"Escape from the City" doesn’t shy away from that. Life is inexplicable and unknowable, and sometimes all you can do is keep running forward. But these lines only help to make the song even more relatable to Sega’s gotta-go-fast mascot. At one point, the vocalists cry out, "Got no other options - only one thing to do!" The repeating internal monologue of "Must keep on moving ahead no time for guessing, follow my plan instead" also speaks to something more nefarious than the outward positivity. The resounding message is hopeful, but there are some darker moments. Not all of it is sunshine and rainbows, though. It’s full of optimism at its catchiest and most assertive. Despite it scoring a stressful level - Sonic’s on the run from the military and a massive truck, remember? - the song is self-assured, confident and affirming. "Escape from the City" is overwhelmingly positive. "Got places to go, gotta follow my rainbow" is the next line, and that’s when the song’s thesis statement becomes apparent. "Rolling around at the speed of sound," the song begins, kicking things off with a simple but unforgettable rhyme. You cannot ignore the beautiful, ethereal lyrics.įor one, they’re instantly charming. The early-‘00s pop-rock music of "Escape From the City" is great, but the song would not work without its words. If there’s any promise for Sonic the Hedgehog to be great, it’s on display in this level, and especially in this song. To not understand the appeal of "City Escape" is, in our opinion, to not understand the appeal of Sonic at all. It’s the music, it’s the dumb one-liners, it’s the Soap Shoes ads and product placement. ![]() In fact, everything about this level encapsulates the Sonic ‘tude perfectly. But there’s no denying that the pounding beat and frenetic energy of the song work perfectly to drive you through the level.Īnd besides, if there’s any musical styling that perfectly captures the mix of family-friendly and edgy that Sonic personifies, it’s bubblegum rock. Maybe you don’t like the pop-punk leanings of "Escape from the City." That would be fair. The game opens with this surprise that acts as an immediate shot of adrenaline. Songs with a full lyrical treatment, songs that sound like something you might hear on the local pop radio station are still rare in games today in 2001, they were essentially unheard of. And its magnificent theme is a major reason why. But it’s hard to recall the rest of Sonic Adventure 2, obfuscated as it is by Knuckles’ dumb puzzles and Tails’ stupid attempts at a third-person shooter.īut "City Escape" - man, "City Escape" is unforgettable. We’ve played it like it was a part-time job. ![]() We’ve put well over 100 hours into the game. Certainly none of them come close to the level of pure, perfect, high-speed action that "City Escape" achieves. It’s hard to remember if any of the other levels in Sonic Adventure 2 are any good. The rest is devoted to annoying gem fetch quests or awful mech segments starring Sonic’s friends and enemies. You don’t just play as Sonic, pushing the speed limit in dozens of levels in fact, Sonic’s parts make up just a sixth of the game. ![]() For a certain vocal subset of Sonic fans, the game brought on the end of an era in the series. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case. It’s infinitely replayable, too - we’ve run through the course hundreds of times, at least once in under two minutes flat.Īs the introduction to Sonic Adventure 2, "City Escape" seems to suggest that you’re in for a very good, very Sonic-like time. Oh, and at the very end, Sonic has to outrun the world’s biggest 18-wheeler. Y’know what Sonic made that snowboard out of? The side of a military helicopter that had held him hostage until he bust out of it in mid-air. It’s fast-paced, full of secret pathways and more than a little absurd. "City Escape" represents the epitome of Sonic the Hedgehog. That level is called, appropriately, "City Escape," and it’s fantastic right from the start, where Sonic falls from a military chopper onto the world’s steepest highway, which he blasts down (at the speed of sound) on a makeshift snowboard. "Escape from the City" is the theme to the opening level of Sonic Adventure 2, the hedgehog’s final outing on Sega Dreamcast. ![]() To understand why this song qualifies as a masterpiece, you need to know its context.
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