Games with Replay Value: Sonic 2 Adventure Battle

Sonic 2 Adventure Battle is only available on the Nintendo Gamecube. There are a ton of great games available on the console, but this particular one is chock-full of content to explore for months. The first playthrough is very long and the replay value is high.

The main story line calls for 3 different kinds of playable characters. There is a runner, a treasure hunter, and a robot character. The three types of characters have different levels, tailored to their abilities. In the hero story, your runner is Sonic, who is of course, extremely quick and fun to play with. Your treasure hunter is Knuckles, who still has his ability to glide. Your robot walker is piloted by Miles Tails and you are able to laser and shoot your way through the levels. It's a small pity that you don't get to use Miles in his regular form, but it's a small sacrifice.

One really cool part of this game is the two main story lines you can choose from. In the beginning, you can either be good or evil, and you view the story through their separate perspectives. It is necessary to play both story lines to see the entire plot unfold. Each story line is relatively long, so having the 2 available makes for an instantly longer game. When you choose the evil side, your runner is Shadow, who uses a skating motion instead of running. Your treasure hunter is Rouge, who can glide like Knuckles. And your robot walker is piloted by Dr. Eggman, a relative of Robotnik.

Like a bunch of the Sonic games, you can get to running so fast, your eyes can get unfocused. But that's part of the fun! The landscape is 3D so it is a bit more complex than the Sega Sonic games. There are other skills you must acquire, like skating on rails, double jumping across enemies, and attaining power ups for more abilities. Gameplay is extremely addicting, as the running and gliding is just fun. There are also grading systems for each level. If you attain the highest grade on all levels, special rewards are unlocked, urging your to replay.

Each story line not only has different characters, but different levels. This is Shadow's first level, vastly different from Sonic's first level. Play them all!

You can grab a friend and go into multiplayer mode. All the levels you unlock in the story are available for you to face your friends. There are also a bunch of new characters to play with, like Metal Sonic, who floats instead of runs. You can go head to head in runner levels, treasure hunting and robot walking. It's a fun party game for tournaments because the levels can be completed quickly.

In addition to the story and multiplayer, there is the Chao Garden play area. Chao's are cute little creatures you can raise from eggs. They are yours to mold to your liking, with different strengths and abilities to enhance. Some Chao are better fliers, some can swim or run. If you spend enough time with your Chao, they will become good at everything under your care. You can then enter them in races, fights and tournaments to win trophies and new abilities. Raising a Chao can take a really long time and you can raise many different ones, which boosts replay value like crazy.

Depending on what character you enter the Chao garden with, you can raise your Chao with your corresponding moral alignment. Meaning that your Chao can turn out good, evil, or neutral depending on what you do. Each Chao turns out looking different, which is awesome. It's like a really really advanced Tamagachi pet. This can take months of replay and it's tons of fun!

Gamecube games were really expensive back in the day, at 60 bucks a pop. This game, however, was totally worth the investment because it is huge! If you still have a gamecube or are thinking of trying one out, get this game at a discount price. It is totally worth it!