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When longtime Sega mascot Sonic the Hedgehog made his debut on the Dreamcast console in Sonic Adventure, gamers were stunned. Sega had not only used the game to show off the tremendous possibilities of the then-new hardware, but they had reinvigorated the platform-style arcade adventure genre with massive, intricate levels, gleefully distracting minigames, and even a new kind of virtual pet, called a Chao, that could be combined with other pets, traded with friends, and even exchanged over the Internet. Sonic Adventure 2 ups the ante of its predecessor with all-new puzzles and levels, and even faster action reminiscent of the early Genesis-era games. Knuckles and Tails are back, as are the Chao pets (who can now talk!).

The season indeed calls for greediness. Sega's Christmas present, perhaps the best gift ever sent to anyone at any time, arrived early this year. It was, of course, only a tease, a small snippet of what promises to be an altogether delightful whole. It was a preview copy of Sonic Adventure 2 for the Sega Dreamcast.

It was marvelous.

The preview, which contains only the "City Escape" portion of the game's "The Trial" stage, begins with Sonic held captive in a helicopter. He quickly escapes from his unnamed captors and plummets to the ground on a snowboard with an evil grin on his face. Players begin to control Sonic once he hits the ground in what is obviously San Francisco.

Immediately, players will be struck by how beautiful the game looks. The hilly, cable car track-laden streets hold an incredible wealth of detail and color. Every tree and every car reeks of careful design and rendering, and in-game textures (from the patterned grass to the faded brick walls) have been crafted to simply overwhelm the eyes.

Sonic himself now moves faster and more fluidly than ever. At a sharp 60fps, Adventure 2 is a seamless rollercoaster -- and the sense of speed it imparts is staggering. At one point, Sonic begins running down the side of a building, picking up massive amounts of momentum; when the camera shifts, it shows our hero zooming right toward the front of the screen as a blue blur. In fact, Sonic zips along like comic book hero Flash on speed, and some of the speed effects are simply breathless.

A new helper Chao named OmoChao appears once Sonic has cleared the snowboard portion of the preview. Omo will introduce Sonic to new moves, such as the somersault and the grind, and this cute little metallic blue creature reappears throughout the stage. Sonic can even pick the little sucker up and hurl it at enemies or, in a cruel but comic maneuver, toss it over a ledge.

Expect all the requisite nods to the Sonic canon. At one point, our hero can use speed strips to race through a loop-de-loop. Ring collecting is prominently featured as well, as are crate smashing and bumpers that hurl our hero into the air. Simple moving platforms pay homage to the early Sonic titles, and a rampaging truck chase scene is a direct nod to the rampaging killer whale scene from the original Sonic Adventure.

Cool new features allow Sonic to use ramps to leap into the air and perform tricks. Pressing the "A" button on the Dreamcast controller while Sonic is moving up a ramp makes this possible, and the various front- and backflips, spins and twists are suitably amazing. These leap tricks can be combined with Sonic's new grinding ability; players can leap onto a rail and race down it, dismount with a 360 front flip and begin to grind on another rail.

Time will tell if the rest of Sonic Adventure 2 can maintain this level of excellence throughout. What hasn't been shown of the game, however, lends us to believe that this title will deliver in the biggest of ways. Sonic Team has promised new Chao virtual pets, five playable characters (including Knuckles and Dr. Robotnik), a devastatingly beautiful jungle stage and a villain worthy of Sega's greatest creation.

-- DailyRadar Review