SA1 is not the first modern Sonic game, it is the last classic game

Something else I've always felt with Adventure 1 was that the story/plot really complemented the established story from the Classic games.

The Megadrive games slowly introduced more to the overall Sonic “lore”, with a big part of it being the Master Emerald and Angel Island in S3&K, and how these were somehow connected to the seven jolly ranchers we'd been collecting years prior. Sonic Adventure took this lore and expanded on it further. We had already met the Master Emerald and Angel Island in S3&K, but we didn't know much about their history and purpose, which SA1 chose to tell us with Chaos and Tikal. (Whether Adventure succeeded at this or not is another story).

From SA2 onwards, the games didn't dive back into previous lore and instead started a new story involving Shadow/Gerald Robotnik, which would span through SA2 > Heroes > Shadow (and Sonic Battle somewhere in there..).

This is to me, why SA1 feels like it's still part of that 'Master Emerald/Angel Island' arc which started with Sonic 3, and not part of the rest of the SA2 and onwards games.

 

Precisely. The plot and themes of Sonic Adventure, especially if compared to SA2, are distinctly an evolution of what had been established in 2 and 3K. We knew as of Sonic 2 that Tails was a tinkerer, but until SA1 we never saw his workshop. We knew Knuckles was supposed to be protecting the Master Emerald, and that he was te last of his people. With SA1 and the Tikal storyline we got some backstory for how he ended up as the Guardian of the Emerald, as well as what happened to his people.

Thematically, SA1 highlighted the impact Eggman had on the world in real time, as opposed to through time travel in CD. The crash site of the Egg Carrier in the Mystic Ruins for instance. I saw that as an extension of the act transitions from 3K. Tying more into those transitions would be witnessing the Egg Carrier hovering over locales and dropping the badniks to take over.

It also connected the series back to Sonic CD, via the inclusion of Amy and the cameo of Metal Sonic in an incubation tube on the Egg Carrier.

 

And the flashback of Metal Sonic chasing after Sonic and Amy.

 

Now I want a Sonic 3 and Shadow with this plot.

 

Sonic Adventure also bought in heavy inspiration from Sonic Team's vacation to Mexico, don't forget about that!
I mean, inspiration from our reality is the Adventure aspect of... the Adventure series. What other games have similarities with our reality?

Sonic Adventure 2 is a really, really great Dreamcast game. I have always seen it as a definition of that era. SA2's controls are way less slippery compared to SA1 and it's less... loud, in terms of sound. Also, everyone's stage has a different song. The fact that a majority of Shadow's, Rouge's, and Knuckle's stage themes have vocals show the composers wanted to put their best effort in the game.
Sonic Team had taken their experience they had with SA1 and built upon that to make SA2 and it honestly really shows. The addition of motion capture was a little wonky at times, notably the jail scene, but overall the characters felt less robotic and more realistic. The fact that half of the stages in SA2 are texturally similar, but you're not playing through the same areas with a different character (although there exception; one room in a Rouge/Eggman stage) was a good thing because no stages feel out of place, they all tie in with the story.

I do miss the varied stories each character had and the Knuckles emerald radar mechanic from SA1, but I really do think there's a lot of things in SA2 that make up for those losses.

Overall, I see SA1 as both a modern and a classic Sonic game. The Dreamcast discs had double the storage capacity compared to the Saturn & SegaCD, and the video game industry started taking storytelling more seriously in 3D games. SA1 was Sonic Team's experiment into the new era using their experiences with the main 2D games and turning it into 3D. They pulled it off great, to be honest.

 

This is such a fun idea. I'd love to see a story mod of SA2 with this idea. It's a little cheesy to start, but kind of reminded me of the windup and story line for Archie Sonic #200.

And just to add my two cents: Sonic Adventure always felt like the transition game to me, and SA2 is really where Modern Sonic begins. But, I don't necessary feel like Adventure is classic enough. Power Ups and departure of speed platforming to the end goal for Knuckles and Big kind of get in the way of that. Also, no space zone?! It's a really solid attempt at keeping the old when moving to the new though. It would have been more jarring to jump right into SA2 without SA1 existing. Their both great fun, and I think they're what drive home the whole "What makes a 3D (Modern) Sonic game?" topic.

 

And just like that, you've written better fiction that what that hack scenario writer wrote for the actual SA2. NOW THAT would have been more appropriate way to celebrate the character for his then-10th anniversary. Well done.

 

Aerosol, so basically make Shadow Mephiles.

 

Not to mention this would be a massive plot hole considering everything SA1 had to say about Chaos, like him not being mad or in the Master Emerald anymore.

Also, aren't you guys forgetting something? :v:

Spoiler

 

That was beautiful.
I also like how bringing Chaos back as a plot-point actually justifies the title of "Sonic Adventure 2" more than just gameplay.

I think if I were doing an easy "integrate classic story" into SA2, I would simply include more information about Gerald's research into the Chaos Emeralds, and include that fan-theory of Shadow's design being based on the Hidden Palace mural, as well as possible nods to the Westside Island civilisation and the Echidnas. It wouldn't even need to be an obvious cutscene, just an optional diary or some shit to not trip up any heathens players who don't care 'bout dat lore shit.

 

Sonic Adventure 2 is the least fun game of the two Adventure titles. Sure Sonic Adventure has it's unfun moments but my god does the sequal know how to raise one's blood pressure. If they took out the unfun parts of the first game and then made it challenging with the fun parts of the first game but not frustrating, you have better gameplay.

Whoever came up with the ranking system and thought it was good idea to make it an emblem requirement should have have died the most awful unimaginable death in history.

And what do you get after 180 emblems? A bonus stage that's not even worth the effort.

Sonic Adventure > Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle Chao Garden > Sonic Adventure (DC) Chao Garden