The two remaining characters, Knuckles and E-102 are not as objectionable. The famous red Echidna searches each stage for three lost shards of the Master Emerald, smashed by jelly-monster, Chaos. Robot dude E-102 lets you experience life from the perspective of one of Dr. Robotnik’s evil creations. His story of redemption is reminiscent of Short Circuit and is noticeably better than the narrative laid on for the rest of the cast. In his Action Stages, holding down X allows him to paint targets with his laser, which are then immediately exploded by unerring missiles. The ability to incinerate all who stand in his way makes E-102’s levels a walk in the park, but blasting robo-monkeys and weird flying-disc creatures is still satisfying.

 

 

 

Sonic Adventure has one saving grace: Chao. These tiny blue creatures are an experiment in artificial intelligence, which morph and evolve depending on how you feed, treat and breed them. Themed gardens are accessible through various entrances in the open world, where the cute critters bumble about, drawing pictures on the ground and falling asleep. Their growth is controlled by absorbing the tiny animals which escape from Robotnik’s destroyed robots. Depending on which animals you feed them, Chao will develop different abilities and alter their appearance.

 

 

Through a series of evolutions and cross breeding you can tailor the look of your Chao and create hundreds of different variations. The simplistic underlying AI variables are not enough to give each Chao a different personality, but there’s enough diversity to keep their antics from getting too stale. To enhance the experience, you can purchase rare eggs in the Chao Black Market or enter them into races. If the idea of playing god sounds appealing, it could be enough to justify the 800 point price tag. For the fully enamoured, purchasing the 400 point DX upgrade adds even more variants.

 

 

With Sonic 4 already released, there are better outlets for hedgehog-shaped nostalgia.In terms of sheer volume, "Sonic Adventure" is good value, but most of the game is so poorly executed that you’d have more fun sitting still for 6 hours. Chao are the only ray of hope. Their cuddly capers won’t be for everyone, but they remain intriguing enough to justify the title to interested parties.

 

 

 

+ Sonic’s stages are fast-paced and fun