Sonic Advance 2
- March 10, 2003 15:04 PM PST
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Can faster running and a new bunny character with a bizarre name help Sonic Advance 2 overcome a feeling of blue d?j? vu?
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On a Loop in a Loop
There are two completely different ways to play Sonic Advance 2. The first is the obvious way: press right, jump now and then, and watch as the world blazes by in a flurry of blast processing. While Sonic Advance 2 is definitely one of the speediest Sonic games ever made, it?s only fun for a short while. You?re bound to get bored after Zone 2, once it becomes apparent that every stage will follow the same exact "grind a rail, leap off of a ramp, run through a loop, hit a spring, repeat" pattern.
The second way to play Sonic Advance 2 is to slow down, explore, and try to get all the Chaos Emeralds. The problem here is that Sonic isn?t supposed to be a slow game?while the hunt certainly makes for an extraordinary challenge, it?s not a particularly fun one since the levels clearly aren?t designed with "exploration" in mind.
What?s Super About Sonic
Despite the game?s questionable ability to sustain fun, it?s clear that Sonic Team really has a handle on how to get the most out of the GBA. The backgrounds are freaky, the characters are well animated, and the action is easy to follow even with the crazy levels of speed. The sounds retain the same classic jumping noises and ring tones, and the music the same dated extreme electric rock flavor, though cool flourishes like the interactive instruments in Music Factory warrant whipping out the headphones. The control is also completely faithful to the classic Sonic feel; even latter-day series advancements like trick moves are painless and fun to pull off.
For Sonic fans, there are a few original things to look for in Sonic Advance 2. There?s a new playable character?Cream, a bunny with flight-capable ears and a hovering Chao for a friend. There are new special stages, too, and a different style to the boss battles (now they?re all fought while running at full speed). But everything else about this Sonic is really, really old school.
