So, Sonic 06 was pretty bad eh? It basically completely destroyed Sonic's reputation in one fell swoop, but what if I told you that Sonic was pumping out hit after hit on handhelds around this time, mainly on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.
Everyone knows about the console wars of the 90s. Nintendo VS Sega, the ultimate challenge on which console was better rocked the nation and surprised Nintendo, who owned a monopoly during the last generation. This was all thanks to Sonic, who's edgy attitude attracted 90s teenagers everywhere.
However, when the Dreamcast failed and SEGA stopped making consoles, they needed a place to put the new Sonic games they were making. In a shocking turn of events, SEGA actually made amends with Nintendo and started pumping out games on their former rival's systems. This started with enhanced ports of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, and later a cross release with both the Game Cube and PlayStation 2 with Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog. But most importantly, they created a HUGE library of games on Nintendo's handhelds: the Game Boy Advance and the DS. The first of these games was Sonic Advance on the GBA so let's check it out.
Sonic Advance has the basic Sonic storyline. After Sonic Adventure 2 Dr. Eggman is up to no good and Sonic needs to stop him. He does this by running and jumping though 10 unique zones each with 2 levels each, This game is much faster paced than the classic games, although not too fast. The gameplay is as solid as ever for 2D Sonic, and having a fully fledged 2D Sonic on the GBA is a great selling point for the console. This game also released very early into the GBA's life, further raising the sales of the GBA and surprising many.
There's not really much to talk about with this game. It's standard 2D Sonic fare with a bit of the more modern adventure games thrown in there as well. For example, Sonic now has his modern proportions and green eyes like in the adventure games and you can play as not only Sonic but Tails, Knuckles, and Amy as well. No Shadow, Rouge, or any other characters introduced in the adventure games though. Amy is also sporting her modern design, which IMO is much better than her classic one.
The only problems I can find with the first Sonic Advance is that the bosses can be a bit annoying and the special stages are torture to go though. Also to get to play as Amy (who's the worst character gameplay wise) you need to 100% the game as all other characters which is extremely annoying.
Now to talk about Sonic Advance 2, the most beloved out of the three advance games. Unlike Sonic Advance 1, Sonic Advance 2 actually has a plot. After Sonic Advance 1, the new character Cream the Rabbit (who was introduced in this game since it released only months before Sonic Heroes.) is minding her own business when suddenly Eggman comes in and kidnaps Cream, her mother, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy!
Luckily Sonic is there to save them and quickly is able to save Cream. Cream joins Sonic with her pet Chao Cheese (Get it? Cream and Cheese? I'll see myself out.) and she is ridiculously OP! She completely breaks the game and makes all bosses a complete cakewalk.
After freeing all the other characters, Sonic heads up to Eggman's moon base and defeats him. If you have all the chaos emeralds, Eggman kidnaps Cream's mother again in an invisible robot and flies her to the moon. Sonic goes super and fights Eggman, defeating him for now.
Sonic Advance 2 has very different gameplay compared to Sonic Advance 1. Unlike Sonic Advance 1's use of the gameplay from Sonic 1, 2, and 3, Sonic Advance 2 goes for a super fast paced style of gameplay where you just run right and go super fast, focusing on spectacle rather than platforming. This can turn off some, but I think it's a good change of pace. There is still a bit of platforming to be done, just not as much as the other two Sonic Advance games.
What isn't a good change of pace is the bosses. Unlike Sonic Advance 1 or even 3, these bosses are all you chasing after Eggman as he pilots some robot and tries to slow you down. The controls in these sections are awful as well as most of these bosses being infuriating to fight (especially the Egg-Wheel) without using Cream.
Just like Sonic Advance 1, the special stages in this game SUCK, and you need to beat them to get to the true final boss and ending. Also, despite Super Sonic being in the game, you can only use him in the final battle and not anywhere like in Sonic 2 or 3.
While Sonic Advance 2 might not be for anyone, it is certainly still a good game. Whether or not it's better than Sonic Advance 1 is up for debate, but I personally think Sonic Advance 1 is slightly better.
Finally, time to talk about Sonic Advance 3, being the opposite of Sonic Advance 1 since it released near the end of the GBA's life after the DS had already released. This game has gameplay similar to Advance 1 rather than Advance 2, but introduces it's own spin on things with the partner mechanic.
The story is pretty simple once again. Eggman has taken control of the A-Bots, a group of robots found in the spinoff fighting game Sonic Battle. We won't be talking that game here but all you need to know is that Battle takes place between Sonic Heroes and Sonic Advance 3 and that the A-Bots are some bad robots that need stopping. End of story.
Anyways Eggman and his A-Bots are up to no good and you need to stop him. End of story. Also just like Advance 2 there is a true final boss and ending where you team up with the A-Bots to defeat Eggman once and for all. Also the game takes place between Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06 by the way.
Not only are you able to play with Sonic and Tails, but also Sonic and Knuckles, Knuckles and Tails, Knuckles and Cream, Sonic and Cream, Amy and Sonic, and basically any other combination you can think of with the playable characters of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream all returning from Advance 2. This game also allows you to change characters on the fly, allowing for many puzzle opportunities.
However where Sonic Advance 3 truly falters is in two major factors: the chao collecting and the gameplay. Sonic Advance 3 is much harder than the other two Sonic Advance games mainly due to the frustrating level design and abundance of instant kill traps. This makes the game much more frustrating to complete, especially factoring the other thing that makes this game annoying to play: the chao collecting.
Unlike Sonic Advance 1 and 2, Sonic Advance 3 has an overworld to explore which mainly serves just as a hub to access levels. Also this game doesn't have any special stages! (Yay!) It has something worse. (Oh no.) The Chao collecting.
You know the whole point of Sonic is to go fast? Well the Chao completely ruin this aspect of the franchise by hiding them in incredibly obscure or hard-to-reach locations, forcing you to scour the level like a puzzle or adventure game looking for them. Why do need to collect the Chao? Well, that's the only way to get the Chaos Emeralds, and thus the true final boss and ending. The chao collecting in this game and one other thing ruins the whole experience for me and many others, but despite all of this Sonic Advance 3 is not a bad game by any means, especially compared to the other Sonic games coming out around this time. However, I have not yet talking about the biggest issue plaguing this trilogy: the horrific music.
Oh dear God the music! Where to start? Well, as you may know the GBA isn't really known for it's high-quality music chip. Despite this setback, some games are able to make the most out of the limited GBA sound chip like Megaman Zero 2 and 3. However the Sonic Advance Trilogy does exactly the opposite.
While the tracks are well composed, they sound like absolute trash though the GBA and can actually hurt the ears with how badly compressed they are. This is somewhat excusable with Sonic Advance 1, which released early into the system's lifetime. However this doesn't make any sense with Sonic Advance 3, one of the last games to launch on the GBA making the whole things extremely bizarre. Heck, Castlevania Circle of the Moon had better sound compression than ANY of the Sonic Advance games and it was a LAUNCH TITLE!
Anyways are the Sonic Advance titles worth your time? Well, it depends. They are definitely better than most of the 3D Sonic games, they aren't exactly perfect eaither. However if you are in a mood for any new 2D Sonic that ISN'T Sonic Mania, than you might want to give these games a try.
Sonic Advance 7.4/10
Good
-Fun 2D Sonic Gameplay
-The levels are fun.
-Lots of Characters
Bad
-Gigantic difficulty spike late-game
-Bosses can be annoying
-Amy sucks
- Music is horrific
-The special stages suck
Sonic Advance 2 7.2/10
Good
-Fun fact paced gameplay
-Levels are fun
-Lots of characters.
-Cream is a fun new edition.
Bad
-Amy sucks
-Music is horrific
-The special stages suck
-The game is mostly "press right and occasionally jump"
-You can't use super sonic outside of the final level.
Sonic Advance 3 6.9/10
Good
-You can use Super Sonic outside the final level.
-Levels are fun.
-A return to the more traditional style of Advance 1
-There are no special stages
-The partner system is a near edition.
Bad
-The replacement for the special stages is even worse.
-The music is horrific.
-Amy sucks.
-The story is bad because it ties into a crappy fighting game that nobody played.
(P.S. THQ worked on these games? What the hecky?)
There's not really much to talk about with this game. It's standard 2D Sonic fare with a bit of the more modern adventure games thrown in there as well. For example, Sonic now has his modern proportions and green eyes like in the adventure games and you can play as not only Sonic but Tails, Knuckles, and Amy as well. No Shadow, Rouge, or any other characters introduced in the adventure games though. Amy is also sporting her modern design, which IMO is much better than her classic one.
The only problems I can find with the first Sonic Advance is that the bosses can be a bit annoying and the special stages are torture to go though. Also to get to play as Amy (who's the worst character gameplay wise) you need to 100% the game as all other characters which is extremely annoying.
Now to talk about Sonic Advance 2, the most beloved out of the three advance games. Unlike Sonic Advance 1, Sonic Advance 2 actually has a plot. After Sonic Advance 1, the new character Cream the Rabbit (who was introduced in this game since it released only months before Sonic Heroes.) is minding her own business when suddenly Eggman comes in and kidnaps Cream, her mother, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy!
Luckily Sonic is there to save them and quickly is able to save Cream. Cream joins Sonic with her pet Chao Cheese (Get it? Cream and Cheese? I'll see myself out.) and she is ridiculously OP! She completely breaks the game and makes all bosses a complete cakewalk.
After freeing all the other characters, Sonic heads up to Eggman's moon base and defeats him. If you have all the chaos emeralds, Eggman kidnaps Cream's mother again in an invisible robot and flies her to the moon. Sonic goes super and fights Eggman, defeating him for now.
Sonic Advance 2 has very different gameplay compared to Sonic Advance 1. Unlike Sonic Advance 1's use of the gameplay from Sonic 1, 2, and 3, Sonic Advance 2 goes for a super fast paced style of gameplay where you just run right and go super fast, focusing on spectacle rather than platforming. This can turn off some, but I think it's a good change of pace. There is still a bit of platforming to be done, just not as much as the other two Sonic Advance games.
What isn't a good change of pace is the bosses. Unlike Sonic Advance 1 or even 3, these bosses are all you chasing after Eggman as he pilots some robot and tries to slow you down. The controls in these sections are awful as well as most of these bosses being infuriating to fight (especially the Egg-Wheel) without using Cream.
Just like Sonic Advance 1, the special stages in this game SUCK, and you need to beat them to get to the true final boss and ending. Also, despite Super Sonic being in the game, you can only use him in the final battle and not anywhere like in Sonic 2 or 3.
While Sonic Advance 2 might not be for anyone, it is certainly still a good game. Whether or not it's better than Sonic Advance 1 is up for debate, but I personally think Sonic Advance 1 is slightly better.
Finally, time to talk about Sonic Advance 3, being the opposite of Sonic Advance 1 since it released near the end of the GBA's life after the DS had already released. This game has gameplay similar to Advance 1 rather than Advance 2, but introduces it's own spin on things with the partner mechanic.
The story is pretty simple once again. Eggman has taken control of the A-Bots, a group of robots found in the spinoff fighting game Sonic Battle. We won't be talking that game here but all you need to know is that Battle takes place between Sonic Heroes and Sonic Advance 3 and that the A-Bots are some bad robots that need stopping. End of story.
Anyways Eggman and his A-Bots are up to no good and you need to stop him. End of story. Also just like Advance 2 there is a true final boss and ending where you team up with the A-Bots to defeat Eggman once and for all. Also the game takes place between Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06 by the way.
Not only are you able to play with Sonic and Tails, but also Sonic and Knuckles, Knuckles and Tails, Knuckles and Cream, Sonic and Cream, Amy and Sonic, and basically any other combination you can think of with the playable characters of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream all returning from Advance 2. This game also allows you to change characters on the fly, allowing for many puzzle opportunities.
However where Sonic Advance 3 truly falters is in two major factors: the chao collecting and the gameplay. Sonic Advance 3 is much harder than the other two Sonic Advance games mainly due to the frustrating level design and abundance of instant kill traps. This makes the game much more frustrating to complete, especially factoring the other thing that makes this game annoying to play: the chao collecting.
Unlike Sonic Advance 1 and 2, Sonic Advance 3 has an overworld to explore which mainly serves just as a hub to access levels. Also this game doesn't have any special stages! (Yay!) It has something worse. (Oh no.) The Chao collecting.
You know the whole point of Sonic is to go fast? Well the Chao completely ruin this aspect of the franchise by hiding them in incredibly obscure or hard-to-reach locations, forcing you to scour the level like a puzzle or adventure game looking for them. Why do need to collect the Chao? Well, that's the only way to get the Chaos Emeralds, and thus the true final boss and ending. The chao collecting in this game and one other thing ruins the whole experience for me and many others, but despite all of this Sonic Advance 3 is not a bad game by any means, especially compared to the other Sonic games coming out around this time. However, I have not yet talking about the biggest issue plaguing this trilogy: the horrific music.
Oh dear God the music! Where to start? Well, as you may know the GBA isn't really known for it's high-quality music chip. Despite this setback, some games are able to make the most out of the limited GBA sound chip like Megaman Zero 2 and 3. However the Sonic Advance Trilogy does exactly the opposite.
While the tracks are well composed, they sound like absolute trash though the GBA and can actually hurt the ears with how badly compressed they are. This is somewhat excusable with Sonic Advance 1, which released early into the system's lifetime. However this doesn't make any sense with Sonic Advance 3, one of the last games to launch on the GBA making the whole things extremely bizarre. Heck, Castlevania Circle of the Moon had better sound compression than ANY of the Sonic Advance games and it was a LAUNCH TITLE!
Anyways are the Sonic Advance titles worth your time? Well, it depends. They are definitely better than most of the 3D Sonic games, they aren't exactly perfect eaither. However if you are in a mood for any new 2D Sonic that ISN'T Sonic Mania, than you might want to give these games a try.
Sonic Advance 7.4/10
Good
-Fun 2D Sonic Gameplay
-The levels are fun.
-Lots of Characters
Bad
-Gigantic difficulty spike late-game
-Bosses can be annoying
-Amy sucks
- Music is horrific
-The special stages suck
Sonic Advance 2 7.2/10
Good
-Fun fact paced gameplay
-Levels are fun
-Lots of characters.
-Cream is a fun new edition.
Bad
-Amy sucks
-Music is horrific
-The special stages suck
-The game is mostly "press right and occasionally jump"
-You can't use super sonic outside of the final level.
Sonic Advance 3 6.9/10
Good
-You can use Super Sonic outside the final level.
-Levels are fun.
-A return to the more traditional style of Advance 1
-There are no special stages
-The partner system is a near edition.
Bad
-The replacement for the special stages is even worse.
-The music is horrific.
-Amy sucks.
-The story is bad because it ties into a crappy fighting game that nobody played.
(P.S. THQ worked on these games? What the hecky?)
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