- Back to: Sonic Adventure 2: The Trial.
General comparisons
Game Introduction
When the game starts, a screen is displayed telling the player that this demo is "work in progress" and unexpected problems have a chance to be discovered.
On the Sega splash screen, the "PRESENTED BY" text above the logo uses a slightly different format than that of the final release. The screen itself appears to be a bit higher quality as well, since the final's is slightly blurred/lower resolution.
The same goes for the Sonic Team logo's screen.
After the Sega and Sonic Team logos appear, the game displays the Sofdec and ADX logos, as well as copyright information. This is not shown in the final release of the game, as the opening animation plays instead.
The most obvious difference on the surface is the title screen, which not only uses a different style, but a completely different logo. There are silhouettes/outlines of Sonic and Shadow in the background, which is just a solid black color, and the "Press Start Button" is the same as the one used in the final's post-title gameplay demos. The "2" also uses a different font, as well as the copyright information differing slightly, with a Sega date of 1998 and a Sonic Team date of 2000.
If you wait long enough on the title screen, a short
trailer plays out to promote the game's upcoming release. Weirdly, Sonic is seen in
Sky Rail in this trailer, a stage that only Shadow plays in the Dark Story.
Cutscene Comparisons
When pressing START, the game immediately loads the cutscene for City Escape. However, the cutscene card is not displayed like in the final.
The font used for the text is still "Impress" from Sonic Adventure instead of "Comic Sans" like the final.
After the line, "Cargo secured on board and..." one of the pilots exclaim "What the hell...!" This was localized and changed to "What!?" in the final release.
The lighting used in the Trial is visibly different, especially on Sonic.
Sonic's eyes in part of the cutscene are a bit higher than the final. The line used in this shot is also different, reading "I'd feel better running !!" rather than the localized "I like running better!"
Sonic is seen wearing his regular shoes in this build rather than the SOAP Shoes. This is because this demo was made before Sega and SOAP sealed the merchandising deal for Sonic to wear them. Thus, they are not present yet in this build.
Because Japanese voice lines are used in this demo, the localized "Yeah!" text is not displayed when Sonic falls to the city.
City Escape Comparisons
The Mission Card text reads "Find the Goal Ring." instead of "Escape from the military pursuit!"
The Pause Menu in the Trial uses a slightly different design, using lighter colors and saying "PAUSE" instead of "1P PAUSE".
Sonic cannot perform the Somersault Jump combo when pressing 
then 
while moving in mid-somersault, instead just kicking back like the non-moving combo.
Sonic's turning radius when he performs the Spin Dash appears to be a bit further than the final's.
A lot of the billboards in City Escape have been updated, some of them being changed to "SOAP" boards to signify the SOAP Shoes deal.
Speaking of billboards, some of the billboards in this build are used for Phantasy Star Online, most likely used to promote the game since this demo was bundled with certain releases of that game.
Strangely, despite not even being able to use it, Sonic's line when he attempts to use the Mystic Melody without the upgrade is different, although this could just be different because of localization. The Trial's line reads, "It seems to be ancient artifact..." while the final's reads, "Looks like some old ruins..."
The camera angle when Sonic finishes the stage is slightly different, being closer to the ground.
Post-City Escape
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| The Trial (Ending Sequence)
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After the player completes City Escape, a short teaser animatic plays showing Sonic and Shadow, followed by text accompanied by a voice that says "COMING 2001". The 10th anniversary logo displays afterwards, and the demo restarts.
then 
while moving in mid-somersault, instead just kicking back like the non-moving combo.
