What a strange new millennium it has been. Firstly, we see Sega stop producing consoles in a bid to take over the other next gen consoles by means of Dreamcast Port Invasions and then we see Sonic, the much herald rival of Mario In the 1990's, running rampant in his own Game Boy Advance title! If that wasn't mad enough, then surely Sonic, in ful blown 3D - On a GAMECUBE - is just taking the biscuit?
For many, seeing Sonic on Nintendo's next gen wonder will signify the end of Sega as a console giant yet also it will signify the start of a beautiful relationship, one where Sonic and Mario forget their differences of the past, and move along hand in hand towards the future, which can only mean great games for us all! If we forget Sonic on a Nintendo console for a moment, we can get on with this preview!
Sonic on the GameCube is merely a port of the Dreamcast Sonic Adventure 2, but with a new hair do. The game revolves around the Dreamcast Sonic Adventure 2 characters, with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles as the "Hero Side" part of the story and newcomers Eggman, Rouge and the Dark Sonic named Shadow as the "Dark Side". Gameplay is exactly the same as the Dreamcast version, with Sonic and Shadow racing through their corkscrew levels, Tails and Eggman blasting their way through and Knuckles and Rouge going on a nice relaxing treasure hunt. No big deal now is it?
As with all the GameCube Sega conversions, a host of new features will be added. The game itself was recently renamed to Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, signifying the importance of the multiplayer mode in the GameCube version, which would open up possibilities of new characters and levels. The GameCube version of Sonic will also be able to link up with the Game Boy Advance version, letting you use the GBA as a VM for the Sonic's own virtual pet creature known as Chao.
Apart from that, no other features have yet been confirmed. Graphically speaking, the GameCube version of Sonic Adventure doesn't look much different from the Dreamcast version. However, Sonic Team will be able to take full advantage of the GameCube's power, allowing for even crisper graphics and more super sonic speed!
More information on Sonic Adventure 2 Battle as we hear it.