After Sonic Adventures 1&2, any good Sonic games?

[wakeup]

I played Sonic Adventures 1 & 2, the Sonic stages are great, but all the other characters (tail including) were horrible. I heard Sonic Heroes doesn't have those find emeralds (I mean WTH find emeralds?!?) and those other horrible stages. Yet people still like Sonic Adventures more. What was wrong with Sonic Heroes?

Also what's wrong in the Shadow game and is Sonic Unleashed any good?

[Hatta]

I liked Sonic Rush a lot, but that's handheld. Dunno about consoles.

In Sonic Heroes you control a party of 3 characters each with different abilities and switch between them all the time. It's pretty annoying when you just want to run full speed through a level with Sonic. It wouldn't be so bad if it were just the light and dark characters, but then you've got the big-the-cat team and the stupid team chaotix. If I ever see any of those characters again it'll be too soon.

[wakeup]

I liked Sonic Rush a lot, but that's handheld. Dunno about consoles.

In Sonic Heroes you control a party of 3 characters each with different abilities and switch between them all the time. It's pretty annoying when you just want to run full speed through a level with Sonic. It wouldn't be so bad if it were just the light and dark characters, but then you've got the big-the-cat team and the stupid team chaotix. If I ever see any of those characters again it'll be too soon.

Can you like play only the light and dark characters story? or is it like SA where it's one after the other and you must play those awful characters?

[Reverend]

Sonic Rush was a blast!
Sonic Rush Adventure wasn't as good, but still not bad.

Sonic Advance 1,2, and 3 were also nice. I prefer the second.

That's about it Maybe project Needlemouse will be the next great game.

[Jrecee]

The problem with Sonic Heroes is that on one hand they just gave you the "Sonic stages" and yet on the other they jammed the crappiness of the other characters into them. I don't remember if you have to beat the game as all the teams to get a final ending, but you can play pretty much the whole game as the Sonic/Dark team. The chaotix game sucks because it's laid out like an action stage but you have to find pointless crap. Basically imagine playing Speed Highway in Sonic adventure 1 but having to find 15 crabs on your way through it. Not fun.

Also, they dragged the game down with really horrible enemy battle areas where you have to beat all the enemies to continue. Basically the game was too short so they stuffed that crap in there to make it longer. The enemies are all basically the same design too and not cool to fight at all. Also, the boss battles are horrible. There's only like 2 actual boss battles in the entire game. The other "bosses" are basically the vs character battles like Sonic Vs. Knuckles in SA1 or these crappy arenas where robotnik watches you and you have to fight MORE of the same enemies over and over.

The levels also amplify the number of cheap deaths and bottomless pits beyond what even the Sonic Adventure games had.

Shadow the hedgehog seemed like it had potential. You basically play as the "speed character" in the sonic heroes engine which sounds good. The weapons are horrible and pointless. The story is awful in every way. The cut scenes look like something out of a 5th grade intro to 3D animation class (the non-CG'd ones), the cheap deaths are ramped up even higher than Sonic Heroes, all the levels have been coated with a layer of grunginess that makes it look like low-poly gears of war, and shadows lines sound like something that would come out of a 12 year olds mouth the first time he gets the balls to swear in front of his parents. "Dr. Robotnik, You're going straight to HELL!". "Damn, Not again!" Oooh! A sonic character said Damn! This is one mature game!

[Dylan]

It's a game about a HEDGEHOG with ROCKET KLOGS that RUNS THROUGH HOOPS and COLLECTS RINGS with his ANIMAL FRIENDS, and they expect us to TAKE IT SERIOUSLY?

[Barry the Nomad]

What a wonderfully written post!

I heard Sonic Heroes doesn't have those find emeralds (I mean WTH find emeralds?!?) and those other horrible stages.

Heroes in fact DOES have Emeralds that you find via special stages, just like you would in the old school games. So yes, Heroes has "find emeralds". Outside of SA1&2, I recommend Heroes as it's a decent game. Avoid Shadow and Sonic '06 at all costs. Sonic Unleashed is great for the day stages and decent for the night stages.

[General Chaos]

I'm going to second the handheld recommendations and add a couple. I'm actually not sure if the NGPC version of Sonic came out after the DC ones, but it would have been close. If you can, check it out (I believe it's called Sonic Pocket Adventure). I'm not sure if you're looking for spin-offs as well, but Sonic Battle for the GBA is also pretty good. It's probably the closest we'll get to a Sonic Smash Bros.

[Barry the Nomad]

I'm actually not sure if the NGPC version of Sonic came out after the DC ones, but it would have been close.

The NGPC Sonic game came out just 3 months after the US release of SA1. I remember it being a huge deal, not only because it was on a non-Sega system but also because it brought the SA style to a 2D game. In fact, Sonic Pocket Adventure was the transistion from the classic Eggman to his current style. As stated by Wikipedia: Eggman himself wears his original red shirt and yellow cape for most of the game, but wears his newer outfit in his base, at the finale of the game.

[IcKy99]

as a Sonic fan, i have to say Sonic Unleash was only HALF BAD. the daytime sonic levels were AMAZINGLY FUN! but its the werehog that spoils the game. If you can handle button mashing beatem'up levels with frustrating platforming elements, you can handle Sonic Unleashed. I think its worth putting up with the BS just to play the daytime levels haha