Title:
Sonic Heroes

Genre:
3D Platformer

Platform:
GameCube
Playstation 2
Xbox

Developer:
Sonic Team

Release Dates:
Japan: 30/12/03
North America -
GCN - 5/1/04
PS2, XBX - 27/1/04
Europe - 6/2/04
Australia - 6/2/04

Memory:
Unknown

Players:
1-2 (1-4?)

Zones:
14

Playable:
Team Sonic, Team Rose, Team Dark, Team Chaotix

Re-releases:
None

Other Pages:
Under Construction

Home > Sonic Games > Games Index > Sonic Heroes

Intro:
Sonic Heroes, Sonic Team's fist game to be simultaniously released on multiple platforms is significantly different to the Sonic Adventure series. You now play as a team of three characters, of either a speed, power or fly type. You play as all three simultaneously, switching between them to overcome different obstacles.

Heroes also heralds the surprising return of characters from Chaotix (sans Mighty, Heavy and Bomb). Sonic Team decided to use Espio, Charmy Bee and Vector (who was designed but never used for Sonic the Hedgehog) but redesign them. The characters were introduced as new, since the other games they appeared in were made by Sega of Japan as opposed to Sonic Team, and so don't factor into the main series' continuity.

Story:
Touring the world as he often does, Sonic races through some remote canyons when he's caught up to by Tails and Knuckles. The duo inform the cobalt insectivore that Eggman is at it again, and has issued them a challenge to stop him in three days in true super villain style.

Meanwhile, the treasure hunter Rouge is once again looking for jewels. She had heard of Eggman having a large stockpile of treasure in an old weapons warehouse. However, on sneaking into the facility, she descovers not shiny jewels but the angsty hedgehog himself, Shadow! Looking rather not dead, Shadow was unconsious floating in a stasis pod.

Activating the power to wake him up, Rouge accidentally awakens E-123 Omega, Eggman's last E-100 series robot. Omega became extremely resentful towards the doc for decommisioning him without ever once being used. Thinking Shadow for one of Eggman's robots, Omega attacks him and destroys the warehouse. Stopping the fight, Rouge realises that the rewakened Shadow has amnesia, and that Omega is free-willed. The trio form a team to get back at Eggman, be it for answers, jewels or old fasioned vengence.

Amy Rose, professional stalker to Sonic the Hedgehog, was concerned that Sonic's efforts to avoid her had been much more successful of late. Spotting a picture of him in a local paper, Amy goes to ask the printers of his whereabouts, only to find Cream, her chao Cheese and Big the Cat. It seems that Froggy has gone missing, along with Cheese's twin Chocola. The group set off to find the missing animals.

Life is slow and boring for the Chaotix Dectective Agency. The boss Vector hasn't gotten any work for a long time, and rent day is coming up soon. Suddenly, young Charmy Bee bursts into their office with a mysterious package. Inside, a mysterous voice announces by tranceiver that he has work for them. This client raises the suspicion of Espio, but Vector has the last word. They can't let someone down. Especially since he'll pay.

The Game:
Rather than just playing one character through the stages, Sonic Heroes has three. Each team consists of a power, speed and flying character. Power characters smash up tough enemies, speed characters zoom through the stages and flying characters can fly to areas others can't.

All of the teams play in essentially the same way, where Team Rose has eaier stage with less enemies, Team Sonic is a medium difficulty and Team Dark has the longest and hardest stages. Team Chaotix is different, in that it has mission-based levels, for example collecting a certain number of hidden Chao in a level.

The game sees the return of Chaos Emerald special stages, accessible by collecting a key in the levels and taking it to the end of the stage. This is trickier than it sounds, as being hit will cause you to drop it. Once you get to the stages, you must run down a 'chute collecting spheres. The spheres fill up your boost meter, which you use to catch up with the Chaos Emerald that is speeding towards the goal line. Avoid the bombs and catch the emerald before the end of the stage to blag it. All 7 emeralds give you the game's final stage and the true ending.