E3 2000: More SA2 Impressions

This is a very interesting read from Sega X. It explains in detail the video shown, and infers that we might see a Metal form of Sonic, and possibly Time Travel:

One of the most anticipated events of E3 was the unveiling of Sonic Adventure 2. Previously, rumors before E3 said Sega was not going to show it in its current state. Thankfully those rumors were proved false. I stood in line for close to 40 minutes to get into the Sega theater to sneak a peek at Sonic Adventure 2, plus three other top-tier Dreamcast projects.

The scene started with a spotlight effect over still shots from the game. Each pass showed a new shot. Next came several action scenes with messages of conflict, and possible allusions to gameplay elements in between. The action scenes included a cool looking agricultural half-pipe, miscellaneous jumping and dashing, and a very cool scene in which a powerful, giant 18 wheeler careens down a street after Sonic, flipping cars left and right. The following is the text shown between scenes:

Justice Evil
Yin Yang
Light Shadow
Creation Destruction
Truth Lie
Original Fake
Future Past
Chaos Cosmos
Hero Dark

Master Emerald
Highspeed Escape
Worldwide Domination
Sonic The Hedgehog
Knuckles the Echidna
Dr. Eggman
Showdown
Revenge
Secret Weapon
Ultimate Life

According to these clues flashed on screen, and the image shown at the end, the possibility exists that Metal Sonic will play a major role in this title. The image consisted of Sonic’s profile merging into some robotic form. “Original Fake”, “Future Past”, and “Chaos Cosmos” allude to the existence of Metal Sonic in this title.

The character designs were changed slightly, possibly to show that some time has passed since the storyline of the original Sonic Adventure. Characters now have longer legs, and also longer, thinner torsos. It gives them a slightly more human look that I happened to like somewhat. I didn’t see Tails, but I did see Sonic, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik.

The graphic engine didn’t look too dissimilar to Sonic Adventure 1, but the scenes went by so quickly that it is very hard to judge accurately. I compared the truck scene with the snowboarding event in the original. The truck scene in SA2 had more detail, and didn’t suffer from any noticeable slow-down, unlike the other scene from SA1. Rumors were floating around saying that Sega is aware of what similarities exist in the engine and overall graphic style, and is making efforts to bring SA2 beyond direct comparison to SA1. Although Yuji Naka isn’t working closely with this title (in order to put complete efforts into the much awaited Phantasy Star Online), he does have a small hand in direction despite rumors to the contrary.

We’re still waiting for some other sites’ take on this, so stay here for the latest.