@@lks19 I think the most consistent way to get an A Rank is to just make sure to destroy one or two of the planes after the Light Speed Shoes platform. That and getting to the top of the missile, which with a couple of spindash jumps isn't too difficult.
@@765craven4 Yeah, so long as you don't die, you make sure to grab the gold bettle, you lightdash wherever possible, and you take the more difficult route at the missile, you're basically guaranteed an A-rank. I'd say it's actually one of the levels you can most easily consistently get an A-rank on. Though I remember back in the day for the original Dreamcast release, I spent ages trying to figure out how to A-rank it, it felt impossible to get more than a B, because I originally didn't realise about the more difficult route at the missile. When I discovered that it was a revelation though which made the whole thing click.
This is why Sonic team needs more than 2 level designers, designing a sonic level is so much harder than a Mario one since Sonic needs bigger spaces and bigger spaces requires more attention to detail. That's why I like SA1 and 2 they're coupled with tons of extra routes, bonuses and rewards.
@@backtothefutureman1 The guys who made Mania weren't helping Sonic Team design things, they made Mania and designed it themselves. Christian Whitehead pitched it and kind of recruited himself into there. It took him years of rapport building and port making to get into that industry. Sega do not go out of their way to get fan devs. I think that was a very special case. Also I don't know anyone who would be an expert at designing 3D Sonic levels on the same scale as Christian Whitehead is at designing the classic gameplay. If Sonic Team just had a reasonable amount of staff hired with competent experience the new games production wouldn't be a problem, but Sega is notoriously awful to work for and all the good devs and designers jumped ship long ago. So what we're left with is the inexperienced handful of people who threw together stuff like Forces and burned 90% of their 4 year development time on a lighting engine that looks worse than a 2008 game. Sega are also incredibly cheap and are constantly consumed with their popularity chasing gimmick schemes involving the Sonic brand that they usually end up shooting themselves in the foot with. So unless Sega finally stands up and gets it together and just tries to make a genuinely solid 3D Sonic game again we wont get quality games like SA2 for a very long time if not never again. The team that made SA2 were hot shit, and they're long gone.
I swear Sonic Adventure 2 has some of the most fast-paced high-energy songs in the whole franchise and That's The Way I Like It is easily my favorite in the game
One thing that I always appreciated about SA2 was how as you collect more powerups, new and stylish routes open up in previous levels, meaning that replaying even the first mission of a stage can be super fun! While said abilities might be required for the later missions in a stage, the first allows said abilities to be used for style, such as using the Bounce Bracelet to snap down onto rails, or Light Dash to zip through small lines of rings for huge speed boosts. A great part about about the ending of Metal Harbor is the music stopping for the rocket launch, and kicking back in with that sick tune upon breaking the air duct shaft. Holy crap is that not one of the most hype moments! Lastly, something I think is greatly under-appreciated about this stage (and a very few others) is how short they are. The mission 4 time limit is 2 minutes! Shorter stages allow a player to retry and master a stage much faster than say a longer one, as resetting isn't as punishing.
Three little things you might have overlooked: - It's actually entirely possible to skip every mandatory light dash trail in the game. In fact, the only required Speed-Type powerup in the game is Sonic's Fire Somersault. - With how much you talked about the ring trails I'm very surprised you didn't talk about Mission 2. It turns out if you hit every Light Dash trail in the stage then you'll have 99 rings right after the second checkpoint. Then the stage starves you for rings for a lengthy stretch of time - time enough for that A-Rank to become darn-near impossible. But! There's one extra ring hidden earlier in the stage to make sure you need to explore everything to earn that A. The level designers are looking out for you, but only so they can push you to be your best, too. - If the automation really bothers someone that much, then the rocket section must be torture. Luckily, Sonic can jump off early if you mash A
@@JP-hk6xw It's hell to try but if you hold the camera steady by pressing down both triggers it's definitely possible. I made a video on it years ago, and I know of several low-score runs you can find that pull it off too
Hearing ZoomZike “break character” to the point where he couldn’t say his lines after the missile theory was absolutely hilarious. I’ve gained even more appreciation for SA2’s levels than I ever expected possible and it was already one of my top 3 Sonic games! Thanks for the great content!
I'm expecting White Jungle next, then either Pyramid Cave or Sky Rail. I also expect the White Jungle video to acknowledge how the Stage ends early in 2P yet interestingly leaves 1P Exclusive parts of the level intact with no real way to access them without cheating.
You’re titles for these level reviews are so weird, but so great. Also, this Stage probably has my favorite song out of all of Sonic’s SA2 stages, which is some BRUTAL competition.
One detail I also noticed is how you can vaugely see the other handle on the missile as it flies off before Sonic jumps if you decide to take the low route your first time at the end of the stage. It starts you guessing on just how you can get on that handle if you panicked and just hit the spring without seeing the GUN drones.
6:40 This may also be for players who can't ring dash in multiplayer mode, but if memory serves me the devs added a spring next to the rings. Great video as always, I can't wait to see more incredible work.
It's videos like this that highlight why level design is so important and why we get so disappointed constantly seeing Lazy Green Hill Zones and short mindless levels that make you feel absolutely nothing
I love this video series so far, even as someone who's completed the game, there's still a lot of hidden secrets that I didn't know about until I watched these. Curious if the treasure hunting and mech stages will be covered, but either way bravo to you for making these!
I have been wondering that as well & I expect Iron Gate to be the 1st Shooting Stage covered as it is the 1st Dark Stage. Next Video will likely be White Jungle as Shadow is playing through that at the same time Sonic is in Metal Harbor.
I have no idea why or when you got into Sonic Adventure 2, but I couldn't be happier. This series has been memed on, mocked, and it's just so refreshing to see the other side, with a little praise, since I loved it back in the day
He's been into Sonic Adventure 2 since at least two years ago, with the first video in this series (before it was even a series lol) being "City Escape is Peak Sonic Game Design". Though the way he talks about this game makes me think that he must have enjoyed this game as a younger ZoomZike, but I might just be assuming. I have been looving these deep dive analytical videos on SA2 levels. Though hat might be obvious to tell, from my profile pic lol
@@theminecraft2516 You basically said my favorite Treasure Hunt and Mech level lol (Actually Hidden Base is no.1, but Mission Street isn't too far), I think Mad Space and Cosmic Wall are worse.
3:44 I tried beating the game after preforming this skip a year ago I gave up on Crazy Gadget since I couldn't preform the speedrunning skip required to get past the Light speed dash part but if I were to do it, it's possible to beat SA2 without that good old upgrade
Since you kept talking about how the game gives you the option to skip or cut short any automation a lot of the time, I'm surprised you didn't mention how Sonic will jump off of the rocket early if you mash A. I think this one is particularly clever because someone who hates automated sections is probably going to be mashing A at that part anyways ;)
literally five seconds ago, i finished your radical highway video and wondered if you were going to make more. now here we are! thanks for the great videos dude, sa2 has always been a favorite of mine.
I love this stage, and have a method which I didn't see you showcase. At the timed rocket launch pad section I always jumped off towards the base of the rocket where the bounce pads are, bounce off to the other side where the steep ramp section starts, and use a spindash enhanced jump about midway up the ramp to throw myself up to the upper section. I then hit the light speed trail and grab the top handle. This is by far when of my favorite techs to do in the game.
I love the lore analysis like with the reasoning of the Missle launch (was often curious on why sonic and friends are casual about gun starting a nuclear war(well eggman has p*ssed on the moon before, so I guess it checks out)
I remember watching some clips of some letsplayers sucking at that part were you were supposed to take the Light Speed Shoes, trying to proceed forward despite the giant gap to the next platform that was obviously impossible to jump across normally. I don't know if they were acting obtuse on purpose just to "prove" that Sonic games are terrible, or they just sucked that much at video games.
Can confirm, PB&Jeff did this very thing in their attempted playthrough of Sonic Adventure 2. It is probably the most annoying thing ever, listening to people complain about something that really wasn't intended to be difficult or challenging if they just put a little more thought into it. But then again, their primary talent is for entertainment, not necessarily to be good at video games. There could also be something of a Let's Play curse, where it's just more difficult to concentrate on gameplay while trying to be entertaining. Also also, they could be hamming it up specifically because their audience would enjoy that kind of joke. Or rather, they're playing into the stereotype for some easy laughs, perhaps even subconsciously; like they've only heard of this game being "bad", so they automatically attribute every issue they have to just the game being "bad, without giving it another thought
Something you didn't mention: If you mash A, Sonic gets off the missile slightly faster. It doesn't mean much in a regular playthrough of the level, but in the 4th mission, those saved seconds have been the difference between completion and death for me before.
If only the movie had existed back in the 90s. We could've chalked Sonic being able to destroy a military-grade fighter jet with a single jump up to his energy-that-will-likely-be-named-in-the-sequel
Consider the following: In SA1 we saw that regular ammunation didn't do anything to Chaos 0, but Sonic's homing attack did. That tells us that Sonic's strength (or at least that of his rolling jump) goes beyond even military-grade equipment, without going out of their way to spell it out for us.
I'm expecting to get White Jungle, Sky Rail, & Pyramid Cave next week & then Crazy Gadget, Final Rush, & Final Chase the week after that unless something unexpected happens like a review of Iron Gate or Wild Canyon.
I love these level breakdowns, because they help me understand why this game works and others in the series don't do it for me. I love the verticality of it and that it feels fast without having to whip you through a huge stage like the boost games.
I deadass didn't even know there was a proper path to get to the top spring on the missile. I've only ever spin dash jumped there, which always left me with a ton of leftover time.
I’ve been playing this game since I was 7 years old and I never knew you could destroy the jets or finish the level without the light speed dash until now. I love that I’m still learning things about my favorite game of all time!
I didn't realise there was a lower platform with a rocket under that lightspeed dash trail at the end of the aircraft carrier until this video, and I've owned, played through, and fully A-ranked the game on multiple systems since and including the original Dreamcast version lol.
Please keep up with this series, I always loved the speed stages in SA2 but man you show us new levels that I personally never knew (such as the rocket to catch your fall if you miss the light speed dash). This game is truly amazing!
Well you don't have long to wait, White Jungle, Sky Rail, & Pyramid Cave should probably be coming out soon. I'm hoping Pyramid Cave & Crazy Gadget videos go into how the stages are exclusive for 1 Player. I also have hopes Sky Rail's video mentions that at 1 point it was going to be a Sonic Stage & how treasure hunters can dig up item boxes there for some reason. Do you think we'll ever get a video for the 2P Level 1 Stages that focuses almost entirely on the awesome stage that aesthetically looks like nothing else in the game known as Grind Race? The thing about Level 1 Stages in 2P is that 1 of each is based on a Hero Stage, while the other is based on a Dark Stage. Pool Quest = Aquatic Mine, Planet Quest = Mad Space, Pyramid Race = Hidden Base, Deck Race = Weapon's Bed, Downtown Race is based on the 1st Part of City Escape. Grind Race however is likely based on a scrapped Shadow Stage that may have ended up being replaced by Sky Rail.
Honestly, Metal Harbor is the textbook example of how to make a linear Sonic level work. This is probably one of the most linear stages in the franchise and yet it's surprising how many things happen at the same time despite that.
My personal wish level of every SA2 character that I would like to see talked about are: Sonic - Pyramid Cave (it was Metal Harbor before this video) Tails - Mission Street Knuckles - Pumpkin Mountain Shadow - Sky Rail Eggman - Lost Colony Rouge - Egg Quaters
fun fact the spindash jump to skip the light speed dash was actually made easier on gamecube and later platforms because on dreamcast we didn't have the platforms to climb on so the task was more difficult
Sonic team put so much detail into this era of sonic games. These videos are very touching. Wouldn’t mind if you talked about every adventure styled level starting from adventure 1 to heroes lol.
These type of videos on Sonic Adventure 2 only reassures me why this game deserves to be my favorite Sonic game and labeled one of the best entries of all time in the entire series.
I love the detail that, depending on where you grab on to the rocket, the position Sonic is is actually different. Like it's not just a single Cutscene but 2 and it plays the one depending on where you hold on to the rocket. This is such a small yet good detail.
Just saw the reply you sent to me on the last video, and now this. I cant wait for whatever level (levels?) You decide to do in the future for this game. Playing it without the nostalgia goggles showed me that sonic really can be a fantastic game when it gets in a groove.
I just realized, the sudden timer at the end here and how little time it gives you to spare makes Green Forest even MORE stressful on a first playthrough, because there's no reason to assume that the game would suddenly be generous with its time limits! Great stuff, man! These SA2 level design videos are doing a great job breaking down what made these levels so special. Any plans on doing some for Adventure 1 or maybe even Heroes in the future? (If you like that game, it's one of my favorites but I know it isn't for everyone, but the levels in both it and SA1 seem ripe for this kind of analysis! Man, I miss the Adventure era...)
i'mn ot gonna lie, i just found your channel. i don't even really care about these sonic levels. I've beaten the game a few times and learn nothing new. but your voice and the passion in which you speak is very delightful
My favorite detail about this stage is the singular ring at the top of the final pulley platform. That ring is the 100th ring in the level. I enjoy it because the mission 2 A rank is very easy if you know where the first 100 rings are but very difficult if you don't. So you basically get a freebie A rank as a reward for exploring the entire level and leaving the beaten path on multiple occasions
It really isn't, the A rank time limit is so comically generous that if you have no idea there's a ring hidden there, the ring capsule on the rocket platform leading to the giant missile will give you your 100th ring with 15 seconds to spare still. I know this cause I'm playing SA2 for the first time and outright did this last night and was disappointed by how lenient the timer is despite how tight mission 1's A rank was.
@@chackbro1 This made me curious so I went to see what the differences between SA2 and SA2B A rank requirements are, and funny enough it's the opposite; in Cosmic Wall SA2B almost straight up doubled the score required in missions 1, 4, and 5 making the stage way harder. They also for some reason made the time limit for Final Rush's mission 3 15 seconds stricter (which is bullshit in its own right because the rail leading to the chao is bugged and unusable requiring a clever workaround under greater time pressure). Absolutely no other changes though weirdly enough between versions, even though there's a *lot* of mission 2 and 3 times that are so lenient they could have reduced the time limit by 30+ seconds and the A rank would still be too easy.
man i love your videos, its just always a reminder on how much time, effort and creativity is put into each and every level and just games in general. truly inspiring.
4:23 To be fair, to my understanding planes don't tend to be armored that much, and Sonic does seem to pack a wallop. Though also to be fair, they are flying at absolutely *ridiculously* close range. Modern RL warplanes can shoot things well beyond visible range, I guess they just wanna show off for the camera.
The game's programming checks to see if you have the Digging Tool & intentionally spawns the 3rd Shard or 3rd Key in Pumpkin Hill & Egg Quarters somewhere you'll need to dig if you don't have it. Likewise both the Hammer Gloves & Iron Boots are required upgrades for clearing the stages Death Chamber & Mad Space. Eggman, Knuckles, & Rouge need Mystic Melody to clear at least 1 of their 3rd Missions. See Iron Gate, Meteor Herd, & Mad Space. I'm pretty sure you also need to be able to break through Steel Containers as Tails & Eggman. Likewise in order to clear all 5th Missions Knuckles & Rouge need Sun Glasses & Treasure Scope to use hidden springs that are necessary to get certain emeralds/keys like in Pumpkin Hill.
Also, adding to the 2nd missile route. If you go to the easy spring, when you're flying into the sky, you are shown glimpses of a 2nd handrail for sonic to grab, inciting curiosity on the players on how to get there.
One of my favorite levels, probably the one I replayed the most, and the closest I’ve ever come to the mindset of a speedrunner, given that I examined every nook and cranny this level had to offer It’s actually possible to overshoot the goal ring and die, I did it once, and spent years trying to do it again to prove I wasn’t crazy, but was never able to figure it out, to this day I don’t know if it was a glitch or what, but I do know it was real
I'm loving these! You're doing such a great job of showing the little details that most people miss, I'm sure there are people who will play the game for the first time because of your videos! Loving the speedrunning tidbits in the commentary as well
I like how for recording purposes ZoomZike has to make Sonic stand still so he can show us the level but just imagine in-game with GUN trying to recapture Sonic and he’s just standing there just staring.
A couple of notes about Metal Harbor: - Grabbing the upper handle of the missile is basically required in order to get an A rank for a casual as myself. - Plus, Metal Harbor demonstrates the awesomeness of SA2's ranking system and the Replay Value it gives the game. Light Speed Dashing into those first rings into the rail gives you points, homing attacking multiple robots gives you points, Light Speed Dashing rings gives you points, somersaulting below barriers with nice timing gives you points... it feels excellent to master the ranking system and this holds true for every stage of the game, including the other playstyles. - The second mission is very interesting since all those lined up rings, plus the checkpoint that always gives you 20 rings, sum up to 99 rings and you need to find the last one quickly for an A rank. And because of that, they put a secret lone ring atop the ceiling from the pullling mechanism at 8:00. - It's great how a lot of the "decorating" stuff like those metal cointainers do have collision and you can go stand on them and maybe try to find shortcuts. That's why the Adventure formula is the best. - I love collecting the 20 animals in a stage, I think it's an underrated activity of SA2 (admittedly I haven't gone and collected all animals in all stages either lol). I think it's a neat exploration and completionist challenge. - The multiplayer map is very interesting. It has a lot of extra ring boxes on the side for players to use their special abilities, and it adds springs as alternative if someone collects the Light Speed Dash rings although it is a slower route. Since the Goal Ring is on the rocket, maneuvering that area can make or break a race. - Have I mentioned how cool and awesome SA2 is?
If you like Decoration Collision you should check out how much of it exists in the 2P Exclusive Stage "Grind Race", the level may be almost entirely on rails, although you have to wonder what a 1P Version of this stage that had off rail sections & tons of enemies would have been like. Never forget Shadow's Scrapped Stage!
Metal Harbour was always one of my favourite stages from the game. It's not the longest, but it's one of the most fun for its fast gameplay. Still I never noticed some of these details. Thanks for letting me fall in love with this level again!
I don't know if you only plan to look at Sonic/Shadow levels, but *man,* I loved Cosmic Wall. The feeling of soaring through space and blasting the crap out of everything as Eggman is so fun. It's probably the closest the series has gotten to letting you actually fly around as Eggman in the Eggmobile, causing utter havoc. It's great.
When you're done with the series, you gotta comment on the glitches. SA2 is one of those games where experiencing a variety of glitches is immensely enjoyable. Even stuff that just kills you is humourous, like falling through the floor in City Escape when you land from a trick ramp just right. My favourite glitch is swimming out of the level in Death Chamber by standing on top of a specific hourglass. When the time runs out it flips over and pushes you out of the level. Great stuff.
Damn, you're really doing every speed level? Well, I've got nothing on this one, it's interesting that metal harbor and weapons bed have pretty similar open-ish level design, which makes sense as they take place in the same area, I found that to always be a nice touch.
"Now I've never escaped from prison before, but man does Metal Harbor make me wanna give it a go!" - ZoomZike, 2021
Wait...that implies he has been to prison
@@GamingWarlord64 DO DO DO DO DO DOOO DA DOOO DA DO DA DO DA DIII DAAA!!!!!
Thats gotta be a top 3 Sonic video essay opening line ever lol
He has to be able to roll around at the speed of sound...
bruh who ruined the 420 likes
“If you die, I’ll take care of your chao”
Not all heroes wear capes
NO CAPES
Do you remember Thunderhead?
this is the most wholesome gosh darn sentence I've ever heard
I would’ve titled it “I spent hours trying to A rank Metal Harbor” but this works too
"I spend my Life trying to A Rank WHILE ALSO REACHING THE TOP OF THE MISSILE!"
I swear, they only Put that there so we make our selfs suffer
well, metal harbor is also the easiest stage which you can get all the rings available. If you manage to do that, you'll guarantee an A rank :)
@@lks19 I think the most consistent way to get an A Rank is to just make sure to destroy one or two of the planes after the Light Speed Shoes platform. That and getting to the top of the missile, which with a couple of spindash jumps isn't too difficult.
I just got A-rank yesterday, I’m trying to get A on all Sonic & Shadow levels first, and this one definitely gave me the most trouble l
@@765craven4 Yeah, so long as you don't die, you make sure to grab the gold bettle, you lightdash wherever possible, and you take the more difficult route at the missile, you're basically guaranteed an A-rank. I'd say it's actually one of the levels you can most easily consistently get an A-rank on. Though I remember back in the day for the original Dreamcast release, I spent ages trying to figure out how to A-rank it, it felt impossible to get more than a B, because I originally didn't realise about the more difficult route at the missile. When I discovered that it was a revelation though which made the whole thing click.
This is why Sonic team needs more than 2 level designers, designing a sonic level is so much harder than a Mario one since Sonic needs bigger spaces and bigger spaces requires more attention to detail. That's why I like SA1 and 2 they're coupled with tons of extra routes, bonuses and rewards.
Bullseye.
They should recruit fans to help them design the modern games like they dod with the classic games.
@@backtothefutureman1 The guys who made Mania weren't helping Sonic Team design things, they made Mania and designed it themselves. Christian Whitehead pitched it and kind of recruited himself into there. It took him years of rapport building and port making to get into that industry. Sega do not go out of their way to get fan devs. I think that was a very special case. Also I don't know anyone who would be an expert at designing 3D Sonic levels on the same scale as Christian Whitehead is at designing the classic gameplay.
If Sonic Team just had a reasonable amount of staff hired with competent experience the new games production wouldn't be a problem, but Sega is notoriously awful to work for and all the good devs and designers jumped ship long ago. So what we're left with is the inexperienced handful of people who threw together stuff like Forces and burned 90% of their 4 year development time on a lighting engine that looks worse than a 2008 game. Sega are also incredibly cheap and are constantly consumed with their popularity chasing gimmick schemes involving the Sonic brand that they usually end up shooting themselves in the foot with. So unless Sega finally stands up and gets it together and just tries to make a genuinely solid 3D Sonic game again we wont get quality games like SA2 for a very long time if not never again. The team that made SA2 were hot shit, and they're long gone.
@@Squishito I know they were not helping Sonic Team but Sonic Team should recruit fans to help make the games.
Sonic Adventure 2 had only 2 level designers, Takashi IIzuka and Eitaro Toyoda, although IIzuka made most of the level design according to the wiki.
I swear Sonic Adventure 2 has some of the most fast-paced high-energy songs in the whole franchise and That's The Way I Like It is easily my favorite in the game
Live and learn and city escape and green forest are famous examples (Metal harbor too)
Someone in the Green Forest vid mentioned a full SA2 breakdown; I second that
You called?
One thing that I always appreciated about SA2 was how as you collect more powerups, new and stylish routes open up in previous levels, meaning that replaying even the first mission of a stage can be super fun! While said abilities might be required for the later missions in a stage, the first allows said abilities to be used for style, such as using the Bounce Bracelet to snap down onto rails, or Light Dash to zip through small lines of rings for huge speed boosts.
A great part about about the ending of Metal Harbor is the music stopping for the rocket launch, and kicking back in with that sick tune upon breaking the air duct shaft. Holy crap is that not one of the most hype moments!
Lastly, something I think is greatly under-appreciated about this stage (and a very few others) is how short they are. The mission 4 time limit is 2 minutes! Shorter stages allow a player to retry and master a stage much faster than say a longer one, as resetting isn't as punishing.
Three little things you might have overlooked:
- It's actually entirely possible to skip every mandatory light dash trail in the game. In fact, the only required Speed-Type powerup in the game is Sonic's Fire Somersault.
- With how much you talked about the ring trails I'm very surprised you didn't talk about Mission 2. It turns out if you hit every Light Dash trail in the stage then you'll have 99 rings right after the second checkpoint. Then the stage starves you for rings for a lengthy stretch of time - time enough for that A-Rank to become darn-near impossible. But! There's one extra ring hidden earlier in the stage to make sure you need to explore everything to earn that A. The level designers are looking out for you, but only so they can push you to be your best, too.
- If the automation really bothers someone that much, then the rocket section must be torture. Luckily, Sonic can jump off early if you mash A
Ah yes, the sneaky single ring right after the half loopty loop. I remember finding that one day and was like YOOOO I found a secret!
I remember that ring existing but I also got A-rank first time without it.
Wait how are you supposed to skip that massive U-shaped lightspeed dash section in Crazy Gadget
@@JP-hk6xw It's hell to try but if you hold the camera steady by pressing down both triggers it's definitely possible. I made a video on it years ago, and I know of several low-score runs you can find that pull it off too
@@AustinOnSugar could you link the video?
If I'm honest, I'm more impressed how you can get through most levels with the Spin Dash and geometry than anything else.
The adventure engine is truly a magical one isn’t it.
Hearing ZoomZike “break character” to the point where he couldn’t say his lines after the missile theory was absolutely hilarious. I’ve gained even more appreciation for SA2’s levels than I ever expected possible and it was already one of my top 3 Sonic games! Thanks for the great content!
You’re on a roll man, the build up until final rush’s analysis is IMPECCABLE!!!!!
I'm expecting White Jungle next, then either Pyramid Cave or Sky Rail. I also expect the White Jungle video to acknowledge how the Stage ends early in 2P yet interestingly leaves 1P Exclusive parts of the level intact with no real way to access them without cheating.
You’re titles for these level reviews are so weird, but so great.
Also, this Stage probably has my favorite song out of all of Sonic’s SA2 stages, which is some BRUTAL competition.
Would that be That's The Way I Like It 1 or 2?
@@NiGHTcapD #1.
@@Sean_Bird I like it that way too.
Yeah, the competition Is super brutal. From White Jungle, To Pyramid Cave to Radical Highway to Literally every knuckles stage, yeah it's SUPER brutal
You're just gonna go through everry level in this game, aren't you? ....not that I'm complaining ;P
One detail I also noticed is how you can vaugely see the other handle on the missile as it flies off before Sonic jumps if you decide to take the low route your first time at the end of the stage. It starts you guessing on just how you can get on that handle if you panicked and just hit the spring without seeing the GUN drones.
For me, I always wondered about the rings you can see as the missile launches.
I too find evading authorities very joyous
Can’t Sonic just admire this marvelous workplace made by Gun? Does he have to always run away from them?
6:40 This may also be for players who can't ring dash in multiplayer mode, but if memory serves me the devs added a spring next to the rings. Great video as always, I can't wait to see more incredible work.
Yeah there's a spring there in multiplayer/
It's videos like this that highlight why level design is so important and why we get so disappointed constantly seeing Lazy Green Hill Zones and short mindless levels that make you feel absolutely nothing
man didn't even talk about the seagulls.
Love the level design series
I love this video series so far, even as someone who's completed the game, there's still a lot of hidden secrets that I didn't know about until I watched these. Curious if the treasure hunting and mech stages will be covered, but either way bravo to you for making these!
I have been wondering that as well & I expect Iron Gate to be the 1st Shooting Stage covered as it is the 1st Dark Stage. Next Video will likely be White Jungle as Shadow is playing through that at the same time Sonic is in Metal Harbor.
I have no idea why or when you got into Sonic Adventure 2, but I couldn't be happier. This series has been memed on, mocked, and it's just so refreshing to see the other side, with a little praise, since I loved it back in the day
He's been into Sonic Adventure 2 since at least two years ago, with the first video in this series (before it was even a series lol) being "City Escape is Peak Sonic Game Design". Though the way he talks about this game makes me think that he must have enjoyed this game as a younger ZoomZike, but I might just be assuming.
I have been looving these deep dive analytical videos on SA2 levels. Though hat might be obvious to tell, from my profile pic lol
People who memed and mock this game are just jealous.
He makes this game sound like its a masterpiece
It is.
This is why I love this guy.
@@leaonidasgames4277 ehhh some of the mech and treasure hunting levels are mediocre like Death Chamber and Mission Street
@@theminecraft2516 You basically said my favorite Treasure Hunt and Mech level lol (Actually Hidden Base is no.1, but Mission Street isn't too far), I think Mad Space and Cosmic Wall are worse.
It’s refreshing to not hear someone jump on the bandwagon and rant over a 20 year old game
This is nowhere near related to this video, but I really would love to see some streams where ZoomZike plays D&D with his friends and he is the DM.
3:44
I tried beating the game after preforming this skip a year ago
I gave up on Crazy Gadget since I couldn't preform the speedrunning skip required to get past the Light speed dash part but if I were to do it, it's possible to beat SA2 without that good old upgrade
"...decide if you're gonna save the phoenix - YOU ALWAYS SHOULD..."
The KFP-approved method of beating the level o7
Kentucky Fried Pheonix!?
Since you kept talking about how the game gives you the option to skip or cut short any automation a lot of the time, I'm surprised you didn't mention how Sonic will jump off of the rocket early if you mash A. I think this one is particularly clever because someone who hates automated sections is probably going to be mashing A at that part anyways ;)
literally five seconds ago, i finished your radical highway video and wondered if you were going to make more. now here we are! thanks for the great videos dude, sa2 has always been a favorite of mine.
You missed the green forest review
@@KingMagenta already watched the green forest review, its the one that introduced me to this channel! i've been going through the back catalog.
I love this stage, and have a method which I didn't see you showcase.
At the timed rocket launch pad section I always jumped off towards the base of the rocket where the bounce pads are, bounce off to the other side where the steep ramp section starts, and use a spindash enhanced jump about midway up the ramp to throw myself up to the upper section. I then hit the light speed trail and grab the top handle.
This is by far when of my favorite techs to do in the game.
I love the lore analysis like with the reasoning of the Missle launch (was often curious on why sonic and friends are casual about gun starting a nuclear war(well eggman has p*ssed on the moon before, so I guess it checks out)
I remember watching some clips of some letsplayers sucking at that part were you were supposed to take the Light Speed Shoes, trying to proceed forward despite the giant gap to the next platform that was obviously impossible to jump across normally. I don't know if they were acting obtuse on purpose just to "prove" that Sonic games are terrible, or they just sucked that much at video games.
Can confirm, PB&Jeff did this very thing in their attempted playthrough of Sonic Adventure 2. It is probably the most annoying thing ever, listening to people complain about something that really wasn't intended to be difficult or challenging if they just put a little more thought into it.
But then again, their primary talent is for entertainment, not necessarily to be good at video games. There could also be something of a Let's Play curse, where it's just more difficult to concentrate on gameplay while trying to be entertaining.
Also also, they could be hamming it up specifically because their audience would enjoy that kind of joke. Or rather, they're playing into the stereotype for some easy laughs, perhaps even subconsciously; like they've only heard of this game being "bad", so they automatically attribute every issue they have to just the game being "bad, without giving it another thought
Something you didn't mention: If you mash A, Sonic gets off the missile slightly faster. It doesn't mean much in a regular playthrough of the level, but in the 4th mission, those saved seconds have been the difference between completion and death for me before.
If only the movie had existed back in the 90s. We could've chalked Sonic being able to destroy a military-grade fighter jet with a single jump up to his energy-that-will-likely-be-named-in-the-sequel
Consider the following: In SA1 we saw that regular ammunation didn't do anything to Chaos 0, but Sonic's homing attack did. That tells us that Sonic's strength (or at least that of his rolling jump) goes beyond even military-grade equipment, without going out of their way to spell it out for us.
considering what sonic and shadow have done it makes sense that military equipment is nothing to them
Really enjoy watching these level retrospectives.
Three Sonic Adventure 2 Level analysis videos in one week? ZoomZike is too powerful
I'm expecting to get White Jungle, Sky Rail, & Pyramid Cave next week & then Crazy Gadget, Final Rush, & Final Chase the week after that unless something unexpected happens like a review of Iron Gate or Wild Canyon.
I love these level breakdowns, because they help me understand why this game works and others in the series don't do it for me. I love the verticality of it and that it feels fast without having to whip you through a huge stage like the boost games.
YES THERES GONNA BE A WHOLE SERIES I LOVE THIS
Damn, ZoomZike's been on an SA2 marathon
I deadass didn't even know there was a proper path to get to the top spring on the missile. I've only ever spin dash jumped there, which always left me with a ton of leftover time.
GUN: Alright, he got away, we have to kill the Hedgehog with a missile!
*launches missile*
GUN: NOOO!! IT WAS A DUD!!
If only jailbreaks in real life were this insane.
I mean, I assume they are even more insane, considering one has to straight up dash out of the country to not get caught again.
So the cirminal would need to hold a handle of a missle skateboard underwater and then escape
Oooooo boy! I love listening to Ska Rock while escaping Prison!
I’ve been playing this game since I was 7 years old and I never knew you could destroy the jets or finish the level without the light speed dash until now. I love that I’m still learning things about my favorite game of all time!
I didn't realise there was a lower platform with a rocket under that lightspeed dash trail at the end of the aircraft carrier until this video, and I've owned, played through, and fully A-ranked the game on multiple systems since and including the original Dreamcast version lol.
The music and the game design is amazing! The rocket part makes ur heart beat so fast
And oh yes the rocket part. Every kids worst nightmare
Also, big thing about this level is with proper timing, you could easily clear this under 2 minutes
Please keep up with this series, I always loved the speed stages in SA2 but man you show us new levels that I personally never knew (such as the rocket to catch your fall if you miss the light speed dash). This game is truly amazing!
I can't wait for Sky Rail and Pyramid Cave honestly they're my 2 favorite stages in the game.
Well you don't have long to wait, White Jungle, Sky Rail, & Pyramid Cave should probably be coming out soon. I'm hoping Pyramid Cave & Crazy Gadget videos go into how the stages are exclusive for 1 Player. I also have hopes Sky Rail's video mentions that at 1 point it was going to be a Sonic Stage & how treasure hunters can dig up item boxes there for some reason. Do you think we'll ever get a video for the 2P Level 1 Stages that focuses almost entirely on the awesome stage that aesthetically looks like nothing else in the game known as Grind Race?
The thing about Level 1 Stages in 2P is that 1 of each is based on a Hero Stage, while the other is based on a Dark Stage. Pool Quest = Aquatic Mine, Planet Quest = Mad Space, Pyramid Race = Hidden Base, Deck Race = Weapon's Bed, Downtown Race is based on the 1st Part of City Escape. Grind Race however is likely based on a scrapped Shadow Stage that may have ended up being replaced by Sky Rail.
Honestly, Metal Harbor is the textbook example of how to make a linear Sonic level work.
This is probably one of the most linear stages in the franchise and yet it's surprising how many things happen at the same time despite that.
generations version of this stage looks good.
These are too good Zike. Keep em coming
This series has been youtube recommendation gold. Super cool to catch up while it's still ongoing
Last time I was this early, sonic was mistaken for shadow. Your work is amazing, and I'm really glad I'm subbed
My personal wish level of every SA2 character that I would like to see talked about are:
Sonic - Pyramid Cave (it was Metal Harbor before this video)
Tails - Mission Street
Knuckles - Pumpkin Mountain
Shadow - Sky Rail
Eggman - Lost Colony
Rouge - Egg Quaters
What perfect timing. I spent an hour getting A-Rank on the first mission of Metal Harbour today lol
fun fact the spindash jump to skip the light speed dash was actually made easier on gamecube and later platforms because on dreamcast we didn't have the platforms to climb on so the task was more difficult
Sonic team put so much detail into this era of sonic games. These videos are very touching. Wouldn’t mind if you talked about every adventure styled level starting from adventure 1 to heroes lol.
Man. It's weird watching a Sonic video that isn't just bashing the game. Weird, but very refreshing.
These type of videos on Sonic Adventure 2 only reassures me why this game deserves to be my favorite Sonic game and labeled one of the best entries of all time in the entire series.
I love the detail that, depending on where you grab on to the rocket, the position Sonic is is actually different. Like it's not just a single Cutscene but 2 and it plays the one depending on where you hold on to the rocket. This is such a small yet good detail.
holy shit! another upload only after 2 days?? bro this is making me so happy rn :D
4:46 rip gun beetles
Oh my gosh Zoomzike how are you putting out all these quality videos so quickly?
Just saw the reply you sent to me on the last video, and now this. I cant wait for whatever level (levels?) You decide to do in the future for this game. Playing it without the nostalgia goggles showed me that sonic really can be a fantastic game when it gets in a groove.
I just realized, the sudden timer at the end here and how little time it gives you to spare makes Green Forest even MORE stressful on a first playthrough, because there's no reason to assume that the game would suddenly be generous with its time limits!
Great stuff, man! These SA2 level design videos are doing a great job breaking down what made these levels so special. Any plans on doing some for Adventure 1 or maybe even Heroes in the future? (If you like that game, it's one of my favorites but I know it isn't for everyone, but the levels in both it and SA1 seem ripe for this kind of analysis! Man, I miss the Adventure era...)
Really hope he does all the speed stages these videos are great!
i'mn ot gonna lie, i just found your channel. i don't even really care about these sonic levels. I've beaten the game a few times and learn nothing new. but your voice and the passion in which you speak is very delightful
Thank you, I Appreciate it :)
6:36 I legit went 😲 I’ve played this game for 17 years and never knew that.
I've been binge watching these videos about stages and I'm loving it
My favorite detail about this stage is the singular ring at the top of the final pulley platform. That ring is the 100th ring in the level.
I enjoy it because the mission 2 A rank is very easy if you know where the first 100 rings are but very difficult if you don't. So you basically get a freebie A rank as a reward for exploring the entire level and leaving the beaten path on multiple occasions
I hated that ring, the amount of times I finish this level missing one ring and always giving the question where it is...
It really isn't, the A rank time limit is so comically generous that if you have no idea there's a ring hidden there, the ring capsule on the rocket platform leading to the giant missile will give you your 100th ring with 15 seconds to spare still.
I know this cause I'm playing SA2 for the first time and outright did this last night and was disappointed by how lenient the timer is despite how tight mission 1's A rank was.
I believe that all times in Battle were made a bit easier
@@chackbro1 This made me curious so I went to see what the differences between SA2 and SA2B A rank requirements are, and funny enough it's the opposite; in Cosmic Wall SA2B almost straight up doubled the score required in missions 1, 4, and 5 making the stage way harder. They also for some reason made the time limit for Final Rush's mission 3 15 seconds stricter (which is bullshit in its own right because the rail leading to the chao is bugged and unusable requiring a clever workaround under greater time pressure).
Absolutely no other changes though weirdly enough between versions, even though there's a *lot* of mission 2 and 3 times that are so lenient they could have reduced the time limit by 30+ seconds and the A rank would still be too easy.
9:48 "Save the phoenix" could easily express trying to seize the full reward of an opportunity. Who's with me!
Whoever placed these beetles that allow Sonic to escape must be REALLY stupid, oh wait they can't tell sonic and shadow apart. Yah checks out
It was a coverup to prevent the public of shadows existence
@@rankrodent2772 so they lockup sonic for shadow's crimes
@@megarotom1590 any means necessary to cover up shadows existence
man i love your videos, its just always a reminder on how much time, effort and creativity is put into each and every level and just games in general. truly inspiring.
>Pinned Shadow's crimes on.
Finally, someone else gets it.
It makes a lot more sense than them mistaking him for Shadow, that's for sure
4:23 To be fair, to my understanding planes don't tend to be armored that much, and Sonic does seem to pack a wallop.
Though also to be fair, they are flying at absolutely *ridiculously* close range. Modern RL warplanes can shoot things well beyond visible range, I guess they just wanna show off for the camera.
I can keep watching these deeper looks on game levels(especially Sonic Adventure 2) of yours and not get tired of them. Great work as always.
The light shoe skip makes me want to see a video of how to skip all upgrades and still beat the game
@ELI BONHAM I wouldn't be surprised if there was some convaluted exploit to get around it.
The game's programming checks to see if you have the Digging Tool & intentionally spawns the 3rd Shard or 3rd Key in Pumpkin Hill & Egg Quarters somewhere you'll need to dig if you don't have it. Likewise both the Hammer Gloves & Iron Boots are required upgrades for clearing the stages Death Chamber & Mad Space. Eggman, Knuckles, & Rouge need Mystic Melody to clear at least 1 of their 3rd Missions. See Iron Gate, Meteor Herd, & Mad Space. I'm pretty sure you also need to be able to break through Steel Containers as Tails & Eggman. Likewise in order to clear all 5th Missions Knuckles & Rouge need Sun Glasses & Treasure Scope to use hidden springs that are necessary to get certain emeralds/keys like in Pumpkin Hill.
Please, do not get arrested just to break out of jail
Next video title: Real Prison Had No Rocket Launch
"Mission Street wasn't so fun in real life."
Your video convinced me so I decided to give escaping from a prison a shot. Gotta say, it's not quite as fun as it looks
[yes of course I'm joking]
I'm LOVING these videos!
I Really like these sonic level analysis videos, good content!
Also, adding to the 2nd missile route. If you go to the easy spring, when you're flying into the sky, you are shown glimpses of a 2nd handrail for sonic to grab, inciting curiosity on the players on how to get there.
I kinda assumed the missile was a rocket trying to go to the ARK to stop Eggman, explaining why their robots were there
If you mash A while on the rocket you get off it earlier than usual, making yet another automatic section skippable.
Great video dude nice balance between comedy and analysis
One of my favorite levels, probably the one I replayed the most, and the closest I’ve ever come to the mindset of a speedrunner, given that I examined every nook and cranny this level had to offer
It’s actually possible to overshoot the goal ring and die, I did it once, and spent years trying to do it again to prove I wasn’t crazy, but was never able to figure it out, to this day I don’t know if it was a glitch or what, but I do know it was real
Wow another zoomzike video! This is hype as hell!!! Love your videos!
Been loving all these SA2 level analysis videos, especially right after I got off a major SA2 kick. Can't wait for the inevitable Crazy Gadget video.
10:45 i just noticed that there's a baby seal near the base of the missile and now I feel bad for letting it die at least a hundred times as a kid
I'm loving these! You're doing such a great job of showing the little details that most people miss, I'm sure there are people who will play the game for the first time because of your videos! Loving the speedrunning tidbits in the commentary as well
Man, Sonic must feel like garbage after mashing his body into robots all game. Man needs a doctor. No, not that one.
I like how for recording purposes ZoomZike has to make Sonic stand still so he can show us the level but just imagine in-game with GUN trying to recapture Sonic and he’s just standing there just staring.
He's just standing there....menacingly
A couple of notes about Metal Harbor:
- Grabbing the upper handle of the missile is basically required in order to get an A rank for a casual as myself.
- Plus, Metal Harbor demonstrates the awesomeness of SA2's ranking system and the Replay Value it gives the game. Light Speed Dashing into those first rings into the rail gives you points, homing attacking multiple robots gives you points, Light Speed Dashing rings gives you points, somersaulting below barriers with nice timing gives you points... it feels excellent to master the ranking system and this holds true for every stage of the game, including the other playstyles.
- The second mission is very interesting since all those lined up rings, plus the checkpoint that always gives you 20 rings, sum up to 99 rings and you need to find the last one quickly for an A rank. And because of that, they put a secret lone ring atop the ceiling from the pullling mechanism at 8:00.
- It's great how a lot of the "decorating" stuff like those metal cointainers do have collision and you can go stand on them and maybe try to find shortcuts. That's why the Adventure formula is the best.
- I love collecting the 20 animals in a stage, I think it's an underrated activity of SA2 (admittedly I haven't gone and collected all animals in all stages either lol). I think it's a neat exploration and completionist challenge.
- The multiplayer map is very interesting. It has a lot of extra ring boxes on the side for players to use their special abilities, and it adds springs as alternative if someone collects the Light Speed Dash rings although it is a slower route. Since the Goal Ring is on the rocket, maneuvering that area can make or break a race.
- Have I mentioned how cool and awesome SA2 is?
The SA2B ranking system is pretty challenging and I'm grateful for that!
If you like Decoration Collision you should check out how much of it exists in the 2P Exclusive Stage "Grind Race", the level may be almost entirely on rails, although you have to wonder what a 1P Version of this stage that had off rail sections & tons of enemies would have been like. Never forget Shadow's Scrapped Stage!
I loved this game as a kid so happy to see some appreciation for it too
Metal Harbour was always one of my favourite stages from the game. It's not the longest, but it's one of the most fun for its fast gameplay. Still I never noticed some of these details. Thanks for letting me fall in love with this level again!
I don't know if you only plan to look at Sonic/Shadow levels, but *man,* I loved Cosmic Wall. The feeling of soaring through space and blasting the crap out of everything as Eggman is so fun. It's probably the closest the series has gotten to letting you actually fly around as Eggman in the Eggmobile, causing utter havoc. It's great.
I'm from the future. The Cosmic Wall video was great.
I'm mad at myself for dying from the missile part 3 times because of the homing attack not liking me
You probably mashed the A button too fast, you first need to wait until the robot fully appears for the homing attack to lock-on,
Every time i watch these videos, I learn at least one new thing I never noticed before. Awesome job!
ANOTHER INCREDIBLE VIDEO DUDE!
When you're done with the series, you gotta comment on the glitches. SA2 is one of those games where experiencing a variety of glitches is immensely enjoyable. Even stuff that just kills you is humourous, like falling through the floor in City Escape when you land from a trick ramp just right. My favourite glitch is swimming out of the level in Death Chamber by standing on top of a specific hourglass. When the time runs out it flips over and pushes you out of the level. Great stuff.
Damn, you're really doing every speed level? Well, I've got nothing on this one, it's interesting that metal harbor and weapons bed have pretty similar open-ish level design, which makes sense as they take place in the same area, I found that to always be a nice touch.
12:08 ahahahahaha. I never laughed this much at a video. It's so overly dramatic and I love it.
Somehow I always learn something new about the level even tho I’ve played these over an over