Rose Tinted Retro - Sonic Adventure

Sonic had some big shoes to fill back in 1999.

The Saturn had performed dismally outside of Japan, as Sega had failed to anticipate the Playstation-era rise of 3D gaming, and originally designed their 32-bit offering as a 2D powerhouse. Too late in the day, the company had clumsily shoehorned a secondary processor into the machine to increase its polygon pushing potential, making it notoriously difficult to work with. Determined not the make the same mistake again, with the Saturn's predecessor, dubbed the Dreamcast (which industry legend has it was supposed to be a rather inelegant conjunction of 'dream' and 'broadcast'), Sega put together an online capable 3D powerhouse with Microsoft's developer friendly DirectX at its heart.

Sonic, Sega's 16-bit mascot, had been notable by his absence during the Saturn years, save for a half-hearted port of Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Jam, a compilation of the best of his past exploits. In an apparent call to arms to boyhood Mega Drive owners, Sega was keen to make sure Sonic featured prominently in the Dreamcast's software library. Conversely, the cornerstone of the Dreamcast's launch lineup in the US and Europe, although missing from the console's earlier Japanese debut, was Sonic Adventure, Sonic Team's answer to Nintendo's sublime Super Mario 64, and the first fully realised 3D title in the series. Expectations where impossibly high, as the gaming press stoked the already raging fires of anticipation with reems of gorgeous screenshots and informational tidbits. Sega knew they had a system seller on their hands, and fanboys the world over seemed convinced that Sonic's Adventure would be a spectacular return to form for their childhood hero.

But pride cometh before a fall, and although the final game was a lot of fun, it had a number of fundamental flaws that made the it feel rushed, and stopped it far short of challenging Mario's magnum opus. The core of Sonic's 16-bit appeal had always been the excitement of earning gravity defying inertia by successfully dodging enemies and obstacles, but Sonic Adventure's environments often featured liberally applied speed pads that would instantly jump Sonic to full pelt for the purposes of a predetermined set piece, such as one of the series' trademarks loops. Doing anything other than holding down forward during these sections would usually shatter the illusion and result in a fatal fall into a bottomless pit, sometimes apparently outside the confines of the level. Furthermore, the separate stories for the five supplementary characters were a mixed bag. Each offered a twist on the usual Sonic gameplay; Tails's races to the finish, Knuckles's hunts for fragments of the master emerald and E-102's simple blast-fests were entertaining, but Big the Cat's awkwardly realised fishing sections and Amy Rose's patronising girly nonsense felt like chores.

Sonic's Dreamcast debut may have pleased the eye, but it was often an affront to the ears, as Sega opted for a painfully cheesy soft rock soundtrack that had its moments, but screamed 'lame' at the top of its lungs. The dialogue and voice acting were passable, but a Zelda or Half-Life-style approach where the protagonist doesn't speak and the plot is advanced through exposition would arguably have been a better fit. The biggest target of all for critical ire, however, was the camera, which frequently became stuck on scenery or changed angle without warning, leading to many an offed hedgehog and hurled controller.

All that said, Sonic Adventure is absolutely worth a revisit from time to time. It's not easily recommended to somebody who's never played it before, but those that did, who know the levels well and can remember where the smoke and mirrors set pieces are, will likely find that misty-eyed nostalgia will distract them from the game's shortcomings.

Following the Dreamcast's demise, Sonic Adventure was ported to a great many other systems. The Gamecube received a graphically enhanced port, titled Sonic Adventure DX, which was then in turn released on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC via Steam.  It's available digitally for around £7.99 on the latter platforms, while the Dreamcast and Gamecube versions can be easily found cheaper still on Ebay or at independent gaming outlets that stock retro items.