Bridge's 5 Favorite GBA Games of ALL Time: #4

I guess it's a slow day today in the video game world, with the New Year beginning I've been lazy even. Anyway, moving on with my Top 5 Countdown, here's my personal pick for my #4 favorite Game Boy Advance game.

Sonic Advance 2
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 03/09/03 (US), 03/28/03 (EU), 09/19/02 (JPN)
MetaCritic Score: 83

I remember the war between Sega and Nintendo like it was yesterday, in fact... but when Sega announced they were leaving the Console Wars to become a 3rd party developer I was just as shocked as the rest of the world. I was shocked even MORE when Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Advance were revealed and released on both the Gamecube and GBA, respectively. Though I didn't truly play Sonic Advance til much later Sonic Advance 2 was very hyped for me. While looking at different screens on the internet, and even viewing a promo trailer included in Sonic Mega Collection(Gamecube), this game was awesome looking to my 12 year old self. Everything was new, the environments! The music! The speed! It all really impressed me, as this game was the first of the now standard speed set for 2D Sonic games.

The game takes place some time after Sonic Advance, finding his friends to have disappeared, Sonic starts looking for him. Eventually, he encounters old foe Dr. Eggman, who has kidnapped a rabbit girl with a red bow wearing Chao. After rescuing the two Sonic goes off to find his other friends, who were also kidnapped by Dr. Eggman. Sonic eventually finds Tails and Knuckles, and the four characters all chase Eggman into space to stop his evil plans. The plot is actually more developed than in Sonic Advance but still kept simple to focus on the gameplay.


The game is like any other Sonic game where you get to Point B from Point A as fast as you can. The speed is increased in this game and you can now do tricks also. Players start the game with Sonic playable, and can eventually unlock newcomer Cream the Rabbit, Tails, and Knuckles who can go through the game also. The speed is great in this game as you get a thrill zooming through levels, and the various characters play differently which gives each one a unique flavor.

Like any Sonic game you have to collect Chaos Emeralds by going to Special Stages, which you achieve by collecting SP Rings in the various levels. Collect all the SP rings and you are taken to a challenge to collect rings while avoiding Zero from Sonic Adventure. Collecting the Emeralds, unlike Sonic Advance is restricted as a per character basis. This means you cannot collect all the emeralds as just Sonic, but as all the other characters as well. Doing this unlocks various things, such as the Tiny Chao Garden, Sound Test, and even an ultra secret unlockable character!...(Hint: It's Amy Rose)

The music is pretty good for the game, and fits the mood of the areas very well. The boss music is also good. The tracks are catchy, and are all unique in their own way. The graphics are bright, colorful, and crisp like Sonic Advance's was. The presentation is also good for this game, and is easy to navigate the menus. The extra features (Tiny Chao Garden mainly) are a good distraction from the main game, and allow players to immerse themselves into raising their own little Chao creature.




This game for me was fun, addicting, and wonderful to play. I still remember hunting down the SP Rings as every character and collecting the 7 Chaos Emeralds five times over. Any Sonic fan would appreciate this game, as it took the basics of it's predecessor, and was able to make a new experience that is capable of holding it's own. The game can be found on eBay for a decent price, and I'm sure you can find it used at some video game retailers also. Sonic fans, please check this out if you haven't yet, you won't be disappointed.