The last (and some say only) great game for
Sega's
Dreamcast. The game was released in 2001 and a revision for the
Nintendo GameCube was released in 2002 after the
Dreamcast died a painful death and
Sega left the
console market (SEE:
Sonic Adventure 2 Battle). The game follows the adventures of
Sonic the Hedgehog and his buddies
Tails and
Knuckles as they battle against the evil
Dr. Eggman and his cohorts,
Rouge and
Shadow the Hedgehog.
There are two main story modes: Hero and Dark. Depending on the path you choose you play as Sonic and friends trying to save the world or as Dr. Eggman and his partners in crime as they try and conquer the world. Sonic and Shadow levels are action oriented, Knuckles and Rouge levels are collection based, and Tails and Dr. Eggman levels take place behind the controls of a walking mech.
As you complete levels, new options unlock. You'll be able to access additional missions for completed levels, such as "Collect 100 Rings", "Find the Lost Chao", "Beat the Clock", and "Beat Hard Mode". Completing objectives earns you emblems which are used to unlock more special features (such as kart racing and Boss Time Attack).
Then there's the Chao Garden, in which players can interact with little creatures called Chao (which are like a combination of Tamagotchi and Pokémon). Learning to race and fight Chao are an integral part of earning all 180 emblems. Chao can even be downloaded to the Dreamcast's VMU for training and care on the go.
The camera system in the game tends to be a little quirky, at times showing you everything you'd ever want to see and at other times being horribly restrictive. The game also features fully animated CGI story segments with full character voices, although the voices tend to sound a little poor in recording quality. Hopefully Sega will correct these quirks for Sonic Adventure 3.
Note that there are other variations of this game available: a Nintendo GameCube revision called Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and a demo version called Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (Preview) for play in store kiosks.