Sonic Adventure | The Almost Perfect 3D Transition

The Sonic Retrospective is finally back! This time we are beginning the Adventure Era with an in depth analysis on Sonic Adventure! How has Sonic Adventure held up? How did it take 2D principles and evolve them for the modern age? Find out as we will tackled Sonic Adventure!

[kinghoodofmousekind]

Even if I am not a Sonic fan, I can admire one thing: there's heart in this. A big and earnest effort to create and craft a story which has deep roots in the past of the characters and whose shoots point off in the infinite horizon of the future. It's innocent, but has also depth, from what I saw; and that, no matter how clunky the cut-scenes and the gameplay, is something I can admire and respect.

[Total_Malarkey]

Sonic DID in fact have a rough transition into 3D.

Games like 3D Blast, sonic R and the cancellation of Sonic X-treme were the rocky transition. Sonic Adventure is when the series properly transitioned into 3D.

So yes, there was a rough transition. I constantly see that phrase being misused and it's frustrating.
But yeah, Sonic Adventure is a personal favorite of mine!

[SweaterSwagg]

This was an absolutely wonderful transition into 3D despite its warts and flaws from a modern lens. Because of the series' subsequent dip in quality and the Adventure formula's evolution coming to a halt/being butchered via 06, people ABSOLUTELY turned their backs on the Adventure games and literally rewrote history acting as if these games weren't the shit. Given a revisit of the formula and a competent development team that truly gives a shit, Sonic Adventure's formula/control could legit hold the key to a truly great modern, fully 3D Sonic title that meets in the middle for classic and modern fans.

[charactersin-depth]

Liked the video before the ads were finished. SA1 has a ton of ambition and heart that make for a lasting gem. I can't stop picturing a remake on PS4, XBO, and Switch.

[ShippoFoxD]

I never understood why people say Sonic in 3D wasn't good. Obviously you never played Adventure when it came out on Dreamcast. This game was amazing.

[LiveHedgehog]

Fun fact, if it's your first playthrough of a level, 10 seconds will be added to the timer (you can see this in this video, with Tails' Windy Valley).
This is because, for some reason, they think it'd take you 10 seconds to jump on the capsule in subsequent playthroughs, and they adjust your Level C time accordingly. Weird...

[nascarconnor]

I loved it, when Sonic Team focused on world building for their stories

[yoelazar]

It's worth mentioning that, at the time of release, Adventure 1 was the first 3D platformer since Mario 64 to be made by a japanese developer, unless you count Chameleon Twist or Megaman Legends. Everything released in between ( Crash trilogy, Spyro, Banjo, Gex, Croc ) were either made by americans or brits

[cookieblobber]

The phrase of Sonic having bad transition into 3D, IMO is actually true

The thing is people have used that phrase wrong for a long time. It’s a better way to describe Sonic’s time on the Saturn than it is for his time on the Dreamcast

[Yura-Sensei]

The most enjoyable review of SA I've seen. Good writing, pacing and humor

[Klonoahedgehog]

"S O N I C
H A S
H A D
A
R O C K Y
S T A R T
I N
3 D"

-Some guy who's never actually played a Sonic game.

[adammason]

Oh man... That Amy Themes' Bass Line just fucking slaps. It's way too good.

Hell, it took me years later to find out the singer was a Britney Spears dancer? Kinda makes sense when you think of the time.

[LucasMBoysOurRoy]

I have no nostalgia for this game. Playing it on Steam last year makes me wish I did. It’s one of the best Sonic games. I actually liked Amy’s stage. Imagine if they fleshed her gameplay style out like how they made her in Advance.

[ADragonNerd]

As someone who also grew up with Sonic Adventure I agree with this video completely. SA is rough around the edges as an early 3D game, but that's part of why I appreciate it and I love how the Adventure era expanded on the lore of the Genesis era.

It makes me sad that all this lore was retconned in modern Sonic games

[CrashJakFan]

Fun fact: “Unknown from M.E.” was partially performed by Dred Foxx, the voice of PaRappa the Rapper.

[davesinsanestudio]

24:08 fun fact: I don't know why, but that long walk for Knuckles was added in DX version. Original Dreamcast version didn't have that.

[RubyofBlue]

I find it curious how when people talk about other landmark early 3D titles, they're always described in a way where they're greater than the sum of their parts. Mario 64, Crash, Ocarina of Time, Spyro, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil... and I think that's the right thing to do. Even if parts of these games don't age well, there's still great value in what they brought to the table and did for their respective series in context of the gaming landscape at the time. And there's still value in revisiting or replaying them.

But for some reason, Sonic Adventure doesn't get to have that. When reviewed, it's not afforded the luxury to be recognized for its contributions and evolutions to its own series. For some reason when talking about this game, it must *necessarily* be defined by its flaws as an early 3D title. I appreciate retrospectives like this that take the time to explore what SA1 did for the series in context of its time!

[ADiretoria]

"Sonic had a rough transition to-"

J: *MY ASS*

[PlayMasterChannel]

We will probably never get a game as stylish and ambitious in its concept as Sonic Adventure. Just imagine if they had much more time and experience to use and polish the game further.

[Lugbzurg]

> Claims to not give any newfound revelations about this game
> Conceives of an impressive last stage that could have been