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Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Sampler CD :: Review by Charles
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Album Title: | Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Sampler CD |
| Record Label: | Sega USA | |
| Catalog No.: | Promotional | |
| Release Date: | January 1, 2001 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at eBay |
Overview
Having targeted the music of Sonic Adventure 2 towards American audiences, Sega decided it was worthwhile trying to convince people to buy the domestic official soundtrack for the game. One way to tempt them was with a promotional sampler that came with certain copies of the game. This album features six tracks from the Sonic Adventure 2 Vocal Collection, although they're all shortened. Is it sufficient on its own or at least successful in convincing people to buy the full release?
Body
I personally find "Escape from the City" to be the real highlight track on this album. It gives a great taste of Sonic vocals and has that fast paced pop/rock feel that one can expect from a 3D Sonic game. As with the other tunes, it contains silly yet entertaining autobiographical lyrics. Fortunately they are low key enough to make the song likeable to the average listener. From its catchy bass intro to the singable original melodies, this is one to hear for anyone that likes the idea of fast lighthearted rock. And yes, it is lighthearted, and there is barely any artistic depth or even artistic craft here. It's a Sonic game though and the bottom line is that it is great for what it strives to be. The full version is even better! "Live and Learn" is another headline track of this album. It's the classic Sonic vocal track and it's got rock and soul to spare, though listeners will be really left hanging by how it suddenly ends unlike the full version. It's conveniently placed at the end of the sampler and seems to demand that listeners pick up Cuts Unleashed already.
If you are a fan of the popular tracks that I have already mentioned then you will most likely adore Sonic's theme "It Doesn't Matter". It's yet another fast-paced rock song, but doesn't tire the genre. It's fresh and has amazingly catchy and singable melodies. Any song that had to do with Sonic or Sonic levels specifically in these 3D games were usually the best. This is because the game is a fast-paced one at heart and these tunes just fit naturally no matter how corny they are. One thing people didn't like about the 3D Sonic games were the multiple characters which, in turn, meant multiple gameplay modes that were simply not fast paced or natural feeling. These levels may or may not have been enjoyable to people (I have some good memories of them), but most will agree it's all about Sonic levels in the end.
That said, I don't particularly care for Shadow's theme "Throw it All Away". Shadow was kind of 'neat' back in the day, but this song embodies at lot of the reasons I hate what they have done with the character. It has this kind of "emo / badass" style that ended up putting Shadow in his own horrible gun wielding game. It's still appropriate to Sonic Adventure 2 and isn't overdone. "Believe in Myself" and "E.G.G.M.A.N" are the final two tracks that I haven't mentioned. They are both pretty decent but nothing amazing. They are, again, extremely character fitting. "Believe in Myself" is Tails' theme, and is honestly a little weak and also a little wordy. It's still catchy and has a fun chorus. "E.G.G.M.A.N" is also a decent electric rock tune, but I've heard better. The chorus is a bit stale in this one. Again, it shows how fast paced rock music is the most fitting and everything else just feels out of place or forced. This is one of the few tracks where the lack of development in the sampler version isn't so obvious.
Summary
The Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Sampler CD is a character-inspired taste of the full soundtrack. While the vocal songs chosen are great, they only provide a tate of the full things given they're each shortened by about half their original track times. In addition, there are a lot more instrumental goodies and Crush 40 offerings on the full soundtrack release. While this sampler doesn't suffice on its own, it at least provides a good reason to go for the full soundtrack.
