SONIC ADVENTURE 2: BATTLE
NINTENDO GAMECUBE 2002
SEGA's new multi-platform strategy sees the struggling company debuting alongside Nintendo's latest machine in 2002 - the Gamecube (GC) - a new version of possibly the best Sonic game of the 3D generation; Sonic Adventure 2. This enhanced version came just several months from the original release on the Dreamcast (DC) focusing on a revamped versus/battle mode and thus the game was subsequently termed Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (SA2B).
The game was under a certain amount of pressure to succeed. A failure would not only have damaged SEGA's new 3rd party only strategy but potentially future Sonic titles.
Oddly, it did not fair as well with critics as the DC version did (slanted by fondness for that platform perhaps?) even though it was essentially the same for a single player with an overhaul of the Chao system and greatly improved features for more than one player.
Fortunately the game proved to be one of the GC's best selling titles being re-released in the low-budget Players Choice range. It ultimately made a stable base for future developments on that platform.
It also has the distinction of being the first GC title to make use of the link-up feature with the Gameboy Advance (GBA) beating Nintendo on their own hardware!
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Sonic related sites on the net will go into every specific difference; however the general and most significant additions, improvements and new features are described here.
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The complete package itself benefits from several enhancements from the GC's more powerful hardware. There is less slowdown during hectic scenes and battles run more smoothly with generally more graphical activity occurring. There is support for 480p on compatible TV's, something which few people benefited from back in the day. The cable required for this on the GC is still rather expensive.
Sound effects come across clearer but music seems to pack less punch though this could just be me.
Loading times are faster for stages and cut scenes.
There are a few changes to layout of menu items.
There are no online functions to speak of and the only downloadable content that was available on the DC included are the menu themes and the EggRobo racer. None of the downloadable events are included.
Thankfully and perhaps most crucially the GC's controller fits the gameplay very well with the analogue stick feeling more precise which is welcome.
Two instantly noticeable changes is the lack of the spinning game logo animation before the new look title screen which now has all characters visible.
All other changes would take pretty good knowledge of the game to spot.
There are adjustments to the camera system but this still was not able to please everybody.
There are minor graphical changes to the main character models such as better shading, visibility of detail and their shadows. A special background was shown whenever a character executed a Special Attack.
Stages have graphical tweaks here and there, for example, it's now raining in White Jungle and in Crazy Gadget the green X 's on the boxes were changed to red (too avoid looking like an Xbox logo perhaps?), some lighting changes and each stage generally has more background activity happening with Sonic Team managing to plug their other titles on various banners throughout the game.
Sonic Teams Banners (City Escape)
There are a few minor changes to the placement of some items within stages including enemies that also have their models reduced in complexity with some detail lost.
Changes to sound effects are very minor (though they are clearer) and there is a slight redeployment of where some tunes are used.
Some camera angles, graphics on panels, lights and audio changed in some cut-scenes but these were very minor. One such being where Sonic jump's from the helicopter at the start of the Hero Story. In the DC version he first had his original trainers on and then changed to SOAP's but in this version he has SOAP's on all the time.
Menu themes that were downloadable are available by default including the Shadow theme that was never released globally. The Amy, Maria and Omochao themes can be bought on the Chao Black market.
Very little has changed for the single player overall. For the full low down on the single player story mode gameplay, check out the Sonic Adventure 2 Feature.
Some stages have had one or two minor modifications to improve flow which only those chasing "A" ranks on all would probably notice. For example, more parked cars and the odd change to enemy positions in City Escape and extra loops in Final Rush but these do not make a significant impact. The criteria for achieving certain ranks is altered which makes some stages easier and others harder.
Tails and Eggman's walkers will no longer take damage when they have a shield unlike in the DC version. They can also mark multiple targets slightly faster with a slightly faster firing rate on the Volkan Cannon.
Knuckles and Rouge's respective Spiral Upper Attack and Screw Kick are tweaked very slightly. A red exclamation mark with appear over their heads as an extra hint displayed when they are literally on-top of an Emerald fragment. This helps greatly with pieces that are under the surface requiring a dig.
There are still 180 Emblems to be collected. Their distribution has been tweaked. Only 9 emblems can be earned via Chao Raising/Farming with 4 of these now from the new Chao Karate. The 'missing' Emblem has been relocated to Cannons Core. To get this you must now achieve an "A" rank in all of the 5 missions of that stage. Luckily this is easier to do than in the DC version.
Almost all traces of Big The Cat are gone. He no longer has cameos in action stages, however, he can be found in cut-scenes by rapidly pressing BUTTON A.
Top of the list of improvements (and where the game subsequently got its title) is the expansion of the 2-Player versus modes.
As there are new selections, there is a re-designed 2-Player menu with a new background tune.
Characters that were unlockable in the DC version are instantly available (so a player no longer has to achieve all "A"s on a specific character) along with their abilities and new lines of dialogue (taunts).
They are no longer separated into sides/persuasions but each character will have a counterpart whom are matched against specific adversaries.
Alternate/secret character costumes have changed in their appearance though it is still necessary to clear all of a character's missions in story mode with an A rank to obtain them.
Additionally, characters now have special stats making them unique rather than clones of main characters. For example, Rouge and Chaos had the same speed in the DC version but Chaos is now much slower.
Each character has a unique special attack aside from Metal Sonic's who has his replaced with a Black Shield ability blocking special attacks.
A Dark Chao with a walker is available to replace Big The Cat.
The three types of battle are still possible:
Action Race - High speed race in the style of Sonic/Shadow. First to the goal wins.
Treasure Hunt - An emerald shards hunt in the style of Knuckles/Rouge. Best of 3 wins.
Shooting Battle - A death match in the style of Tails/Eggman. Last vehicle standing wins.
Now more stages/arenas are available to play with a wider variety of options from an extra menu to choose from including a time limit and handicap settings.
The structure of battles was altered so that players no longer needed to play 3 stages in a row.
Battles
Kart Racing is expanded (3 tracks and 6 playable characters) with each character now having a secret kart with more advanced stats that can be unlocked by completing all of their story mode missions. Some of these secret karts were downloads in the DC version.
Probably the second biggest change is to the Chao System [World].
Minor changes are the voice of Omochao no longer meets your character at the Chao Lobby and the change in the background music. It is now the Chao Race Entrance theme from Sonic Adventure. The DC music was re-used for the Chao Cave instead. The Chao Race Entrance music was changed. The music used for the DC version was used for the GBA version instead.
Layouts of all three Gardens have changed slightly. The river in the Hero Garden and the Cave in the Dark Garden are now gone.
Character attacks have been mostly removed (presumably to stop accidental injury to your Chao) yet Sonic can still use his Bounce Attack (which could be argued is an ability) and Tails, Knuckles, Eggman and Rouge's attacks can still be selected via the mini menu/change action window (BUTTON Y).
The more significant changes include:
The stats that could only be viewed via a DC Visual Memory Unit (VMU) can now be seen onscreen simply by picking up a Chao.
Chao Stats
Obviously you can not transfer a Chao to a VMU like in the good old days. The VMU station that was in the Chao Gardens is now a Gameboy Advance station and with a link-up cable is used for sending the blue critters and their items to the Tiny Chao Garden (Chao no Puchi Garden (Chao's Petit Garden) in Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Pinball Party where they (one Chao at a time) can be raised.
Infact, SA2B was the first game to utilise the GBA connectivity of the Gamecube.
Sonic Advance (Gameboy Advance)
If a GBA is connected without a GBA game inserted, a version of the Tiny Chao Garden can be copied temporarily into the GBA's memory.
Simply pickup your Chao, take it to the GBA station and place it in the bin.
Tiny Chao Garden (Sonic Advance)
In addition, the GBA station can be used to free a Chao or move any to another memory card.
Chao Functions
These entitles can have confrontations with one another via Chao Racing and the newly added Chao Karate.
Chao Racing has a new diversion in the stadium to better exploit your Chao's skills.
Chao Karate is more like Sumo wrestling where the objective is to push the adversary out of the ring. An alternative is to simply beat them until tears flow.
Chao Race
Chao Karate
The Chao Kindergarten has more features including a Chao Fortune Teller but most notably has the Chao Black Market integrated (it was available only through the built-in browser in the DC version) where special and rare items that were earned in Chao Adventure 2 can now be bought on the Chao Black Market using the rings collected during normal gameplay. In Sonic Adventure DX, the more emblems that were found the more rare items became available to buy.
The Chao Doctor can now give a full report on a Chao's personality including its favourite food.
Chao Kindergarten (Chao Dr. and Fortune Teller)
Hidden Menu Theme
A theme menu with the president's secretary can be unlocked by opening the theme selection screen and rotating the D-Pad 360o 30 times.
Clean Pause
With the game paused press BUTTON's X + Y simultaneously.
There is no specific soundtrack for SA2B as the music is identical to its predecessor but for all of the official soundtracks for the game, check out the Sonic Adventure 2 Feature.
Sonic Adventure 2 Feature (Dreamcast)
Official Site
Can be viewed in English or Japanese.
http://www.sonicteam.com/sonic2b/en/index.html
