So when SEGA launched Sonic Adventure DX Director’s Cut for the GameCube, you’d better believe we were eager to play what was billed as the definitive edition of Sonic’s 3D debut. All we could do was reminisce about the fun we had with Sonic in years past and wonder how we would contain ourselves once Sonic Adventure screamed its way around our little purple Cube. As it turns out, we should’ve left our fond memories of Sonic well enough alone.

In SEGA’s translation of Sonic Adventure to a next-gen system, the company has succeeded in pointing out all the game’s "previous-gen" flaws and introduced a handful of new ones based upon current games’ standards. If you’re looking for a new experience with Sonic, you’re better off renting a Dreamcast and playing Sonic Adventure on that system. At least then you can blame the poor camera, horrendous control and "adequate" graphics on the old hardware.

Sonic Adventure DX is comprised of fast-paced, ring-collecting gameplay that’s been transported to the world of three dimensions. All the loops, spirals, trampoline-like platforms and boosting conveyor belts are back, and it’s your job to make your way through 30 levels successfully so you can stop Dr. Robotnik’s evil plan to use the Chaos Emeralds to achieve world domination.

At the beginning of the game you’re only in control of Sonic, but as you progress through the levels and encounter or rescue other characters, you’ll eventually be able to play as Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, E-102 or Big. While these characters often have their own levels with slightly different objectives or pacing, the most enjoyable character to play is by far the one for whom the game is titled.

That’s not to say that controlling Sonic is particularly enjoyable. While the controls are responsive, they’re hampered by one of the worst cameras I’ve ever endured in a video game. Run into a corner, and the camera will get stuck behind a rock. Switch directions to avoid an enemy, and the camera will respond so slowly that you’ll fail to see the enemy in front of you or the cliff you’re about to walk off. Even the "cinematic" moments can be a hindrance, with the panning motion often obscuring a turn that, once you miss it, will lead to your death. There is the option for a manual camera, which helps in some scenarios, but the constant pausing and unpausing to switch from manual to automatic is an annoying interruption in the gameplay.

Ironically, when the camera doesn’t impede your progress, you’ll often find that the game’s clipping and collision issues will do so instead. For example, in two separate instances on the same level, I was speeding through a spiral-like halfpipe when Sonic suddenly fell through what must have been a crack. Thing is, there was no crack, only a seam in the environment. Sonic fell through anyway. Good thing I had an extra two lives.

In a later level I experienced a similarly frustrating phenomenon where Sonic was in hot pursuit of some rings when he was stopped dead in his tracks by an invisible barricade. I let up on the control stick, only to find Sonic continuing to bounce around in place as though he were hitting a barrier. Twitchy glitch aside, eventually Sonic fell through the seemingly firm floor to his death. I’m all for saying no to drugs, but these are perfect examples of instances when the pipe should have done Sonic no harm. And they’re not isolated events, either.

One solid gameplay enhancement over the original Sonic Adventure is the inclusion of raising "chao," little creatures with a Pokemon-like appeal, which you can then transfer to your friends’ GameCubes using the Game Boy Advance. As you explore each level, you can find small creatures (pandas and kangaroos, among others) that you can take back with you to your chao "nursery" so your pets can adopt their personality traits. Although this has little affect on the game as a whole, it’s a nice diversion that adds a bit of personalized "next-gen" feel to what would otherwise be "tired and trite" gameplay.

Since the game is meant to be a "Director’s Cut" rather than an original title, it should come as no surprise that it doesn’t push the GameCube hardware as much as it builds upon the graphics from the previous version. Still bright and colorful, the huge environments all exude the Sonic flavor we fell in love with years ago, with an extra dose of next-gen polish. The characters, as well, maintain their distinct geometry and angles while having a certain crispness about them.

Ironically, in updating the game’s graphics rather than replacing them, SEGA has pointed out just how "old" the game truly is. This is evident in the character animations and lack of particle effects, but it’s particularly poignant in the camera angle and clipping/collision issues discussed above. I mentioned those issues above because they hamper the gameplay, but clearly they are graphical flaws in nature. Back when the Dreamcast came out, we could forgive such frustrations because 3D graphics were still in their early stages. Now, however, with 2D referred to as "old school," such graphical issues are intolerable.

One issue that isn’t addressed above is the framerate, which is as fast as Sonic in some places and inexplicably slow in others. Since these are all such major issues and generally fixed during game testing, I found these flaws particularly disturbing. Especially since the original Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast is four years old, and this update has presumably been in the making for at least a year.

If you like classic console music (and we do), you’ll find very little to complain about in the sound department. The chipper melodies can get old in some spots, but generally only in those instances where you’re forced to hear the same tune over and over because the camera has you stuck in a corner or you need to replay a part where you’ve somehow fallen through a halfpipe.

The environmental effects are also a nice touch, with waterfalls making good use of the game’s Pro Logic II support and rings making their stereotypical Sonic "chime" when you pick them up or lose them. If there’s anything to find fault with in the game’s audio, it’s the voice acting, which isn’t good or bad but just seems stuck in a state of existence.

Gamers with a penchant for Pokemon and other like-themed games will have a blast raising their chao and finding different animals to influence their pets. Since a chao’s personality changes depending upon the animals you find to play with it, such gamers will probably take the time to explore each level and find all the animals available. I have a feeling this will mainly pander to younger gamers, though; the same ones who won’t have the patience to suffer through the awful camera and thus won’t give the replayability a chance.

In addition to the chao-raising, Sonic Adventure DX includes 50 mini-missions in which players can unlock 12 games from SEGA’s classic handheld, the Game Gear. Considering I still own my Game Gear, you’d better believe that those unlockable games were reason enough for me to search for a few nostalgic throwbacks. But if you never owned a Game Gear, the fun factor of these un-updated titles will probably be a bit lower, thus reducing the game’s replayability.

We’ve enjoyed Sonic the Hedgehog since his debut on the Genesis, and we were eagerly awaiting the "Director’s Cut" of his outstanding Dreamcast debut. Sadly, playing Sonic Adventure DX made us want to go back to the original. SEGA has a few more Sonic games up its sleeve, including Sonic Heroes, so we’re hoping the company will redeem itself and show us that yes, Sonic has a place on the next-gen systems. Until those games appear, it looks like we’ll be stuck playing as our speedy blue friend on older systems or in our McDonalds Happy Meals. At least then we’d get a burger and fries for our efforts.