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The
graphics:
While
not quite Mario Sunshine smooth (ie you can see slight edges
sometimes due to a lower polygon count on objects) this isnt exactly
a suprise as the game runs considerably faster and the complexity of
the levels is considerably higher. The textures are nothing short of
stunning however and the characters look almost like plastic models
they are so smooth and shiny. The only thing I didnt really like was
the look of the rings, you cant see the polygons as much as other
games but they are also thicker which makes them look a little odd
and you notice much more than you might think. Now probably the most
IMPORTANT thing in this preview is probably the improvements to the
camera compared to Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, its is absolutely
stunning in comparison and they obviously were determined not to mess
up this time as practically every button on the joypad seems to
control the camera in one way or another.
The
sound:
Pretty
average Sonic Adventure 2 style music - not quite as good as some of
the Sonic Adventure / 2 music but this could still be temporary music
for the preview anyway. Sound effects, well theres nothing more or
less than you would expect from Sonic.
The
controls:
Now
these will take some getting used to. Being team-based you cant
simply spin-dash etc like you used to as what you do reflects also
what the other two characters do. Also buttons Y and B are reserved
for a quick change to either of the other two characters on your
team. I found immensive annoyance at the fact that only Sonic seems
to be able to jump on the enemies due to you no longer spin-dashing
or curling into a ball when you jump.
Revision
15/10/03:
The
controls DEFINATELY get better once you follow the instructions and
learn how they work. This game is somewhat more complex than any
other Sonic game but I think it definately pays off. Like on the
level when you are grinding down rails (Hard mode) you can push the
pad fully left or right and press jump to perform a perfect jump onto
the corresponding rail. This leaves immense amusement when you do it
wrong (not pushing far enough in the direction) and do a classic
Sonic Adventure jump to death - but this time you KNOW its your own
fault. Equally as interesting is the move you can pull when theres a
fan underneath you and you switch into Power Mode (Knuckles as
leader). In this mode you can form a parachute style triangle with
the characters by holding the jump button down and this lets the fan
blow you upwards. Once you get used to the differences in this game
it is definately more interesting, though I do hope we get some bonus
levels thrown in as I really miss the novelty levels from Sonic
Adventure 1 like pinball Cosinopolis etc. Oh and in case you are
wondering, you DO still get the super Sonic speed in this game and it
seems faster than before. Despite the little tricks in some aeras
forcing you to change to specific character these levels are BIG and
designed (as you would expect) for speed. In fact the levels are very
Sonic Adventure (Sonic levels) style which has got to be a good
thing, hopefully also there will be some different levels for
different teams but at this point, who knows.
Overall,
for such an early demo its absolutely superb - I only hope they dont
inadvertantly alter some of the good espects of this preview version
while finishing the game.
PC
VERSION:
Recommended
Specs:
Operating
System: Windows XP
Processor:
CPU Pentium 4 2.4GHz or Athlon 2200
Video
Card: Geforce FX 5700 or Radeon 9600
CD-ROM:
CDRom 52x or DVD Rom 16x
RAM:
512 MB RAM
Minimum
Specs:
Operating
System: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
Processor:
Pentium PIII 800 MHz Processor or AMD Athlon
Video
Card: NVIDIA GeForce™ or ATI Radeon™ 7000 or higher
CD-ROM:
4X or Faster
RAM:
256 MB RAM
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