Shadow the HedgehogĬharacters new to the Sonic series were the jewel thief Rouge the Bat and revenge-obsessed Shadow the Hedgehog, whom the game's story conveys as being notoriously similar in appearance to Sonic. This formula would later be repeated in Sonic Heroes and Shadow The Hedgehog. The ''adventure fields'' hub stages of Sonic Adventure were also removed entirely, putting the focus squarely on action stages just as Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic The Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles did. Rather than have Sonic's homing attack lock on to anything near him (even objects behind him), Sonic Adventure 2's homing attack requires players to point Sonic in the general direction of the object they wanted to strike. For example, rather than the extended charge-up time required to execute Sonic's 'Light Speed Dash' in Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 shortened the name to 'Light Dash' and had it instantly accessible at the touch of a button. Boasting vastly improved visuals, a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second framerate, it streamlined and expanded many of the conventions introduced in the original Sonic Adventure.
Two years after Sonic Adventure brought Sega's mascot back to the forefront of the company, Sonic Team released its sequel, Sonic Adventure 2.
