Sonic The Hedgehog

Info The only character available at the beginning, Sonic's move list has been altered and tweaked a bit for this installment (for simplicity's sake, we'll only be covering those special moves that are new or updated from Sonic Advance 1): Homing Attack Taken directly from the Adventure series, Sonic's Homing Attack propels him forward towards an enemy. Tap A while jumping. You'll need to be near the enemy, facing it and just below you for the move to work. Otherwise you'll perform the Spin Attack. Grind The Grind in Sonic Advance 2 has become more essential, as the new zones are filled with grind rails to travel upon. Simply jump on the starting edge of a rail to start the move. When you get to the end of the rail you'll automatically hop off, but Sonic specifically can get a higher boost by hitting the jump button before that happens. Jump Dash Back from Sonic Advance (and ALOT more useful), the Jump Dash propels Sonic forward while in mid-jump. Tap either Left or Right 2 times in rapid succession to launch Sonic in that direction. It's an invaluable move for Sonic during the Boss Attack zones, allowing him to gain speed quickly. Bounce Attack First seen in Sonic 3 (then again in Sonic Adventure 2), Sonic used the Water Shield's bounce attack to strike enemies below him. In Advance 2, he can do it anytime by hitting B while jumping. You can use this move to break through some platforms, allowing access to hidden areas. Somersault Attack Reduced to a one tap move, the Somersault is still rather effective in taking out enemies from the side. Tap B once to perform. Somersault Dash Attack Can only be performed while running at full speed (when you can see afterimages of your character). Tap B to somersault through enemies. Unlike the original Somersault Attack, this one doesn't force you to stop. Sonic's R Tricks Sonic's Up+R trick will shoot him straight up into the air. His Foward+R will turn him into a whirling dervish, propelling him forward and smashing anything in his wake. Down+R performs the Bounce maneuver, and just hitting R all on its own causes him to backflip, effectively cancelling his forward momentum.

Cream The Rabbit & Cheese The Chao

Info Sonic meets Cream and Cheese (ah! pun! evil!) for the first time in Leaf Forest's Boss Attack zone. Once saved, she becomes a playable character from then on. Cream, a polite young girl, is searching for her mother, whom she believes has been kidnapped by Dr. Eggman. She joins Sonic in tracking down the despicable doctor. She's able to perform all the staple Sonic moves, and brings in a few of her own: Spin Dash Is nothing sacred? Guess not. Anyway, tap A while holding Down to start the move. Continue tapping A to rev, then release Down to propel Cream forward. Flying Like Tails, Cream has the ability of flight. Unlike Tails, she can't sustain it nearly as long. On the plus side, she can cover ground slightly faster. Jump into the air and tap A to fly. Grind Cream will also be able to grind all rails in Sonic Advance 2. Jump on the starting edge of a rail to start the move. When you get to the end of the rail you'll automatically hop off. Cheese Attack The name says it all. Possibly the cheesiest (doh!) move in the game, Cream commands Cheese to bash the nearest enemy in the area in front of her. Tap B to perform. Works while running, jumping or just standing still. Works on any enemy, even bosses! Only downside: it can't be done in succession, so try not to abuse it too much. Cheese Spin Attack Jump, then hold Down and tap B to do this odd attack, that has Cheese encircle Cream for a second, increasing the range of her spin. In all aspects similar to Sonic's Spin Attack. Cheese Dash Attack Can only be performed while running at maximum speed and tapping B. Cheese will circle Cream multiple times. Can be done repeatedly, as no speed is lost. Great for getting past scores of enemies in her path. Cream's R Tricks Up+R propels her up, Foward+R causes her to spin foward, allowing her to reach high platforms without sacrificing her propulsion. Down+R makes her do a butt-stomp that seemingly does nothing but attack anything below her, while R on its own pushes her back in mid-air.

Miles "Tails" Prower

Info Tails returns! This time he's being held prisoner by Dr. Eggman in the Music Plant Zone. Saving him will unlock him as a playable character. Tails seems to have changed little since Sonic Advance, but that's okay... he still has his best moves at his disposal. Tail Dash Attack While running at full speed, Tails can attack with his twin tails by tapping B. It tends to slow him down a tad, however... so use it sparingly. Grind Never one to let Sonic have all the fun, Tails has included the Grind move into his repetoire. It's exactly the same as Cream's version. Tails' R Tricks Up+R shoots him up, Forward+R causes him to boost himself with his twin tails, allowing him to reach high platforms without losing forward momentum. Down+R drops him toward the ground in a belly-flop, eliminating enemies below him, and R all on its own will pull him back.

Knuckles The Echidna

Info Once again Knux finds himself in the midst of a fight between Sonic and Dr. Eggman. The doctor has apparently convinced him that Sonic is the enemy! Using one of Eggman's creations, he challenges Sonic in Sky Canyon. Defeating the echidna will get him to reform, netting you the ability to use him as a playable character. Double Punch Attack Knux's punch combo has been shortened to a one-two combo, but now only requires one tap of the B button when standing still. Screw Attack Capable of busting through weak flooring, Knux turns up the heat as he's literally set aflame while spiraling downward knuckles-first. Tap B while jumping to accomplish this feat. Screw Dash Attack While running at max speed, tap B to nail oncoming enemies with a horizontal drill move. You'll lose a bit of speed in the process, though. Grind New to Knux's arsenal. Exactly the same as Cream's and Tails'. Knuckes' R Tricks Up+R performs an uppercut attack, but slows him down big time. Forward+R will cause Knux to torpedo forward with fists drawn. Upon landing on terra firma, he'll automatically go into ball form. Down+R will perfor the Screw Attack, while R on its own causes Knux to back off in mid-air.

Amy Rose

Info Thought to have been replaced by the introduction of Cream The Rabbit before the game's actual release, many Amy-shippers feared the worst. Luckily, Dimps wasn't about to let them down, and included Amy as an extra secret character. However, you'll have to collect 7 chaos emeralds for each regular character before she's unlocked... not a task to be taken lightly. Compared to the rest of the cast, Amy has improved the most as a playable character. She now has a Spin Dash (of sorts) and can spin into ball form while on the ground or jumping... while still retaining the use of her Piko-Piko Hammer. Possibly the most well-rounded individual, the only things Amy lacks are Sonic's Jump Dash and the power of flight. She's also lost her Hammer Jump. Hammer Attack Amy's hammer attack has lost its double-whammy, but is no less effective. Tap B once to fill the air in front of you with the Hammer of Justice! One bit of bad news is that the hammer can no longer be used to strike bounce springs, losing the exclusive ability to bounce extra high, as seen in Sonic Advance. Horizontal Spinning Hammer Attack By tapping B while in mid-jump, Amy will spin her hammer side to side while falling straight down. Useful as a method of attack, it can also shatter breakable floors. Vertical Spinning Hammer Attack Jump once, then tap A to perform this move. Amy will swing her hammer around once, increasing the area of her spin. Amy Special Spin Dash Amy still hasn't gotten the hang of Sonic's patented move, it would seem. Hold Down and tap A to rev up, then release Down to blast forward in ball form. Grind Unlike Cream, Tails and Knux, Amy has reached Sonic's level of expertise in this area. Basically, that means she can jump higher off the rail if you press A before it ends. Slide Dash Attack At maximum speed, Amy employs her face slide from Sonic Advance to rid the path of any opponents. Tap B once while running full tilt. She loses little speed, amazingly. Amy's R Tricks Up+R will shoot her upwards, Forward+R will send her spinning in forward motion. Down+R executes the Horizontal Hammer Spin, while R alone causes Amy to backflip away.