By Elias Dounis on February 10th, 2004

Genre: Platformer
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
# of Players: 1 - 4
Memory: 3 blocks
ERSB: Everyone
Released On: January 6, 2004
Supports: Progressive Scan, Dolby Pro Logic II
MSRP: $49.99
Also On: Xbox, PlayStation 2
Website: http://www.sega.com/gamesite/sonicheroes/content.html

In the days of the sixteen-bit console it may have been justified to label SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog as a videogame icon. However since those days, most (if not all) games featuring SEGA’s blue mascot have been terrible enough that many long-time gamers now give just reason that SEGA’s demise in the hardware business has been a result of many less than stellar games such as Sonic Adventure and the already long forgotten Sonic Shuffle.

Since SEGA halted production of the Dreamcast, Sonic the Hedgehog has only appeared on Nintendo’s next generation platforms, the Game Boy Advance and the GameCube. While the Game Boy Advance did see some new side-scrolling Sonic adventures, all the GameCube had received were ports of the two Sonic Adventure titles that appeared on the Dreamcast and compilations of Genesis/Game Gear classics.

Despite being lackluster ports of generation old games, Sonic Team’s games managed to all sell surprisingly well in the North American markets on Nintendo’s platforms, giving SEGA a false sense of satisfaction. With all these ports coming from Sonic Team, many wondered if the once esteemed development team could put out anything new that wasn’t likely to disappoint. Unfortunately, along came Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg and crushed the hopes of many longtime fans, but Sonic Team is still kickin’.

In an effort to capitalize on the success of the Hedgehog’s GameCube appearance, SEGA and Sonic Team set out to develop their very first all new and multi-platform Sonic the Hedgehog game, Sonic Heroes…

Gameplay
In the two Sonic Adventure games, speed had not been the titles’ sole focus. As the “Adventure” title suggests, a little something extra was added to the games, such as exploration, collect-a-thons, and slow paced gameplay that came in the form of supporting characters from the franchise’s fifteen year history, each who featured his or her own specific game path in attempt to add greater “appeal” to the games. However, feedback from fans had suggested that the non-Sonic portions of the games had taken away from what could have been a better Sonic the Hedgehog experience, and with that in mind Yuji Naka and Sonic Team decided to change things a bit with Sonic Heroes; to create an experience that was akin to the fast and intense Sonic (or Shadow) the Hedgehog levels featured in the Adventure games.

In Sonic Heroes the cast of characters from the Adventure games return. However this time around, no longer do individual game paths exist for each. Now characters are paired up in teams of three, in total consisting of four teams: Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, and Team Chaotix. While past Sonic games have featured separate game paths that featured different gameplay elements and such, in Sonic Heroes each different team path slightly varies from the next, often feeling as if each path corresponds with a gameplay difficulty setting, which in actuality, it does. Nevertheless, each team features three different types of characters; a speed character, a power character, and a flight character. Throughout each game path’s fourteen levels, players are put in situations where, at the press of a button, they must switch between characters to overcome certain obstacles and defeat specific enemies. For the most part, each level is quite enjoyable, implanting the concept of “pressing forward,” an idea which has fueled Sonic games for the past fifteen years, and when the fast pacing of the game is fluid, all works well. However at times (and not just a few), when the pacing is broken, the game becomes difficult to enjoy, a result that is more than often due to the game’s overwhelming camera and control issues, or the result of a few “larger” enemies that must be defeated to move on, but luckily there exists a nice little “Team Blast” attack that can be utilized every so often in the game to annihilate every enemy on screen.

Many Sonic the Hedgehog fans will remember these camera and control issues from the two previous 3D Sonic games. Most will say that these problems hindered the games’ experiences most. On that note I’ll definitely have to agree with them, and it’s quite unfortunate that it seems as if nothing was done to correct these issues. Most deaths players are often to have in Sonic Heroes will more than likely be the poor placing of the camera around the characters in a position where nothing can be seen ahead, behind, above, and/or below them. It’s sure to cause to a frenzy of swearing from gamers of all ages, as will controlling the characters themselves, due to the fact that many context sensitive actions are assigned to an often used action button, causing players to spin off an edge instead of pulling back a switch.

Appeal
Those who’ve played the two Sonic Adventure games know, that in order to experience everything Naka’s games has to offer, players must complete each and every different game path featured, and in addition collect all the Chaos Emeralds in order to unlock that Super Sonic boss fight and “true” game ending. Well, in the two Adventure games things were more interesting than they are in Sonic Heroes, and like I mentioned before, this is due to the fact that in Heroes all the game paths are relatively the same, whereas the Adventure games featured noticeable differences… Each stage is more or less the same. The bosses are the same easy and uninspired foes each time (at times horde after horde of enemies encountered throughout one of the game’s levels… a burden to play if you ask me). And on a positive note, the bonus stages which return in Heroes from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are the same for each team. However one specific team, and that is Team Chaotix, features a mission based game path which in all honesty, next to Team Dark’s path, is the most entertaining of all. Personally, I miss Sonic Adventure 2: Battle’s Chao raising, since it was entertaining enough to cause gamers to spend hours upon hours with the game, but otherwise, Sonic Heroes should be able to deliver a good fifteen to twenty hours for those willing enough to see all the game has to offer.

Graphics
Many readers may come across reviews of Sonic Heroes that speak highly of the game’s visuals. However, through my eyes, the same picture isn’t seen. While the game manages to run at a constant sixty frames per second at speeds not often seen in most games, Sonic Heroes still manages to resemble its two Dreamcast predecessors. In truth, if one didn’t know better, Sonic Heroes could easily be mistaken as one of the Adventure games.

Going further in depth, it can be seen that Sonic Heroes is a very colorful game. It’s not a game that strives for a realistic look, so don’t expect the use Splinter Cell-like lighting techniques, or heavily detailed characters models, because they simply do not exist. However, Sonic Team does succeed in delivering some nicely rendered textures.

Similar to Nintendo’s Super Mario Sunshine or any other platformer on the market today, Sonic Heroes only takes advantage of a console’s graphical features to the extent the game’s developers believe it needs to be taken…

Sound
It has been said before and it will continue to be said for as long as SEGA continues its ways… SEGA has a fascination with what some would like to call “cheesy 80s rock,” and the company’s most recent Sonic the Hedgehog games have been the headlining titles which have been criticized most because of it.

What many fail to realize is that these cheesy rock beats suit the games’ nature and atmospheres well. However, there are at least two sides to every good argument… and the other side is that what Sonic Team fails to realize is that during the franchise’s heyday on the Genesis, the tunes featured in those games were simple, unmistakable, and memorable enough to be remembered for more than a decade. So perhaps, most people’s distaste towards the soundtracks of the 3D Sonic games have been a result of their bitterness and their want to forever reside in Sonic’s 2D world, or it’s quite possible that in their honest opinions the game’s music is simply crap, but if you ask me it isn’t all too bad. Nevertheless, if it’s retro that you crave, fans should be pleased to hear, that just like in the Adventure games, many of the classic sound effects have been retained in Sonic Heroes.

Now, the other argument people held against Sonic Team with the Sonic Adventure games had been the games’ poorly executed and overly featured voice acting. Well folks, unfortunately not much has been done to improve the downright terrible voice acting featured in the previous Sonic Adventure games in Sonic Heroes, except for the fact that there’s just not as much as there had been in Sonic Team’s previous games. All of the dialogue comes off as what I like to call “whiney,” with nearly every character having at least one thing to say that will irritate the hell out of you. Luckily though, some of the cooler characters or teams, such as Team Dark and Chaotix happen to bring some sort of respectable traits to the table.

Final Thoughts
When I first began to play Sonic Heroes, in all honesty, I abhorred the game. Immediately, I ran into the problems that plagued to the two previous 3D Sonic titles, and because of this, an urge to throw the game in the garbage raged thru my veins. However, after spending more time with the title I realized that I was blinded by unfair hatred…

Sonic Heroes is a good game, a game hindered by many problems that may seem to be minor to many readers, but which in truth are quite significant when it comes to delivering a gaming experience that players can stomach from beginning to end. With that said, the game has its moments, and fans of the two Sonic Adventure games are sure to find some enjoyment within the game, if not more than before. However, newcomers should beware. You may not like what awaits you in Sonic’s newest adventure.