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Sonic Adventure 2: Battle

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Title Screen

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle

Developer: Sonic Team USA[1]
Publisher: Sega[1]
Platform: GameCube
Released in JP: December 20, 2001[1]
Released in US: February 11, 2002[1]
Released in EU: May 3, 2002[1]
Released in AU: May 17, 2002[1]


AreasIcon.png This game has unused areas.
CharacterIcon.png This game has unused playable characters.
CodeIcon.png This game has unused code.
ObjectIcon.png This game has unused objects.
MinigameIcon.png This game has unused modes / minigames.
GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
MovieIcon.png This game has unused cinematics.
DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.


ProtoIcon.png This game has a prototype article
PrereleaseIcon.png This game has a prerelease article

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle was the first Sonic game for the GameCube, as well as the first official Sonic game on a Nintendo home console. It's merely a port of Sonic Adventure 2, which stays true to its predecessor while providing new features such as an expanded two-player mode and, for the most part, upgraded graphics. One thing it didn't fix was the cut-off dialogue.

This page lists unused content exclusive to (or that first appeared in) the Battle version. For content that appeared in the original game, see Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast).

Sub-Pages

Read about prototype versions of this game that have been released or dumped.
Prototype Info
Read about prerelease information and/or media for this game.
Prerelease Info
SonicAdventure2 DiffScreen.png
Changes from the Dreamcast Version
Computer screens can be inconsistent.

Test Level

Using the (NTSC) Action Replay code 80U8-7RHQ-W728R H2E9-MAE2-U5PEE, one can access a test level. It contains several features including slope tests, pits, doorway/roll tests, an interactive test object, and a grinding rail.

However, there is a way to access this level in-game without any hacking as well, as can be seen in this video.

Debug Mode

SA2B Debug 1.png

The (NTSC) Action Replay code 9E7F-943M-6ACEJ QTG9-MTTU-ABNMK lets you access a debug mode that, when triggered, displays debug info on the bottom portion of the screen.

Unused Cutscenes

Original Intro

The files for the original intro event from the Dreamcast version (e350) can still be found unused in the game's event directory. The scene can be accessed from Event Test in the debug menu, but doesn't play. This event also goes unused in the 2012 version. Instead, a prerendered video of the scene is used.

The reason for this is that it uses a different base address, as well as being in an outdated format (It has motion data in the main event file, rather than a separately named "e350motion.bin"). The event can be made playable by correcting these issues, but the animation is broken because its motion data only has half the number of frames as the original.

Accessing the textures for the scene reveals that they're slightly different to the ones used in the original game:

Dreamcast GameCube
SonicAdventure2 E350Texture1.pngSonicAdventure2 E350Texture2.png SonicAdventure2Battle E350Texture1.pngSonicAdventure2Battle E350Texture2.png

The event suffers from rendering bugs - the logo's rear (usually hidden behind until the correct moment) is drawn in front of the space background. Furthermore, the letters on the logo lack the metallic texture they initially appear with in the DC version; this is due to a transparency override from the Dreamcast version for this event being absent, though the texture does show up in SA2EventViewer. The space background is zoomed in more than the original, which may explain the change to its texture shown above.

(Source: End User (Getting the broken event to play))

Missing Intro Effects

SonicAdventure2Battle 3DLogoGlow.png

Due to the 3D logo at the end, there are two versions of the game's intro scene - one using the Japanese logo and one using the English logo. The video files used to display special effects in the scene also have two versions due to the logo change - named op360jp and op360us respectively. However - due to an oversight, op360jp is used for both versions of the scene, meaning when the 3D logo appears in the English intro the text on the logo doesn't match up to the glowing effect. op360us is never used.

This was partially fixed in the 2012 release, which checks to see if the Japanese file is referenced and changes it to the English one. However, it only does so if the text language is English, so the error still occurs for other languages.

Japanese (Used) English (Unused)
SonicAdventure2Battle OpeningEffectJP.png SonicAdventure2Battle OpeningEffectUS.png

Early Cutscene Conversion

Every cutscene seen in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle generally shares similarities with those of their Dreamcast counterparts, but with minor alterations to character models and camera angles. The formatting used for these cutscenes was also changed to separate the motion data from the main file and to support terrain updates when applicable, but this wasn't always the case initially. Along with the unused DC intro found in the files, a mostly unaltered version of E0017 - the cutscene before Death Chamber - can be found in the data. All of its texture mappings are functional using the existing e0017texture.prs file.

The uncompressed scene appears twice within the event data, using the names e0203.bin and e0207.bin. It uses the same base address as the unused DC intro and cannot be implemented into the final game without heavy alterations to match the updated event formatting.

Sky Rail Geometry in E0011

SA2B-E0011UnusedSkyRail.png

A part of the Sky Rail stage used in a Dark side story cutscene (E0122) is just out of view in the scene leading into Mission Street. It's somewhat visible in-game, as its skybox causes bright seams in the geometry behind Sonic, Tails and Amy. It can be seen more easily in the 2012 re-release, since E0011's geometry doesn't extend far enough to fully cover it up in 16:9. The extra geometry is not present in the Dreamcast version.

Unobtainable Chao

The Chao breed system was significantly reworked between SA2 and SA2B. While the majority of unused Chao from the original version were removed, more unused Chao can be found:

Eggs

Along with the unobtainable Chao in this version are the unique types of eggs for them. The only Chao without a corresponding egg is the Moon Chao.

Another set of eggs can be found alongside these. The Chao associated with these eggs are only able to be obtained through breeding (In which a normal egg is produced), so these eggs never appear. Just like most of the other eggs in the game, shiny variations of each egg can be found.

Unused Textures

Graphics for various unused textures can be found in the game's files.

Demo Leftovers

Menu graphics for various pre-release versions of the game can be found in the files.

Early Title Screen

SonicAdventure2Battle EarlyTitle.png

A very early title can be found in logopresen.prs. Here, the game is simply called "SONIC ADVENTURE 2 GAME CUBE" and it uses the same background seen in Sonic Adventure 2: The Trial. Unlike the other screens, this one is simply a static image similar to the original game.

Space World

SonicAdventure2Battle NSWTitleMockup.png

Pieces of the title screen from the version that appeared with the game's announcement at Space World 2001 can be found in nsw_title.prs, still using the original logo and featuring a subtitle.

The image on the left is a mockup of what the title screen looks like when assembled.

The background used for this version is slightly different to the one used in the final game. The characters are on opposite sides, the Chao are in different locations and the floating orbs are part of the background image itself rather than their own separate effects:

Proto Final
SonicAdventure2Battle ProtoTitleBG.png SonicAdventure2Battle FinalTitleBG.png

The stage select menu for this version can be found in nsw_select.prs. The player could choose from City Escape or Green Forest, with the option to play in 1 Player or 2 Player mode.

SonicAdventure2Battle ComingSoonNSW.png

coming.prs contains this image, which was used at the end of the demo.

Broken demo playthroughs for Green Forest and Iron Gate can be found in this version among the files. The Green Forest demo is likely related to this version, as Green Forest is never used as a demo. Iron Gate is only used as a demo in the Debug Menu.

Tokyo Game Show

The title screen used for the version at TGS 2001 can be found in tgsTitle.prs. This version is given a "Preview" subtile, uses the Battle logo and is more similar to the final version than the last one. However, it still uses the earlier background and player icons from the previous version. The "Press Start" logo also doesn't capitalize "START" like the final game does.

SonicAdventure2Battle ComingSoonTGS.png

Another coming soon screen can also be found in this file. This one is near-identical to the one used for the Space World version, with only the logo and text position being different.

Menu Leftovers

A number of leftovers from the Dreamcast version's menus can be found in this version. The most of these are the remains of menus that were used in the original game but scrapped or replaced in the port, which are all still functional and can be accessed using cheats. Notably, these menus still use the menu background from the Dreamcast game, rather than the "Battle" one introduced in the port.

Background Text

SonicAdventure2Battle ScreenEffect.png

The Dreamcast game's menus featured text in the background that would scroll by in various fonts and sizes as the player navigated menus. The text was replaced with orbs in the GameCube version, but the image used for the text can be found in screeneffect.prs.

It was restored (with a higher resolution remake of the graphic) in the Xbox 360 and PS3 ports, but again goes unused in the PC version.

Internet Option

The original game featured an option on the main menu that allowed the player to connect to the internet if they had a working connection. As the GameCube doesn't support this feature it was removed, but the option for it wasn't taken out entirely. The selection for the internet option is in still in the game albeit hidden and disabled, just like in the original game without a working connection. If the option is unlocked and selected, the game returns to the title screen.

Download Events

The menu to play downloadable Kart tracks still exists, though the lack of any downloadable content for the game as well as its menu option being replaced by the one for sound test make it difficult to access. The option to play downloaded tracks in the Kart race menu was removed as well, but unlike the events menu the slot for it still exists.

Original 2 Player Mode

The 2 Player mode was revamped heavily for Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, but the 2 Player menus from the original version of the game still exist and are actually functional with the exception of some graphical bugs (every match appears to be Shadow vs. Eggman) and lacking alternate costumes. It for some reason changed the text on the group selection screen from "Select a group using the D-pad." to "Select a group using the + Control Pad."

TV Settings

The TV Settings menu was used to switch between 50Hz and 60Hz in the Dreamcast version. While the menu itself works, selecting either option doesn't actually affect the game. Furthermore, the TV Settings menu uses the theme selection icon in the options menu instead of its regular one.

Playable Super Sonic and Super Shadow in 2P Mode

SonicAdventure2Battle SuperForms2P.png

At some point during development, Sonic and Shadow in their super forms were planned to be be playable in 2 Player mode, accessed in the same way as their alternate costumes. Both super forms can both be found in the 2 Player's character select menu with cheats. However, they're incomplete - choosing either them will just result in regular Sonic or Shadow appearing once the match starts.

Why Sega...

There are lines of text related to the two summarising their abilities (the same as every other 2P character) that aren't displayed even when they're selected in the 2P menu.

SUPER SONIC
Powered by the 
7 Chaos Emeralds.
Amazing speed and moves,
but dies if rings are lost.
SUPER SHADOW
Powered by the 
7 Chaos Emeralds.
Amazing speed and moves,
but dies if rings are lost.

Also hidden in the game is the supposed method of unlocking them - clearing Green Hill with an A Rank.

Congratulations!
You've cleared Green Hill with Rank A.
Strongest characters are now available 
to use in Sonic and Shadow 2P versus mode.

In the final game, completing Green Hill with an A rank doesn't give you anything and the two can't be unlocked in any way.

Hidden Objects

Hidden Objects in 1P

The Hidden 75 Rings in Metal Harbor Under the spawn of the Hard Mode (Mission 5) layout of Metal Harbor, there are 75 rings located in the same spot at 0, 0, 0. These rings were not in the Dreamcast version.

Hidden75Rings SA2B MetalHarbor Small.jpeg

Hidden Objects in 2P Mode

A number of the new stage additions to 2 Player mode in this version of the game are modified versions of regular stages. Some of them include out of bounds objects from the 1 Player stage they originated from.

Cosmic Wall and Downtown Race (a modified portion of City Escape) have complete object layouts of the original 1 Player stages. Cosmic Wall's hidden layout seems to be the same as the Dreamcast version of the stage, whereas Downtown Race has the Dreamcast version's objects but the textures of the GameCube version.

SonicAdventure2Battle 2PLeftoversDTR.png

Racing stages where the Goal Ring was moved to an earlier point (White Jungle etc.) still contain objects from the original stage after the area where the new Goal Ring is located, whereas others only have individual objects or stage features.

File Compressor

gvmprs.bat is a batch file related to the program used to compress texture files that can be found in the game's directory. The script is designed to be invoked from a command prompt with the name of a PVM file to be converted (referred to in the script using the special variable %1); it then uses the GVRCONV program to convert the PVM to GVM, and then in the next line uses the PRESS tool to convert the GVM to the PRS format used in the title.
As both GVRCONV and PRESS were internal development tools that are not available for public download, the script doesn't do anything; however, if these tools were recovered the script would regain function.

@echo off
gvrconv %1.pvm %1.gvm
press -r -f %1.gvm %1.prs

References