Current Events > Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 used to be considered masterpieces. What happened?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I actually like Sonic Adventure 1 but I also played it as a little kid and I haven't played it in a while

Jupiter posted...

I really liked both. Not sure which one I like better overall since they both have their pros and cons. I do think I prefer SA1's overworld over the stage select screen. Although replaying through stages to get all of the emblems was definitely easier with SA2's stage select screen.

I'm pretty sure you can stage select on sonic adventure 1. You may have to beat it first, because i remember scrolling through levels to see how many emblems i got and stuff.

I always felt they were too janky to be classics. The Chao Garden really is the most memorable part.

Sonic Adventure 1 on GameCube included all the Sonic Master System/Game Gear games, which I would have paid $50 for alone.

pedro45 posted...

I'm pretty sure you can stage select on sonic adventure 1. You may have to beat it first, because i remember scrolling through levels to see how many emblems i got and stuff.

You're right. I was thinking about that, but couldn't remember if I was making up a memory.

I never understood the jankiness complaints. Yes, there was absolutely some jank and glitchiness in both games, but it never was bad enough to hinder gameplay. I play both games usually once a year and I think they both control fantastic. Sonic feels so much more fluid in this game compared to most modern games. The physics are absolutely on point. The games arent perfect, sure, but I definitely think theyre underrated and Ill die on that hill.

SA1 is a great game I miss the Dreamcast

I wish I didn't have to play Sega Bass Fishing to get 100%.

SA1 is my favorite sonic game

It's the coolest

I don't think I'd outright consider them to be masterpieces but I still find both of them to be great.

Also Ryan Drummond is the best Sonic voice. Deem Bristow (R.I.P.) is the best Robotnik.

BroodRyu posted...

Also Ryan Drummond is the best Sonic voice. Deem Bristow (R.I.P.) is the best Robotnik.

I think it's fair for people to be split on whether Jaleel White is the best Sonic, but I don't know that anybody will convince me there's a better eggman than Jim Cummings.

My attempt as being unbiased as someone who played them way after the fact is that it's kinda complicated. Like, no they're both way too janky in multiple aspects to hold up today at all, and even at the time those issues would've still been a problem, but there's more to their appeal than just low standards for Sonic games. They were full of sound, ambitious, and ahead-of-their-time ideas that were let down by the execution being so sketchy.

Obviously it's natural to compare them to platformers of the time and see how bad they look because of the mechanics, but if you compare them to the more modern AAA story-driven single player action adventure paradigm, they're just like a really, really primitive version of that, and it's sort of impressive considering what they were working with. For '98/'01, I can see how they were impressive to anyone who could overlook how they actually played.

The Sonic Advance games were released around the same time and were much, much better. Sonic just doesn't really work as a 3d game.

They still are, 2 is in my top 9 still.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/e6c1a7ac.jpg

SA1 is still excellent. SA2 has a lot of frustrating stuff in it by comparison.

I'm amazed how many people can play both games and come away thinking 2 is better.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Yes.

Janky