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Sonic Adventure Dreamcast (Japan) 1-player Every few years we are graced with yet another wonder in the world of consoles. This time it is all thanks to SEGA. With the Sega Dreamcast storming the streets of Japan and soon to be released in the US the first generation of games are available and storming the minds of rabid gamers everywhere. Although there are several great titles out for the Dreamcast right now the first one that will be looked upon is Sonic Adventure. The blue-bomber makes his first real appearance in 3-D and, to say the least it is incredible! From the very moment you power on the system with Sonic Adventure inserted you are in total awe. The intro is the very best to date on any system. Starting off with a peaceful birds-eye view of the city and cars and people walking around looks so real it is scary. Then the action begins as the 80's rock intro bursts into the background giving the player a sense that the new revolution of gaming has arrived. Now for the first time you start a real game. You are started off with only the option to choose Sonic's quest, as others will become available as you progress through the game. You start off at the top of a building and then Sonic appears, his presence the first time you see him in true hi-res 3-D is astonishing. Every little detail from his gloves to his running shoes looks incredible. Then you are off to face your first boss, in the form of Chaos 0. He is rather simple, but it gives you a chance to learn Sonic's controls. Controlling Sonic is just how you would imagine it to be in 3-D. Sonic Team has done an excellent job of converting the blue-bomber to the third dimension. His control consists of two buttons, one for jumping and one for the infamous spin-dash. You move Sonic around with the analog pad and use the camera with the shoulder buttons. You can even do a sort of first-person view with the control pad. Each level is accessed through Station Square, the city where the adventure begins, from here you can go to Mystic Ruin, The Egg Carrier, and other various places. The levels are reminiscent of old Sonic games done in stunning 3-D. The game moves at a steady 30-60 frames per second in sheer speed. It moves so fast sometimes that it is incredible that the game doesn't slow down, but I have yet to see it slow down in any fashion. The levels are huge and can be confusing at times, I find myself sometimes just stopping to look at the beautiful scenery. In the very first level after you come to a certain point there is a huge bridge that when you begin to cross it a huge killer whale emerges from the water and begins circling you overhead. This entire game is chock full of wonderful eye-candy. With all of these wonderful things I have to say about Sonic you are probably wondering if there was anything I found wrong with the game. Well no game is without flaws, and Sonic is no exception. The first thing I have to complain about is the camera. It can place itself in awkward places at times and get stuck behind walls. This is easily remedied by using the shoulder buttons to re-adjust the camera though. There is some pop-up in the fast levels, and it is somewhat noticealbe, but nothing to cause too much of a stir like some games, namely Rogue Squadron on the N64. There is no fog and no hiding pop-up it is all out in the open. With the Dreamcast just now getting its first gen titles out and on the shelf the system is finally getting quite a following. I feel the Dreamcast will bring Sega back into the video game race when it is released here in the US. Sonic Adventure is just the game to let people know that Sega is back and ready to play. Be sure to check out Sonic when it hits store shelves in September. This game gets high approval from myself and my colleague Gambus Kahn we both have Sonic on the brain 24 hrs a day heehee. Well that is about all for Sonic be sure to check out more reviews as I receive more games and thanks. Graphics--9.5 Sound--9.5 Control--9.0 Replay--9.5
OVERALL--9.5This game should be a definite buy with the purchase of a Dreamcast, and also Welcome Back Sega!!
ZeroTolerance
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