Every time a new system is released, you can always count on one game at launch time that will give consumers an idea of what the system is capable of. For the Sega Dreamcast, Sonic Adventure is that game. 

Boasting some of the best graphics ever seen on a home console, Sonic and his pals are back for another round of spin-dashing, ring-collecting, robot-smashing fun. Not only that, but this is also Sonic's first fully 3D adventure. So is Sonic Adventure a worthy purchase for your Dreamcast? Well, unless you don't like your games to have outstanding graphics and sound, lots of options, minigames galore, and a massive world to explore, absolutely! 

Now, the first time somebody sees Sonic Adventure, they are likely to make their first comment about the graphics. That's because they're simply beautiful! From the first stage all the way to the last, there is never an ugly area to be found. The textures on the walls and floors look great and the characters are all seamless polygon models of perfection. Let's make no mistake about this: Sonic will most likely be the most incredible looking game you've ever seen. Every place Sonic
travels to is alive and in living color. Whether he's running down the beach with water splashing beneath his feet, or snowboarding down a hill to outrun the avalanche crashing down behind him, Sonic has never looked better. 

Another area where Sonic Adventure succeeds is sound and music. Sound effects are standard adventure game fare with some old sounds from the Genesis days of Sonic thrown in for kicks. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is not standard at all.  It's amazing.  With the exception of the cheesy character themes, there is a fitting song for every area of the game. From rock 'n' roll to jazz, Sonic Adventure will push your stereo system to the max. Almost every song is enjoyable and none are likely to get on your nerves even if you keep dying in one spot and have to play through the area over and over. The music will just make things more bearable.  It's simply one of the best soundtracks out there. 

Music aside, the voice acting is a mixed bag.  Most of the character voices are pretty good considering its supposed to be like a cartoon, but they're not always executed properly. For example, in a battle with Knuckles, Sonic is supposed to spin-dash into Knuckles in order to defeat him. When he does, Knuckles lets out a very unemotional, "Oh no.". Things like that can make the game seem corny at times, but the gameplay should be enough to help a player look past them. 

Now, with excellent graphics and sound, one might think that Sega would be content to release a mediocre game that could be carried in sales by those two things alone. Luckily, this isn't the case because Sonic plays great and is a lot of fun. In fact, gameplay is where the game shines the most. 

There are six characters for the player to choose from and each one has their own adventure. Not only that, but they're all quite different, so it's not like playing through the same game six times. For example, Big the Cat has fishing based levels while Amy has levels based on evading a big robot.  Everybody has something different. As result, you get 6 different games in one.  Also, there are a good number of mini-games to be played throughout the different adventures. From racing a bumper car to playing pinball, there is a wide variety of things to do. 

In what could probably be described as the greatest mini-game of all, there are certain spots in the game that Sonic will run across rooms or isolated patches of land that contain mysterious eggs.  If Sonic hatches one or more of these eggs, you will be introduced to creatures called "Chao" who can be raised in similar fashion to Tamagotchi through the Dreamcast VMU. After hatching a Chao, Sonic can transfer it from the main game into the VMU and players can then take the VMU out and about to play with the Chao at any given time.  Sound like fun?  It is!  It's not necessary to do this to complete the game, but it's there if you want to explore it and, should you do so, you may find yourself having a lot of fun being a virtual parent. 

Despite all it has going for it, Sonic does have a few bugs. Now and then Sonic can run so fast that he goes right through walls or the ground. Another complaint is that the camera can position itself in strange places. Characters can either be too far away from the camera or way too close making it hard to see what you're doing. Neither of these bugs occur that frequently, though, so it shouldn't be enough to keep anybody from purchasing the game.

Overall, Sonic Adventure is an enjoyable game with a few minor glitches that can easily be overlooked. If you own a Dreamcast, you really should own this game. It does a great job of showcasing some of the  Dreamcast's capabilities and it gives the player a good time in the process.