Genre: 3d Platformer
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega

Played on a scanline-blessed CRT via S-Video, or on a proper monitor compliments of the Dreamcast's VGA box, the original "Sonic Adventure" is a razor sharp sight to behold, even as of 2020 at the time of this writing. How in Sonic's big blue world then does this Xbox 360 rendition manage to look so muddy? Not only does it have the Gamecube's questionable texture replacements, but the colors and black levels are severely crushed, losing a lot of picture detail. Expecting an "auto HDR" 4K treat on the Series X, this reviewer was in fact tricked by the aliased, non-HDR 720p picture, with ugly blue striped borders on the edges to boot.

Thankfully, the Jun Senoue soundtrack is one hundred percent intact, and it's perhaps even more impressive today than it was originally, given how far the standard for video game music has fallen by now. Practically every track is a rock-based masterpiece, tastefully fusing with Jazz and even some Funk elements. The corny voice acting is fully in-place, as is the ear-splitting volume levels of the Dreamcast and Gamecube originals.

This version of the title also plays well on the very modern Series X controller, with the analog triggers even supplying a surprisingly accurate replication of the Dreamcast equivalents. The level design is still enjoyable: this reviewer, perhaps a masochist, has even always enjoyed the Knuckles and fishing stages too, as they provide nice changes of pace. No VMUs, obviously, but the Chao Garden in this rendition gains the Gamecube additions, such as the shop and the ability to see the specs of pets when they are picked up.

This title was played on an Xbox Series X, emulating an Xbox 360, emulating the Gamecube port of a Dreamcast game. It would have taken a native port to get the "auto HDR" and 4K up-scaling benefits, so their absence can be somewhat excused-- with the criticism rather being levelled at how unbelievably low effort this release was back in 2010: it manages to take one of the prettiest games of the past twenty five years and turn it into something of a mess, ruining the experience in the process. At least it plays and sounds as it should.