Sonic Advance 2

Sonic Advance 2 is a side-scrolling platformer similar in gameplay and style to the original Sonic Advance (2001). The player controls Sonic the Hedgehog, who can unlock three other playable characters: Cream the Rabbit and her Chao named Cheese, Tails, and Knuckles the Echidna after defeating Doctor Eggman in specific boss battles. A fifth character, Amy Rose, can be unlocked after completing the game with each character once each of them has all seven Chaos Emeralds. Each character has their own unique moves and abilities. Sonic can perform an "insta-shield" that protects him for a brief moment; Cream and Tails can fly; Knuckles can glide and climb; and Amy can destroy enemies using a hammer.

In the tradition of Sonic games, gameplay consists of moving quickly through levels. Levels in the game are divided into seven "zones", each consisting of two acts of normal gameplay then a boss battle, where the player fights Doctor Eggman in order to stop him from taking over the world. The player collects rings as a form of health; when the player is hit by an enemy or obstacle, their rings bounce in all directions, and can be recollected before they disappear. Each character starts the game with three lives, and will lose one if they are hit without carrying any rings, fall into a bottomless pit, crushed, drown, or fail to finish the act within 10 minutes.

Sonic Advance 2 was developed by the video game studio Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team. According to producer Yuji Naka, the developers began designing the concept of the game immediately after the completion of the original Sonic Advance, and full development began in February 2002. The design team decided to increase the speed of the original greatly; thus, the levels were made six times larger. The main development period lasted eight months; it was programmed using an updated version of the original Sonic Advance engine.

The developers also refined the graphics and sought to make the game feel more "mechanical". The game also marks the first appearance of Cream the Rabbit in the Sonic series; the character was originally designed for 2003's Sonic Heroes, though she was added to Advance 2 before the release of Heroes to help make the game easier for beginning players.

Sonic Advance 2 received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game was also commercially successful, selling approximately 176,541 copies in Japan, 740,000 copies in the United States, and 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom, for a total of 1.016 million copies.

The visuals and presentation were one of the most praised aspects of the game. GameSpot considered the game's graphics to be a major advance from the previous game, feeling that it took more advantage of the Game Boy Advance's capabilities and praised the improved character animations, favorably comparing them to that of a cartoon. IGN offered similar praise, calling its visuals more vibrant, bright, and vivid, and also spoke positively of its "peppy" soundtrack. This sentiment was echoed by AllGame. Nintendo World Report called the music catchy and enjoyable, though they criticized the re-use of certain themes from the original Sonic Advance.

Cream the Rabbit, who was introduced in Sonic Advance 2, would feature predominantly in future Sonic games. A direct sequel, Sonic Advance 3, was released in 2004; it is the final entry in the Sonic Advance trilogy.