Sonic Adventure bought about the return of Sonic The Hedgehog from the abysmal Saturn era where the character had suffered years of deviation from the traditional Sonic formula of gameplay, and then a period of silence. It was an uncertainty as to whether any Sonic title would be the flagship Sega’s up and coming console at the time: the Dreamcast. It was the first Sonic game to take place in a full 3D world and the first to feature a full voice cast.

Upon release it became the top selling title for the system (a smash) giving a rebirth to the franchise returning the spiky blue one back to game stardom.

Since it has become generally regarded as one of the better - if not the best 3D Sonic game ever, Sonic Adventure is the title that returned our blue hero back from near obscurity and back to a place or popularity.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

Sometime around the completion of Sonic 3 senior designer Takashi Iizuka had been interested with the idea for putting Sonic into a RPG. He wanted a more expansive world where the narrative would greatly add to the story of the game. After directing Sonic Jam, where Sonic World was actually a prototype for this new RPG project, and Sonic R, he was placed in charge of Sonic's Dreamcast debut. With the opportunity and now the hardware in which to do so, he brought the Sonic RPG to life. Yuji Naka has commented on a big challenge as far as development was concerned being that much more vast areas had to be created to provide the wide open expansive world offering more freedom.

The only person missing from Sonic Team is series director Hiroazu Yasuhara replaced by Takashi Iizuka who was the lead for NiGHTS.

Prior to development, several members of Sonic Team took a trip to Central America which served as the inspiration for many elements in the game. The Mystic Ruin Adventure Field for example, many of its textures were derided from actual sites they visited. The Echidna Tribe was modelled after the Maya Civilisation and the main character of Tikal was named after an actual city and modern-day archaeological site. Various Sonic websites around the net will have photos of their visit with a Sonic plush toy set against the ancient landscape.

In 1998, following the turbulent Saturn years SEGA's very future was riding on the success of the Dreamcast – their new console near to launch at the time. The hardware capabilities of which had been hyped for some time so people were interested in the games being developed and it had already been made known that Sonic Team was developing a game for the new system.

Development of the game was known at the E3 along with other titles that would form the first wave of Dreamcast titles such as Virtua Fighter 3. It was known simply as Sonic RPG. The first development shots showed a 3D style game with graphics of a quality that had never been seen.

Cryptic information appeared regarding development in the form of the Sonic face. It was not until August 22,1998 that the public had some solid information delivered at the Tokyo International Forum. The event was free and open to all and was quite a success with several performing Japanese celebrities. Sega's popular Segata Sanshiro, lead the crowds with the chant of "Sonnikku" which was then recorded and used final battle theme of the game.

On 23^rd December 1998 the game was released in Japan at the cost ¥5800 with the launch of the Dreamcast console to critical acclaim with reviews frequently in the 90% range.

Very few gamers thought the translation into 3D could have been done better whereas people's main issues with the game stemmed mostly from unstable frame rate and camera angles.

Despite the fanfare of the release, the rushed Sonic Adventure needed at the time to bolster to Dreamcast launch line-up was incomplete. Sonic Team and SEGA very much aware of this and wanting to prevent bad press despatched 12 members of Sonic Team including Iizuka to the US to establish Sonic Team USA.

The US and European versions followed in September and October of 1999 respectively. The 9 month gap between the Japanese and Western releases gave the team time not only to add the essential English and European languages and subtitles but also to fix a number of bugs and issues with the game such as reported issues with the camera. The improved game was re-released in Japan dubbed Sonic Adventure International. Once the game was fully completed, the work on the sequel began...Sonic Adventure 2.

Ultimately Sonic Adventure was the best selling Dreamcast game ever moving over 2.5 Million units.

A few years later (2003) following the success of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on the Game Cube as part of the SEGA's multi-platform strategy setting up a home for Sonic on Nintendo's consoles, Sonic Adventure was ported and updated released as Sonic Adventure DX (Directors Cut). Some more issues were worked on, however, the frame rate can still be crap despite the more powerful hardware.

It was also ported to the PC (Windows) several months later and has numerous graphical enhancements most notably being a more stable frame rate. It can still be bought easily and cheaply today.

After months of rumors at the start of 2010 and some leaked Beta screenshots, Sonic Adventure has been confirmed to be heading towards Xbox Live Arcade and PSN sometime in the 2nd half of the year.

STORY

Some 3000 years ago a group of Echidna's rose from being a disparate group of ruffians to a tribe waging war and feared by all nations. Calling themselves the Knuckles Tribe their rise was sponsored by their leader, Pachacamac. His conquering of surrounding nations did not satisfy and his ambitions which eventually led him to the shrine of the 7 emeralds.

It was here that 2 obstacles stood in his way. A water spirit and his own daughter, Tikal. Her teachings came directly from her grandmother who was a pacifist and now Tikal stood at odds with here fathers aggressive tactics.

Tikal had befriended the water spirit and the Chao creatures that inhabited the shrine. Upon approach of her fathers forces she placed herself between them and the Emeralds. Outraged by the actions of his daughter he orders her removed by force attack upon the shrine and the residing Chaos enraged the water spirit.

By absorbing the power of the 7 Emeralds, the water spirit transformed into an enormous liquid monster that unleashed a devastating attack on the invaders and then the rest of the Echidna civilisation. Desperate to end the rampage Tikal preyed that the soul of the spirit be sealed within the Master Emerald along with her own.

The Echidna civilisation lay in ruins. Its few remaining survivors made it their duty to guard the Master Emerald to prevent the power now contained inside being released upon the world again. Although almost extinct, the remaining Chaos found new places to live and gradually their numbers rebounded. The water spirit became known as Chaos, and the emeralds, The Chaos Emeralds.

In the present, the city of Station Square has been selected by the industrious Dr Robotnik as prime real estate to build his new empire, Robotnikland. In a nearby jungle area - the Mystic Ruins - he establishes a base and whilst excavating he discovers a tablet which depicts the legend of Chaos and the destruction of the Echidna civilisation. The ever resourceful scientist figures this would be a perfect means to remove Station Square.

He makes a sneak visit to Angel Island and shatters the Master Emerald releasing the still angered Chaos albeit in a weakened state. He feeds his new pet Chaos Emeralds to bring it back to its former strength unaware of the true extent this ancient power will be when released upon the world.

GAMEPLAY

Sonic Adventure, attempts to combine a larger scope of gameplay that an RPG game gives with traditional 'Sonic' formula gameplay in concentrated stages. Gameplay elements are simple overall and resemble the pick up and play feel the 16-Bit games have. Each character will have a set style of gameplay but all are around a central theme.

The game is very well presented. Graphics are of very high quality and take on a style more rooted in reality. Unfortunately the frame rate suffers significantly (something that still was not fixed in the later port to the Game Cube) and fluctuates anywhere between 30 and 10 fps.

Sound is also equally good. There is a vast array of sounds and for the first time vocals when used do not make the Sonic fan cringe. Music is generally very good with plenty of catchy tunes and high quality.

The game is for single player only though Tails can be controlled in some areas with controller 2 for a gimmick.

Whilst the essentials of rushing through a level collecting rings and other items to reach the goal that we have been accustomed to has somewhat been simply translated or evolved into 3D, the overall structure and progression throughout the game is altered significantly from previous games. ‘Adventure’ is a radical departure from previous games. The oncoming levels (action stages, boss fights etc) are connected by means of Adventure Fields which are free roaming, limitless areas in which an event or task must be completed in order for the next part of the narrative to be presented be it a section, stage or level. Action Stages are where the real gameplay is done in a traditional sense. The overall order of how the game unfolds (presented) depends on your choice of character. As events and action stages are completed new areas become available.

Adventure Fields

	Station Square - is the hub where everyone lives and what Robotnik wants crushed. Action Stages accessible from Station Square include: Emerald Coast, Casinopolis, Twinkle Park, Speed Highway, and the Twinkle Circuit mini-game.
	Mystic Ruins - located in a jungle region a group of archaeologists are studying the ruins of the ancient Echidna Civilisation. Action Stages accessible from Mystic Ruin include: Windy Valley, Icecap, Red Mountain, Lost World, and Final Egg.
	Egg Carrier - This is Dr Robotnik's formidable flying fortress of grey and red that serves has his mobile base of operations. The entire ship can transform into a flight mode or attack mode. Certain areas are only accessible in each formation. A monorail transports about the craft to the essential locations quickly. Action Stages accessible from Egg Carrier include: Sky Deck, Hot Shelter, and the Hedgehog Hammer mini-game (only playable as Amy).

Any citizens wandering about the place can be spoken to RPG style (though not very exciting) and there will be critical hints about in the form of glowing orbs/balls.

Cast of Characters

There are a total of 6 characters in the game, though to start Sonic is the only one available. Others become unlocked after they have been encountered over the course of his story and there is no need to complete his story to play them.

Adventure takes the approach of splitting the story between the different characters. Each character and their story will have their own route through the game with different boss fights though there will be frequent encounters with others. It is not until the completion of all that the big picture becomes clear. Each character will not play all the stages in the game (though Sonic will do the most) and gameplay is attuned for each.

A number of screens detailing each characters gameplay can be viewed by selecting the Instruction option.

Sonic Adventure Characters

Sonic The Hedgehog	The quest starts with him leaping about Station Square looking for some action and running into some liquid disturbance. After an easy defeat he chills out at a nearby resort only to run to the aid of Tails who flies overhead and promptly crashes his plane. After agreeing to visit his new workshop the adventure kicks off! His quest is the largest of all the characters. He is the fastest of the crew and he simply needs to reach the goal of any stage as quickly as possible with more traditional gameplay.
Miles "Tails" Prower	Tails' quest starts when he crash lands in Emerald Coast when testing a new plane fuelled by a Chaos Emerald in the Tornado 2. Sonic rushes to his aid and the duo trek of to his workshop in the Mystic Ruins. They are intercepted by Robotnik who wants the shiny emerald for his own uses. His task is to beat Sonic to the goal. Whilst he does not have the speed that Sonic has he has the advantage of flight. Dash rings are essential in covering space quickly and can reveal shortcuts that Sonic can not reach. Fail to beat Sonic and the stage is played again.
Knuckles the Echidna	On Angel Island Knuckles is chilling out when a huge earthquake shatters the Master Emerald freeing Chaos. Knuckles engages this released foe and is easily repelled. Angel Island crashes down and damages a section of Mystic Ruin as it goes. After regaining consciousness he begins his search to restore the Master Emerald. He must restore Angel Island to its place in the sky and to do that he must find the scattered shards of the Master Emerald. Locations vary but they will be; in the open, buried or placed inside enemies. You locate them via the onscreen radar. A clue orbs triggers Tikal to provide a clue as to the whereabouts of the next shard.
Amy Rose	Whilst out shopping (naturally) she ponders on how boring her feminine existence has become and harks back to her glory days on Sonic's arm. He decides to track him down only for that trail of thought to be interrupted as the Egg Carrier flies overhead. A fleeing bird hits her in the face perused by one of Robotnik’s contraptions - ZERO. They both flee and evade pursuit. Sonic is spotted outside the casino and Amy tries to force him into being the body guard of this bird. Sonic has none of it and promptly races away. Later she finds him again at the entrance to Twinkle Park at the same time ZERO finds them. Sonic wants to crush this bot and move on but Amy legs it inside after seeing the "couples get in free" sign. Amy basically has to avoid capture by her pursuer. She has very little in the way of speed but to compensate has a Piko-Mallet of significant size. The task is to simply reach the giant yellow balloon at the end of the stage that takes her up and away from her pursuer. To protect the bird you simply need to stay ahead of the relentless pursuit of ZERO. It can be stunned for a short time with a hit but will adapt to this and become invincible for the remainder of the stage. It is possible to hide momentarily under objects such as barrels but when the cantankerous bot looses sight of you a full on tantrum is accompanied by damaging shockwaves.
E102 Gamma	"Gamma" is powered up in a glass tube in Robotnik's lab located in the Mystic Ruins. The life story of the bot is told informing him that he is the second unit of the E-100 series and that he needs to obey every command from his creator. He is instructed to join the older E-101-Beta on the shooting range. Robotnik is surprised that Gamma was able to complete the course .He declares that the Egg Carrier needs a good crew and to determine the best both new and old robots are pitched against each other. Gamma basically has to blast anything blastable using a lock-on method that adds valuable seconds to a falling counter and chained explosions multiply the earnings.
Big The Cat	Big The Cat - Big rests in his hut in the Mystic Ruins. His frog companion Kaeru-Kun lies happily on his front. A loud crash alerts the frog who leaps off to find a puddle of water crawling along the ground. It captures the frog and spouts him a tail. The commotion awakens Big who is shocked to see the changes in his pal and more so to see him swallow a Chaos Emerald. The fog leaps off and Big pursues all the way to Station Square where his friend goes out of sight under a car parked above a man hole. Big's goal is to retrieve his wayward friend. Unfortunately each time Kaeru-Kun is captured he escapes again. Capture is achieved by fishing. Cast your rod and wriggle to get the little green guys attention.
Super Sonic	Super Sonic - When all 6 characters have been completed Super Sonic's quest is available. The Egg Carrier has fallen and 6 of the 7 Chaos Emeralds has returned to their rightful place. Chaos still lives and one of the emeralds is still unaccounted for. It is inside the Tornado 2, the plane Tails has been experimenting with. That project lies in a heap near Big's Hut. Sonic must fight Perfect Chaos; the strongest form. As usual, you begin with 50 rings that deplete with each second. The object is to simply ram him with enough speed. He attempts to slow your approach with lasers and water spouts. When a hit is landed he will warp off to another section of the arena. After 3 hits he steps up hit attack. After 3 more hits he is history.

After completing the game with a character their ending can be viewed via the character select screen.

Robotnik's latest array of mechanical henchmen is less broad than some of his recent sets. Breaking open an enemy with one of the many methods now available will free the cuddly critter within. Tag the creature by walking to them adding them to your inventory. You can hold up to 10 per stage. Upon leaving an Action Stage take your new family to the Chao Garden where they are used to fortify your Chao Warriors with stat upgrades. See below for more info on the Chao System.

Controls vary between each character but follow a general scheme. Adventure Fields can be useful in getting to grips with the controls since there is no time limit. Some sections and events such as the Kart Race and Sky Chase will have separate controls.

The analogue stick moves your character about. Characters now have little momentum (feel stiff) and instead can reach top speed easily which makes for more precise control tricky.

Button A is jump.
Buttons B and X are special attack/ability.
Button Y is a special action depending on your characters situation. For example activating a button or picking up a Chao. This can be done with B or X but is safer since there is no attack involved.
Left and Right Triggers rotate the camera around your character.
The D-Pad will give a first person perspective view of the surroundings. Press any direction to activate. The camera will return to third person when your character is moved again.
START – Pauses the game. Options menu will be Continue, Restart and Quit in an Action Stage or Continue and Quit in an Adventure Field. To eliminate the menu and get a clean screen Clean Pause press X+Y.

The onscreen instrumentation will vary somewhat between missions and settings. In Adventure Fields there is usually nothing and for Action Stages, generally you can expect to see time, rings and number of lives remaining or something specific to your character. In boss fights the assailant's energy level will be shown.

Adventure brings some familiar gameplay objects and new ones to bring into play in the world of 3D. In addition to special items, there will be certain items found in Action Stages and Adventure Fields that give characters new abilities, some of which are essential to progress through the game. The essential ones will have critical clues as to their location provided by Tikal's clue orbs.

Rings - Having rings will protect you from loosing a life. Taking a hit will make your rings scatter in a circular pattern around you for convenient retrieval but will disappear quickly. 100 of these will earn an extra life.

Monitors/Item Boxes - Need to be broken open. Rewards are:5 - Rings.
10 - 10 Rings.
Random Ring - Worth either 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 40 rings.

Shield - Will protect by absorbing 1 hit.

Magnetic Shield - Will protect against 1 hit but also will magnetically attract any nearby rings.

Invincibility - Temporary invincibility.

Speed Shoes - Gives a temporary boost in speed.

Sonic/Tails/Knuckles etc - Gives and extra life.

Bomb - Destroys all onscreen enemies.

Dash Panels - gives an instant speed boost when walked on.

Restart Markers - walk through the balloon gate to trigger. When you die this is the place you will restart from.

Spring - leaping onto will rebound you off at speed. Springs operate differently from older games. The direction, speed and height of the rebound are programmed so you will land exactly where the game wants to you to be.

Numbered Jump Panels - These are a sequence of panels where a jump must be executed in a timely fashion. Failing to so will have you fall off. These are generally in sequences of 5.

Rockets - Grab onto the handle to be taken at speed across large gaps and up great heights.

Hint Orbs - The spirit of Tikal whom freed along with Chaos from the Master Emerald will give a general hint such as places to look. If playing as Knuckles, will point to the location of the nearest emerald shard.

Hint Box/Monitor - These hover about mostly in Adventure Fields. They are read by pressing A,B or Y.

Dash Ring - Tails can use these for a burst of speed when flying.

Master Emerald Shard - 3 of these a required for Knuckles to compete the stage.

Emblem - are medals for completing tasks within the game mostly from completing Action Stages and Missions. Several are scattered about the various Adventure Fields. There are a total of 130 in the game to collect but are essentially useless!

Switches - These normally trigger some sort of change in the scenery. Usually necessary to proceed through the game.

Stages will have the usual dangers such as the army of Badniks, spikes, contraptions, drowning and the usual bottomless pits in which it is possible to die in an Adventure Field by falling into one.

Spikes - These slide in and out the ground and walls. Best avoided.

Iron Balls - Will swing around in patterns and sometimes in the air.

Spark Unit - These are hovering laser guns/turrets that are only seen in Final Egg. They can be destroyed at the base or find a way around the laser barrier.

There are a total of 11 Action Stages in the game though no one character plays through all of them and level structure will change with characters having exclusive access to certain areas. Goals vary depending on your character but each will have 3 specific missions which earns an emblem when completed. A grade based on your performance will be given.

Upon reaching the end of an Action Stage, you receive total bonus points consisting of Time Score (the quicker the better), Ring Score (100 points for each in your possession) and Enemy Score.

Upon defeating a boss bonus points are given for Time Score and Ring Score.

Up to 3 game saves can be stored on a standard VMU. In addition to Adventure Mode, Trial Mode allows running through of any Action Stage or Mini-Game that has been previously cleared in Adventure Mode.

Options

The Options menu has a sound test with all 90+ tunes and themes available, subtitles toggle, stereo/mono output toggle or load another save file.

The final option is the Internet mode. This was an in-game website that downloaded new content. From here, players can access bonus downloads, an online strategy guide, a basic BBS, national scoreboards and an online Chao Garden for swapping Chaos.

There were a number of releases throughout 1998 to 2000 and any of the extra downloadable content is fully compatible between the International and original versions.

Trial

As well as Adventure mode, a Trial (mode) allows you to play through action stages (missions) and mini games that have been cleared. The top three best scores, best times and total rings are recorded.

Available options for mini games vary between characters and bosses are included. Note that all 6 characters can play the Twinkle Circuit Kart Racing mini game. For Sonic, Amy and Big the race becomes available immediately after clearing Twinkle Park. For Tails, Knuckles and Gamma (who do not play Twinkle Park) look for the Twinkle Pass Card in Station Square, pick it up and bring it to the park entrance to access the circuit. Also of note, Sonic can access Tails’ Sand Hill mini-game via Trail Mode only.

Emblem Results is a view of all the emblems collected by each character.

Emblems

Chao [system] (Pronounced "chow")

Chao's are like water goblins and even though being integral to the story of the game do not appear all that much. They have their own virtual pet system where they can take place in Racing in the Chao Stadium with their abilities measured by a stat system. The only reward for doing this is more (useless) emblems so the whole setup is very much an optional thing.

There are three Chao Gardens, one in each Adventure Field. The entrance to the stadium (for competing) is inside the Station Square Chao Garden. Enter the lift in the hotel and proceed to the roof.

A Chao will be inside a speckled egg and there will be two about in each. The creature inside can be hatched by means of nurture (by method of gentle rubbing pressing X button) or by smashing the egg off a wall. How the Chao will behave towards you depends on how you release them so a heavy hand might not be the best approach. Each Chao Garden will also have two basic blue eggs but for each Adventure Field there is a rare colour to be found. In Station Square it is gold, in Mystic Ruin is silver and in the Egg Carrier it is black. These rarer Chao’s can be cross-bred.

Chao will take on physical traits based on their affinity and the animals used to enhance them. Their colour and features will change while the basic/neutral Chao will remain blue and can develop any number of traits. For example, Chaos fortified with parrots develops plumes and can sing. Experimentation proves interesting.

Their growth cycle has three to four phases: egg, baby, cocoon and re-birth where they emerge from their cocoons as fully developed adults whom are capable of reproduction. Wey hay! After a while the adult will cocoon again where one of two outcomes occur: if you have been a successful parent it will be reborn in the form of an egg, or otherwise die. Newly reborn Chaos will have its predecessors name and characteristics. Its appearance will soon revert to normal and the stats will be considerably lower. For the expert breeders there is a special rare Chaos Chao that take on the appearance of Chaos which can be had by reincarnating multiple times.

A Chao has 5 stats that determine how formidable they are:

HP
Speed
Strength
Flying Ability
Swimming Ability

Stats can be upgraded by feeding coconuts off the palm trees in the Chao Gardens or with the animals collected in Action Stages. Coconuts raise max HP by 1 while animals raise (and lower) a number of stats with emphasis on a certain trait. E.g a gorilla will increase in power.

Chao Stats

Swimming Ability	Flying Ability	Run	Power	All
Penguin	Parrot	Rabbit	Gorilla	Koala
Seal	Swallow	Deer	Elephant	Skunk
Sea otter	Peacock	Wallaby	Lion	Mole

The fastest way to enhance a Chao is by way of Osanpo Adventure, a card game to transfer to your VM. Transfer your Chao to your VM and watch it walk along. The trip he takes in this miniature-monochrome setting will enhance its stats in various ways.

There are 5 fields each of which are 4000 meters long. Move eastward for a simple map (read right to left). There are three events: Treasure chests, Battles and Character Encounters.

Button A on the VMU at any time will bring up the Adventure Menu where you can view your Chao's name, stats or even connect another VM for battle.

Once in your VMU it literally is a pet that can be taken to compete in races on other consoles.

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Sonic Adventure Character Routes

Character	Stages
Sonic	Chaos 0 Emerald Coast Egg Hornett Windy Valley Casinopolis Icecap Knuckles Chaos 4 Twinkle Park Speed Highway Red Mountain Sky Chase Act 1 Sky Deck E-102 Gamma Chaos 6 Lost World Final Egg Egg Viper
Tails	Egg Hornett Windy Valley Casinopolis Icecap Chaos 4 Knuckles Sky Deck E-102 Gamma Speed Highway Egg Walker
Knuckles	Speed Highway Casinopolis Chaos 2 Red Mountain Sonic Chaos 4 Lost World Sky Deck Chaos 6
Amy	Twinkle Park Hot Shelter Final Egg Zero
E-102 Gamma	Final Egg E-102 Beta Emerald Coast Windy Valley E-103 Delta Red Mountain E-104 Epsilon Hot Shelter E-105 Zeta E-101 Mark II
Big The Cat	Twinkle Park Icecap Emerald Coast Hot Shelter Chaos 6

SCREENSHOTS

Sonic Adventure takes place over a variety of landscapes that should be reminiscent to anyone who had played any of the 16-Bit games. There is also a collection of Sub-Games that are thrown in between the main Action Stages.

Action Stages

Emerald Coast	Windy Valley
Casinopolis	Ice Cap
Twinkle Park	Speed Highway
Sky Chase	Red Mountain
Sky Deck	Lost World
Final Egg

CHEATS AND TIPS

Immortal Chao

To create a super Chao, put one into the Osanpo Adventure Game (VMU) and then change its name to 1234567. He will then gain infinite health!

Chao Puzzle

Start a new Adventure using any character with an extra controller and VMU plugged into port 3 on the console. Press START on controller 3 to access a mini-game called Chao Puzzle. It is a sliding puzzle game using 3x3 grid/tiles.

Use the control pad to select a square and press A to slide the piece. Press B for a different puzzle or START to quit. There are 15 stages in total and you get a congratulations after every 5 rounds.

LINKS

Sonic Adventure at Sonic HQ

http://archive.sonic-hq.net/games/index/sadventure/

Some summary information and also a link to download the music.

Sonic Adventure at Sonic Cult

This site has a vast repository of interesting stuff about the game such as leftovers and bugs. Check it out at http://www.sonic-cult.org/

The obligatory Wiki Article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Adventure

10 Years of Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure

A look back at the console and specifically Sonic Adventure exactly 10 years after it hit the market.

http://spyne.blogspot.com/2009/09/112-sega-dreamcast-sonic-adventure-10.html

OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACKS

There are three official soundtracks for the game released in 1998.

Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure Songs With Attitude and Sonic Adventure Remixed.

You can download these at http://www.soahcity.com/music/1998_sonic_adventure/index.php

XBLA RELEASE

Sonic Adventure was released on Xbox Live Arcade in September 2010 to begin Sega's Dreamcast revival at a cost of 800 Microsoft points (around £7/$10) which is a pretty good bargain even if playing the Sonic stages alone.

It is set to appear on the Playstation Network sometime soon after.

The game plays the same as the original version did with all six characters adventures. It appears to be a port of the PC version (DX) which had better graphics and some tweaks overall and feels very comfortable on the 360 controller. It is a mighty download weighing in around 1.5Gb but this also has the advantage of having quick loading times (compared to the original Dreamcast version anyway).

Enhancements include:

• Digitally re-mastered sporting 720p graphics, a rock solid super smooth frame rate and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
• Chao Breeding allows the breeding of a pet Chao to then compete against other Chaos.
• Leaderboards and awards. Achievements and trophies can be earned and comparison with friends through online leaderboards.

As an extra download for 400 Microsoft Points the DX Upgrade pack which adds all the extra features of the Directors Cut edition (on the PC and Gamecube) adding 60 missions and Metal Sonic as a playable character.

A total of 250 gamer points can be earned through completing achievements in the game.

Sonic Adventure Achievements

Achievement/Name	Description	Points
Miles "Tails" Prower	Become friends with Tails	10
Knuckles the Echidna	Become friends with Knuckles	10
Amy Rose	Become friends with Amy.	10
E-102 "γ"	Become Friends with E-102 "γ"	10
Big The Cat	Become friends with Big.	10
Sonic The Hedgehog	Clear the Sonic story.	10
Super Sonic	Clear all characters stories.	10
The Fastest and The Strongest	Get Level A on all the Action Stages.	20
Sub Game Master	Get all Emblems of the Sub Games.	20
Chao's Best Friend	Get all Emblems of the Chao Race.	20
The Adventurer	Get all Emblems in the Adventure Field.	20
The Perfect Adventurer	Get all 130 emblems.	40

EMULATION

There are some working Dreamcast emulators. Checkout the Dreamcast Emulators page for more info.

MISC INFO

• By placing the GDROM disc in a CDROM or DVD Drive on a PC you can view some art and desktop pictures provided courtesy of Sonic Team.
  
• There was also a Limited Edition of the game which is identical to the full version except has internet capabilities removed.
• The rapping sections in Knuckles' theme were performed by John "Dredd Foxx" Simpson III, the same voice of Sony's PaRappa the Rapper.
• In September 2008 two prototypes of the game were released to the Sonic Community.
• The Chao system is an evolution of the A-Life system that was used in NiGHTS Into Dreams on the Saturn.

Related

Games of the Month Archive

Sonic Adventure DX

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