9. Sonic Adventure 2 (2001, Dreamcast / GameCube)

In 2001 Sega’s beloved but niche Dreamcast was rapidly succumbing to the might of Sony’s PlayStation 2 hype machine, so the release of Sonic Adventure 2, both a 10th anniversary celebration and the final Sonic platformer developed for a Sega home console, felt equal parts triumphant and bittersweet. It was also a hell of a ride, with stunning 60 fps visuals, one of the most inspired Sonic soundtracks, and boundless imagination on display everywhere you looked.

The game itself tossed out many of the wilder ideas of its predecessor for a greater focus on the speed, shooting, and scavenger hunt segments. A lot of folks only love the fast Sonic / Shadow bits, but I appreciated how even the janky-ass Knuckles / Rouge emerald hunts and blandly workmanlike Tails / Eggman mech segments let me spend more time in that gorgeous, fantastical world. Sonic Adventure 2 has plenty of flaws, but you can tell Sonic Team was working hard to build off the best parts of its previous Adventure and play out Sega’s home console era with style. In my eyes, it succeeded.

Oh, and Ash wants me to mention City Escape. — Alexandra Hall