Sonic Adventure DX

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 16,268 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Sonic Adventure DX Game Cover
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Sonic Adventure DX is a thrilling 3D platformer game featuring the beloved blue hedgehog, Sonic, and his friends. The game offers diverse gameplay with six characters, each having unique abilities and storylines. Explore and race through various levels, fight bosses, collect Chaos Emeralds, and stop the evil plans of Dr. Robotnik in this enhanced version of the original Sonic Adventure.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 16,268 reviews
story962 positive mentions
stability758 negative mentions
  • story3,284 mentions

    The story of *Sonic Adventure DX* is characterized by its ambitious multi-perspective narrative, featuring six playable characters, each with their own unique storylines that intertwine to create a cohesive plot centered around the villain Dr. Eggman and the creature Chaos. While Sonic's story is often highlighted as the most engaging, other characters like Tails and Gamma also offer compelling arcs, though Big the Cat's fishing missions are widely criticized for being tedious and detracting from the overall experience. Despite its dated presentation and occasional plot inconsistencies, the game is praised for its nostalgic charm and memorable soundtrack, making it a beloved entry in the Sonic franchise.

    • “With its abundance of characters and incredible story, Sonic Adventure DX is bound to be an entertaining experience for any Sonic fan.”
    • “The interconnected story told through each campaign is done really great and characters introduced to this game like Tikal, Chaos, and Gamma are all great additions to the Sonic universe.”
    • “The story is pretty good if not cheesy at times but that's the spirit of Sonic anyway and for its time it treated younger gamers with a lot more respect than Sonic games today do.”
    • “The only problems are obviously the big the cat stages with the complete pace-breaker of a story to go through that doesn't add anything to the plot or gameplay especially the gameplay where instead of going fast you have to sit on big's 'big' fat purple ass to fish for his retarded frog.”
    • “The story is nothing really to write home about but here i am.”
    • “The story is convoluted and sloppy.”
  • gameplay1,920 mentions

    The gameplay of Sonic Adventure DX is characterized by its diverse mechanics across six playable characters, each offering unique gameplay styles, from Sonic's high-speed platforming to Big the Cat's fishing mini-game, which is widely criticized. While Sonic's gameplay is generally praised for its fast-paced and engaging design, other characters like Amy and Big are often seen as less enjoyable due to slower mechanics and less polished gameplay. Overall, the game is considered a classic for its ambitious transition to 3D, though it suffers from dated graphics, camera issues, and various bugs that can detract from the experience.

    • “The music is pretty good and catchy, the gameplay is fast and awesome, it's such a cool game you should definitely try if you're a Sonic fan.”
    • “Amazing, perfect gameplay, captivating story (although the voice direction can be pretty terrible), and awesome characters.”
    • “With its spectacular player controller, high-speed gameplay, multiple characters with a variety of gameplay styles, and a climactic ending that gets you pumped up, this game easily spin dashes the idea of 'Sonic had a rough transition into 3D' into oblivion.”
    • “The entire Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has always been mid or trash for gameplay since the very first because it rarely ever is skillful; it's nothing more than a basic pastime where you either hold forward or right and then jump when you feel like it (and then go back to running to change it up a bit).”
    • “In summary: the mechanics are poorly implemented and low quality which in turn makes gameplay far less enjoyable even after you get accustomed to it; the game wastes your time with cutscenes that have awful animation quality anyways and pointless waiting in-between when you can hit a boss and when you can't; and overall, virtually nothing requires much skill (except Tails' levels and tightly timed levels when playing a fast character): it's all just see a thing, do a thing, with no middle, and you either hit or miss, but the misses aren't skillful really no differently than the hits, it's just that you happen to hit an enemy from an inconvenient angle and you get hit, or you jump in when the damage trigger is right over where the body is and you don't want to wait so you take the hit, and then sometimes, you just have bad hitboxes ever so rarely.”
    • “Big... freaking big... his fishing game is terrible, there's no defending this, the camera doesn't help, his mechanics aren't properly explained, and it's overall a massive turn-off compared to the rest of the game; he's also even slower than Amy, making traversal a hassle, by far the worst part of the game.”
  • music1,206 mentions

    The music in *Sonic Adventure DX* is widely praised as one of the game's standout features, with many reviewers highlighting the energetic and memorable soundtrack composed by Jun Senoue and performed by Crush 40. Tracks like "Open Your Heart" and various level themes are noted for their catchiness and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, making the music a nostalgic highlight for fans of the franchise. While some vocal tracks received mixed reviews, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack remains iconic and a significant draw for both new players and long-time Sonic fans.

    • “The soundtrack, composed by Jun Senoue and his team, including the epic performances of Crush 40, blends rock, techno, and orchestral melodies, creating a memorable sonic accompaniment that perfectly complements the game's action.”
    • “The music is one of the best things in this game; it's so catchy.”
    • “Easily the best soundtrack in the entire franchise, and that's saying a lot given that music is usually one of this franchise's strongest points.”
    • “The whole OST is worse than mid save for a handful of exceptions.”
    • “The iconic soundtrack, which was one of the highlights of the original game, sounds muffled and distorted in this port.”
    • “While there are a few decent songs, the track mostly consists of repetitive background music, lyrically poor rock music and the like, or just general silence in scenes where things are supposed to be tense but the slow animations and dead silence just render awkward and comical.”
  • graphics1,040 mentions

    The graphics of Sonic Adventure DX are widely regarded as dated, with many reviewers noting that they do not hold up well by modern standards. While the game showcased impressive visuals for its time, particularly on the Dreamcast, the PC port has introduced numerous graphical glitches and downgrades, leading to a mixed reception. Many players recommend using mods, such as the "better sadx" mod, to restore the original Dreamcast aesthetics and improve the overall visual experience.

    • “For its time, Sonic Adventure featured stunning graphics that showcased the Dreamcast's capabilities.”
    • “First of all, the graphics on display here are astonishingly good for a 1998 game!”
    • “The vibrant and colorful environments are brought to life with enhanced graphics, making the game a visual treat.”
    • “Sadx is a lot like Sonic 06 - the graphics hurt your soul, you question your sanity and you know you're gonna hate it the minute the first level begins, but you have to play it at least once for both the nostalgia, and just to say you've played it.”
    • “Downgraded graphics, letterboxed to 4:3, launcher that hasn’t been touched since 2004, and bugs compared to the original 1998 releases.”
    • “Despite boasting updated graphics, the visuals are riddled with glitches, texture pop-ins, and downright hideous character models.”
  • stability774 mentions

    The stability of Sonic Adventure DX is widely criticized, with numerous reviews highlighting its significant glitches, poor collision detection, and erratic camera controls. Many players recommend using mods, such as BetterSADX, to enhance the experience and mitigate some of the game's issues. While the game retains its charm and nostalgic appeal, the overwhelming presence of bugs and performance problems makes it a challenging experience for many players.

    • “I am a grown woman and was almost brought to tears seeing a game so integral to my childhood just as I remembered it, but now crisp and clean and not the buggy mess of the DX port.”
    • “It runs great, very smooth.”
    • “That said, it looks great, runs great and has a ton of replay value even today.”
    • “When looking at the steam version of Sonic Adventure DX by itself, you will without a doubt witness the incredibly buggy and awkward mess made by Sega during the repeated porting process which will make this game look more aged than it already is.”
    • “The frame rate is all over the place, controller support is lacking and very buggy, collision detection is bugged and there's absolutely no widescreen support at all: instead being presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio with ugly blue borders around the image unlike Sonic Adventure 2 which supported widescreen right out of the box and above all is better optimized too, making changing the game to your desktop's resolution into a complete joke.”
    • “This game is buggy as hell, the collisions are broken, the audio is terrible, textures are ugly and some don't even exist and to top it all off, the audio is crunchy as hell!”
  • humor310 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its unintentionally funny cutscenes, awkward voice acting, and exaggerated character animations, which many players find endearing and nostalgic. While some aspects, like the dialogue and facial expressions, are criticized for being poorly executed, they contribute to a charmingly chaotic experience that has become iconic among fans. Overall, the game's blend of humor and retro jank creates a unique and entertaining atmosphere that resonates with players, making it a memorable part of the Sonic franchise.

    • “I always found the exaggerated expressions, screams, and dialogues of the characters hilariously entertaining, which now have become iconic memes on the internet.”
    • “The cherry on top really is the facial animations and voice acting; it made me laugh a few times.”
    • “Though its character animations, dialogues, and voice acting are so bad they're hilarious by today's standards, Sonic Adventure DX is still a well-rounded platformer with a reasonable amount of content and challenge.”
  • replayability130 mentions

    Sonic Adventure is widely praised for its high replayability, offering a variety of missions, challenges, and multiple character storylines that encourage players to revisit levels. The inclusion of the Chao Garden and a ranking system further enhances the game's replay value, making it appealing for those who enjoy mastering gameplay and collecting items. Despite some criticisms regarding certain character mechanics and bugs, the overall consensus is that the game provides an engaging and enjoyable experience that invites repeated playthroughs.

    • “All of the levels are replayable, and the ranking system encourages replaying levels heavily, as every time you complete the level, you get a new objective to complete next time around.”
    • “It has a great variety of stages, seven playable campaigns with a surprisingly ambitious story for the time, an incredible soundtrack, and a massive amount of replay value thanks to multiple stage objectives, a mission mode, minigames, and the first version of the iconic and addicting chao garden.”
    • “Multiple playable characters, a proper spin jump, and generous turning radius make it fun to control Sonic and friends for a majority of the game, and the chao garden aspect offers almost infinite replay value.”
    • “All of the levels are replayable, and the ranking system encourages replaying levels heavily, as every time you complete the level, you get a new objective to complete next time around, usually in the order of 'C rank: complete the level normally, B rank: complete the level with 50 rings, and A rank: complete the level under a time limit.'”
    • “Sonic's section of the story is a short, 3-4 hour romp through some of the greatest stages I've ever experienced, and while it is definitely short, the replayability of his stages competes with the classic Sonic games without the absolutely punishing difficulty of said classic games.”
    • “There is moderate replayability since you can collect emblems and earn higher ranks.”
  • grinding124 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, particularly in segments involving characters like Big the Cat, whose fishing missions are seen as frustratingly slow and out of place. Many players feel that achieving 100% completion, including collecting emblems and completing missions, becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable challenge, detracting from the overall experience. While some segments are fun, the excessive grinding required often overshadows the game's strengths.

    • “This game is so great if you aren't grinding all 130 emblems.”
    • “The playable characters are all unique and different and it makes traversing the stages shared among each character not tedious.”
    • “You'll only be playing as Sonic for around 30% of the game while you spend the other 70% of it doing tedious tasks as other characters.”
    • “The game gets super repetitive very fast and pretty tedious because you need to play every level at least three times.”
    • “However, the big the cat sections are pretty inexcusable, especially on a 100% run where you have to do tedious fishing for hours on end; the fishing controls are god awful, making big the cat the definite low point of the game.”
  • optimization98 mentions

    The optimization of Sonic Adventure DX on PC has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including inconsistent frame rates, stuttering, and lack of widescreen support. Many recommend using mods, such as the BetterSADX mod, to enhance performance and restore features from the original Dreamcast version, as the base game is deemed poorly optimized for modern hardware. Overall, players express disappointment in the port's technical shortcomings, which detract from the nostalgic experience of this classic title.

    • “The only way to enjoy this game on PC is to get the better SADX mod, which restores the Dreamcast features and fixes the performance issues.”
    • “Make sure to download the mod, BetterSADX, if you want better performance out of the game.”
    • “It greatly improves the game's performance and fixes a lot of bugs found in the director's cut release.”
    • “The stock version on Steam has absolutely abysmal optimization.”
    • “It's shocking how poorly optimized the game is for modern hardware.”
    • “Another major flaw of Sonic Adventure DX is its complete lack of optimization for modern systems.”
  • emotional58 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartfelt narratives, particularly the stories of characters like Gamma and Big the Cat, which evoke strong feelings of nostalgia, sadness, and warmth. While some character arcs, such as Amy's and Tails', are criticized for being less engaging, the overall experience is described as a mix of exhilarating gameplay and poignant storytelling that resonates deeply with players. Despite its flaws, many reviewers find the emotional depth and character interactions to be a significant draw, making it a memorable and touching experience.

    • “The narrative unfolds through captivating cutscenes and character interactions, immersing players in a thrilling and emotionally charged adventure.”
    • “The story at its heart is incredible, with interwoven character narratives and a plot that's saddening and heartwarming in equal parts.”
    • “Never played a game with gameplay as exhilarating and heartbreaking as Big the Cat's story; I've never cried over characters like I cried over Big and Froggy's relationship.”
    • “Frustrating camera angles, some glitches, boring story, some characters are heaps better than other characters, didn't live up to the hype when it was released and is a product of its time.”
    • “Tails has a pretty boring story overall.”
  • atmosphere36 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique charm, vibrant level design, and an exceptional soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers note that the original Dreamcast version captured a magical ambiance that the remastered version struggles to replicate, particularly due to downgraded lighting effects. Despite some technical flaws, the game's distinct environments and nostalgic elements contribute to a captivating and memorable atmosphere that resonates with players.

    • “With its realistic textures and fantastic use of lighting and colors, Sonic Adventure has an atmosphere unlike anything else I've ever played, and I don't think it will ever be replicated.”
    • “The storytelling, characters, world and level design, the atmosphere, everything came together to make what is still one of the best Sonic games to date.”
    • “The soundtrack of this game is legendary, and fits the atmosphere of the game to an indescribable level.”
    • “I can excuse this game for everything: bad PC port, awkward camera, bugs, and imperfect level design; only because of its charming atmosphere of cartoons for primary school pupils and flashbacks from light-hearted childhood.”
    • “Despite the camera issues, the atmosphere and overall tone of the game are very Sonic.”
    • “The dreamcast conversion restores the originally intended atmosphere and allows modern players to experience the game without the heaps of famous issues introduced when the game was brought over to the GameCube.”
  • character development28 mentions

    Character development in the game is highly praised, with players noting the depth and growth of characters like Tails, Amy, and E-102 Gamma, who stand out for their compelling story arcs. The game effectively utilizes its six playable characters to offer diverse perspectives on the main storyline, enhancing the overall narrative experience. While some characters receive more attention than others, the effort to provide meaningful character development is recognized as a significant strength of the game.

    • “Playing through the game's epic storyline and experiencing the character development of Sonic and his friends made me realize how powerful video games can be as a medium for storytelling.”
    • “Character development is incredible; levels are unique, music is fantastic, the story is awesome, and even the Chao garden is adorable.”
    • “Tails, Amy, and Gamma are the highlights in terms of character development, while Sonic and Knuckles have my favorite gameplay of the bunch.”
    • “Tails is similar but shorter and adds a bit of character development for him near the end.”
    • “The entire gameplay is rather solid (except for Big and Amy most of the time), story-wise it is one of the better ones in the entire modern Sonic franchise with the most character development.”
    • “But it is admirable that it at least tries to present some character development and lore.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for feeling outdated and poorly executed, particularly in the post-game mission mode, which includes unupdated content from a 2004 re-release, such as an advertisement for "Sonic X." While the mode offers some challenge, its lack of modernization raises concerns about the overall value and quality of the monetization strategy.

    • “The post-game mission mode feels like a cheap hack at times, especially since parts of it were never updated from the 2004 re-release (no joke, there's an advertisement for Sonic X still in the game).”
    • “Also, why are they advertising Sonic X in one of the missions?”
    • “The post-game mission mode feels like a cheap hack at times, especially since parts of it were never updated from the 2004 re-release (no joke, there's an advertisement for Sonic X still in the game).”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

22hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
9-50hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs

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