or whatever is the most overused & rated phrase ever. It's annoying honestly. Video games don't age (like us humans), their quality doesn't change or waver through time, it's the same game today as it was back then. Meaning it's just as fun or mediocre today as it was or may have been back then. But I agree with everything else you said though especially about the freedom of movement. That's why I really dislike the new games and direction.

[@dannyboy591]

actually, if you look at comparisons between the dreamcast version of sonic adventure 2 and the remake for the gamecube, "Battle", the graphics were actually better in the original

[@RAMENn00dleb0y]

This is my favorite video game review ever, even topping some of my favorite Noah Caldwell-Gervais reviews. The parallels between the game's perception and being and awkward teen, the pure passion, the video editing, the script, the pacing, OH MY GOD the narration is perfect dude. The emotion and nostalgia too man, it's just gushing with it in the best way possible. I can only hope to make a video this good some time.

[@decadentgamer3108]

Yes, he certainly has a way of painting a picture when describing the game and how it impacted his life. In a way, it's feels like you're watching a movie with how he describes things.

[@hotdogfingerz9674]

You make some great content. I was a Nintendo fan growing up, with little exposure to anything Sega or Sony. It's very interesting hearing what it was like for a Sega fan. It makes me sad Sega went kaput in terms of the console race, even if I had no memories with them. The Dreamcast fascinates me, its design, its technology, the games it had. I can only imagine how devastating it was to come to terms with the fact that Sega was leaving the console market.

[@Michael-Archonaeus]

To me the Xbox was the spiritual successor to the Dreamcast; it had a similar controller and it was equally overpowered, compared to the competition, including unique gimmicks that no other console had at the time. For this reason I still think of Microsoft consoles as the new SEGA :)

[@hotdogfingerz9674]

@@Michael-Archonaeus I actually own one and I can say it's a decent console. That gen of consoles was really good, the GameCube, PS2, the Xbox and the Dreamcast. Each of those consoles are marvellous machines.

[@AbbeyThoughts]

Did you even listen to the characters? Shadow was losing strength throughout the fight with The Prototype. Sonic kept asking Shadow if he was alright. He lost all his strength when doing the chaos control after the fight, then he fell to his death. Sonic even tried to grab onto him as we see he has one of shadows bracelets. It slipped off.

[@AidGum]

To be fair to the creator of this video, he probably beat the Final Lizard a bit too quickly to hear the dialogue of Shadow losing strength. I forgot when it comes up but I think it's close around the 5 minute time limit.

[@michaelberg9348]

As i recall it (i currently lack the means to confirm), those messages show up when you run low on rings (as it takes rings to maintain 'super'-form, they take turns assaulting the beast and gathering rings (you only play the assaulting part), if you can't hit the creature in time, you can deliberately miss the creature (only fly down) to switch). Both make remarks about needing more/running out of rings so they should switch, both about themselves and the other. Sonic is just easier to hear. As for why shadow fell, but sonic got teleported back, the last shot screws it up a bit, but as shown 1 shot earlier: shadow actively holds back in flight to make sure he catches sonic within the chaos control.

[@TheWraithOfMooCow]

A couple of corrections 16:02 Her being a double agent is important to the plot, as it's the reason she studies project shadow, leading to the foreshadowing of the biolizard and casting doubt on if shadow is really the ultimate lifeform. It's also how in the final story they find out that the space station is hurtling towards the planet in time for them to do something about it. 18:00 During the boss fight, the pilot of the boss tells security to lock the doors to the room. 18:50 In the very scene you showed, Eggman tells Rouge to go get the chaos emerald from tails. (But yeah, it's ridiculous that she has a car themed after herself, especially considering she's suppose to be both a jewel thief and a spy) 18:58 Up until this point, the only humanoid hedgehog we (and presumably the world) knows about is Sonic. Considering that the authorities only ever got blurry, poorly lit shots of Shadow it makes sense they would assume the humanoid hedgehog running around at super speed is Sonic. Even if they saw Shadow in person, he does look like Sonic if he dyed his hair and applied mascara, not to mention it's well know by the public that Sonic can transform his appearance ala his Super Sonic transformation, so why wouldn't he be able to change how he looks in other ways? 19:08 Not only was she caught off guard by falling, she was also tired out from the preceding fight with knuckles. 19:20 He's president of station square silly! 19:24 This is a translation error. In the original, he just reveals that he's found out she's working for the president. 19:42 Eggman is literally telling Sonic that if he puts the fake chaos emerald into the eclipse cannon, he will *kill* Amy. 20:14 I've heard some people use the term Chaos (or Khaos, I can't remember) as a unit of space-time, so Chaos Control could either be referring to controlling that unit of space-time, or could just be written off as "It's Chaos! I don't have to explain shit!" 21:06 It's heavily hinted at (if not outright stated) that Gerald Robotnik rewrote Shadow's memories after the massacre on the space colony arc so that he would be solely focused on Gerald's mission of revenge. *How* he managed to do that when he was taken into custody shortly after the event however is never explained. (My best guess is that there was a period of time in between the massacre and Gerald getting arrested where he did it) When Amy spoke words similar to Maria's last words, it let the suppressed memory of Maria's last words resurface. 22:22 Much like how Sonic was completely drained after using Chaos Control for the first time (since he had never used it before), this was Shadow's first time turning into his Super Form, so he had a lot harder of a time controlling it and probably burnt through his energy a lot faster than Sonic did. (Why Sonic couldn't have grabbed Shadow as he started falling and saved him is a legitimate plothole though, as it's been shown that Sonic characters can breath and survive in space... somehow) 23:04 Honestly, I don't really see the story as taking itself *too* seriously, but hey, to each their own. 34:32 It's been confirmed by the creators that the game was originally just going to be Sonic, Knuckles, Eggman, and Shadow, but due to backlash from the fans after the reveal trailer, they added Tails in and introduced Rouge to make the game symmetrical. It's probably why Tails and Rouge only have 4 levels each in their designed gameplay styles, with one level being a much easier to program go kart minigame. 35:25 Tails throughout the game is either breaking into heavily guarded facilities or being chase by G.U.N.'s army. If he wasn't in the mech, he would be filled with bullet holes from all the robots shooting at him (since he's not as fast as Sonic). Also, how is Tails going to break down steel/stone doors and destroy enemies that are behind bars and gates without his mech? 38:28 *Insert Danganronpa styled NO THAT'S WRONG! here* The reason that only one Emerald Piece shows up at a time is so that the hint system can work properly. If all them worked at the same time, it would confuse the player about which Emerald Piece the hint was for. Sure, I wish that I could tell when the others were near, but if the system was the same as the previous game, then there would be a completely different problem: the levels would be to easy because a beacon of light would outright show you where the emerald piece was, completely erasing the whole point of the gameplay style. 40:17 I don't see how the shooting levels are worse than gamma's stages. Also on a side note, I legitimately enjoy the other two play styles. I feel like they each offer something that gamers enjoy. The Speed Stages are great for, well, speed running, the Shooting Stages are great for Building up enormous combos and high scores, and the Treasure Stages are great for exploration.

[@Obscure_man31]

My good sir thoose are not corrections thoose are disagreements based on your views with the game.

[@TheWraithOfMooCow]

@@Obscure_man31 Only the points of 19:20 20:14 23:04 & 40:17 are what you describe.

[@Obscure_man31]

@@TheWraithOfMooCow actaully most of it is dissagreements and thats perfectly fine. No one here is wrong

[@TheWraithOfMooCow]

@@Obscure_man31 Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be hostile. I'm just a bit confused of how me pointing out the plot points that explain why something isn't a plothole is a dissagreement rather than a correction

[@Obscure_man31]

@@TheWraithOfMooCow because the story is left up into interpretation really

[@AtomicBoo]

Yeah im one of the people that was introduced to sonic with sonic adventure 2 battle and i freaking love the game, maybe it is nostalgia but I just love the story, gameplay and music and being the weabo that I am, I love the fact that they use the same voice acting as the anime (japanese voice acting of course) so I always play the game on japanese with subtitles, at least that fixes the lipsyncing. The first time I ever played a 2D sonic game was with the nintendo gamecube sega megacolection, as with a 2D mario game with the GBA and its super mario advance games. I was born in 96

[@stlironworks8405]

I owe a lot to this game. Eggman's eggwalker, and his robots got me really intrested in metal work as a kid, now I'm a welder by trade. Needless to say, at least one song off of the soundtrack get's played daily, brings me back to times that made a memorable impression.

[@waffletoast215]

Amazing and comprehensive video essay as always. I especially love the point you made at the end about not many Sonic fans appreciating games from every era, and how the fandom would get along much more if we could all come to the realization that there isn't just one definitive way to make Sonic games, or enjoy them. I can relate to that because even though my first Sonic game was Unleashed, back when I was in elementary school, since playing that game I've played pretty much every other game in the series and I enjoy the classics, the adventure era, and the modern games too. I remember playing Sa2 back when I was in middle school, but it's almost kind of odd since back in middle school I played it alongside the classics and the modern games; but that might be why I can see Sonic in so many different ways. Unrelated but I have to admit, I was kinda surprised when you said that King Boom Boo was your favorite boss in the game; that one was always one of my least favorites because I thought the constant running back and forth and having to turn around just made it tedious. Oh, and about Shadow's death, it's implied he died but not Sonic because Shadow took off his inhibitor rings to take advantage of his true strength, but shortly after he becomes exhausted, which is most likely why he wasn't able to sustain himself in space like Sonic was. Or at least, that's what happens in the Sonic X adaptation, because the game sure as hell doesn't make that apparent. Also, I agree that Live and Learn is an amazing song, one of my favorite songs too; really, I just adore this game's OST. The "yeah yeah yeah" text you added while talking about the final boss made me giggle.

[@unemilifleur]

The GameCube was my first console. Sonic Adventure Dx was one of my first games. Sonic Adventures 2 was my favorite game. I played it so much. And the chaos really did add replayability.

[@FletcherReedsRandomness]

I was introduced to Sonic Adventure 2 very late, about 2015, I think. I don't remember much of my first playthrough, but I remember enjoying it quite a lot. I recently replayed it, and...I still really like this game. The story isn't very good, but it's entertaining. Sonic and Shadow's stages are excellent and their control is great, Eggman and Tails's stages are enjoyable enough, camera issues aside, and even the Knuckles and Rouge stages were fine, even though the radar was gimped. The Chao Garden is also great, the music still holds up incredibly well nearly 20 years later, and the multiplayer is still the best in the series. That's not to say it's perfect, though. The cutscenes haven't aged very well, it can be kind of glitchy, and I already mentioned problems with the shooting and treasure hunting stages (Mad Space can go to hell), but I can look past all the to enjoy the game. I'd give it a 8/10, but you probably don't care what the score is.

[@edwardrobinson919]

I like this game too.

[@Phoenix_Down444]

10/10

[@edwardrobinson919]

@@Phoenix_Down444 I rate it 10/10 as well.

[@christieweyapuk3413]

I loved the Rouge and Knuckles stages to death but I can't stand Rouge's space level! It's too big so the radar is useless. But it taught me how to read stuff upsidedown and backwards from all of those jumbled clues lol

[@edwardrobinson919]

@@christieweyapuk3413 ya mad space one of the worst stages in the game.

[@thejamman4070]

I've heard this soundtrack so many times, that even though you're only playing the instrumentals (for the most part) I still hear the lyrics.

[@TheIndigoBros92]

Can I say Josh that this video is probably the best one you have made (not an easy feat considering the quality content you make, especially that Dreamcast retrospective). I was a Nintendo kid, only having an N64 and a GBA during my childhood. I still remember discovering Sonic with this game, the publications in magazines, the commercials in TV. So much so, that after I got my Gamecube in 2005 (with Metroid Prime and Melee), the first game I asked for my birthday that year was this one. But also due to friends that had the Mega Collection, I was able to sample the origins of the franchise and eventually during my late teens got to play the Mega Drive games and enjoying them (especially 3&K). So my love of the franchise was born here, but not necesarilly shaping what I want from it. I enjoy many things here (the music, the epic finale of the game, the controls of the characters especially) but I believe that if Sega gives another shot at this type of gameplay (as I still believe this is the sharpest how Sonic has controlled), they should try to focus on level design that doesn't rely mostly on spectacle and bring people who can do it justice since its clear from Forces that the Sonic Team doesn't have it anymore.

[@yourfriendlyneighbohoodpiz7683]

Honestly, I think Sonic and the Black Knight is probably the best “serious” story the series had. It was serious, but not to the point of being completely campy, it knew exactly when to be more comical and when to be more serious, had a genuinely decent plot-twist, had a sympathetic villain for once, and showed Sonic at his best as a character.

[@sinklar7946]

It also has With Me as its final boss theme, which is my second favorite Sonic boss theme of all time after Live and Learn :)

[@yourfriendlyneighbohoodpiz7683]

Bloodynoush The soundtrack as a whole is fucking KILLER.

[@ccricers]

Is Black Knight also very good gameplay wise? I played Secret Rings but I think Black Knight got very overlooked as a Sonic game.

[@yourfriendlyneighbohoodpiz7683]

ccricers Definitely not bad, at least to me, but it could’ve been executed better. The gameplay is surprisingly very similar to the boost gameplay in a way. The motion-controls do hold it back from being genuinely good though. Not a bad overall game, all in all, once again, at least to me.

[@idfkwhatyouwantfromme]

But Sonic’s soundtracks are usually killer anyway.

[@kekistanifreedomfighter4197]

Fantastic video! I first played SA2B in 2015 after my dad & I Homebrewed our Wii. When I was a kid I watched the promotional material for SA2B on the Sonic Mega Collection & I was absolutely enthralled with the trailer. When I first booted the ISO I was taken aback by the nostalgia to when 6 year old me would watch the "History of Sonic" over & over again. I still get those feelings whenever I play it now. And watching this video made me think back to those times as well. Other than qualms about the games' story, SEGA not redoing the lip syncing on the English version & the bad button mapping. I really can't say anything bad about SA2B. The mechanics felt great & still do IMO. The music is A++. The stage art & design was great even though it might not hold up today. Maybe I'm looking through kid glasses & sugar coating things but I absolutely love the game.

[@GeekCritique]

Aww, that reminds me of renting a Sega CD as a kid, how I'd re-watch that opening FMV on Sonic CD over and over again.

[@ryanheemann3819]

Watching this video about a game I haven't played or thought about for at least 12 years put a smile on my face. The whole thing was like a wave of nostalgia. Yes, the game is flawed, but it was fun! And at age 13, I was its target audience. I was also a Nintendo owner, who had always admired Sonic games from afar and played them here and there, but never from start to finish. I really enjoyed the speed levels, and the characters and interlocking story.

[@derflerp538]

I was born in 2001, but when I was around eight years old, we ended up with a Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure 1 was a ton of fun, but Sonic Adventure 2 nearly became my life for a while. Losing my Chao data at that age was as devastating as losing a real living thing. Of course, I still have fond memories of dancing to the soundtrack and imagining myself in that world.

[@MattCrossMedia]

I love the insight you provide of the legacy of both releases in this video. Your classmate getting the name wrong hilariously reminds me of my sister and cousins up to now. We grew up with SA2B as kids, but most of them grew out of gaming. But whenever my sis would see me play ANY recent Sonic game, she'd ask "is there a Chao Garden in this one? Like in Sonic 2 Battle?" Really says something that my childhood sphere will just naturally say the "2" and the "Battle" of its name without questioning it. I guess I didn't either back then, haha.

[@paperluigis2m371]

This is the best Sonic Adventure 2 review I've ever watched. Every other review I've seen of this game tends to lean to praising or criticizing the game too much. This review is the perfect balance and one of your best videos ever.

[@Obscure_man31]

You should watch some call me jhonnys review its pretty good

[@lepapanouwel4663]

Paper Luigi S2M As all things should be

[@DanieleMulas-up7np]

@@Obscure_man31 No it's not, it's really shallow and poorly thought out in many instances. BlackHoodedGamer and RubyOfTheBlue did a better job.

[@Obscure_man31]

@@DanieleMulas-up7np no its not by thoose are analisis not reviews. Plus johnny was only giving his opinion on tge game its ok to disagree with him but dont be an ass about it

[@AkameGaKillfan777]

@@Obscure_man31 He wasn't a dick about it, but Johnny has the same cookie-cutter opinion as the other big name KZbinrs as "non-Sonic gameplay=bad."

[@RacingStripeAV]

I'll be honest, when I first saw the 1 hour (and 1 second... thanks, KZbin) run time in the thumbnail I was all "One hour? I don't have time for this" but here I am one hour later and it honestly feels like 10 minutes have passed, so hats off to that, you certainly have a knack* for that. You're certainly better at putting your thoughts into 60 minutes than I ever could be. It's interesting you mention the camps of "people who grew up with 16-bit Sonic" and "people who grew up with Adventure Sonic", because I would argue I'm in both: I'm a kid of the 90's, I'm closer to 30 than I am 29 as of last week; I had my MegaDrive and copies of Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 as a 5-year-old (have vague memories of playing both Sonic 3 and CD on a friend's PC)... But post-16-bit, I didn't have a Saturn nor Dreamcast; I had a PlayStation and GameCube, so Adventure 2 (Battle, specifically) was also the "first" Sonic game in that Era that I played too (I was what, 13 when I first picked it up?). As a quick sidenote: In between that time I also had the (Fleetway) Sonic comics to get my fix as it were... which may also explain why I would personally prefer a more serious side to Sonic because - while I can't speak for Archie Sonic having only ever read literally one very early issue - it too took itself seriously plot-wise. And given how I had a GameCube and not a Dreamcast, I ended up playing Adventure 1 _second_ with Adventure DX - much like how you've mentioned in the past that you played Sonic 2 before Sonic 1 - and therefore any issues I did have in Adventure 1/DX (whether or not that's a fault of the DX port, from what I've read) were, in my opinion, fixed or removed in Adventure 2/Battle while the things that _did_ work were refined and improved... At least for the most part: Even I'll concede that, despite Adventure 2 still continuing to be my personal favourite in the series 17 years later, there are moments where the developers seemed to have painted themselves into a corner, but at least tried to work around those seemingly-accidentally-self-imposed limitations.. for example...: I do disagree with you on the hunting levels because yes while the radar _does_ have search for each Treasure one at a time... you didn't mention the hint system and at least the difference between Adventure 1's and Adventure 2's. In Adventure 1, it was literally just Tikal pointing you in the direction of it, whereas Adventure 2 treats it more like a puzzle that the player has to figure out on their own rather than have someone go "It's over there." And yes, relying solely on hints does indeed force you to seek them in a specific order (and I would argue that removing the order and have them provide them for all Treasures at once would be more frustrating on the player because A, you'd get conflicting clues and B, you'd be wondering why your radar would be going in one location while being told to go to another), but finding them out of order nets you a higher score and thus a better chance at a higher rank. So in that regard, I see them as a case of the developers refining something from the predecessor, admittedly creating an issue in the process but at least finding a way to try and fix it. ...buuuuuuut, that's just I personally see it, though. On the flipside: I completely agree with the "tinfoil hat theory" surrounding Tails; it does explain why his levels aren't... as good as Eggman's, even _if_ it makes sense within the context of his character. But, they are at least built around that slower style of gameplay, which is something that I feel can't be said for Adventure 1: you may revisit levels as other characters in that game, but... they weren't really made for 'em all. Interesting to know that the whole "Adventure 2 isn't good" mindset isn't as new as I thought, and that fans were saying it was "bad" even upon release. Even I and probably many others had always thought that it was only thanks to... other reviewers who I won't name but we all know who in particular who all put out videos in the last couple recent years and that people were just "riding the meme-train" (but that particular faction still probably exists). It was probably only after 06's reception that that particular notion truly gained traction (which I'm guessing it what you've hinted at here). Heck, I recall watching another video discussing that that mentioned that crowd existing since even the time of Sonic 3. All in all though, Adventure 2 does hold a special place in my heart. Part of it is nostalgia - it's the game that got me back into the series.. I've got the guy painted on my living room wall for crying out loud - and while there are a few issues in it (that are, in my opinion, minor at worst), I personally think it holds up well. And while I do have my criticisms of it, I guess I can sy thanks for indulging in my nostalgia for a bit. Considering the game has been kind of left on the wayside as of recent, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried this may have continued that notion, and even if we do diverge in opinion on certain matters surrounding it, I'm at least glad to know I was wrong. *or "fang" I guess... hey, who said that the bad jokes had to be exclusive to you? :P

[@artsyomni]

Love this video. But I gotta say, rouge music is so good. I honestly think her and tails’s music feel the most like classic sonic, which often had a lot of really groovy jazz elements and colorful synths.

[@mrapplegate4065]

Biolizard is to Shadow what Chaos is to Sonic. Hence the Echidna altar inside the Death Egg.

[@Ryboflavin]

Man - I could just hear the passion in your voice, through both the praise and the criticism. Made me feel like I was experiencing this game anew all over again. Great work, dude.

[@zerosky8946]

One of the best reviews that I watched of this game

[@turtleanton6539]

For sure

[@DrCorndog1]

38:30 I'm gonna argue that the SA2 radar is an improvement. In SA1 you could glide around aimlessly until you found an emerald by luck. In SA2, the radar forces you to use the hints spread across the level (which are actual clues instead of an orb that says "This way!") to figure out the emerald's vicinity, and the radar lets you home in on its exact position. The player is engaged in exploring and observing the level in a way that didn't happen in SA1. Mad Space is still a bit of a mess, though.

[@pikminrose9376]

I loved to see my character with the power ups ˆˆ it’s feel like the game was alive, and i love the sunglasses xD

[@krombopulousmichael8418]

Incredible breakdown. This was my first sonic game and it got me hooked on sonic and this game on the GameCube fueled countless sleepovers for years and I still play it with my friends on either GameCube or Xbox (since they re made it for Xbox).

[@comfy88338]

I Don't Care What Anyone Says, The OST Is Still Amazing (For the Most Part.)

[@duckknuckles7880]

whatchu mean "most part?" the entire thing slaps, chief

[@comfy88338]

@@duckknuckles7880 Sonic Boom.

[@cypher838]

@@duckknuckles7880 it all bleeds together.

[@louiepikmin3184]

@@duckknuckles7880 Shadow's theme

[@guilhermefloresfeitosaguer4543]

@@louiepikmin3184 bruh shadow's theme slaps

[@thedualitysystem]

One thing we can all agree on, Sonic music is kickass.

[@PYR0NinjaPXG]

June 19th, 2001? My fourth birthday lmao, I remember playing this (along with other Sonic Genesis games) right around that age and falling in love. Looking forward to the video!

[@fernando98322]

Best 3D Sonic game, argue whatever you want with me. "ITS NOT SONIC", well, SM64 isn't like 2D Mario yet everyone loves it. I love SA2B.

[@iregretsomeofmypreviouscom3284]

the Sonic Adventure games make a better job at being a Sonic game than SM64 is like a Mario game.

[@edwardrobinson919]

I like sa2b as well.

[@Cyperstudio]

fernando98322 honestly, compared to both sonic adventures, sm64 is terrible.

[@StriderZessei]

Eh... more like 3rd best in my book. I liked SA1's sense of speed better, or Generations' presentation.

[@maxieprimo2758]

@@Cyperstudio I'd play sm64 over any of the adventure games no matter what.

[@trixxyw2201]

The nostalgia of seeing the Dreamcast powering up, the Phantasy Star Online start up tune, and the emotional ending as you talked about the climax. I was literally brought to tears. I really miss the experience of growing up with the video game history that my step dad brought into my life, and is the very reason I was exposed to Ocarina of Time. The greatest game of all time, in my opinion. But also the biggest games of video game history, the original Sonic Games, Sonic and Knuckles, Mario 1 & 3, Super Mario World, and much more. I wanted to keep this comment concise, but I just couldn't help get into it because of how emotional growing up with the greatest generation of gaming as someone born in the mid 90's, "growing" up in the wild West of gaming and internet culture that was 2001-2010. Thank you so much for this video, and taking me back to a greater, much simpler time where video games were a magic experience that took me away from the dark scary world I wasn't even close to ready for turning into an adult. You sir, just earned a subscriber and possibly a fan.

[@taleofmenma5686]

The Geek Critique:1 ad in a 1 hour vid. Jake Paul:2000 ads in a 6min vid.

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

Here is the funny thing. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (the 1992 game, not Sonic Adventure 2) was my first Sonic game. Still is probably my favorite Sonic game. But I was familiar with the first generation of Sonic games. Sonic Adventure 2 wasn't my first Sonic game, and I actually was a 14-17 teenager when I first played Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. It was the first game of the series from the more modern era I had played (I was aware of the existence of Sonic Adventure and had seen other people play parts of the first Adventure game). I loved the additions to the series it brought, missed desperately the physics and momentum-based platforming and gimmick mechanics it left behind. But I thought it was a solid foundation to start building the modern era for the character on.

[@brandonjaxson2094]

I have to say it was pretty surreal to click on a sonic the hedgehog critique and then in the first nine minutes, seeing a clip of myself playing with a sonic toy at McDonald’s.

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

There's a pretty cool interesting detail about the Sonic series if you are a Nintedo GameCube collector like myself. You can own nearly the entirety of Sonic's main series and spin-off titles from 1991 to 2005 on just the Nintendo GameCube, if you get ahold of all 7 of the Gamecube released Sonic titles: Sonic Mega Collection (Has Sonic 1 through Sonic 3 & Knuckles, plus a lot of of the major spin-offs including Sonic Spinball, Sonic 3D Blast, & Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine) Sonic Gems Collection (Has Sonic CD, Sonic Fighters, & nearly all of the GameGear and Master System games) Sonic Adventure DX Sonic Adventure 2: Battle Sonic Heroes Sonic Riders Shadow the Hedgehog By 2005, SEGA had ported all of their most successful Sonic games from their SEGA exclusive hardware to the most recent console of their biggest competitor.

[@jacobmonks3722]

The same is true for Zelda up until 2007. Zelda 1 - available on Collector's Edition disc. Zelda 2 - Collector's Edition disc. A Link to the Past - GBA port playable on the Gameboy Player. Link's Awakening - GBPlayer. Ocarina of Time - Collector's Edition disc. Ocarina of Time Master Quest: Limited Edition disc exclusive to Nintendo Power subscribers. Majora's Mask - Collector's Edition disc. Oracle of Seasons/Ages - GBPlayer. Four Swords - GBPlayer. Wind Waker and Four Swords Adventure - full releases for Gamecube. Minish Cap - GBPlayer. Twilight Princess - Full Gamecube release. Then Phantom Hourglass came out for the DS in 2007.

[@cxx23]

This has got to be the most amazing thing I've ever read! Holy shit!

[@denzpants9285]

I Plained this game alongside when the cartoon was released so some "plot holes" were resolved by the cartoon. I can vaguely remember shadow sucker punching sonic to teleport him back aswell to the ark but come to think of it he maybe only did that during the metarax in the last season.

[@semyon.v]

03:10 Psychiatrist: Sonic&Knuckles CD isn't real, it can't hurt you Sonic&Knuckles Sonic: makes peel-out

[@Sonicfire-yx5uk]

I loved the chao garden so much

[@hypersonicattack]

Sonic adventure 2 battle is the absolute best sonic game ever

[@raiverns9620]

22:23 this is actually explained in game during the final battle! As the battle goes on longer, you get more lines of dialogue until it times out at the 5 minute mark, and in those lines shadow will elaborate that he's struggling to maintain a super form and others state that he needs to return to the colony or his form will dissipate! Its just that the battle is so short if you're trying that you never really hear it.

[@darknid158]

city escape reminds me of an easier time in my life when going to walmart meant finding new games and trying out the demos

[@RhythmGrizz]

One of my all time favorite video game soundtracks

[@thatsDILO]

Man this has dethroned your Tropical Freeze video as my favorite video from you. It's just too good and is well structured as always.

[@thatsDILO]

Especially when you talk about the reception the game had when it first came out on message boards, when Battle was revealed, it's so interesting to look at how things were back then when I was too young and innocent to go on those types of sites.

[@_Generic165]

Was big the cat always there?! Do I even really exist? Has my whole life been a lie?

[@theredrighthandproductions]

Ngl I spent waaaaaay to much time in the chao garden.

[@canariawing]

okay so i'm only about 18 minutes into this video but i stopped to make this comment so forgive me if you talk about this later on but the reason why shadow cuts off his own dialogue (and so does everyone else) is because the english version of the game didn't alter the facial animations to fit the english voice lines, which is also why the mouth movements don't match what the english voices are saying. it's synced to the original japanese voice lines. what shadow says in the japanese audio isn't cut off and played over another line, since the scene was animated and paced around that line of text. you mentioned earlier about how knuckles' voice was flat but his movements were aggressive so it felt off and overall just weird, and that's also because the animations were made for the japanese voice lines rather than the english ones. if you switch over to the japanese audio, you'll find that everything sounds fine. there's no awkward cut off dialogue, no one is talking over each other unless it's intended, and it just flows better (even if the scenes and story are weirdly paced). the animations fit the voices of the characters and all that jazz EDIT: welp you explain that literally 20 seconds later. that's what i get for not watching a bit further LMAO

[@GeekCritique]

Aww, well, I appreciate the info all the same! :D

[@Drowzee64]

Also, Eggman is never given a motive for attempting to steal the Master Emerald in the Egypt-inspired area at the start of the game. In the dark storyline, he is instructed to meet Shadow on the ARK one moment and stealing the Master Emerald the next.

[@Metrooiid]

Fantastic video! I still love and play Sonic Adventure 2 to this day! It is my favorite Sonic game and even one of my favorite games of all time! (I don't care if other people hate it)

[@ASOtheprO]

When he did the voiceovers at 19:59 I died laughing 😂😭💀

[@shadowbroker1]

Usually I can only last 10 min on a youtube video. But I thoroughly enjoyed this 1hr long vid. Good job!

[@RhythmGrizz]

SA2 = best Sonic voice cast

[@iceloveanime]

Man I can't lie. I STILL have the muscle memory to blast through city escape with an A rank.

[@greyrifterrellik5837]

I wanna see someone try to blend the “adventure” and “modern” gameplay formulas; make modern/“boost” versions of the alt gameplay styles. I even know how you could do it; enhance what existed in the adventure era, then add something new/more intense for a “modern” touch. For Knuckles; make the stages *even bigger,* bring back the SA1 radar, keep SA2’s *style* of hint system but tweak it slightly, and up the collectible count to maybe 4 or 5 instead of 3. As for the modern twist; throw in the level of combat intensity seen in the night stages of sonic unleashed. For Tails, I actually have something semi unique in mind; a blend of the two adventure styles he used. Have it so Tails has to use his full skillset, in *and out of* the mech, to complete a level. Make it all more puzzle oriented than speed for Tails, since he’s always been the brains of the group. But without speed, where’s the spectacle? *The mech, that’s where.* Up the “cool factor” of that thing to absurd levels; have it control more smoothly, give it more firepower, and generally make *it* the spectacle when used.

[@vertnation4902]

It would be cool if the certain things, like the boost, bounce braclet abilities, and other things, all were put into different shields.

[@supergameboi3749]

Thats it! THAT'S the idea I wanted to see, thank god.

[@ravaniphoenix5431]

Or just make it like Sonic 06: Adventure style gameplay with the Mach Speed sections. Conceptually, Mach Speed sections are great, but it's from Sonic 06, so it obviously has flaws preventing those from being perfect. The context for these stages were also great; made you really feel the urge to hurry and reach the end, in order to save Elise or just escape from something bad.

[@eddygert7674]

How rouge gets trapped is explained but not well during the end of the fight the G.U.N pilot radios to seal and lock all doors and that’s it but I have to agree the way shadow cuts himself off is ridiculous

[@SmashBrosOdyssey64]

I appreciate videos that can see the pros and cons of one thing or another, and I think the Sonic fandom in particular needs to learn that skill, so not every game is filled with unnecessary screeching negative reviews despite the actual quality of the game presented.

[@decadentgamer3108]

So... ProJared's review of SA2? lol

[@SmashBrosOdyssey64]

@@decadentgamer3108 Yeah, but it shows that gaming reviews are actually becoming analytical, which is rules.