Wikipedia

Sonic Advance 2

Sonic Advance 2[a]is a 2002platform gamedeveloped byDimpsand published bySegafor theGame Boy Advance.It is an installment in theSonic the Hedgehogseries and the sequel to 2001'sSonic Advance.The story followsSonicas he sets out to save his friends and retrieve the seven magicalChaos EmeraldsfromDr. Eggman.Gameplay consists of the player completing various levels as one of five characters, each with their own unique attributes. After each zone is completed, the player faces Dr. Eggman in aBoss battle.

Sonic Advance 2
North American box art
Developer(s)Dimps
Sonic Team
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Akinori Nishiyama
Producer(s)Yuji Naka
Hiroshi Matsumoto
Designer(s)Yukihiro Higashi
Masaaki Yamagiwa
Programmer(s)Takahiro Hamano
Yoshihisa Hashimoto
Takaaki Saito
Artist(s)Yuji Uekawa
Composer(s)Tatsuyuki Maeda
Yutaka Minobe
Teruhiko Nakagawa
SeriesSonic the Hedgehog
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • JP:December 19, 2002
  • NA:March 10, 2003
  • PAL:March 21, 2003
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single player,multiplayer

Development began in February 2002 and lasted eight months.Sonic Advance 2was programmed using an updated version of the original'sgame engineand the team aimed to make the game larger and faster-paced than the original.Sonic Advance 2was released to positive reviews; critics praised the updates made over the originalAdvanceand its improvedreplay valuein comparison to past games. Some journalists, however, disliked its highdifficulty level.A sequel,Sonic Advance 3,was released in 2004.Sonic Advance 2was re-released for theWii U'sVirtual Consolein February 2016 in Japan.

Gameplay

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Gameplay screenshot showingSonicfightingDoctor Eggman

Sonic Advance 2is aside-scrollingplatformersimilar in gameplay and style to the originalSonic Advance.The player controlsSonic the Hedgehog,who can unlock three other playable characters:Cream the Rabbitand herChaonamed Cheese,Tails,andKnuckles the Echidnaafter defeatingDoctor Eggmanin specific Boss battles.[1]A fifth character,Amy Rose,can be unlocked after completing the game with each character once each of them has all seven Chaos Emeralds.[1]Each character has their own unique moves and abilities. Sonic can perform an "insta-shield" that protects him for a brief moment; Cream and Tails can fly; Knuckles can glide and climb; and Amy can destroy enemies using a hammer.[1]

In the tradition ofSonicgames, gameplay consists of moving quickly through levels. Levels in the game are divided into seven "zones",[2]each consisting of two acts of normal gameplay then aBossbattle, where the player fights Doctor Eggman[3]in order to stop him from taking over the world.[4]The player collects rings as a form of health; when the player is hit by an enemy or obstacle, their rings bounce in all directions, and can be recollected before they disappear. Each character starts the game with three lives, and will lose one if they are hit without carrying any rings, fall into a bottomless pit, crushed, drown, or fail to finish the act within 10 minutes.[5]If the player loses their last life, thegame ends prematurely.The player can also collect seven "special rings" to access special stages,[5]whereChaos Emeraldsare found. Special stages are on a 3D plane,[3]where the character tries to obtain a set number of rings before time runs out in order to collect a Chaos Emerald. After beating all zones and finding all seven Chaos Emeralds with Sonic, an alternate final act is unlocked.[2]

When all of the Chaos Emeralds are collected with the other characters, a sound test feature (where the player can listen to music) and a Boss time-attack feature are unlocked, along with the Tiny Chao Garden, where toys for Cheese,[1]can be purchased with rings earned in-game.[5]Various mini-games can also be played in the Tiny Chao Garden.[6]Other game modes include a "time-attack" mode where the player tries to beat a specific act in the shortest amount of time,[7]and a multiplayer mode, where players can race each other through unlocked acts.[3]

Development and release

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Sonic Advance 2was developed by the video game studioDimps,with assistance fromSonic Team.According to producerYuji Naka,the developers began designing the concept of the game immediately after the completion of the originalSonic Advance,and full development began in February 2002. The design team decided to increase the speed of the original greatly; thus, the levels were made six times larger. The main development period lasted eight months; it was programmed using an updated version of the originalSonic Advanceengine. The developers also refined the graphics and sought to make the game feel more "mechanical".[8]The game also marks the first appearance of Cream the Rabbit in theSonicseries; the character was originally designed for 2003'sSonic Heroes,[9]though she was added toAdvance 2before the release ofHeroesto help make the game easier for beginning players.[10]

The game's musical score was composed by Yutaka Minobe,Tatsuyuki Maedaand Teruhiko Nakagawa.[11]SegaannouncedSonic Advance 2on July 1, 2002,[12]and showcased it at theTokyo Game Showin September 2002.[10]It was released in Japan on December 19, 2002, followed by a North American release on March 10, 2003,[13]and in Europe on March 21, 2003.[14]

The game was published by Sega in Japan and Europe (withInfogramesas distributor for the latter) and co-published byTHQin North America.[15][14][16]The game was re-released on theWii U'sVirtual Consolein Japan on February 24, 2016.[17][18]

Reception

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Sonic Advance 2received "generally favorable reviews", according toreview aggregatorMetacritic.[19]The game was also commercially successful, selling approximately 176,541 copies in Japan,[22]740,000 copies in the United States,[23]and 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom,[24]for a total of 1.016 million copies.

The visuals and presentation were one of the most praised aspects of the game.[15][3]GameSpotconsidered the game's graphics to be a major advance from the previous game, feeling that it took more advantage of the Game Boy Advance's capabilities and praised the improved character animations, favorably comparing them to that of a cartoon.[5]IGNoffered similar praise, calling its visuals more vibrant, bright, and vivid, and also spoke positively of its "peppy" soundtrack.[1]This sentiment was echoed byAllGame.[3]Nintendo World Reportcalled the music catchy and enjoyable, though they criticized the re-use of certain themes from the originalSonic Advance.[15]

Reviewers commended the game'sreplay valueand large level design in comparison to older titles.[5][1]IGNadmired the "massive" designs and felt the levels were much more balanced compared to prior games. They also praised the "crafty" paths for encouraging multiple playthroughs.[1]GameSpotagreed, praising the method of collecting special rings to access special stages and unlock special features for being fun and rewarding.[5]1UPconsidered this addition interesting and called it "not bad" for the technical limitations of the Game Boy Advance.[2]AllGame,however, felt that the main acts were unoriginal and too short.[3][2]

The game's difficulty polarized critics.[3][2]Nintendo World Reportbegan their review by warning players of the difficulty, and felt it spoiled an otherwise-good game.[15]GameSpotdescribedSonic Advance 2as the hardest game in the entire series, calling its auto-scrolling Boss fights "positively cutthroat", though they did believe that the game's amount of playable characters helped reduce this difficulty.[5]The difficulty was cited as the game's only problem byIGN.[1]1UP,however, considered it a positive aspect, calling it "a welcome breath of fresh difficulty in this modern age of gaming."[2]

Of the game as a whole,GameSpotfelt Sega's risks to deviate from pastSonicgames in terms of difficulty and size paid off handsomely.[5]Nintendo Powerstated that, whileSonic Advance 2did not present significant advances beyond the first game, it was still a "solid action title".[19]Despite this,AllGamecalled it a boring, unoriginal retread, and "more subsonic than supersonic".[3]

Legacy

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Cream the Rabbit, who was introduced inSonic Advance 2,would feature predominantly in futureSonicgames.[25]A direct sequel,Sonic Advance 3,was released in 2004; it is the final entry in theSonic Advancetrilogy.[26]

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:ソニックアドバンス2(ツー),Hepburn:Sonikku Adobansu Tsū

References

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  1. ^abcdefghiCraig James (March 14, 2003)."Sonic Advance 2".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on July 19, 2012.RetrievedDecember 26,2011.
  2. ^abcdefg"Sonic Advance 2 review".1UP.October 13, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon May 8, 2013.RetrievedDecember 26,2011.
  3. ^abcdefghiScott Alan Marriott."Sonic Advance 2".Allgame.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2014.RetrievedDecember 26,2011.
  4. ^Sonic Team (2003).Sonic Advance 2 Instruction Booklet.THQ. p. 2.
  5. ^abcdefghiFrank Provo (April 7, 2003)."Sonic Advance 2 Review".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on June 24, 2013.RetrievedDecember 26,2011.
  6. ^"THQ and SEGA AnnounceSonic Advance 2for Game Boy Advance ".THQ.Yahoo! Finance. January 30, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon April 10, 2003.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  7. ^Tom Bramwell (April 4, 2003)."Sonic Advance 2 Review".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2013.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  8. ^Mylonas, Eric (2003).Sonic Advance 2 (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).Prima Games.ISBN978-0-7615-4008-3.
  9. ^Sega Europe (January 30, 2004)."Yuji Naka interview by Sega Europe (January 30, 2004)".Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2015.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
  10. ^abMike Sklens (September 20, 2002)."Brand new character in Sonic Advance 2".Nintendo World Report.Archivedfrom the original on May 31, 2012.RetrievedDecember 29,2011.
  11. ^Dimps (December 19, 2002).Sonic Advance 2.Sega; THQ. Level/area: Credits.
  12. ^Harris, Craig (July 1, 2002)."Sonic Gets a Sequel".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on March 24, 2016.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
  13. ^"PR - 3/10/03 - SONIC ADVANCE™ 2 SHIPS FOR GAME BOY® ADVANCE".April 16, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon April 16, 2004.RetrievedMarch 19,2023.
  14. ^ab"Sonic Advance 2".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2016.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
  15. ^abcdKosmina, Ben."Sonic Advance 2 Review".Nintendo World Report.Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2016.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
  16. ^"Infogrames UK".infogrames.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon June 25, 2003.RetrievedApril 19,2022.
  17. ^"ソニック アドバンス 2 | Wii U | Nintendo"(in Japanese).Archivedfrom the original on March 24, 2016.RetrievedAugust 16,2016.
  18. ^Cardoso, Jose (February 17, 2016)."Sonic Advance 2 will join Japan's Wii U Virtual Console next week".GameZone.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
  19. ^abcd"Sonic Advance 2".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on December 5, 2014.RetrievedDecember 26,2011.
  20. ^"ゲームボーイアドバンス - ソニックアドバンス 2".Weekly Famitsu.No. 915 Pt.2. p. 121.
  21. ^Christian Nutt (March 31, 2003)."Sonic Advance 2".GameSpy.Archived fromthe originalon April 15, 2012.RetrievedDecember 26,2011.
  22. ^"Japanese total sales from 21 March 2001 to 30 December 2007".Famitsu. Archived fromthe originalon July 10, 2008.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  23. ^"The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games".Next Generation Magazine.August 2, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon May 15, 2012.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  24. ^"ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver".Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2009.RetrievedDecember 27,2011.
  25. ^Sterling, Jim (January 19, 2011)."The 10 worst Sonic friends".GamesRadar.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
  26. ^Craig, Harris (May 27, 2004)."Sonic Advance 3".IGN.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
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