Radical Highway is a Playable Cutscene

[@Cybershell13]

Everyone lauds City Escape but it's nice to see Radical Highway get some love too.

[@apathy2454]

Because City Escape is iconic 🗣

[@tails8764]

My lord has commented

[@LupinticDream]

Yes.

[@SpectacularKorin]

here before this comments has a shit ton of likes

[@gechotaris]

@@SpectacularKorin it wont

[@UniGya]

I was expecting "Playable Cutscene" to mean automated and on rails but was pleasantly surprised to see it used as a praise of the gameplay and story integration

[@LotsOfToubleUsuallySerious]

Exactly, this was one of the most surprising and, to an extent, clickbait videos i've seen yet. But a pleasant clickbait, showed how environmental storytelling and turning seemingly dumb ideas into paths and shortcuts does add to the experience

[@PhirePhlame]

Plus, failing Lost Valley's homing attack chain actually puts you on a _faster_ path, counterintuitively enough! Just fall, boost, bounce, and then boost out of the bounce.

[@therhythmdragon]

Or just boost before the gap, jump, air boost, and you're clear. You don't even have to homing attack.

[@Sukaiba69]

If they rly RLY wanted you to use the homing attack, they could have made the enemies ladder upwards, alas, ass level design

[@PedroHCF37]

nice ruber pfp :)

[@quilloneal]

@@Sukaiba69 bruv what
edit: i thought they were talking ab radical highway y’all my bad 💀

[@joshshrum2764]

Shadow, definitely has harder levels, with more risky moments.

[@woag4974]

playing this stage on 2P with a competitive brother lowkey makes me sweat

[@LilWooshie]

Bro I remember 🤣🤣

[@Epicburst]

For me, it's the grinding race in the desert. Something my brother and I used to do is jump off the moment you get inside the pyramid, and you can actually fall down nearly the entire level.

[@NexroFTW]

Lmao I felt that me and my brother aways sped ran this stage.

[@ShinkuDragon]

nothing like skipping the checkpoints when you-re winning.

[@thetbhresistance7042]

One thing I liked about this stage was how it was like a „darker“ version of Speed Highway, the paths that you could safely run across in SH are now being bombarded by the military, tunnels that in SH were perfect for running to your to top speed are now cramped and guarded. Plus the fact that in general the stage is more bumpy and uneven than the mostly smooth SH. It’s a good way of showing how similar sonic and shadow are in certain parts but also where they are different.

[@soceity5818]

how

[@x-mighty7602]

And I love Knuckles' section for Speed Highway. It's one of the most underrated levels in Sonic History.

[@ben2-5-1]

@@x-mighty7602 You mean the emerald hunt in the clock tower/fountain area?

[@x-mighty7602]

@@ben2-5-1 yes.

[@ben2-5-1]

@@x-mighty7602 Aright. My favorite level is probably Sonic’s lost world but to each their own. Cheers

[@Miss-Alexis]

About the Flame Ring, an angle that makes it even better is, I imagine they designed the Dark Story levels with the assumption that, while you COULD start with the Dark Story, you most likely played the Hero Story first, and therefore already had a handle on how Sonic, and by extension Shadow, played. In that case, you may know how to do a spindash jump and could think to do so when you saw the ring trail. Your reward for this is an item Sonic had to wait much longer to get, allowing you to play through all of Shadow's levels already having it instead of needing to backtrack like you may have done with Sonic's.

[@calamaty2007]

I agree. Going back to the game I found the Dark stages as a whole tend to be more difficult than the hero stages. I think that is supposed to be the intended order. Even if the Hero preview cutscene has the infamous line "Goodbye Sonic, forever"

[@sanglish18]

I love Shadow running animation in SA2, I don't know why they changed in literally every single subsequent game.

[@lance2580]

Eh, it looks decent, but I honestly prefer the skating animation in _Shadow the Hedgehog._ The use of squash and stretch makes the animation much better. The skating animation from _Sonic Generations_ gets a silver medal, though. But still, the _SA2_ skating animation is leagues ahead of _Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)'s_ excuse for a stiff skating animation.

[@jimmy1929]

@@lance2580 the squash and stretch looks off imo it makes him look like he’s made of rubber rather than looking like he should especially since the character model in the game looks awful

[@ShadowMark3_]

SA2 and STH's skating are the best imo.

[@sanglish18]

@@lance2580 In SA2 Shadow moves his legs to the sides from left to right to left to right... Which in my opinion is much more cooler and actually feels like Shadow is doing some effort in maintaining that speed going from left to right like that, in later games he slides very slowly barely moving his legs in comparison to his speed, and moves them more in front of him and not hovering left to right like in SA2, looking like he's using a generic roller skate and not a jet shoes that floats him in the air, making it look like the shoes do everything for him.

[@lpfan4491]

@@jimmy1929 They just stretched too much. Otherwise, the animations are fine.

[@megarotom1590]

“A special technique I call running away”
ZoomZike is apparently a Joestar now.

[@uligallardo8110]

"NIGERUNDAYO!!!"

[@Poker2735]

@@uligallardo8110 SMOOOKEYYYY!!!

[@zoomzike]

"Playable cutscene" is a term some people think has negative connotations, and I see where they're coming from. If you call something during gameplay a cutscene, then you're saying it takes control away from the player.
Except here I'm saying "playable cutscene", meaning that it has the story and refinery of a cutscene mixed in with the gameplay.
Now of course, no matter how much I write about what I meant when I wrote "playable cutscene", that won't change how most people will interpret the message, so if I see it become an issue, then I'll change the title and thumbnail so it doesn't mislead. This is something I did for "Identifying Luck - Mario Party 1", where it was originally the same title but without the "1", making people think I was covering the entire Mario Party series, so that was a necessary change. If this video suffers from a similar problem then I'll sadly have to change its cool-sounding title.
Thanks for watching!

[@DefinitiveDubs]

That's...not what "playable cutscene" means to most people. Wikipedia defines an "interactive cutscene" as "the computer taking control of the player character while prompts (such as a sequence of button presses) appear onscreen, requiring the player to follow them in order to continue or succeed at the action". Most people are going to read the title and assume you mean an interactive cutscene, not a "playable" one. A cutscene is literally defined as something that CUTS from gameplay to a SCENE of non-gameplay. You can't have a "playable cutscene". That's an oxymoron. The title is good clickbait, but don't pretend it isn't.

[@zoomzike]

@@DefinitiveDubs I feel like you're taking a very literal and lexical approach to what I wrote. When I say "playable cutscene", I'm obviously not saying that you're literally playing a cutscene. It's a metaphor for how I feel that the gameplay mixes in the artistry of a cutscene within it.
Before you start Radical Highway, you see a cutscene of it, and _then_ you see Shadow grind down the same rail you saw in the cutscene, but this time it's in gameplay format! The transition between the two is sick and the way it tells Shadow's character in the level gives me the feelings of a cutscene in that way too.
Now of course, no matter how much I write about what I meant when I wrote "playable cutscene", that won't change how most people will interpret the message, so if I see it become an issue, then I'll change the title and thumbnail so it doesn't mislead. This is something I did for "Identifying Luck - Mario Party 1", where it was originally the same title but without the "1", making people think I was covering the entire Mario Party series, so that was a necessary change. I just don't want to do it now because I really liked how it sounded and the image it put in my head.

[@Orange_Swirl]

You know, I think you'd really enjoy the Half-Life games.

[@enderallygolem]

I think of playable cutscene as a cutscene which doesn't take away control, something like the Mother Brain fight in Super Metroid. There's very little chance you're going to lose, it's mostly just there for spectacle, but you're still in control of the character there.

[@KittyKatty999]

I agree with your version of Playable Cutscene. I love when a game makes you feel super immersed in it's story, without taking away any control. Like the Half Life games, or video games that do "Playable Helplessness" well.

[@mushroomdude123]

>You found a secret! 😃
>Oops, you can’t get to it because you don’t have the Light Dash 😞
>Which is what I would say if I was a chump 😎
I can’t get enough of how much passion went into this game.

[@comicfan1324]

Typically the term “Playable Cutscene” is used in a negative sense, but I say this is anything but that. In this case, being a playable cutscene is a sign that the level tells you everything you need to know about Shadow without you even realizing it.
It’s nice to see an example of how a playable level can tell a story like this.

[@calamaty2007]

Yeah this is a good example of cutscene gameplay integration. I think when playable cutscene is met in a bad way is when those two are detached from another, where one interrupts the flow of the other.

[@C_Yo]

@@calamaty2007 I always felt that "playable cutscene" meant that a gameplay section is so incredibly easy that it just feels like you're watching a cutscene.

[@blackpainty3048]

it makes you feel like a main character too so it feels like your in a cutscene but in a good way

[@ObaREX]

I've never seen such a perfect defense for the Adventure style gameplay over the Boost formula.
Seriously, they had something there. If only they worked at it better.

[@steeledminer616]

Honestly I never was fond of the boost mechanic.
Dont' get me wrong, I get it. Sonic + Go Fast = Obvious
But... There's a line of "Too Fast". Not only that, but these games still had a lot of precision while still encouraging you to go fast, which was, in my opinion, a lot more faithful to the original 2D games.

[@CassiusStelar]

@@steeledminer616 Rush and Generations honestly did it best, where the boost was a reward for playing well and not a "Hold button to win" mechanic like it became in forces

[@BradsGonnaPlay]

It’s genuinely pitiful that the devs put out less quality work after this early 2000s era and assumed the unsatisfied fan base hated the Adventure Style gameplay and not the fact that they were half-assing everything they released post-Adventure 2

[@lpfan4491]

@@CassiusStelar What about Unwiished?

[@CassiusStelar]

@@lpfan4491 ESPEXIALLY UNWIISHED

[@elder4481]

10:49 the way these enemies moved around always freaked me out as a kid lol

[@omarpikm2101]

me when the pizza rolls are ready

[@MerkhVision]

They kinda move like ghosts, the way they float slowly forward

[@quilloneal]

ME TOO LMFAOAO

[@twinberwolves4231]

Let's not forget the Volkan fighter

[@user-eu4bq8wn8w]

Me too🥰😂😂😂

[@lugbzurg8987]

Something you forgot to mention is that in the cutscene where Sonic and Shadow meet, Shadow is always physically above Sonic. From standing on top of F-6t Bigfoot to planting onto the building. Even when Shadow briefly moves more towards Sonic's eye level during chaos control, he's still floating in the air. The ground Sonic walks on is so beneath Shadow, he never sets foot on it!

[@yderga8707]

Until the very final fight where they see each other as equals and learn mutual respect, then they're running on the same level.

[@lugbzurg8987]

@@yderga8707 Exactly!
"You never cease to surprise me, Blue Hedgehog..."

[@joshuarobertson3040]

Okay but consider that sonic starts during the day and it takes hik all night. While shadow arrives around around same time implying that shadow was already faster here. Seeing as sonic took hours to move through his while shadow took considerably less time.

[@ThatBugBehindYou]

The great duality between Sonic's first stage and Shadow's first stage is how it depicts GUN's trickery. GUN was only capturing Sonic because Shadow was a top secret that they didn't want the public to know about, thus they put the blame of Shadow on Sonic. Because of this only the lowest level Gun weaponry and personnel was sent to capture Sonic while much higher tactics were being used on Shadow, the real target of capture.
It could be argued that GUN didn't even want to recapture Sonic and took it easy on him via the much more open layouts and less advanced tactics from GUN in Sonic's first level compared to Shadow's. This doesn't mean that GUN itself didn't want to recapture Sonic, only that the top brass didn't want to put any large effort into recapture because the most effort they were using was on Shadow. Thus they sent more incompetent and/or newbie leaders to lead Sonic's recapture.
I imagine the leaders of GUN didn't want to recapture Sonic because as long as Sonic was free they could continue to pin Shadow's crimes and appearances on Sonic.
With this outlook Sonic's recapture makes even more sense because not only did both units surround Sonic after Shadow left, now the much more advanced unit was forced to recapture Sonic. It might also be why Sonic was placed in Gerald's cell and why the area he was in had no other prisoners. They had to make sure the only personal dealing with Sonic were the ones that had clearance and the knowledge of the top secret Project Shadow information so when Sonic explained what happened the only people who would hear would be people willing to keep it covered up.
If you're wondering where all this information about GUN covering up Shadow's existence comes from you need to look into the original computer screen info graphics and japanese text from the dreamcast version as it's all there in the original.
I don't know why such important information was changed but that's how it goes sometimes.

[@dayshon124]

Gigabrain

[@pkmntrainerred4247]

Why did they leave out this big chunk of important info?! I always thought the whole GUN chasing Sonic thing was nonsense, thanks for explaining it

[@goddessyamato5238]

@JayLeeBeanz he literally made this up

[@TaMarvio2129]

@@goddessyamato5238 they literally said "If you're wondering where all this information about GUN covering up Shadow's existence comes from you need to look into the original computer screen info graphics and japanese text from the dreamcast version as it's all there in the original.
I don't know why such important information was changed but that's how it goes sometimes."

[@mcmistle9892]

I legit had NO IDEA about the bridge being propped up by the metal boxes.
That’s one of my favorite things about this game, always learning something new.

[@demetriuskafkoulas5005]

The amount of dedication in this video is astonishing, from the way how you made everything in a 4:3 aspect to how you finished the stage at EXACTLY 20 minutes. Excellent job.

[@elianwyn]

Can I just point out how cool it is that they actually incorporate their personalities in their first zone with the ring path and shrine. Just like with GUN and eggman, you can literally tell the game itself "don't tell me what to do."
It could just be a happy little accident, but given how much independence and defiance are core to his character, I can't imagine it being a mistake.

[@mruchiha0209]

holy shit. all my years playing this game and i never knew you could jump around the tower with springs in it for rewards. whoever found those were doing anything at that point lol

[@goddessdeedeebubblesofimag7789]

I still have yet to master the spindash jump

[@Astro_Crunch]

I think this "playable cutscene" design approach really made Sonic storytelling so unique among its contemporaries, and it's something I wish they'd go back to. Ever since Sonic 3, they had such a good grasp on having the events in the level tell the story, but without explicitly spoon-feeding it to you. Forces has at least returned to that playable cutscene philosophy, but in some ways I think they did it too literally. Still, it's a step in the right direction at least.

[@moosesues8887]

Don’t Rick roll me I’m not

[@moosesues8887]

I’m crying

[@inendlesspain4724]

I could listen to you analysing stages in 3D Sonic games all day.

[@awsmrs]

The fact that at the end you had Shadow beat Radical Highway in exactly 20 minutes because the video is exactly 20 minutes long is just such a very good detail and I love it.

[@Sean_Bird]

Best Stage, Best Music. It’s a great introduction stage for Shadow.

[@sashalama]

Laughts in white jungle

[@LupinticDream]

Even though City Escape and its theme song are iconic, I honestly like Radical Highway waaay more than City Escape, as far as "First Speed levels" go. Radical Highway just has more replay value, thanks to all the alternative routes, which City Escape doesn't have much of. Though, that's probably because City Escape had to not only be the first speed level in the game, but also the first level, period, so as a result it needed to be more streamlined in comparison; Radical Highway isn't the first level of the Dark Story, or even the first time you play as Shadow during the Dark Story, since you actually play a boss battle as him a bit before this point (which you mention). In fact, the Dark Story as a whole is sorta designed in such a way that it assumes you've played the Hero Story first, even though you could technically play the Dark Story first if you so wished. Some folks would probably argue that's a design flaw, and I suppose that's fair, but I actually like that about the Dark Story, because the slightly more difficult nature of it helps give off "Man, these bad guys aren't messing around!" vibes, which I feel is an aspect that goes underappreciated/unnoticed by both the detractors and advocators of this game.
I mean, think about it. Besides Sonic 4: Episode Metal and a few evil routes in Shadow The Hedgehog (the game), no other mainline Sonic game since SA2 has allowed you to play as the antagonist(s). And that's a bit of a shame, I think.

[@angrycinnabon2956]

A new 2d metal sonic game done in the lieu of mania could actually work well in the right hands. Just keep the feeling similar enough so it doesn't feel like total tonal shift like shadow the hedgehog was, yet still has it's own Identity.

[@Morgan_of_the_Maxilla]

Sonic 06

[@LupinticDream]

@@angrycinnabon2956 Hell yeah, a classic-styled Metal Sonic game or mode would be rad af.

[@LupinticDream]

@@Morgan_of_the_Maxilla Silver and Shadow aren't villainous characters in Sonic '06. Silver only temporarily went against Sonic because he was given misleading information from Mephiles (Silver believed himself to be saving the world by exterminating the blue blur). And Shadow was against Eggman, same as Sonic.
In SA2, Eggman was essentially a global terrorist who was trying to conquer the planet, while Shadow wanted to destroy said planet and its inhabitants out of revenge. And Rouge, well... she was mostly interested in the Master Emerald shards because of her fondness for gems and jewels. She did not care about Angel Island sinking into the ocean when she was trying to steal the Master Emerald from Knux (and although she works for GUN to spy on Eggman and gather intel, it would not surprise me if she were only in it because she was promised money and/or jewels). Everyone on Team Dark during SA2 behaves fairly villainous, barring the Final Story. Silver and Shadow in Sonic '06 don't truly compare in that regard, nor do the buddy characters (Tails/Knux/Amy/Blaze/etc).

[@calamaty2007]

Same. It is a very fun stage and some setpieces I love more than city escape like grinding down the rails of the bridge. Fuck the hard mode version of the stage, but that is a different discussion.

[@MadMasterPorkey]

I get this weird feeling that driving on this highway would be pretty dangerous even if it weren't under construction.

[@EnigmaBarry]

Hey! The Corkscrew road is totally drivable.....as long as we drive cars from Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

[@jongameaddict]

@@EnigmaBarry think FZero cars could do it, or are they *too* fast?

[@edgelord8337]

Also I like how it starts with a fighter jet bombing him showing how much GUN sees shadow as a threat and all the symbolism in the stage showing that the road shadow is moving isn't one for freedom but one controlled by his past.
That's what I think anyone.

[@whydoievenbothertryingwith6679]

Honestly the amount of attention to detail to GUN in this game is worth every last tiny praise no matter how minuscule

[@jhonj5702]

Maybe i'm looking too deeply into it, but wasn't the whole ''Confusing Shadow for Sonic'' somewhat implied to be a G.U.N cover-up? Why would G.U.N imprison Sonic after Shadow escaped, if not to save face? (Can't give Amy any excuses though. Gee, girl, can't tell your crush apart?)

[@Someguyhere111]

Not just implied, basically confirmed. Sonic was arrested BEFORE the heist took place, and according to his recap dialogue (which admittedly is easy to miss), it was for escaping a military facility. Now, GUN are obviously gonna know that they never HAD Sonic on Prison Island. In other words, the higher-ups at GUN knew full well what they were doing. The reason they arrested Sonic initially was likely due to the soldiers at Prison Island having caught glimpses of Shadow - it was to satisfy THEIR questions and not the public's, but after the heist took place GUN pinned that on Sonic, keeping in mind that eye witnesses at the time also believed he was Sonic due to how dark it was, how high up Shadow was and his shillouette being identical to Super Sonic's.
Of course the media would then go on to show a close-up of Shadow, showing he looks nothing like Sonic, but the thing everybody seems to miss is that we never hear people confusing Shadow for Sonic AFTER that close-up, only before it.
As for Amy, you can maybe give her some benefit of the doubt if the sun was in her eyes. Again, Shadow's shillouette is similar to Sonic's, and keep in mind where she was: a military facility where she KNEW Sonic was at. So expecting to find Sonic there, combined with seeing somebody whose shape resembles Sonic and not being able to clearly see makes it possible.

[@TheShinjiakamoto]

@@Someguyhere111
Maybe Amy is just colorblind, would also (albeit a stretch) explain why she also mistook Silver for Sonic...
Or she's just so obsessed with sonic that she sees "hedgehog" and immediately decides it's Sonic.

[@aerostrafe1075]

@@TheShinjiakamoto In her defense how many male hedgehogs are there really? She is the only female one to date at this point that I know of.

[@lpfan4491]

Unleashed "retcons" in a pretty believable explanation. She says that she really thought she sensed Sonic when she hugs him. This is supported with her saying that she thinks she senses his presence in idle-quotes in heroes. What this means is that she basically pulls a Lucario, with Shadow probably having a similar aura to Sonic and Sonic really having been in the general area moments before she hugs Silver.
This is also the logical reason why she always seems to subcontiously notice Sonic when he is close, but she noticed neither Metal Sonic nor Zero approach when they kidnapped her, because purely mechanical beings likely have no conventional aura to begin with.
Why did this huge piece of trivia that explains literally everything evade the fanbase for over a decade? The english localisation just translated it out. Yup, I'm not kidding.

[@cjgg4885]

@@Someguyhere111 Like if the criticism for this bit of story was how it was incredibly easy to miss, then that would be fair. But everyone says there is no explanation for it, when there is, the issue is that info is in an obtuse place.

[@MaddieAmyCurtis]

Oh this is so good, seriously thank you for this. As time goes on the "Sonic has never been good in 3D" and even "Sonic was never good" crowds get louder and louder and there really needs to be more videos like this out there to counteract that. The Adventure games tell great stories and they have great levels. With the growing waves of negativity, it'll take videos like these to convince people to actually play these games that they've heard bad things about (possibly from people who also haven't played them lmao). So again thank you so much, I would love to see more videos like this from you!

[@thecheesemeister7863]

Honestly, this video single handedly gave me a new found appreciation for not just this level but sonic adventure in general. Thank you

[@fernando98322]

The bridge section of Radical Highway has more freedom of movement and paths than entire Boost games combined.

[@sonicthejaxen]

That’s honestly such an intelligent and well thought interpretation of why Shadow used Chaos Control on Sonic. Awesome video!

[@Hadaron]

I’ve played this game for years, and yet I’m learning a ton of new things in this video. The sign that says “freedom ? miles”, the skip at 7:50… none of those even registered with me as things I _could_ do

[@taputrainer8463]

10:48 after the trick, if you tilt shadow a bit to the left and get on the grind rail you can grind it a little to gain extra bonus points. 16:20 after the trick ramp with enough speed, if a roll is performed right as you land you will get more bonus points. I love these secret ways to get bonus points it gives more creativity and slight nonlinerality to the levels while making it easier to get an A rank for thinking of a way to move more skillfully or faster

[@theperfectpixl]

Those bonus point tricks are the main reason I think SA2 has the best ranking system. There's so many cool ways to get points that extend past the usual trio of enemy kills, rings, and time.

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

I never realized that Sonic had to deal with Shadow's own pursuers as well as his own, always slipped my mind.

[@BL0P_]

Didn’t have to do nights like that 😭
Also loved the video, just caught it as I was watching your Mario party one

[@setherfluous]

“If you feel like *Supporting Me”*
I see what you did there

[@andrewcroucher7825]

I didn’t realize how much I missed hearing this man’s voice until a new video popped into my feed.

[@lpfan4491]

That's really just this game in a nutshell tho. They almost perfectly connected story and gameplay to the point where if one has a worse or a better beat in one aspect, the other seems to just mimic the change in quality.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

Been playing this game game for so long and I’ve never knew some things you pointed out such as not taking the downward spiral of springs and jumping off either side for a 1-Up or Invincibility. Also the contrasting stages and their coloring that correlates to Sonic and Shadow is another thing that’s very interesting that I’ve never noticed despite playing it for so long. We seriously need more of these types of videos ZoomZike. I appreciate all the hard work and observations that go into making them.

[@yutuberocks22]

7:48 Holy shit. I have been playing this game since I was 3 years old, and only now am I learning about this. Just goes to show this is a game that keeps on giving.

[@mechashadow]

This level is my introduction to 3D Sonic levels as Team Dark was obviously cooler looking than Team Hero.
So I'm glad to see it lovingly solilqouyed.
I feel a lot of tricking flow and concepts really feel like a follow up from Jet Set Radio especially how it rewards you for maintaining your momentum and never missing a chance to trick, definitely more so than the forgiving City Escape.

[@re_nforce]

3:40 shadows running animation has never looked this good since sa2. It's the side to side movement that makes it

[@force5926]

Right? Best running animation for him hands down.

[@Jacadamia]

this game has so much love and care put into it it’s practically *oozing* with it.
thanks for showing that to be true in the levels as well!
damn now i wanna play it again.

[@aqee1]

the music is so badass i remember as a child feeling like a beast as i played this level

[@Eldarin]

Great video! I LOVE Radical Highway and this was a comparison I never really thought of between RH vs City Escape. My absolute favorite part of this stage is the overpass with the trick ramp inside of it in the latter half of the level because it really just feels like when you hit that ramp it’s just Shadow just flexing on the military like it’s absolutely nothing hahaha

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

We need more people like you. Not many people know what a video game is anymore.

[@Probably_JENOVA]

“A reference to a series that’s nobody’s favorite.” Says you. NiGHTS means a whole lot to me personally just like Sonic does. But yes, everything else said in this video is very interesting.

[@Milennin]

I like how your videos highlight all of the cool stuff the developers put in them, how there's much more thought put into the placement of things than I'd ever have known about otherwise.

[@Nic_2751]

This level’s color palette alone screams Shadow, unfortunately the Generations 3DS version does not do it justice

[@Orange_Swirl]

I actually liked that version tbh. Definitely not as good, but still pretty good in my opinion.

[@Nic_2751]

@@Orange_Swirl modern’s level design is decent but classic’s is the worst.

[@Orange_Swirl]

@@Nic_2751 I see where you're coming from, but I wouldn't call it "the worst," that goes to Sonic Forces. Classic's version still has multiple paths, although the fact that they inundate the level with boost pads and springs really takes away from it. And honestly, I'm impressed they were able to incorporate much of the level's main mechanics in 2D as well as they did to begin with.

[@Nic_2751]

@@Orange_Swirl I meant for Generations 3DS only.....

[@Orange_Swirl]

@@Nic_2751 Okay, fair enough then

[@fivehundredzubats]

I can't believe I'm still getting to learn new things about a game I've had since childhood. Gonna have to replay Radical Highway a few dozen more times now.

[@COZMICETERNITY]

I never thought about it like that!
The reason so many GUN agents were there in the end is because they were following shadow!
Shadow could’ve easily just warped away, like he did with Infinite! But, he stayed and talked with sonic a bit! And he left them to be his problem instead :)

[@lousy7580]

You seem to have a lot of fun finding the enjoyable and laudable elements of games, and that's super cool and fun.

[@ZeiZei990]

This video and stage alone are a testament how the level design and aesthetics are superior over heroes and shadow and many other subsequent releases. I have played this level to death with my brothers on dreamcast and later on gamecube. I love how it rewards out of box thinking and showcases how versatile shadows moveset in this game really is with many opportunities for sequence breaking.

[@Orange_Swirl]

Find someone who loves you the way ZoomZike loves SA2.

[@RadonAtom_]

Glad you did this video, Radical Highway is an awesome first level for Shadow

[@argentum8417]

“you’ll see a series that’s no one’s favorite”
welp, guess i’m no one

[@XxTrueGhostxX]

He forgot to mention that if you jump on the right hand side of that pole with the green sign at 16:29 and trick off of it, there is an Invincibility and a pair of Speed Up Shoes in the sky. I always go for the Speed Up Shoes because it makes the spiral loop just before the end of the stage even more epic.

[@Metalwario64]

Been on a huge SA2 kick lately, so the timing on this video is perfect.

[@itsjojohnnyyyy]

9:44 "frankly insulting" is the best way to describe Sonic forces' level design as a whole

[@WaterKirby1994]

The 2010s Decade Direction for the Sonic Series was an insult to the series if you ask me. At least the comics & Mania were good during the 2010s.

[@GreyRush]

Actually taking the time to praise this games level design is something i wish we saw more of. SA2 is a really, really good game; its just got some poorly aged jank to it. I hate this weird narrative that popped up after a few years that its awful.

[@derk5867]

Ehhh idk, I played the game for the first time a few years ago and it’s pretty awful. I’m replying it rn but still don’t see what’s so good about it. It’s cool that ppl are still talking about it tho, guess it’s just one of those games I’ll never understand

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

@GreyRush
Every Sonic game has jank, except it's somehow offensive here for some people out there? Yeah, don't know how one could enjoy trial & error heavy design in some of the 2D games with limited resources.

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

@Derk
Sonic Adventure 2 doesn't insult the player's intelligence, instead expecting them to play competently to even make any genuine progress. Maybe that's why you don't like it.

[@aerostrafe1075]

@@derk5867 The stage design is pretty good for 90% of the levels. The levels actually get better when you get better at the game. The way you can plow through city escape your first time and the way you do times after are really different. The tracks are memorable if you are into that kind of music. If you dislike sonic music in general then you're not going to like the OST. The story is pretty solid despite some plotholes. The character development for Shadow by the end is what made him so popular. Its the games that follow Sonic Heroes that drag down his character. The game still has the most replay value out of all the sonic games thanks to the chao garden and the levels themselves. Now if you hate chao then this is not for you again.
Now if you still don't see whats so good about it then you're likely just not that much Sonic in general. You might have a game or two in the franchise you love but its more so that game you love than the brand. Not being a gatekeeper here. Its just strange to see someone call it awful but have no points on why they think its awful. The game hasn't aged "that" well but its not a dumpster fire of time either that some people want to make it out to be just because of some music during cutscenes.

[@lpfan4491]

@@aerostrafe1075 It's not even "the games following Sonic Heroes", it is moreso the games starting from 2010. Sure, Shadow the Hedgehog has the first bad depiction of Shadow, but it is framed as him being lost and learning from the experience to be better in the future. His depictions in Battle, 06 and Rivals are pretty great and he didn't appear after that(Not counting Colors DS) until Generations.
Edit: I forgot Free Riders, he appears in that storymode. But that appearance is moreso about just helping his friend, so it's not really relevant.

[@DrEcho]

It’s also such a great achievement because functionally it needed to accomplish the exact same thing as City Escape because the devs couldn’t predict which between the two stages would be the player’s first speed stage. Sure most people would be drawn to select hero side story first, but for those few that didn’t, Radical Highway needed to hit those same narrative and tutorial beats which it largely succeeded at.

[@UgandanPrinc3]

Radical Highway has so much freaking flair
4:19 personally I prefer the rail grind to exit sign flip
16:34 another ridiculous extra is that if you do a trick off the exit sign bar there (the top one after the spring in the box) you’re rewarded with speed shoes

[@Overlordbryanp13]

I love videos like these, because they give me more appreciation for stuff I may normally gloss over while playing through the levels normally.

[@gamecreaterdude13]

Man I love that SA2 is getting the love it deserve now

[@sebastianbenavidesmorales2274]

another example of why this is the best 3d sonic game

[@Nightmare_52]

my favourite part of radical highway was pressing A as soon as you land on the spinny poles and immediately flying off them without needing to wait for a spin

[@TheHoovyB3ar]

Good to see you back. Fantastic analysis of a blast of a level. The intro levels of the running stages were always the best mix of gameplay and aesthetic.
I spent way too long trying to see if there was a 'low-poly monke' joke hidden somewhere.

[@nightbrand8016]

Something cool I just noticed about how the timing of the stages implies that Shadow has an easier time with the military with Sonic. Think about it. Sonic starts his stage around midday, since the sun is directly overhead as he falls onto the city streets. And when he meets Shadow, it's now nighttime, implying that he's been caught up with running from them all day long. However, Shadow starts at night and makes it just as far as Sonic in what seems to be less time. It helps give Shadow's speed and power validation.

[@iSPiNDiZZi]

I saw this in my recommended and knew this was gonna be a trip. Your analysis videos are some of the absolute best on this entire platform, seriously

[@TFSned]

I love that you're using the Dreamcast version! I went back to it for the first time in 20 years and thought I was going crazy seeing things like the Welcome spelled out in grass in City Escape.
Radical Highway is definitely one of the best stages in the game. I love how the music gives this and Mission Street such a different feel.

[@justapickedminfan]

He's using the GC version though? The B button in the corner is red.

[@CrystalGreymon]

This was beautiful.
Any chance we could get something similar for some of the Mech or Treasure Hunt stages?

[@zoomzike]

I can see that. My top picks for those two gameplay styles would be Pumpkin Hill and Cosmic Wall.

[@Neo-Metal17]

@@zoomzike I loved Weapons Bed too.

[@FerreTrip]

@@zoomzike Dunno--Cosmic Wall was cool, but _looong_ compared to the other SA2 stages. But Pumpkin Hill? Hell _yes._ Great level design, cool new mechanic, and a damn catchy rap all while playing as Knux? Gimmie!

[@goddessdeedeebubblesofimag7789]

@@zoomzike I think Pumpkin Hill is unique in the sense that it's Sky Rail, another one of Shadow's stages, at night. It's haunted at night; the rails are gone, the graveyards are visible, the ghosts are out, and the faces in the mountains are glowing. Sky Rail has all the same locations as Pumpkin Hill (Church mountain... pumpkin mountain.... even the pumpkin face tower/mountain things), it just turns the stage from treasure hunt to speed by use of the aforementioned rails that seem to conveniently disappear at night, when Knuckles is wandering around the area searching for pieces of the Master Emerald.
Another neat change is that, during the day, there is no force or whatever yeeting Shadow back out into the stage like there is at night with Knuckles. You just kinda... lose a life. (bruh.) But this and all the other things i've mentioned just help add to the really good atmosphere of the stage and the game in general.
god for someone who really hasn't been that big about Sonic games I sure can say a lot-

[@elmemearana]

@@FerreTrip I think Cosmic Wall was a good level showing the Eggman's seriousness and badassery against loss or victory of your imperial conquest, destroying each G.U.N's robot that try stop himself. The music helps in the construction of this voltage too.
It's a level says basically WHO is Ivo Robotnik.

[@seasidecolors5277]

This was an excellent video. The breaking down of every component and secret within the stage while explaining how they intertwine with Shadow's character was really cool. You've earned another subscriber.

[@MegaMask335]

I really appreciate Radical Highway in retrospect due to both the cool set pieces/camera angles and how the level acts as a "playground" for mastering the physics of the game like with the lightspeed dash example near the beginning. The multiple pathways really makes it feel interactive and flexible for different ways the level can be completed, unlike Forces' intro level which can easily be cleared by boosting in a straight line and not much else. The comparisons to Sonic's intro stage and the progression of GUN's desperation to capture Shadow was also a nice touch that I didn't notice before.
Overall, a really well-structured video!

[@E1081TheSecond]

I’d genuinely like to see a long form video or series on SA2’s level design as a whole. Where it triumphs like here, and where it might falter.

[@LyritZian]

Hey, glad to see you do another of these! You really took a deep, analytical dive into the design like no other has. Bravo!

[@Kidkinsey]

Playing these games as a kid and then coming back to see how much depth these levels have is so cool. This video is so dope

[@ragnell27]

Got to say, I just love how excited and passionate you get about your videos! The positivity especially is great! 👍

[@catcraze8673]

So much attention to detail in this game. 👌

[@ButtonedUpBailey]

0:47 Eggman discovers that his wife is cheating on him

[@Comkill117]

These videos are so well done, you go into such extreme detail on them that even those of us who the played the game a thousand times probably haven’t noticed all of what you’re showing.

[@sillycill2766]

I watched the video about City Escape when it came out, I love these deep dives into the levels. A series about every SA2 level analyzed like this would be really cool.

[@TripleJump]

7:12
Oh this is incredibly significant. In Sonic Heroes, there are so many instances where the game launches you in the air to land on a thin grind rail with no way of knowing whether holding forward will kill you.

[@roiitzkovich4545]

SA2 is a god tier platformer and I will die on that hill.

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

It's a 9/10 game, and I very rarely give 10 scores nowadays.

[@no.402]

SA1 and 2 both are, along with Sonic 2 and Mania

[@joshuarobertson3040]

Okay but consider that sonic starts during the day and it takes hik all night. While shadow arrives around around same time implying that shadow was already faster here. Seeing as sonic took hours to move through his while shadow took considerably less time.

[@leaonidasgames4277]

What an enjoyable surprise! I really thought you were done with Sonic's levels. Those videos really help me appreciate more the games I already love, in the past I didn't really think of Radical Highway as an amazing level, at least not as much as City Escape, but seeing how great this level actually is, I can enjoy it a lot more

[@WinterShorts0]

God your level / cutscene analysis videos are so good! You go into HARD detail EVERYWHERE around the level, the specifics as to why this game feels so good to this day. I think future game designers should watch these, 100%.

[@hatrisfan]

The algorithm seems to like you buddy, enjoy the ride cos your content deserves it 😊

[@jamescortright3761]

"god that was such a good line"

[@anricquet]

... This is a well-presented video!... I had to share it with two of my nephews!! ... And the way it was presented, it caused me to see it in a different light!!! ... Some of those areas I didn't even know about!!!

[@GRIM0IREG00CH]

I’m not even done with the video yet, but the Freedom street sign is such a clever detail, and I never even noticed it for all these years. SA2B had so much heart put into it

[@danilog342]

Man, I didn't know about the "Freedom" sign. That's genius.

[@johnnysaurus04]

Another SA2 level analysis! Great stuff!

[@chocov1233]

I'm so glad that you are making more Sonic videos like this, almost no one else has done videos like this on RUclips, well except that one guy, but he only did it for Sonic 1 and 2 and after hundreds or maybe thousands of Sonic fans asked him to make more it eventually hurt his mental illness so he took the videos down, later he put them back up and removed comments and never interacted with anything Sonic related on his channel again, btw he wasn't a full time RUclipsr, he actually was an up incoming voice actor if I recall correctly.

[@hitnrun66]

“The ultimate lifeform”
**Also Kars putting the red stone of Aja in the mask**

[@Beta_Mixes]

I always knew SA2 was great...but never, after all these years, could put my finger on it!
I must admit Im astonished someone took their time to explain everything that my subconscious knew all this time, thanks mate!

[@mysticrainbowdragon]

Haven’t watched the video yet, but this seems like an oddly fitting video considering I’ve literally just been suffering through Mission 4 of this stage again (love the stage but that timer kills)

[@goddessdeedeebubblesofimag7789]

is it a "finish the stage in ___ minutes!" mission cuz i only just beat the 3rd mission with the help of this video

[@shawnleeguku]

Great video. Nice touch addressing Shadow's constant identity crisis. Feel like that's a part of his character that a lot of people mischaracterize as inconsistency but the dude's literally got messed up memories and doesn't know who he wants to be.

[@thefollower2933]

I was randomly scrolling through videos and then I see just a video from zoomzike that came out 1 minute ago

[@espurrseyes42]

So when's the next "[Sonic Forces level] is NOT a Playable Cutscene"? I'd personally go with Luminous Forest.

[@RandomTomatoMusic]

"Luminous Forest is an Interactive Cutscene"

[@lpfan4491]

"Null Space is not a playable cutscene" and then just showing a clip of them doubleboosting out of there.(Even tho it is ironic, because the technically unnamed stage that this leads to is actually kinda good, lol)

[@idadood2278]

5:45 Yeah. I do this basically every time I play Radical Highway.

[@HeroesRiseUp]

This is probably one of the best videos going in depth with Shadow’s character and level. Well done! c:

[@kryzethx]

Wow, I always loved this level (though less than City Escape), but there is so much I didn't know about it. The entire grinding sections, and the long spin jumps are especially cool