Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut sees the return of the greatest ever 3-D Sonic game. Of course, describing it thus doesn't exactly put it up against much in the way of stiff competition, but whether we're damning it with faint praise or not
Sonic Adventure DX is still as good as polygonal Sonic action has ever got. Originally a Dreamcast launch title, this update sees Sonic and five of his chums yet again attempting to reclaim chaos emeralds from the evil Dr Robotnik.
Despite claims of improved graphics, this still looks very much like a Dreamcast game. Sega have added new lighting and a few other special effects but unfortunately the frame rate and draw distance are all distinctly 1998. Most irritatingly, the camera still hasn't been sorted out; this really does impact on the enjoyment to be had in the otherwise well-designed action levels.
Indeed, as a so-called "director's cut" this is a bit of a failure--except when it comes to the hidden extras, which include over 60 bonus games and all 12 Sonic titles for the Game Gear (Sega's powerful but short-lived answer to the Game Boy). The fact that it's so time-consuming to unlock most of these extras is highly frustrating and means that only hardcore Sonic fans are going to get the best out of a re-release that has missed opportunities. --David Jenkins
