RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > Sonic Adventure 2 multi-dimensional OST
Reviewed by: Kie
The second Sonic Dreamcast title was a little disappointing compared to the original as it lacked new gameplay. But enough about the game itself, let's talk music. The soundtracks of games that are ridiculed always seem to be the best ones. This is no exception. Most of the songs are built around guitar and synth tunes. Alas, as it is a 60 track 2 disc OST, I'll highlight the good and a few of the bad.
The OST is split up into 2 discs: A Hero side and a Dark side CD respectively. It is just like the game in those terms, although a few of the tracks in the game are for both, but were randomly picked to go on a certain disc. Personally, I think it would have been more effective as a 30-30 OST instead of the 29-31 this has, but that's just picky me. Anyway on with the tracks.
The Hero side is a good place to begin. SA2 is a cool instrumental version of Live and Learn. It has pretty good guitar riffs and drum beats. The only problem is that is gets too repetitive and after a while it just stops. But still worth a listen.
Escape from the City is the first level on the Hero side and it involves cool vocals mixed with a guitar tune. The lyrics can get repetitive but the music is pretty awesome. I'd recommend you find the instrumental version which is on the Sound Test, but not on the OST.
That's the Way I like it is the theme to Metal Harbour. The trumpets and guitar are the main instruments used to a percussion background. They all blend in quite well to a good and upbeat, catchy tune. The actual track on the OST is a little different to the game because it has a cool start and finish, something the other tracks lack. Good stuff.
Won't Stop, Just Go is the Green Forest theme. Based on a guitar for the tune, it's fast paced, like Sonic songs are supposed to be, which is great. The percussion is pretty cool as it mixes with the guitar at times. Other than that, nice tune all round.
Keys the Ruin has a tropical feel to it. It's the Pyramid Cave theme and has a cool electric guitar as opposed to the normal guitar of the other songs. The bass has some tune to it. But the electric guitar is just awesome. A great piece.
Highway in the Sky is the theme for final level for Sonic in the Hero side, Final Rush. It has a cool electric guitar mixed with normal guitar and heavy base. It's not a bad tune. It could be improved with maybe a different instrument used but oh well.
The Way Out is a brilliant Sonic Adventure 2 song. It is the theme for the first Tails level Prison Lane. It uses heavy and soft synths for the start of the theme and then goes into a heavy guitar for the coolest part and then back to synths. The guitar solo is just cool, definitely worth a listen to, one of the best songs in the game and in any Sonic game for that matter.
Down in the Base is a pretty cool track also. For Tails' Hidden base theme, it starts off pretty strong but without really well done tune. The good tune comes at about the middle of the song with the heavy synth returning for a cool solo and then it's back to the guitars for the finish.
The Tails levels seem to be the best ones on the Hero disc because On the Edge is also an awesome track, the theme to Eternal Engine. Starting off with a little guitar solo then moving to a guitar/synth bit. Then a heavy and electric guitar are paired up and it sounds awesome. The best part would be from about 1:10+ when the cool synth solo comes in with an awesome tune which will keep the head banging going.
Skipping to relatively the only good Knuckles song on the OST unless you like rapping. The music generally isn't well done on the Knuckles levels which is a real shame. The Boss: Masters of the Desert track is a cool battle theme for Knuckles. It's got a good heavy guitar at the start which is the tune's instrument throughout the song. I'm not saying this song's brilliant, but I have to mention one Knuckles song.
Onto the Dark side disc now and the first track is again, impressive. Vengeance is Mine is a cool theme for Shadow's Radical Highway. It uses a lot of electric sound effects to go with the guitar tune and pretty cool drum beat also. A great start to the disc.
Not a bad song either is Rhythm and Balance. This includes some gibbon noises (yes the animal) and a bit of vocal amongst the heavy drums, percussion and keyboard. The scene is definitely set for White Jungle, the level to the theme, as the entire song sounds like you're in a jungle.
By now you're probably wondering what's with the Advertise and Events and such for some songs. Basically, those are songs that play during the FMVs and all that is between levels. Of course, they're not really worth mentioning.
Another guitar/synth join up is Mr.Unsmiley, the theme to Sky Rail. This theme isn't bad. It has some fast paced synth at times for the fast level. The drums are pretty good in this song too. The song itself might get repetitive after a while which is a good thing the level is short and you can die easily, so it always sounds good in-game.
For True Story is a very fast paced song, as it's the song that plays when Sonic and Shadow fight the final time, in a fast running fight with the floor falling from beneath them. It's got heavy cymbals as some of the solos which are original but the rest is synths. Not bad at all.
Soarin' Over the Space is a good Eggman level theme. The Cosmic Wall song starts off with a siren noise and a few beats of the drums. Those continue through the song. There is guitar in the middle of the song but most of it is synth. It can get horribly repetitive especially as that level is particularly long.
34ºN, 12ºE would be the only good song for Rouge's levels (there are other Eggman levels but they're not as good). The theme to Mad Space does have vocals in it but the theme itself isn't badly done. It has a spacey feel to it anyway. Not bad at all.
Boss: Shut up Faker is a cool battle song for the second time Sonic fights Shadow. It's got a lot of percussion behind the guitar tune and it's fast paced too. There is synth in there too slightly, on its own though. It gets that little cooler when the guitar pitch is raised and then the better synth solo comes in. Good stuff indeed.
Co-operation is the second song to appear in the series of 3 songs on the Cannon's Core level which involves all characters. It is a slow paced one as it involves the slow characters. It has relative guitar tunes in it, but the slightly faster part is the only real good part.
Deep Inside Of is the third Cannon's Core song and is quite awesome. It is the one that plays during Sonic's part of the level and is therefore fast paced and well done. The heavy synth works with the guitar interludes and the best part is probably around 0:36-0:49 where it gets into quite the cool synth solo which plays again at about 1:26. A great way to end the last action stage.
The final track of the OST is the best vocal song in the game by far. Live and Learn plays during the final fight as Super Sonic and Super Shadow fight Perfect Chaos. And what a way to finish the game. To the tune of SA2 but with more on it and vocals included, brilliant vocals I add, by Johnny Gioeli, it's the perfect battle scene. A must listen.
And to summarize, the OST is a great addition to the Sonic series of good songs. It's great to see Sega showing an interest in guitars for their Sonic games now, let's hope they keep it up in future games.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
Sonic Adventure 2 multi-dimensional OST Published by: Marvelous Entertainment Release Date: September 05th 2001 Composed by: Jun Senoue, Kenichi Tokoi, Fumie Kumatani, Tomoya Ohtani Arranged by: Jun Senoue, Kenichi Tokoi, Tomoya Ohtani, Fumie Kumatani, Heigo Tani 2 Discs, 60 Tracks Catalog: MJCG-80075 |
91 |
Reviewed by: Kie
The second Sonic Dreamcast title was a little disappointing compared to the original as it lacked new gameplay. But enough about the game itself, let's talk music. The soundtracks of games that are ridiculed always seem to be the best ones. This is no exception. Most of the songs are built around guitar and synth tunes. Alas, as it is a 60 track 2 disc OST, I'll highlight the good and a few of the bad.
The OST is split up into 2 discs: A Hero side and a Dark side CD respectively. It is just like the game in those terms, although a few of the tracks in the game are for both, but were randomly picked to go on a certain disc. Personally, I think it would have been more effective as a 30-30 OST instead of the 29-31 this has, but that's just picky me. Anyway on with the tracks.
The Hero side is a good place to begin. SA2 is a cool instrumental version of Live and Learn. It has pretty good guitar riffs and drum beats. The only problem is that is gets too repetitive and after a while it just stops. But still worth a listen.
Escape from the City is the first level on the Hero side and it involves cool vocals mixed with a guitar tune. The lyrics can get repetitive but the music is pretty awesome. I'd recommend you find the instrumental version which is on the Sound Test, but not on the OST.
That's the Way I like it is the theme to Metal Harbour. The trumpets and guitar are the main instruments used to a percussion background. They all blend in quite well to a good and upbeat, catchy tune. The actual track on the OST is a little different to the game because it has a cool start and finish, something the other tracks lack. Good stuff.
Won't Stop, Just Go is the Green Forest theme. Based on a guitar for the tune, it's fast paced, like Sonic songs are supposed to be, which is great. The percussion is pretty cool as it mixes with the guitar at times. Other than that, nice tune all round.
Keys the Ruin has a tropical feel to it. It's the Pyramid Cave theme and has a cool electric guitar as opposed to the normal guitar of the other songs. The bass has some tune to it. But the electric guitar is just awesome. A great piece.
Highway in the Sky is the theme for final level for Sonic in the Hero side, Final Rush. It has a cool electric guitar mixed with normal guitar and heavy base. It's not a bad tune. It could be improved with maybe a different instrument used but oh well.
The Way Out is a brilliant Sonic Adventure 2 song. It is the theme for the first Tails level Prison Lane. It uses heavy and soft synths for the start of the theme and then goes into a heavy guitar for the coolest part and then back to synths. The guitar solo is just cool, definitely worth a listen to, one of the best songs in the game and in any Sonic game for that matter.
Down in the Base is a pretty cool track also. For Tails' Hidden base theme, it starts off pretty strong but without really well done tune. The good tune comes at about the middle of the song with the heavy synth returning for a cool solo and then it's back to the guitars for the finish.
The Tails levels seem to be the best ones on the Hero disc because On the Edge is also an awesome track, the theme to Eternal Engine. Starting off with a little guitar solo then moving to a guitar/synth bit. Then a heavy and electric guitar are paired up and it sounds awesome. The best part would be from about 1:10+ when the cool synth solo comes in with an awesome tune which will keep the head banging going.
Skipping to relatively the only good Knuckles song on the OST unless you like rapping. The music generally isn't well done on the Knuckles levels which is a real shame. The Boss: Masters of the Desert track is a cool battle theme for Knuckles. It's got a good heavy guitar at the start which is the tune's instrument throughout the song. I'm not saying this song's brilliant, but I have to mention one Knuckles song.
Onto the Dark side disc now and the first track is again, impressive. Vengeance is Mine is a cool theme for Shadow's Radical Highway. It uses a lot of electric sound effects to go with the guitar tune and pretty cool drum beat also. A great start to the disc.
Not a bad song either is Rhythm and Balance. This includes some gibbon noises (yes the animal) and a bit of vocal amongst the heavy drums, percussion and keyboard. The scene is definitely set for White Jungle, the level to the theme, as the entire song sounds like you're in a jungle.
By now you're probably wondering what's with the Advertise and Events and such for some songs. Basically, those are songs that play during the FMVs and all that is between levels. Of course, they're not really worth mentioning.
Another guitar/synth join up is Mr.Unsmiley, the theme to Sky Rail. This theme isn't bad. It has some fast paced synth at times for the fast level. The drums are pretty good in this song too. The song itself might get repetitive after a while which is a good thing the level is short and you can die easily, so it always sounds good in-game.
For True Story is a very fast paced song, as it's the song that plays when Sonic and Shadow fight the final time, in a fast running fight with the floor falling from beneath them. It's got heavy cymbals as some of the solos which are original but the rest is synths. Not bad at all.
Soarin' Over the Space is a good Eggman level theme. The Cosmic Wall song starts off with a siren noise and a few beats of the drums. Those continue through the song. There is guitar in the middle of the song but most of it is synth. It can get horribly repetitive especially as that level is particularly long.
34ºN, 12ºE would be the only good song for Rouge's levels (there are other Eggman levels but they're not as good). The theme to Mad Space does have vocals in it but the theme itself isn't badly done. It has a spacey feel to it anyway. Not bad at all.
Boss: Shut up Faker is a cool battle song for the second time Sonic fights Shadow. It's got a lot of percussion behind the guitar tune and it's fast paced too. There is synth in there too slightly, on its own though. It gets that little cooler when the guitar pitch is raised and then the better synth solo comes in. Good stuff indeed.
Co-operation is the second song to appear in the series of 3 songs on the Cannon's Core level which involves all characters. It is a slow paced one as it involves the slow characters. It has relative guitar tunes in it, but the slightly faster part is the only real good part.
Deep Inside Of is the third Cannon's Core song and is quite awesome. It is the one that plays during Sonic's part of the level and is therefore fast paced and well done. The heavy synth works with the guitar interludes and the best part is probably around 0:36-0:49 where it gets into quite the cool synth solo which plays again at about 1:26. A great way to end the last action stage.
The final track of the OST is the best vocal song in the game by far. Live and Learn plays during the final fight as Super Sonic and Super Shadow fight Perfect Chaos. And what a way to finish the game. To the tune of SA2 but with more on it and vocals included, brilliant vocals I add, by Johnny Gioeli, it's the perfect battle scene. A must listen.
And to summarize, the OST is a great addition to the Sonic series of good songs. It's great to see Sega showing an interest in guitars for their Sonic games now, let's hope they keep it up in future games.
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