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Sonic Adventure 2 Pipeline

Sonic will soon be raring to go in the next instalment of his ongoing adventure. The year 2001 is the tenth birthday of the little blue hedgehog that made his fame as a figurehead for Sega. To mark the occasion, Sonic Team is releasing what promises to be the biggest and best Sonic game to date and has upped the hype with a series of sneaky glimpses at the title, impressive screenshots and some fantastic preview movies. If all this build up is to be believed, Sonic Adventure 2, first unveiled on May 11 at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles, looks set to be the best adventure platform game on the Dreamcast - ever.

So, Sonic is back in the saddle again and this time right here on Earth, but what exactly is the game going to contain aside from our hero and the same old ZZTop lookalike to defeat? Well, quite a lot from the looks of it, including a host of new and improved characters to play as, some pretty impressive looking graphics and an intriguing, interwoven storyline that includes a mysterious black hedgehog not dissimilar to Sonic himself.

There will be three playable characters in the game; old favourites Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. Each will have their own specific attributes and new special moves to allow for diversity of gameplay. Sonic's friends will have to complete six Acts (Sonic terminology for stages within a level) and all of their separate antics will be inter-related. This means if you're playing as Sonic and you get punched by Knuckles; later on you will actually have to play as Knuckles as he punches Sonic

If that's not enough game developer Sonic Team has other surprises and features planned that won't be fully realised until the title's release. Aside from advanced character interaction and Sonic actually having a voice, graphically the game looks like it's going to dish out stunning effects like Dr Robotnik's flying fortress morphing in front of your eyes as you fight him. Sonic is also going to jump on the extreme sports bandwagon, taking part in Sky-surfing, snowboarding and a move that allows him to grind along suitable surfaces à la Tony Hawk.

Sonic Adventure 2 looks like it could be one game not to be missed, but, as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the playing and we've got a long time to wait just yet. With a Japanese release set for March 2001 and the UK date yet to be confirmed, let's hope that when we eventually get our hands on the game we're still wishing Sonic a very happy birthday.