Sonic adventure 2

Shadow is preparing to attack the robot. Heads-Up Display displays the time it takes to complete a level, the total number of points and the lives of each character.

Sonic Adventure 2 is a three-dimensional platformer and follows the basic principles of previous games in the series: at levels you need to collect rings to protect the hero from death and gain extra lives. The exceptions are the stages behind Tails and Dr. Eggman - they use the scale of life points, which are slowly restored if the player collects rings or capsules after destroying the robots ^[8] . “Chaos Drives” and small animals that are needed to improve the characteristics of Chao's virtual pets are also scattered at the levels. In addition, you can find special capsules with various bonuses that provide additional opportunities for the character, for example, an energy shield that attracts rings and protects against electrical attacks ^[9] . The player can rotate the virtual camera to find the objects needed by the characters or to inspect the level for passing.

The plot of the game is divided into "light" and "dark" stories ^[10] . The Light Story includes Sonic , Tails and Knuckles , while the Dark Story includes Shadow , Eggman and Rouge ^{[10] [11]} . The player's character must reach the end of a certain location, or collect items, depending on the hero ^[10] . As you progress through the player encounters various enemies and collects animals and rings; collecting a certain number of rings, the character increases the number of lives. Upon completion, for each stage, four separate missions are opened: collecting 100 rings, searching for chao, passing a level in a limited time, or passing a level in the “Hard Attack” mode. Unlike the previous part of the game , in this game there are no “Adventure Fields” (adventure fields), so the possibility of exploring the surroundings to advance along the storyline became inaccessible.

Levels where you need to play as Sonic or Shadow (City Escape, Metal Harbor, Green Forest, Pyramid Cave, Crazy Gadget and Final Rush for Sonic; Radical Highway, White Jungle ”,“ Sky Rail ”and“ Final Chase ”for Shadow) are very similar in style to the levels of Sonic from Sonic Adventure ^{[2] [10]} , where the player’s task is to reach the end of the level ^[10] . On levels with Tales or Eggman (for the first one, Prison Lane, Mission Street, Route 101, Hidden Base and Eternal Engine are available, the second for Iron Gate, Sand Ocean, Lost Colony ”,“ Weapons Bed ”and“ Cosmic Wall ”) the player shoots enemies from a mechanized armed robot, which is essentially similar to the levels of the E-102 Gamma Robot from the previous part ^{[10] [12] [13]} . The gameplay behind Nuckles and Rouge is based on the hunt for shards of the Emerald Master or the keys to the Eggman bases (levels for the echidna are Wild Canyon, Pumpkin Hill, Aquatic Mine, Death Chamber and Meteor Herd, the bat - “Dry Lagoon”, “Egg Quarters”, “Security Hall”, “Route 280” and “Mad Space”) ^{[10] [12]} . The game for these characters is mechanically similar to the Nackles levels in the first part. Between some levels, the player fights with bosses , sometimes characters from the opposing team play their roles ^[2] . After passing through two storylines, the final story opens (“Cannon's Core”), where you need to play as heroes and villains, in short, to complete the game you need to play both the “light” and “dark” ^[14] .

At levels the game character collects rings and defeats enemies; depending on the success of this task, he scores points based on the number of rings collected and the time spent in passing the level ^[15] . Points affect the scores a player receives after passing each level. There are several ratings: "A", "B", "C", "D" and "E". “A” is the highest and “E” is the lowest ^[15] . Score is not set after defeating bosses. Passing all levels, missions and stories gives a total of 180 emblems, collecting which the player gets access to the bonus level " Green Hill ", which is a three-dimensional remake of the first act of the same area from the original game Sonic the Hedgehog ^{[15] [16]} .

Multiplayer

Multiplayer Sonic Adventure 2 uses split-screen technology and supports up to four players. The mode is divided into four types; they can be passed separately and choose any character from the “light” and “dark” stories ^{[10] [17]} . In racing levels, Sonic or Shadow needs to reach a large ring; in shooting, Tails or Eggman need to disable the enemy's vehicle or knock him out of the arena; in search of treasure for Naklza and Rouge wins the player who first found three pieces of the Emerald Master; in the karting race both teams compete, but each character has one task and the goal is to reach the first finish line ^{[10] [17]} . After the winner has been determined, players can re-relocate the location or select new heroes and level for a new game.

This mode includes additional characters that previously appeared in previous games of the series: Amy Rose , Metal Sonic , Chao , the cat Big , Tikal and Chaos 0 ^[18] . In the original version of Sonic Adventure 2 for the Dreamcast console, they must be unlocked, but in subsequent reissues, the above characters are available in multiplayer from the very beginning, except for Big, who was replaced by Chao and cut out on most levels ^[18] . For the rest of the characters, you can open alternative costumes that are available only in multiplayer mode.

Chao and Chao Gardens

The little creatures of chao live separately from people in the special world of chao ( Eng. Chao World ). Like people, chao can grow and develop. The world of creatures consists of three Chao Gardens ( Chao Garden ), a kindergarten and a race track where competitions take place ^[19] .

The player finds chao in the gardens, where they begin their life cycle with an egg ^{[19] [20]} . After birth, they crawl and cannot swim. To prevent chao from being hungry, the player must feed them with nuts falling from the trees ^[20] . To increase the characteristics and improve certain abilities, the player gives pets specifically for mutation of the capsule "Chaos Drives" or small animals that can be found at levels ^[19] . After some time, chao pupate and evolve ^[19] . After growth, a pet may become light ( English Hero Chao ) or dark Chao ( English Dark Chao ) ^{[19] [21]} . After the conversion, the light ( eng. Hero garden) and dark gardens ( eng. Dark garden) automatically open ^[19] . Then chao turns into a higher form of life: it can turn into chaos ( Eng. Chaos Chao ), devilish ( Eng. Devil Chao ) or angelic ( Eng. Angel Chao ) chao. When the virtual animal dies, the pupation process occurs again. After a while, the pet and the cocoon itself disappear.

Kindergarten exists to test the characteristics and health of chao, as well as to enable them to learn new abilities. There is a special medical office where you can check the health of chao. It can worsen, for example, if the pet is not fed for a long time. In addition, in versions of the game for GameCube, PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 and PC, you can buy products on the black market with the help of rings ^[22] . The black market is an in-game store where you can buy different things and bonuses, such as fruits, nuts and other food for chao and “Chaos Drives”. It is also available in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut , where special items appear less frequently as emblems are collected. The Dreamcast version is different from other releases by the presence of the Chao Adventure 2 mini-game, which can be played on a portable Visual Memory device ^[19] . In it, the player needs to entertain Chao, passing mini-games, for example, collecting fruits or fighting other creatures in various fights ^{[16] [19]} . The gamecube version allows you to transfer Chao to Sonic Advance , Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Pinball Party games, or to GBA without a cartridge, using a special cable ^{[10] [12]} .

Game World

The action of the plot Sonic Adventure 2 takes place on a planet similar to Earth , as well as on the space colony of the ARC. Like Earth, the planet is inhabited by people of different nationalities, but most of them live in cities; deserts and jungles are sparsely populated and there are only Eggman robots or the bases of the GUN organization. This military unit plays an important role in the protection of humanity ^[23] . An important role in history is played by the space colony of the ARC, built 50 years before the main action of Sonic Adventure 2 for conducting experiments on the creation of a “higher form of life” that is not subject to any diseases and old age ^[24] . Supervised the development of Professor Gerald Robotnik, who was terminally ill granddaughter Maria ^[24] . But soon the colony was closed forever because of the fears of the state that the scientist wants to take over the world with his inventions. After 50 years, Gerald's grandson, Dr. Eggman, uses the ARC to completely destroy the planet ^[25] .

As in Sonic Adventure , Chao Gardens are back in the sequel; now they are available on the level selection screen, but to get started you can get into them, each character needs to get a key in one of the boxes scattered in stages ^[19] . There are three types of gardens: neutral, dark and light. There is also the island of " Green Hill ", where Dr. Eggman's robots live. This stage is a three-dimensional remake of the same zone from the first game of the Sonic the Hedgehog series .

Characters

In Sonic Adventure 2, there are six main game characters ^{[10] [24]} :

• Hedgehog Sonic ( Japanese ソ ニ ッ ク ・ ザ ヘ ヘ ジ ホ ッ グ グ Sonicku Dza Hedzioggu , eng. Sonic the Hedgehog ) is the main character of the team of heroes. The sworn enemy of Dr. Eggman.
• Miles Prauer ( Jap. マ イ ル ス ・ パ ウ ア ー ー Mayrus Paua:, English Miles Prower ) , better known as Tails ( Japanese. テ イ ル ス Tairus , English Tails ) is Sonic's friend, a wunderkind in mechanics and aircraft building. Manages the aircraft "Tornado", which can be turned into a car.
• Echidna Knuckles ( ナ ッ ク ル ズ ・ ・ ザ ・ エ キ ド ゥ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ ナ анг анг анг анг ) Comes from the ancient clan of echidn.
• Doctor Eggman ( Jap. ド ク タ ア エ ッ グ グ ン ン Dokuta: Egguman , Eng. Doctor Eggman ) , real name Doctor Ivo Robotnik ( Jap. ロ ボ ト ニ ッ ク Robotonikku ) - the main villain of the game, grandson of Professor Gerald Robotnik.
• Hedgehog Shadow ( Jap. Яд ャ ド ウ ・ ザ ・ ヘ ヘ ッ ジ ホ ッ グ グ яд): Dza Hadzioggu , eng. Shadow the Hedgehog ) is the highest form of life created in the space colony of the ARC 50 years ago. Avenges humanity for the death of his best friend Maria.
• Bat Rouge ( Jap. ト ジ ジ ュ ・ ザ ザ ・ バ ッ ト Roux: Ju Ju Batto , Eng. Rouge the Bat ) is a treasure hunter and a government agent of the GUN organization. Helps Dr. Eggman in search of Chaos Emeralds to restore the Eclipse cannon.

Throughout the game, the team of heroes is accompanied by Amy Rose, a jihie ( エ ми ー ズ ズ ми ми ми ми ми ми ) : Amy Rose , who assisted in freeing Sonic from prison ^[24] . The basics of the game are explained by the robot-chao Omochao ( オ モ ャ オ Omtyao , Eng. Omochao ) ^[24] .

In flashbacks , Dr. Eggman’s relatives appear: Maria Robotnik ( Jap. マ リ ア ・ ロ ボ ニ ッ ッ ク) Maria Robotonikku , English Maria Robotnik - cousin Eggman and best friend of the hedgehog Shadow; and the creator of the highest form of life, the colony of the ARC, the author of many scientific works, Professor Gerald Robotnik ( Jap. Dzararudo Robotonikku , Eng. Gerald Robotnik ) ^[24] . After the attack on the colony, Eggman's grandfather went to prison and was later executed.

Peace talks with Dr. Eggman are led by the world’s head of state Sonic President ( Jap. 大 統領 Daitoro , Eng. President ) ^[26] . The main antagonist of the final story is Biolizard ( Jap. Д я я リ ー ド Bayoridza: before , Eng. Biolizard ) - a prototype of the highest form of life, an early version of the project “Shadow”, which is a giant lizard with life-support on its back ^[27] .

In multiplayer mode, there are also characters from Sonic Adventure : the ancestor of Naklza echidna Tikal ( Japanese. テ ィ カ ル Tikaru , English Tikal the Echidna ) , mutated Chao Chaos ( Japanese. カ オ ス Kaosu , English Chaos ) , Metal Sonic ( Android). , eng. Metal Sonic ) , the cat-fisherman Big ( jap. ビ ッ グ ・ ザ ・ キ キ ャ ッ ト Biggu dza Kytot , eng. Big the Cat ) ; neutral, light and dark cha ^[18] . The last two characters are also available in the Chao Adventure 2 mini-game for a portable Visual Memory device.

History

Dr. Eggman discovers in the diary of his grandfather Gerald Robotnik information about the existence of a secret weapon ^[28] . Wanting to get it, the doctor penetrates to the base of the organization "GUN". The “weapon” turned out to be a black hedgehog named Shadow , who claims that he is the highest form of life and invites Eggman to seize power over the world using the ARC space colony ^[29] . The black hedgehog steals one of the Chaos Emeralds, but is accused of stealing Sonic . During these events, Shadow recalls a girl named Maria, for whose death he is going to take revenge on all of humanity. Meanwhile, through the fault of Shadow, Sonic is arrested and sent to prison ^[30] .

Meanwhile, Knuckles is confronted with a bat, Rouge and Eggman, who want to steal the Master Emerald and use it for their own purposes ^[31] . Echidna breaks the Master Emerald and proceeds to search for the scattered fragments, then to restore the relic ^[31] . Although Rouge also intends to collect fragments for her own purposes ^[31] , she performs the task of the government — she spies on Eggman. This mission forces it to penetrate the ARC space colony, where Shadow and Eggman are going to load the Eclipse cannon ( eng. Eclipse Cannon ) to seize power over the world. To achieve the goal, the black hedgehog and the doctor assist the bat in finding the Chaos Emeralds.

Tails and Amy Rose penetrate Prison Island ( English Prison Island ) and save Sonic ^[32] , Eggman, Shadow and Rouge collect three Chaos Emeralds, and set up a bomb for destruction on the island on which the blue hedgehog was located. Eggman then transmits a message to the whole world, in which he demonstrates the power of an energy gun, destroying half of the moon ^{[33] [34]} . Sonic and company fly into space on the space shuttle, but during the flight, Knuckles loses the pieces of the Emerald Master and leaves the group to reassemble them, but on the way meets Rouge ^{[35] [36]} . During combat, the echidna saves the life of a bat; as a reward she gives her collected pieces of the Emerald Master ^[36] .

On board the colony, ARC Tales shows a fake Chaos Emerald, which was created to eliminate the consequences of using real Emeralds and destroying the Eclipse cannon. Sonic is about to install a fake Emerald into a cannon when Eggman announces that he has captured a young fox and Amy ^[37] . Sonic tries to give Eggman a fake stone, but Eggman, outwitting Tails, learns that the Emerald is not real and in a second the blue hedgehog falls into a trap, then flies into space ^[38] . Using a fake Emerald, Sonic performs the “Chaos Control” technique, but his second attempt to install a fake Emerald of Chaos into the Eclipse cannon is interrupted by a fight with Shadow, in which the blue hedgehog is defeated ^[39] .

At this time, Eggman collects all seven Chaos Emeralds and tries to use the Eclipse cannon at full power. In the meantime, the message of Gerald the Robotnik is activated and appears ^[40] . Grandfather Eggman says he plans to bring revenge on humanity for the death of Mary and colleagues from the colony - the ARC will face the Earth and destroy the entire planet ^[41] . The main characters and the main antagonist of the game Eggman work together to neutralize the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald and prevent a collision ^[41] . Shadow is not involved initially, but Amy reminds him of the words of Mary, which spoke of the need to serve for society ^[42] . He catches up with Sonic and Knakles after they get to the center of the colony.

After disabling various security features, Sonic and Nackles are confronted with a prototype of the highest form of life and the “brother” Shadow Biolizard ^[43] . Shadow defeats the creature, but it uses Chaos Control and merges with the Eclipse cannon, becoming the Finalhard ( English Finalhazard ) ^[27] . He continues to bring the colony closer to Earth ^[44] . Using the power of Chaos Emeralds, Sonic and Shadow turn into super shapes and defeat the prototype. Then Sonic and Shadow use Chaos Control to teleport the colony to a safe orbit ^[45] . This process, however, drains Shadow energy. Having fulfilled Mary’s promise to serve people, the black hedgehog “perishes” ^[45] . Humanity is celebrating, the team solemnly expresses gratitude to the black hedgehog.

In 1999 , after the release of Sonic Adventure , most of the developers led by Takashi Iizuka and Yuji Nakoy founded a branch of the Sonic Team in the city of San Francisco ^[46] . In September of the same year, the creation of a sequel began ^[46] . The development of Sonic Adventure 2 was a year and a half ^[46] . The development process was led by Takashi Iizuka, and was produced by one of the creators of the series, Yuji Naka ^{[46] [47]} . The script was written by Ciro Maekawa, who was involved in the creation of the Panzer Dragoon Saga ^[47] . Tetsu Katano became the lead programmer, Kadzuyuki Hoshino and Yuji Uekawa acted as art director and character designer respectively, and sound was composer from Jun Senaue ^[47] . In total, the development team numbered 20 people ^[48] .

When creating the game, developers were inspired by American culture and objects located in the United States ^{[46] [49]} . The basis of most levels were taken actually existing cities and parks ^[46] . Game manager Takashi Iizuka told IGN in an interview that the team wanted to add American characteristics to their project ^[46] . The work of the English physicist John Desmond Bernal , who was involved in the creation of an orbital station-sphere , served as an inspiration for the development of the ARC colony ^[50] . The appearance of the characters appearing in the previous game , such as Tales, Nackles, Amy, Eggman, Big and Chao, was left almost unchanged. Chao's virtual creatures had the opportunity to evolve and grow, so that they looked like real animals ^[51] . Especially for this game, Sega has signed a contract with the company , the purpose of which was to create a new design for Sonic ^[50] . In addition, two new heroes were created specifically for the game: the Bat Rouge and the hedgehog Shadow . Both characters are Eggman allies and Sonic team rivals. Creating Shadow, the artists initially depicted him with dark blue hair, a scar on his eye, a red scarf, a visor, and, which is not specific to the characters of the franchise, with visually highlighted muscles. He also had a different design for gloves and shoes. Ultimately, the character’s appearance was drastically changed: in the final version, he appeared as a black hedgehog, with no selected muscles, a visor and scars ^{[52] [53]} .

An important goal of the team was to create a game with a high frame rate , up to about 60 frames per second ^{[46] [49]} . According to the head Takashi Iizuki, a high personnel frequency was needed in order to show the main advantage of the series and the game as a whole - high speed. The creator of the series, Yuji Naka, said that thanks to his experience with the Dreamcast, developers will be able to use the full power of the console to show the best result ^[54] . Due to this, a multiplayer mode was created in which the screen was divided into two parts ^{[54] [55]} .

Sonic Adventure 2 was first announced in 2000 ^[1] , and demonstrated at E3 ^[56] . Since November of the same year, in each copy of the online game Phantasy Star Online there was a demo version of Sonic Adventure 2 , which included only one level of “City Escape” ^[49] . At the beginning of the new 2001, the release dates of the game became known: June 19 in North America ^[57] , June 23 in Europe and Japan ^[3] . As in Sonic Adventure , a number of downloadable content (DLC) was released to continue. These add-ons were downloaded via the Internet services Dreamarena and SegaNet . Especially for the game became available new maps for racing, themes for the menu and costumes for the characters ^[58] . In addition to the DLC, to promote the game, JoyRide Studios produced figures and plush toys of characters from the platformer ^{[59] [60]} . Later, all toys were re-released in 2004 as part of the Sonic X collection ^{[61] [62] [63]} .

The original version of the game for the Dreamcast was released in June 2001 under the name Sonic Adventure 2 ^{[2] [3]} . A special edition of the Sonic Adventure 2: Birthday Pack was sold in Japan , which was distributed only on June 23 and 24, 2001 ^[65] . This version included a game, a golden disc with music from previous parts of the series, a medal, and a book with the history of Sonic ^{[65] [66]} . In addition to the special edition, only in Japan and Europe a bundle was sold in small quantities , which included Sonic Adventure 2 and the Dreamcast console, painted blue and signed by the head of the Sonic Team Yuji Nakoy ^[67] .

At the end of 2001 and the beginning of 2002, a version of the game for the GameCube console called Sonic Adventure 2 Battle ^{[4] [5] was released} , which became the first game of the Sonic the Hedgehog series published on the console from Nintendo ^[68] . Most of the changes affected the chao-garden and the graphics of the game ^[68] . A new version of multiplayer appeared and characters were initially available that did not appear in the plot of the game (for example, Chao Chaos and Echidna Tikal from Sonic Adventure ) ^{[68] [69]} . In this version, players could move Chao from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle to Sonic Advance , Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Pinball Party for the Game Boy Advance , which was done using a special GCN-GBA cable ^[70] . Chao gardens also featured a level for karate battles and the black market ( Black Market ) ^[69] . The Big Cat, which in the version for the Dreamcast appeared as a cameo on the levels and in multiplayer as a game character, was cut out and replaced with chao ^[18] .

In the fall of 2012, the platform was reissued for the Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 and Windows consoles and became available on the Xbox Live Arcade , PlayStation Network and Steam, respectively. From the two previous releases, this version is distinguished by the presence of an online table of records and the ability to download content with characters, levels and modes from Sonic Adventure 2 Battle ^[6] . The first information about this version of the game appeared in June 2012, when information appeared on Xbox.com that Sonic Adventure 2 will be released on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade on October 3, 2012. On one of the 10 screenshots posted, the PlayStation 3 interface was depicted, suggesting that the game will also be released on the PlayStation Network. However, after some time, all information about Sonic Adventure 2 was removed from the site ^{[71] [72]} . The official announcement of the re-release of the game on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network was held on July 14, 2012 at the Sonic Boom event in San Diego ^[73] . A few months later, it was also announced that this version was launched on Windows ^[74] , but prior to the official confirmation of Sega, this information was published on the website of the Entertainment Software Rating Board ^[75] .

Most of the musical accompaniment to the game was written by composer Jun Senowe ; In addition, Kenichi Tokoi , Fumie Kumatani and Tomoy Otani took part in creating the soundtrack. The creation of the soundtrack began in April 2000 and was completed in February 2001 ^[76] . To invite the right vocalists and record music with them, the work was carried out in several cities: Los Angeles , Tokyo , New York and San Francisco ^[76] . When creating tracks, the team tried to preserve the spirit of speed in the songs and better convey this or that scene with the characters ^[76] . According to Senoue, the last three months of the production process were terrible, as it was very difficult to track work in other cities ^[76] . In addition, the lead composer said that an important part of his work was cooperation with well-known vocalists, as they give confidence in the success of the project ^[76] . In later interviews Sanoue repeatedly called the work on Sonic Adventure 2 his favorite ^{[76] [77]} .

The game features previous themes from Sonic, Tails, Nackles, and Amy from Sonic Adventure ^[78] , but they have undergone minor changes. In the songs “It Doesn't Matter”, “Unknown From ME” and “Believe In Myself” there is a new arrangement, and in the last two the vocal composition was also replaced. The musical theme of the bat Rouge “Fly In The Freedom” was written by Fumie Kumatani, with Tabita Fair and Todd Cooper ^[78] performing as vocalists. Kumatani, Everett Bradley and Shinobu Sindo took part in writing the musical theme for hedgehog Shadow "Throw It All Away" ^[78] . Senoue and Paul Shortino composed the words and music for the song “EGGMAN”, dedicated to Dr. Eggman ^[78] . Jun Senoue and Johnny Gioeli , who are in the Crush 40 music group, are the authors of the main theme of Sonic Adventure 2 “Live & Learn”. Sanoue called this song his most beloved ^{[76] [79]} . For some levels of the game, vocal compositions were also used as musical accompaniment. So, the level songs for Nackles were played by rapper Hunnid-P, and at the stages for Rouge - Tabita Fair. The vocalist of the musical themes of some bosses was Everett Bradley. The text of the song “Escape From The City” was written by Ted Paulie, and Paulie and Tony Harnell performed it ^{[76] [78]} . Sanoue called this composition completely “new and fresh”, and also noted that it “conveys a large energy charge at the first stage of the game” ^[76] .

Все вокальные темы персонажей, а также песня «Escape From The City» были включены в альбом Cuts Unleashed SA2 Vocal Collection ( яп. ソニックアドベンチャー2 カッツ・アンリッシュド ヴォーカル・コレクション Соникку Адобэнтя: 2 Катцу Анриссюдо Во:кару Корэкусён ) , который был выпущен 21 августа 2001 года лейблом ^[78] . Официальный альбом вышел 5 сентября 2001 года под названием Multi-dimensional Sonic Adventure 2 Original Sound Track и был издан на двух дисках ^[80] . В данном саундтреке содержалась полная версия оригинальной музыки из Sonic Adventure 2 . Урезанный саундтрек Sonic Adventure 2 Official Soundtrack содержал только музыкальные темы персонажей и песни из уровней. Выход альбома состоялся 5 февраля 2002 года ^[81] . Филиалом Sega в Северной Америке издавался саундтрек Sonic Adventure 2: Battle — Sampler , распространявшийся для лиц, сделавших предварительный заказ игры ^[82] . В 2011 году был издан альбом Sonic Adventure 2 Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition , выпущенный в честь 20-летия выхода первой игры серии ^[83] . В 2014 году состоялся выход двухдискового альбома Passion & Pride: Anthems with Attitude from the Sonic Adventure Era , включающего в себя композиции из Sonic Adventure и Sonic Adventure 2 ^{[84] [85]} . Помимо основных саундтреков, музыка из Sonic Adventure 2 присутствовала в альбомах Sonic the Hedgehog 10th Anniversary (2001) ^[86] , True Colors: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog Part 2 (2009) ^[87] , History of the 1st Stage Original Soundtrack White Edition (2011) ^[88] , History of Sonic Music 20th Anniversary Edition (2011) ^[89] , Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Selection (2016) ^[90] , а также в некоторых альбомах группы Crush 40 ^{[91] [92] [93]} .

Бо́льшая часть актёров, озвучивавших героев для Sonic Adventure , также приняла участие в производстве продолжения. Однако в актёрском составе произошли некоторые изменения: в английской версии Наклза озвучивал Скотт Драйер, сменивший Майкла Макгэхэрна ^[94] . Драйер озвучивал ехидну вплоть до игр Sonic Heroes и Sonic Advance 3 ^[95] . Ацуки Мурата, подаривший голос лисёнку Тейлзу в японской версии Sonic Adventure 2 , позже был заменён на сэйю Рё Хирохаси при работе над аниме « Соник Икс » и последующими играми ^{[94] [96]} . В японской версии остальной актёрский состав озвучивания не менялся и после выхода Sonic Generations ^[97] . Во всех версиях доступно озвучивание на английском и японском и субтитры на японском, английском языках.

Версия Sonic Adventure 2 для консоли Dreamcast получила положительные отзывы от прессы. По данным сайтов GameRankings и Metacritic , средняя оценка платформера составила соответственно 83,26 % и 89 баллов ^{[98] [104]} . Журналисты из положительных сторон игры выделяли игру за Соника и Шэдоу, наличие чао-сада и графику, но критиковали сюжет, работу актёров, ракурсы виртуальной камеры и некоторые элементы геймплея. Несмотря на высокие оценки от критиков, оригинальная версия для Dreamcast продавалась плохо, в первую очередь из-за прекращения выпуска консоли от Sega.

Восторженные отзывы получила визуальная составляющая игры. Редакция журнала « Страна игр » описала Sonic Adventure 2 следующим образом: «Красивый, технологически совершенный сиквел Sonic Adventure , который на деле практически ничем не отличается от оригинала» ^[48] . Иное мнение, чем у представителей российского издания, было у обозревателя из интернет-портала GameSpot Шахеда Ахмеда. По его словам, вторая часть Adventure выглядит ещё лучше оригинала, поскольку дизайнеры из Sonic Team смоделировали персонажей с больши́м количеством полигонов , улучшили текстуры, сделали стабильной частоту кадров, и устранили проблему с анимацией губ персонажей ^[8] . Энтони Клау ( IGN ) сильно впечатлила «потрясающая» анимация Супер Соника во время сражения с последним боссом, и похвалил разработчиков за умение выжимать биты из памяти консоли с целью создать лучшие по качеству текстуры ^[2] . Шаф Нихолльс ( AllGame ) назвал графику платформера превосходной, и, сравнивая с предшественником, обратил внимание на значительные улучшения: визуальная часть стала красочной, игровых персонажей стало больше и они разделены на две команды, а враги, с которым столкнётся игрок, стали опаснее ^[11] . Представитель сайта Game Revolution похвалил художников и аниматоров за создание красивых и хорошо анимированных персонажей ^[16] . Музыкальное сопровождение, как и графика, было также положительно оценено прессой. Клау похвалил композиции, но добавил, что ему бы хотелось вернуть старые песни из первых игр серии для приставки Mega Drive/Genesis ^[2] . Николос назвал музыку «дикой», а вместе со звуковыми эффектами она создаёт драматический эффект ^[11] . Майкл Коль из Nintendo World Report смешано оценил саундтрек, в котором темы Соника, Роботника и Тейлза помогают «сбалансировать масштаб» игры, но некоторые песни (например, рэп для Наклза) действует на нервы ^[5] . Ахмед заявил, что музыка просто отличная, и выполнена лучше, чем в Sonic Adventure ^[8] . Негативные отзывы звучали в сторону озвучивания персонажей на английском языке. Клау посоветовал игрокам сразу включить в настройках японское озвучивание, так как оно «успокаивает» после прослушивания реплик на английском ^[2] . Похожий совет присутствовал в обзоре от представителя сайта Game Revolution ^[16] . Для Ахмеда озвучивание героев в Sonic Adventure 2 показалось лучшим чем в первой части, и подметил, что голоса придают видеороликам эффект правдоподобности ^[8] .

Неоднозначно был оценён геймплей и игровой дизайн. Sonic Adventure 2 показался Нихолльсу лучшей игрой в жанре платформер, выпущенной для Dreamcast. Нечто похожее присутствовало в рецензии у Ахмеда: «…Захватывающий платформер, чьи фишки заманят вас [игроков] вернуться и насладиться развлекательным и быстро развивающимся игровым процессом». Помимо этого, критик отметил, что сюжет, несмотря на начальную интригу, по мере прохождения становиться более скучным. Чтобы решить проблему с историей, Ахмед предлагал установить для персонажей (кроме Соника и Шэдоу) таймер, как это было сделано на одном из уровне с Руж ^[8] . О проблемах с камерой упоминал в своём обзоре Клау. В качестве примера недочёта в системе камер критик привёл прохождение в самых тесных местах на уровнях (особенно при игре за Наклза и Руж), в которых постоянные повороты ракурса не дают игроку нормально пройти уровни. Кроме того, рецензенту не понравились боссы, в роли которых выступают персонажи из противоположной команды, хотя остальные, по его словам, выглядят оригинально. Однако в отзыве он отметил, что в продолжении были частично устранены вышеперечисленные недочёты предшественника, а игрок вряд ли заблудится, поскольку все уровни — линейны ^[2] . Особая похвала шла в сторону мультиплеера и чао-сада. Нихолльс назвал наличие мира питомцев чао «расслабляющим способом провести время за игрой», а наличие многопользовательского режима — «отличным способом испытать игру». В последнем критик отметил один недостаток — разделение экрана на две части. По его мнению, такая технология будет отвлекать игроков, потому что она будет их дезориентировать ^[11] . Ахмед в своём отзыве заявил, что второстепенные режимы (например, гонки на картах) куда интереснее основной игры, у которой нет «глубины» и проходится она за 12-15 часов ^[8] .

Портированные версии, в отличие от оригинала на Dreamcast, были неоднозначно оценены прессой ^{[99] [100] [101] [105] [106] [107]} . Из положительных сторон поздних версий игры критики отмечали улучшенную графику и изменения в многопользовательском режиме, но снижали оценки из-за отсутствия значительных улучшений. Несмотря на противоречивые оценки, переиздания успешно продавались. На 2007 год было продано 1,73 миллиона экземпляров Sonic Adventure 2 Battle на GameCube ^{[122] [123] [124]} , а переиздание 2012 года входило в двадцатку самых продаваемых игр на онлайн-сервисах Xbox Live и PlayStation Network ^{[125] [126] [127]} , а в отдельные промежутки времени — появлялось в пятёрке загружаемых игр ^{[128] [129] [130]} . Положительных оценок удостоилась версия игры для приставки от Nintendo. Представительница журнала «Страна игр» Склепик Назарова назвала выход переиздания «достойным дебютом Sonic Team на приставках Nintendo», и обратила внимание на минималистический подход к портированию, потому что графика была улучшена только в плане текстур, а способы прохождения уровней остались без изменений. Однако критик отметил, что от этого Sonic Adventure 2 Battle не стала «ни на грамм хуже» ^[121] . Иное мнение, чем у Назаровой, было у Шейна Саттерфилда (GameSpot) и Франа Мирабеллы (IGN): первый журналист заявил, что отсутствие улучшений делает игру удручающей, в то время как второй назвал выход Sonic Adventure 2 Battle бесславным дебютом. Оба рецензента выразили надежду, что в новом платформере разработчики учтут все недостатки портированной версии на GameCube ^{[10] [119]} . Переиздание 2012 года было в основном негативно оценено прессой. Рэй Барнхолт ( 1UP.com ) в своём вступлении повторил слова, которые он говорил в обзоре на версию Sonic Adventure 2010 года: «Это вторично портированная игра, не имеющая дополнений или значительных улучшений». По его словам, переиздание имеет те же недостатки, что и оригинал; из-за этого приключение запоминается не очень хорошо ^[110] . Представитель журнала Official Xbox Magazine Дейв Радден рекомендовал всем, кто хочет побольше узнать о Сонике, пропустить информацию о Sonic Adventure 2 , потому что эта игра, особенно после выхода ремейка Sonic the Hedgehog CD и двух эпизодов Sonic the Hedgehog 4 , смотрится не очень хорошо ^[120] . Положительный отзыв оставил критик из немецкого филиала интернет-журнала Eurogamer Бьёрн Бальг. Рецензент выделил из плюсов графику и навевающую ностальгию по старым временам. Была также отмечена низкая цена портированной версии, чтобы новые игроки познакомились со старыми проектами франшизы. Главным недостатком был назван загружаемый контент, благодаря которому Sega хочет заработать больше денег ^[114] .

Awards and nominations

Благодаря высоким оценкам Sonic Adventure 2 получила множество наград. В обзорах сайтов GamePro и IGN игра получила награду «Выбор редакции» ^{[2] [117]} . В 2009 году GamesRadar назвал её седьмой лучшей игрой для Dreamcast ^[131] . Через три года в аналогичном топе Sonic Adventure 2 заняла 10 место ^[132] . Сайт поставил её на пятое место из десяти в списке «Лучшая игра на Dreamcast» ^[133] . Концовка Sonic Adventure 2 заняла 33 место в топе «50 лучших игровых концовок», составленном благодаря опросу, проведённому представителями Книги рекордов Гиннесса в 2012 году ^[134] .

Версия для GameCube также получила множество наград от сайтов и журналов. В 2010 году Official Nintendo Magazine провёл опрос на тему лучших игр десятилетия. По итогам этого опроса Sonic Adventure 2 Battle заняла 13 место ^[135] . В другом опросе сайта, проведённом в том же году на тему любимых игр серии Sonic the Hedgehog , Sonic Adventure 2: Battle заняла второе место ^[136] .

Impact

Sonic Adventure 2 представила двух новых персонажей в серии: ежа Шэдоу и летучую мышь Руж . С тех пор они появлялись в последующих играх про Соника. Кроме того, растущая популярность Шэдоу заставила разработчиков «воскресить» его в Sonic Heroes и даже дать ему главную роль в одноимённой игре , где даются объяснения о происхождения антигероя ^{[137] [138]} . Sega несколько раз планировала выпустить Sonic Adventure 3 , однако реализации проекта помешало давление фанатов и смена концепции новых игр про Соника ^{[139] [140]} . Несмотря на это, в честь 20-летия сериала была выпущена игра под названием Sonic Generations , включавшая в себя элементы игрового процесса и уровней из прошлых частей серии. В данной игре появились новые версии уровней «City Escape» и «Radical Highway» ^{[141] [142]} , а ёж Шэдоу и Биолизард появляются в качестве боссов ^[143] .

Сюжет Sonic Adventure 2 был несколько раз адаптирован. В 2001 и 2003 годах был издан комикс Sonic the Hedgehog (№ 98 и № 124), где рассказывается история о докторе Эггмане и аресте Соника, который был принят за ежа Шэдоу во время беспорядков ^{[144] [145]} . Полностью сюжет игры был отображён во втором номере комикса Sonic Universe ^[146] . Основой сюжетной линии 33-38 серий аниме « Соник Икс » послужил сюжет серии игр Sonic Adventure 2 , с небольшими изменениями. В некоторых эпизодах роль в игре Эми Роуз в аниме заменяет Крис Торндайк, например, где Шэдоу благодаря мальчику вспоминает своё истинное обещание, которое обещал исполнять перед своей подругой Марией.

С 2001 года издательством Prima Games выпускались книги, где содержалось руководство и дополнительная информация по игре ^[147] .

Sources

Literature

• Prima Development. Sonic Adventure 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide / Knight, Michael; Trisa Knight. - USA . - Prima Games, 2001. - 176 p. - ISBN 9780761536147 . (eng.)
• Sakuta, Yoshihro; Nishimura, Takashi; Osawa, Hiroki. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Instruction Manual . - USA . - Sega , 2002. - 72 p. (eng.)

• Official Sonic Adventure 2 site .
• Sonic Adventure 2 Battle official website (English) .
• Sonic Adventure 2 (2012) (Eng.) On the official website of Sega .
• Sonic Adventure 2 (Eng.) On the Encyclopedia website The Green Hill Zone.
• Sonic Adventure 2 (English) on the site-encyclopedia Sonic Retro.
• Sonic Adventure 2 (Eng.) On the Sonic News Network wiki .