What is the best Sonic Adventure 2 mission format?

[Angry Shoes]

Which one is the most fun? Running fast, shooting things with a mech, or looking for emeralds/keys?

After playing through it again recently I'd probably have to go with the mech missions. The go-fast ones are almost always ruined by the shitty camera controls and the emerald hunting ones feel a bit tedious.

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

Running fast. Hunting for emeralds automatically goes into last place because Mad Space exists. Fuck Mad Space.

 

[Nguyen Van Phuoc]

Emerald hunting was ruined by the purposely shitty radar they gave you in SA2. SA1 emerald hunting is a lot more fun and less tedious.

 

[Sonic Sez]

Running fast easily takes the top spot for me, with shooting stuff in second. I hate how in 2 you could only detect one emerald shard at a time.

 

[NerdShamer]

I loved the mech combat, although it's the weakest part of the game. But we had this gem, which I consider the highest point of the series, so I can't complain too much.

 

[Quintex96]

The mech stages are the most consistant in the way they play, you get the occasional dud curveball like Eternal Engine but they are mostly shooting galleries and all play the same.

The speed stages are the most fun but around the midway point of the game they get overly long and begin to drag. Also Shadow only gets 4 stages.

The Treasure hunts are really hit and miss and Rouge gets the short end of the stick with the worst stages and no memorable music, unlike Knuckles. Also the scoring system is really at odds with how the stages play. The Speed and Mech stages reward your skill while treasure hunts are entirely luck based and penalise you for using hints ad taking too long.

 

[XYZpdq]

Go fast >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all other levels

 

[Drain Todger]

The Sonic/Shadow stages are superior. Design-wise, the mech and emerald hunting stages are a chore. If I wanted to play a lock-on shooter, I’d just play Gunvalkyrie.

 

[spergetti & NEETballs]

1. run fast. "Rail" levels less fun but still good.
2. treasure hunting is meh but gliding around was kinda cool and I like Rouge's music, fight me coward you won't
3. mech isn't fun at all

But everyone knows the best part of the game is the Chao Garden.

 

[Coffee Shits]

Sonic/Shadow race stages run the gamut from very bad to good putting it in the top spot.

Tails/Eggman mech stages mix things up decently but boils down to hold B, spin, let go for most of the gameplay. This is intermixed with a handful of frustrating handle hops. If you really want to ruin someone's day, play two player mech battles and pick Dark Chao Walker, but don't be surprised when you get punched in the mouth because it's OP.

Knuckles/Rouge hunt stages are the worst because they are an annoying chore that changes the positions of the emeralds every time. Making this static would help so you could mindlessly speedrun them, but it wouldn't make it fun.

 

[Ponchik]

most of the knuckles/rouge stages get a whole lot better with a little bit of practice, but they immediately put off 99.9% of people and make a terrible first impression so i guess that doesn't really mean anything? i like rouge but holy fucking shit most of her stages suck ass, mad space still gives me headaches

 

[Pixy]

most of the knuckles/rouge stages get a whole lot better with a little bit of practice, but they immediately put off 99.9% of people and make a terrible first impression so i guess that doesn't really mean anything? i like rouge but holy fucking shit most of her stages suck ass, mad space still gives me headaches

The treasure-hunting stages are by far the biggest barrier to enjoying the game. Particularly the prison island one for Rouge, and the space stages for both stories.

 

[Gravityqueen4life]

favorite speed level? for me, its final rush.

I loved the mech combat, although it's the weakest part of the game. But we had this gem, which I consider the highest point of the series, so I can't complain too much.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=KUqehx7Ek1M

eggman putting that 300IQ to good use. the pre-sceen before his boss fight with tails was pretty dark. one of the few times his actually scary.

 

[Overcooked Raccoon]

Running fast. The game was absolutely designed with that first and foremost and it def shows. Sonic's levels feel really good (except Pyramid Cave due to the switch mechanics). Shadow has some good ones but his levels are pretty short.

Treasure hunting if you can find them quickly without the radar feels nice, but it almost always becomes finding them through using hints.

Shooting only feels good in Weapons Bed, Mission Street for the pacing, and Cosmic Wall due to the antigravity.

 

[Alpha Kennybody]

I often consider SA2 to be 1/3rd of a good game. The emerald hunting and mech stuff is just tedious. It doesn't take me long to put it down and go to SA1 again. There's something about the Amy/Zero levels that tickles my clock tower niche. I remember the demo of twinkle park is what made me first grab a dreamcast. That and hearing Code Veronica was around the corner.

 

[Chin of Campbell]

The Sonic levels are clearly what the game is designed around, but even then only a couple of those levels are actually fun to play.

It's always hysterical to me when some streamer or YouTuber with no nostalgia for either Adventure game plays them and realizes that the love for them is 85% nostalgia, then the worshippers go ape on the poor guy for not liking mediocre games.

SA2 is much more fun with the New Challengers mod where you can play any stage with any character and just break all the levels as Metal Sonic.

 

[Focken Kiwi]

Wait, there was more content in Sonic Adventure 2 than the Chao garden?