Sonic Adventure

For those who are far too lazy for all that, or if you want a quicklist for what you need, here's a primer for all 130 Emblems, with quick helps where I think it's necessary.

~~~Sonic the Hedgehog~~~
1) Emerald Coast, Level C (Rescue Tails)
2) Emerald Coast, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
3) Emerald Coast, Level A (Destroy the capsule in 2:00)
***Constantly pressing X/B to continuously spin-dash is a vital tactic to getting Level A in all of Sonic's action stages. Sonic just running is simply too slow. Don't even bother doing this at the whale chase, though.***

4) Windy Valley, Level C (Get the Chaos Emerald)
5) Windy Valley, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
6) Windy Valley, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 3:00)
***This one's a bit easier to do, but knowing where the shortcuts are will have you beating this time without a worry. When you're on the grated runways in the sky, if you can see that the path spirals under you, simply jump down to it to gain a few seconds. Just as long as you keep your speed up and don't stop for anything frivolous, you shouldn't have any troubles.***

7) Casinopolis, Level C (Get the Chaos Emerald)
***You'll need 400 Rings to do so.***
8) Casinopolis, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
***Don't make the mistake of destroying the Capsule as soon as you deposit your 400th ring--you'll need to go back into one of the pinball arenas to get the extra 50. Also, the reverse is true--when you get the 50+, don't make the mistake of depositing them.***
9) Casinopolis, Level A (Destroy the capsule in 5:00)
***This is actually easier than it sounds if you know what to do, and that's very simple--once you enter the pinball arenas, shake the board with your control stick to get yourself down into the sewers as fast as you can. From there, take the longest paths in each of the fan sections (practice if you don't know them, and don't worry; if you're quick enough, you'll have plenty of time) and pop every item box you see. If you lose your rings, restart the level. Remember to use your Light Speed Dash in the last section of the sewer to get both a shield and invincibility, just in case. Also, try to jump right from the water to the ladder to avoid Sonic's time-costly animation. If you're fleet-of-foot, this should be no problem.***

10) Icecap, Level C (Get the Chaos Emerald)
11) Icecap, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
12) Icecap, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 4:00)
***At the start, when you head outside onto the slope, use the jump panels. It will also save you a couple seconds to go down and use the #2 panel immediately instead of finding the #1 panel. When you enter the limestone cave, don't bother trying to spin-dash-jump [revving up a quick spin dash, then immediately jumping to cover distance fast] through the wooden barricade adjacent to where you are--they put an invisible wall there (as far as I know, it's a new wall compared to previous versions of this game). Simply make your way through the cave as quick as you can. Your shortcut in the first section of the level should have saved you enough time anyway. In the snowboarding section, all you really have to do is make sure you don't get snagged on any walls or hit by any bombers.***

13) Sky Chase, Act 1 (Complete Act 1)
***In this first playthrough of Sky Chase, if you want to make your Emblem hunt as easy as possible, you must remember this one simple rule: do NOT get 8,000 points or more. This will become important when we get to Tails' story; until then, just trust me on this. In fact, don't even shoot your gun.***

14) Twinkle Park, Level C (Destroy the Capsule and rescue the animals)
15) Twinkle Park, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
16) Twinkle Park, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 3:00)
***This is very tricky, but if you know the tricks, you'll have a fighting chance.
--#1, get a cart, jump in, and drive off as fast as possible. When you get to the area with the four mini-ramps, it's faster if you can just swerve around them because once you land from jumping one, you slow down a bit. Avoid the cart enemies and the Kiki as much as possible; remember that rings increase your acceleration!
--#2, when you get into the roller coaster, hold left or right and keep it held until you've jumped out. When you jump out of the roller coaster, holding left or right will allow you to move to the side of the coaster and, instead of going down the hole into the bowling alley, you can skip the entire interior of the castle spire. Follow the track and simply fall straight down; you should land on a platform that is right outside the pool area. Be careful, though; the camera here is NOT your friend. The camera alone makes this one of the more difficult speed tricks in the game.
--#3, right here in the pool area, if you home-attack the spring and keep the jump button held, with proper technique, the jump will take you to the narrow pathway WAAAY up there. See it? When you get to its height, manipulate Sonic so he can just barely get onto it. The camera doesn't like you if you do this, so be warned--there's an Kiki up here (home-attack it) and get past the barrels as quick as you can so they don't explode with you in the general vicinity.***

17) Speed Highway, Level C (Destroy the Capsule and rescue the animals)
18) Speed Highway, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
19) Speed Highway, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 2:30)
***Remember, after riding the cart, you'll run horizontally on a wall--take the upper path if you can; nabbing the Speed Shoes item box makes it even better. Also, after riding the helicopter and rocketing to the next (spiraling) path, landing on the tiny floating platform at the end will do wonders for you.
When running down the wall, holding up or down on the control stick won't help--just use left and right and 'A' to avoid the obstacles.***

20) Red Mountain, Level C (Destroy the Capsule and rescue the animals)
21) Red Mountain, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
22) Red Mountain, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 3:00)
***This is a tricky bastard. You should reach the first point marker in EIGHT SECONDS--if you don't, you've already lost. Make your jumps fluid. Use the jump panels when you get to the mess of platforms at the middle. When you get to the top of the volcano, spin-dash-jump over the lava to the pulley. Inside the volcano, there's an area where you can use the Light Speed Dash. Otherwise, just go as fast as possible.***

23) Sky Chase, Act 2 (Complete Act 2)
***Just like Sky Chase, Act 1, if you want an easy time, don't even bother shooting anything until the very end where you have to destroy the Egg Carrier's main cannon. If you absolutely must shoot the various fighter jets, turrets, and mines, just try not to hit 20,000 points.

24) Sky Deck, Level C (Destroy the Capsule and rescue the animals)
25) Sky Deck, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
26) Sky Deck, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 5:00)
***At the end of the first section, with all the narrow pathways, jump to the top layer and just continuously spin dash to the end. At the end of the final section, when the ship is about to tilt, it's possible to spin-dash-jump all the way to the spring at the end/top before the tilting finishes, which makes things easier and faster. When you get to the crossing ramps (it'll be hard to control due to the lousy programming), just jump down to the switch.***

27) Lost World, Level C (Get to the center of the ruins)
28) Lost World, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
29) Lost World, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 4:30)
***This is probably the hardest A-rank of the bunch, mostly because the biggest time-savers are in that horrid stone serpent chamber. By now, you should be able to recognize where in that room you can spin-dash-jump to from each switch, but again, the camera thinks you shot its dog and won't help you worth a lick.
In the mirror chamber, if you've got a keen eye, a decent TV, and a bit of confidence, you can try skipping a mirror here and there, but don't press your luck. In the last chamber...just get through it as fast as you can.***

30) Final Egg, Level C (Get to the center of the base)
31) Final Egg, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Capsule)
32) Final Egg, Level A (Destroy the Capsule in 4:30)
***Honestly, this one should be easy if you're swift. You should have a firm grasp on this level by now, so I won't bother giving you any tips.***

33) Sonic's Story completed.

~~~Miles "Tails" Prower~~~
34) Windy Valley, Level C (Get the Chaos Emerald before Sonic)
***Playing as Tails in these levels is actually pretty easy; just use the green dash rings you see in the air and don't dawdle. Grabbing the Jet Anklet in Station Square doesn't hurt matters, either.***
35) Windy Valley, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and beat Sonic)
36) Windy Valley, Level A (Beat an even faster Sonic)
***Again, not difficult. Just use the dash rings, follow the path, and don't stop for ice cream.***

37) Casinopolis, Level C (Get the Chaos Emerald before Sonic)
***No matter what path you take, you should be fine here.***
38) Casinopolis, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and beat Sonic)
39) Casinopolis, Level A (Beat an even faster Sonic)
***This MAY be tricky if you're inexperienced, but in general, if you can get to the last area even at the same time as he does, you should do well (remember that Sonic is careful at the last section, whereas Tails can just fly through the Invincibility item box that's waiting for you).***

40) Icecap, Level C (Get the Chaos Emerald before Sonic)
***This level for Tails is actually the hardest because of the fact that AI Sonic on his snowboard behaves differently than AI Sonic on foot. Level C is still easy, though--just make every jump you come across, use the shortcut cave toward the end, and don't get snagged.***
41) Icecap, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and beat Sonic)
42) Icecap, Level A (Beat an even faster Sonic)
***DON'T MISS ANY JUMPS.***

43) Sky Chase, Act 1 (Beat the best time)
***Now. The reason I told you not to try to get a good score back in Sonic's story is because of this--to get two Emblems for the sub-games, you must first complete the act, then you must best the best score registered for that act. The game has a set high score for Sky Chase, Act 1 at 8,000 points. If, in your first run, you were to beat that score (for example, getting 10,000), then you would be forced to beat YOUR OWN best score (that is, get 10,001 points or higher) to get the second Emblem.
That being said, now that you have one Emblem for Sky Chase, Act 1, now is the time to go for points. Remember to use your homing missiles (press and hold 'X', 'B', or 'A', move your crosshairs over up to five enemies, then let go to unleash homing missiles on all locked-on enemies), but use them smartly--one missed enemy could just throw you off your game.***

44) Sand Hill (Capture Froggy)
***This is just like Sky Chase--try your best NOT to get a good score here. You get a good score by going through gates in succession and within two seconds of one another--they work on a multiplier. Pace yourself and try to get less than 10,000 before you reach the end.
Oh, and I feel the need to remind you to get the Rhythm Badge after this when you're flashed back to the ancient echidna civilization--this is your only chance to get it.***

45) Sky Chase, Act 2 (Beat the best score)
***Just like Sky Chase, Act 1, now is the time to go for points. If you got less than 20,000 in your first go-around, that's your target here. Remember your lock-ons, but also remember that you can only do five at a a time, so kill five, then quickly get more while they're on the screen. If your homing missiles seem to stick, just hold the fire button for a split-second again, then release it.

46) Sky Deck, Level C (Beat Sonic to the Capsule and destroy it)
47) Sky Deck, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and beat Sonic to the Capsule)
48) Sky Deck, Level A (Beat an even faster Sonic)

49) Speed Highway, Level C (Beat Robotnik to the missile)
50) Speed Highway, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and beat Robotnik)
51) Speed Highway, Level A (Beat an even faster Robotnik)

52) Tails' Story completed.

~~~Knuckles the Echidna~~~
53) Speed Highway, Level C (Find three Emerald shards)
54) Speed Highway, Level B (Find the Emerald shards without using Hint Orbs)
55) Speed Highway, Level A (Find the Emerald shards in one minute)
***Obviously, you're looking at an average of 20 seconds for each one. Just don't panic and you'll do fine. Of course, there is the easy/cheap way--if you have more than three lives to play with you can find the shard, NOT COLLECT IT, restart the level, and just go straight to it.***

56) Casinopolis, Level C (Find three Emerald shards)
57) Casinopolis, Level B (Find the Emerald shards without using Hint Orbs)
58) Casinopolis, Level A (Find the Emerald shards in one minute)

59) Red Mountain, Level C (Find three Emerald shards)
60) Red Mountain, Level B (Find the Emerald shards without using Hint Orbs)
61) Red Mountain, Level A (Find the Emerald shards in one minute)

62) Lost World, Level C (Find three Emerald shards)
63) Lost World, Level B (Find the Emerald shards without using Hint Orbs)
64) Lost World, Level A (Find the Emerald shards in one minute)

65) Sky Deck, Level C (Find three Emerald shards)
***Controlling the tilt of the ship brings back the control problems you faced back when Sonic was here. If the ship controls stick, go to the adjacent side and adjust it so that it's aligned with the slot properly.***
66) Sky Deck, Level B (Find the Emerald shards without using Hint Orbs)
67) Sky Deck, Level A (Find the Emerald shards in two minutes)
***Thank your lucky stars that they gave you an extra minute in leeway. Now curse your god, because you probably won't think it's enough time. In this level, more than any other, is where the restart trick comes in handy the most--figure out where the shards are (in plain sight, behind a door that's only open when the ship is tilted a certain direction, etc.), then restart the level and use your head to quickly plot a route. If there's two shards in plain view, get the one shard that requires ship manipulation first--then you can get the two free ones without going back to the controls.***

68) Knuckles' Story completion.

~~~Amy Rose~~~
69) Twinkle Park, Level C (Evade ZERO and grab the balloon)
70) Twinkle Park, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and grab the balloon)
71) Twinkle Park, Level A (Grab the balloon in 2:00)
***Simply jumping while moving forward will allow you to attain maximum speed.***

72) Hedgehog Hammer (Beat Robotnik's high score of 2,000 points)
***This isn't like the Sky Chase levels--you MUST beat the game's high score first; in this case, 2,000 points. Hitting a single Sonic is worth 200, hitting a Super Sonic nets you 500, and hitting Eggman will deduct 200 points from your score. Get 2,100 points or higher to obtain the Emblem and the Warrior Feather.***
73) Hedgehog Hammer (Beat your own high score)
***You heard me. You'll get the Long Hammer on top of the Emblem.***

74) Hot Shelter, Level C (Evade ZERO and grab the balloon)
75) Hot Shelter, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and grab the balloon)
***There is a cache of Ring item boxes behind the wall surrounding the balloon.***
76) Hot Shelter, Level A (Grab the balloon in 6:30)
***Harder than it sounds, but not TOO hard. Just keep pace and use your Hammer Jump as much as possible (especially in the pool area--you don't even need to raise the water!).***

77) Final Egg, Level C (Evade ZERO and grab the balloon)
78) Final Egg, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and grab the balloon)
79) Final Egg, Level A (Grab the balloon in 2:30)
***The area with five doors (I call it the "five-points" after an intersection in my town) LOVES to hate you here, and switching to Free Camera WILL NOT HELP (they all look like a dead end--the one true path will not load until you actually go into it). Hopefully, you'll go into the correct one first. In the next room, Hammer-Jump onto the ledge and job your pink ass to the balloon.***

80) Amy's Story completed.

~~~E-102 'GAMMA'~~~
81) Final Egg, Level C (Destroy the Sonic doll)
82) Final Egg, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy the Sonic doll)
83) Final Egg, Level A (Destroy the Sonic doll with more than 150 seconds remaining)
***Remember that every enemy killed with a lock-on works on a multiplier. Just keep "2:30.00" on your mind.***

84) Emerald Coast, Level C (Locate and capture Froggy)
85) Emerald Coast, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and capture Froggy)
86) Emerald Coast, Level A (Capture Froggy with more than 180 seconds remaining)
***HARDER THAN IT LOOKS. Master shooting and moving, and don't stop doing either one. Keep "3:00.00" on your mind.***

87) Windy Valley, Level C (Destroy E-103 'DELTA')
88) Windy Valley, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy E-103)
89) Windy Valley, Level A (Destroy E-103 with more than 150 seconds remaining)
***The Boa-Boa enemies are your friends here--locking on to every segment and destroying it will add 45 seconds to the clock. When you get to E-103, shoot him at point-blank range.***

90) Red Mountain, Level C (Destroy E-104 'EPSILON')
91) Red Mountain, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy E-104)
92) Red Mountain, Level A (Destroy E-104 with more than 180 seconds remaining)
***This is difficult. What's more, I have nothing to say that can help you except for "move and shoot".***

93) Hot Shelter, Level C (Destroy E-105 'ZETA')
94) Hot Shelter, Level B (Collect 50 Rings and destroy E-105)
95) Hot Shelter, Level A (Destroy E-105 with more than 120 seconds remaining)
***You'll either have 90 seconds left on the clock or one; sometimes, it just boils down to luck. Remember your lock-on bonuses and take care of 'ZETA' as fast as you can.***

96) E-102's Story completed.

~~~Big the Cat~~~
97) Twinkle Park, Level C (Fish for and catch Froggy)
98) Twinkle Park, Level B (Catch a 1,000g fish and Froggy)
***To be safe, I recommend getting ALL of Big's power-ups (the Life Belt, the Power Rod, and all four Level-Up Lures) before attempting his B- and A-Ranks. Remember to catch the fish before Froggy, and that catching two 500-lb+ fish to add it up to 1,000 won't do you any good. Be patient--I hate it, too, but suck it up.***
99) Twinkle Park, Level A (Catch a 2,000g fish and Froggy)
***Getting ANY of Big's A-Ranks is impossible until you get all of his B-Ranks, so don't even try. Not to mention, you MUST have all of Big's power-ups. The only fish that weigh 2,000 grams are the robotic ones, so go for the big ones. Again, be patient and don't strain your test.***

100) Icecap, Level C (Fish for and catch Froggy)
***Remember that there's a Level-Up Lure in this level, inside a dinosaur skull. It's the only power-up in the game that's located in an action stage.***
101) Icecap, Level B (Catch a 1,000g fish and Froggy)
102) Icecap, Level C (Catch a 2,000g fish and Froggy)

103) Emerald Coast, Level C (Fish for and catch Froggy)
104) Emerald Coast, Level B (Catch a 1,000g fish and Froggy)
***For a prime fishing spot, look for the underwater cave in a submerged spire. You'll find loads of fish here that meet the weight requirement.***
105) Emerald Coast, Level A (Catch a 2,000g fish and Froggy)

106) Hot Shelter, Level C (Fish for and catch Froggy)
107) Hot Shelter, Level B (Catch a 1,000g fish and Froggy)
108) Hot Shelter, Level A (Catch a 2,000g fish and Froggy)

109) Big's Story completed.

~~~Station Square~~~
110) On a ledge above the entrance to SS Central Station.
111) High in the air in an alley outside Casinopolis.
***ONLY TAILS can retrieve this Emblem.***
112) In the Station Square Burger Shop outside City Hall.
113) Just outside City Hall, cut the grass.
***ONLY TAILS can retrieve this Emblem.***

~~~Mystic Ruin~~~
114) On a ledge across from Tails' workshop.
115) Floating nonchalantly a meter or so from Angel Island.
***It's safest to get this Emblem with KNUCKLES; TAILS AND E-102 can retrieve it, but both will result in death.***
116) Located in the jungle maze behind two fallen trees forming an 'X'.
117) In the hollowed-out tree at Big's hut.
***ONLY TAILS OR KNUCKLES can retrieve this Emblem (preferably Knuckles since it's on his way to a power-up).***

~~~Egg Carrier~~~
118) On the diving board in the pool area.
***ONLY TAILS AND AMY can retrieve this Emblem.***
119) While the Egg Carrier is in attack mode, locate Eggman's bedroom and press the switch.
***After story mode, you can activate attack mode by going through the door in the large pillar to reach the cockpit. Step on the pilot's chair and press the switch. Don't be deterred because nothing visually happened--the ship changed forms.***
120) While the Egg Carrier is in attack mode, AS SONIC ONLY, enter Light Speed Dash mode and enter one of the cannons outside the door leading to the pool area. Allow the cannon to shoot you and, when you're at your apex, release the Light Speed Dash. If your timing is true, you'll land on top of a spinning disk with an Emblem on it.
121) While the Egg Carrier is in attack mode, jump into one of the cannons on the main deck where you fought Chaos 6. Each cannon will shoot you into the silver crate on the opposite end, destroying it; one of the crates contains an Emblem.

~~~Sub-Games~~~
122) Sand Hill (Beat the best score)
***From the Trial selection, you can race as either Sonic or Tails. If you didn't beat 10,000 points in Tails' story mode, now is the time to do so.***
123) Twinkle Circuit (Beat the course in less than ten minutes)
***If you're playing Sonic's, Amy's, or Big's story modes, you can do this immediately after completing Twinkle Park. As Tails, Knuckles and E-102, if you want to do this from story mode, you must go outside and collect the pass card from the patch of grass adjacent to Cyber-Net, Inc. (the entrance to Speed Highway) and take it to the entrance to Twinkle Park. When you do start the course, pace yourself and set a crappy time.***
124) Twinkle Circuit (Beat your own best time)
***Beat your crappy time.***

~~~Chao~~~
125) Chao Races (Watch your Chao place first in the Pearl Jewel Course)
***The Pearl course requires speed and strength.***
126) Chao Races (Watch your Chao place first in the Amethyst Jewel Course)
***The Amethyst course is a test of speed.***
127) Chao Races (Watch your Chao place first in the Sapphire Jewel Course)
***The Sapphire course claims that flying ability is advantageous, but it's really not. Make your Chao fast on his feet and it'll do fine.***
128) Chao Races (Watch your Chao place first in the Ruby Jewel Course)
***The Ruby course is almost entirely swimming, but having a high run stat will allow him to get a good start at the beginning.***
129) Chao Races (Watch your Chao place first in the Emerald Jewel Course)
***The Emerald course is a dynamic test of all abilities. Flight is still more-or-less unnecessary.***

~~~Super Sonic~~~
130) Super Sonic's Story completed.