Sonic Heroes

Sega and Sonic Team have once again brought back the fast, blue hedgehog. Sonic arrives on the scene with both new and old characters, but one must ask them... "Where is Mighty the Armadillo?" Split up into four teams, they all have one goal, defeat Eggman "Dr. Ivo Robotnik" and not get torn up by his, very familiar, ultimate weapon on the way.

Overall, it’s a great little game, and endlessly entertaining - exactly what you’d expect.

We all know and love him. He is that cool blue guy who once upon a time was ready to kick Mario’s ass back in the days with his Blast Processing. He has gone through some really cool and unique changed since his 16-Bit days. He can run rings around Superman on a bad day. He is only second to Mario when you think of videogame mascots. The big bad Sonic the Hedgehog is back in action! And he is faster and better then ever!

We all know and love him. He is that cool blue guy who once upon a time was ready to kick Mario’s ass back in the days with his Blast Processing. He has gone through some really cool and unique changed since his 16-Bit days. He can run rings around Superman on a bad day. He is only second to Mario when you think of videogame mascots. The big bad Sonic the Hedgehog is back in action! And he is faster and better then ever!

We all know and love him. He is that cool blue guy who once upon a time was ready to kick Mario’s ass back in the days with his Blast Processing. He has gone through some really cool and unique changed since his 16-Bit days. He can run rings around Superman on a bad day. He is only second to Mario when you think of videogame mascots. The big bad Sonic the Hedgehog is back in action! And he is faster and better then ever!

The more I played Sonic Heroes the more I enjoyed it. Like the old Sonic games, you have the option of whizzing through the stages or thoroughly exploring each one. The game is definitely on the easy side, but amassing 100 rings to win a free life is still a challenge. So what didn't I like about Sonic Heroes? Well, Tails sounds like a whiny four-year old, and Knuckles sounds like he's shouting a bad word whenever he attacks. I also didn't care for the two-player "race" mode, because falling off the edge of a platform instantly takes you out of contention. Otherwise Sonic Heroes is a terrific, light-hearted romp that will win you over if you give it a chance.

Ich persönlich finde das Gameplay einfach genial! Allerdings habe ich es nach kurzer Zeit fast völlig vermieden, die Kameraperspektive zu ändern, da man auch ohne dieses Feature meistens wunderbar klarkommt. Was die Gegner betrifft, hätte ich mir aber ein wenig mehr Abwechslung gewünscht. Zu schnell hat man den Bogen raus, mit welchem Charakter die unterschiedlichen Feinde am schnellsten ins Nirwana befördert werden. Dafür haben´s die Jump&Run-Passagen aber manchmal ganz schön in sich.

The PC version of Sonic Heroes is essentially an Xbox port with improved graphics. The tutorial even mentions the controller. Thankfully, configuring your favorite PC pad couldn’t be simpler in the options. We actually played through the game using an official Sony DualShock 2 controller with a third-party adapter that supports vibration options. It worked like a charm. The dynamic speed/power/flight team play remains fun, and though minor collision and camera issues still pop up and some voice work and textures are of dubious quality, the excellent Team Sonic, Dark and Chaotix campaigns provide ample reason to own this version. It’s great to see further PC support from Sega. Bring on PSO: Blue Burst!

Sonic the Hedgehog, like Nintendo's fat, Italian plumber, has been around forever. He blasted through loops and sped through corkscrews on Sega's 16-bit Genesis console and has delighted hordes of fans ever since. But not everybody's been happy with the mascot's transition to 3D. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for Dreamcast (both of which were later ported to GameCube) proved to be fast and pretty, but also lacked polish. Drawbacks included play styles with less emphasis on raw speed and more on exploration; clunky, underdeveloped camera systems and in-game bugs and glitches.

Back in the early days of gaming, the one thing that every console released had to have was a “mascot” that helped sell the system, and show the power of that system. Nintendo had Mario and Sega had Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic games were always known for tremendous speed, collecting golden rings, and going around loops. Since Sonic has leapt into 3D, the games have not been as polished and refined as some of the other games that had been converted to 3D. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 were good, but had their fair share of problems. Sega has now created their first original Sonic game for all formats, but will it be as good as the glory days of Sonic? Read on to find out.

Sonic games are all about speed, instinct, and reflex - you run around dizzying loops, hoping you're fast enough to press the jump button before you fall on a bed of spikes. Sonic Heroes had the potential to take that concept to the next level, but somewhere along the road to change, Sonic Team seems to have gotten spooked by the unknown.

Sonic games are all about speed, instinct, and reflex?you run around dizzying loops, hoping you?re fast enough to press the jump button before you fall on a bed of spikes. Sonic Heroes had the potential to take that concept to the next level, but somewhere along the road to change, Sonic Team seems to have gotten spooked by the unknown.

See, Sonic and I have been having some problems lately, and to Sonic Team’s credit, Heroes is the closest they’ve gotten to what I’m looking for in an all-new Sonic title. The different teams and combo system add necessary (and refreshing) updates to the blur’s usual gameplay; but the level design (while markedly better than Adventure) still offers up a few too many watch-characters-shoot-through-loop-de-loops for my taste. It’s a servicable and innovative effort, but there’s still room to grow.

When I saw that I had a one-page review for Sonic Heroes on my docket, I immediately thought, "Oh great, another crappy Sonic game to review." I’m not saying that my initial bias was correct, but I think that it’s telling that what was, during the Genesis days, one of my very favorite franchises now evokes an extremely negative reaction. As an aging game icon, Sonic has been in decline for years, and is dangerously close to be relegated to the b-list of gaming superstars.

Segas Maskottchen kehrt zu seinen Wurzeln zurück und bietet den Fans das grundsolide Gameplay, das die Serie so beliebt gemacht hat. Sonic ist diesmal aber nicht alleine unterwegs.

When the folks at Sonic Team were in the process of creating the original Sonic the Hedgehog, they knew they couldn't beat Mario at his own game. So, instead of cooking up another hop-happy Mario clone, they focused their efforts on speed. As a result, one of the most visceral franchises of the 16-bit era was born. However, the transition from 2D to 3D was a hard one for Sonic, and the series lost a lot of its focus in the process by trading in speed for action adventure elements and introducing an unnecessary--and unnecessarily large--supporting cast of characters. Sonic Heroes strips away a lot of the elements that slowed down the Sonic Adventure backpedals on a lot of the design decisions made in the Sonic Adventure games, and though it still exhibits many of the camera and control issues that vexed Sonic's previous forays into 3D, it's truer to its 2D roots than any other 3D Sonic game before it.

Remember Sega’s Genesis game system? Remember the Dreamcast? Remember one of the legendary animated heroes of them both? Of course, the blue-speedball being referred to is Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic The Hedgehog is one of the most endearing characters of the console-platform generation. He has a long storied past; starting back in the 16-bit days of the Genesis platform; but the question was would our intrepid blue hero be able to handle the graphical pressures of the modern gaming-platform world.

Dezelfde supersnelle Sonic gameplay als we gewend zijn gekoppeld aan leuke teamplay en aardige 3D graphics. Meer moet dat niet zijn.

Sonic the Hedgehog, like Nintendo's fat, Italian plumber, has been around forever. He blasted through loops and sped through corkscrews on Sega's 16-bit Genesis console and has delighted hordes of fans ever since. But not everybody's been happy with the mascot's transition to 3D. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for Dreamcast (both of which were later ported to GameCube) proved to be fast and pretty, but also lacked polish. Drawbacks included play styles with less emphasis on raw speed and more on exploration; clunky, underdeveloped camera systems and in-game bugs and glitches.

Avec son concept très intéressant qui permet de contrôler des personnages en équipes dans des niveaux toujours aussi fous, Sonic Heroes renouvelle assez bien la série de Sega et saura plaire à ceux qui n'ont rien à reprocher aux derniers épisodes 128 bits. Ceux qui, par contre, se plaignaient des problèmes de caméra et du gameplay assisté et confus de Sonic Adventure, ne pardonneront pas à Sonic Heroes de ne pas corriger ces défauts.

Avec son concept très intéressant qui permet de contrôler des personnages en équipes dans des niveaux toujours aussi fous, Sonic Heroes renouvelle assez bien la série de Sega et saura plaire à ceux qui n'ont rien à reprocher aux derniers épisodes 128 bits. Ceux qui, par contre, se plaignaient des problèmes de caméra et du gameplay assisté et confus de Sonic Adventure, ne pardonneront pas à Sonic Heroes de ne pas corriger ces défauts.

Avec son concept très intéressant qui permet de contrôler des personnages en équipes dans des niveaux toujours aussi fous, Sonic Heroes renouvelle assez bien la série de Sega et saura plaire à ceux qui n'ont rien à reprocher aux derniers épisodes 128 bits. Ceux qui, par contre, se plaignaient des problèmes de caméra et du gameplay assisté et confus de Sonic Adventure, ne pardonneront pas à Sonic Heroes de ne pas corriger ces défauts.

Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, were two seriously flawed 3D outings that did little to further the franchise. But Sonic Heroes is a step in the right direction to boost the speed of the game and tweak the platformer sections. Some of the stages are so fast, unpredictable, and completely chaotic, like a rollercoaster thrill-ride. During these levels where the teams are zooming along and tearing through corkscrews that Sonic Heroes is everything Sonic fans could hope for.

Sonic Heroes is a step in the right direction, adding a nice teamwork element to the game. However, it is ultimately mediocre at best, given its fair share of problems, including bad camera issues and overly simplistic gameplay. Plus, the PC version suffers from a lack of conversion, meaning that PC gamers expecting a unique (or consistent) experience will be left in the dark.

When the folks at Sonic Team were in the process of creating the original Sonic the Hedgehog, they knew they couldn't beat Mario at his own game. So, instead of cooking up another hop-happy Mario clone, they focused their efforts on speed. As a result, one of the most visceral franchises of the 16-bit era was born. However, the transition from 2D to 3D was a hard one for Sonic, and the series lost a lot of its focus in the process by trading in speed for action adventure elements and introducing an unnecessary--and unnecessarily large--supporting cast of characters.

Nous avons vu Sonic sous tout ses états, sur consoles depuis longtemps, mais il n'osait pas trop s'aventurer sur nos PC...

On nous a annoncé, mi-2003, l'arrivée d'un nouveau Sonic tout en 3D (comme Sonic R), avec des graphismes encore plus fignolés et le même son que sur les "anciennes" consoles.

As it seems is the case with every Sonic game to come out since 1999, Sonic Heroes manages to be fun despite its bevy of shortcomings. The new team gameplay element is innovative and adds a lot to the title. If the levels where made a bit faster, some of the weaker Sonic characters eliminated, and for God's sake, the broken camera fixed once and for all, this game would be a return to glory for the series. As it stands, the ease in which it can be beaten and its numerous flaws relegate it to the "rent only" category, and if you've got the choice, get the superior GameCube or Xbox version.

Sonic the Hedgehog, like Nintendo's fat, Italian plumber, has been around forever. He blasted through loops and sped through corkscrews on Sega's 16-bit Genesis console and has delighted hordes of fans ever since. But not everybody's been happy with the mascot's transition to 3D. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for Dreamcast (both of which were later ported to GameCube) proved to be fast and pretty, but also lacked polish. Drawbacks included play styles with less emphasis on raw speed and more on exploration; clunky, underdeveloped camera systems and in-game bugs and glitches.

Sonic Heroes has everything. It is a melding of all significant elements of Sonic games, past and recent. It has Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. It has a supporting cast. It maintains a feeling of blinding speed combined with the appeal of platforming-the same things that made the 16-bit versions memorable. It marks the return of the Special Stages which the Sonic Adventure line had cast aside; speedy, eye-blistering challenges which allow you to race for the Chaos Emeralds and extra lives. It continues, storywise, where Sonic Adventure 2 left off, and even contains the same style of graphics and music. Missions return as well, though not nearly as annoying as before. It brings back both heroes and villains of old, and puts all of this into one nice, neat analog-controlled package.

Sonic fans will by this anyway. Others -- worth a rent... maybe.

C’est une bonne initiative qu’un jeu Sonic nous vienne sur tous les supports ! Après, faut voir quelle version est la meilleure. La version Xbox, très certainement, derrière la version PS2 puis Game Cube peut-être, cette dernière qui ne s’accorde pas très bien avec Sonic. A cause du bouton A, qui multiplie encore par 4 les bugs du jeu (oulah !). Dans l’ensemble, Sonic Heroes sur PS2 nous satisfait admirablement pour ce qui est des innovations principales, en somme : le principe des équipes et le mode multijoueurs. Mais il y a encore beaucoup de travail au niveau de la jouabilité et de ces bugs dont la vitesse fait les frais qui viennent pourrir l’intérêt du jeu. Sonic Adventure 2 était bien parti pour corriger ça, espérons que le prochain Sonic sera plus à la hauteur de nos espérances !

Sonic Heroes conserve tout le potentiel d'amusement qu'il avait dans la version console. Tout juste peut-on regretter que le portage PC soit un simple copier-coller qui ne profite absolument pas des capacités de ce support pour améliorer l'aspect graphique et proposer quelques plus comme un mode online.

Im Jump&Run Sonic Heroes steuern Sie den blauen Igel und zwei seiner Freunde durch riesige, bunte Levels. Dabei dürfen Sie zwischen den Spielfiguren wechseln und deren Fähigkeiten nutzen machen. Der Fuchs Tales etwa kann fliegen und trägt die Kollegen über Hindernisse. Kamera und fummelige Steuerung stören jedoch.

Sonic Team almost seems to be daring you to try to have fun with the PlayStation 2 version by making it significantly uglier, slower, and generally just rougher around the edges than the other two versions. When the folks at Sonic Team were in the process of creating the original Sonic the Hedgehog, they knew they couldn't beat Mario at his own game. So, instead of cooking up another hop-happy Mario clone, they focused their efforts on speed. As a result, one of the most visceral franchises of the 16-bit era was born.

Sonic Heroes really is beset by all manner of problems - the camera is crap, the scale is awkward, the story and characters are basic and cringe-worthy, the combat is tedious, the platforming and puzzling is too basic, and I was well bored of it by the time I conquered the final level with the first of the four Teams, which wasn't even that long after I first grabbed it out of the shrink-wrap. Although it has some redeeming features - the high-octane buzz of racing manically through beautifully imagined set pieces at an uncontrollable, breakneck pace, the occasional standout level, and a few passable multiplayer options to explore - it remains at worst mediocre and at best fairly playable, and at times I felt like a hero for persevering with it at all.

Sega may have left the hardware business behind, but its little blue mascot hasn't given up the ghost. In the past few years, the GameCube has hosted several Sonic revivals -- ironic, given the once fierce rivalries between Nintendo and Sega. So it's fitting that Sonic Heroes debuts on the GameCube weeks before hitting set top rivals. Returning to the simple speed that made Sonic a hit, the game isn't a slam dunk, but it is a big step in the right direction for the franchise.

When I was around five or six, I had a friend called Tim who lived just up the road from me. He was actually younger than me, but we hung out a lot of the time because he had a Mega Drive and I had a SNES, and we enjoyed playing, comparing and, naturally, arguing about the relative merits of our favourite games - Sonic The Hedgehog and Super Mario World. We were mini-geeks of relatively few long or interesting words, but I can still remember the gist of his argument versus mine. I preferred the pixel perfect precision, momentary bursts of satisfaction and continually mounting tension of a traditional Mario adventure, whereas he enjoyed the speed, accessibility and replay value of the first two Sonic titles. We regularly swapped sentiments along these lines.

With feet built for speed, Sonic the Hedgehog is a perfect match for the Xbox. Since his first appearance so many years ago, Team Sonic must have dreamed about this kind of power, and what it could do for the hyperkinetic levels that drew players to Sonic like fanboys to Star Wars. And, after a couple of near-fatal Dreamcast missteps, the prospect of a new Sonic built for speed is like a refreshing breeze.

When I was around five or six, I had a friend called Tim who lived just up the road from me. He was actually younger than me, but we hung out a lot of the time because he had a Mega Drive and I had a SNES, and we enjoyed playing, comparing and, naturally, arguing about the relative merits of our favourite games - Sonic The Hedgehog and Super Mario World. We were mini-geeks of relatively few long or interesting words, but I can still remember the gist of his argument versus mine. I preferred the pixel perfect precision, momentary bursts of satisfaction and continually mounting tension of a traditional Mario adventure, whereas he enjoyed the speed, accessibility and replay value of the first two Sonic titles. We regularly swapped sentiments along these lines.

Although the system requirements are low, I would prefer a console version because that allows you to play the game how it is meant to be. As a complete Game cube package and Sonic Heroes won't cost over 120 euros, I'd say that is quite cheap. Never will a pc edition be as good, even not with a controller and better graphics. In the end, it isn't the worst game ever but Sonic's days are over and I guess that every attempt to resurrect him will fail or cost damage to the legendary image I have in my mind. Conclusion: a PC is not meant to play platform games (especially when they are ported lousy) and in the genre there are far better and equally cheap titles, no matter how hard that is for me to say, being the hardcore Sonic fan I am.

The conventional wisdom when trying to explain what's wrong with latter-day, 3D Sonic games is to pin the blame on all the characters who aren't Sonic. Players want Sonic, so the thinking goes, and the high-speed, forward-moving gameplay that goes with him, and aren't interested in treasure hunts or fishing minigames or mech action. After playing Sonic Heroes, though, I've come up with an alternate theory: the problem is the blue hedgehog himself.

När något man älskat håller på att tyna bort vill man inte bli påmind om det genom sig själv. Sonic är alltså på liv och död. Just nu tyvärr död, men genom sina tvådimensionella plattformsspel lever han för evigt.

The game is fairly simple and isn't a bad introduction to the platform genre of games. There is one team (Team Rose) that features a complete tutorial on every aspect of the game, however, even while not using Team Rose there are still hint rings located throughout the game that tell users what action they need to perform. Sonic Heroes is simply an average platformer that will more likely entertain young players new to the Sonic franchise than veterans of the genre.

The game is fairly simple and isn't a bad introduction to the platform genre of games. There is one team (Team Rose) that features a complete tutorial on every aspect of the game, however, even while not using Team Rose there are still hint rings located throughout the game that tell users what action they need to perform. Sonic Heroes is simply an average platformer that will more likely entertain young players new to the Sonic franchise than veterans of the genre.

To encourage repeat visits, the game offers slightly different variations of the 14 levels depending on which team is selected. There are also new objectives, cut-scenes, and endings specific to each team, not to mention a special bonus awarded to players who complete the game with all four squads. In addition to the single-player experience, Sonic Heroes features a number of multiplayer modes where up to four teams can race, battle, or compete with each other in a variety of game types.

The game is fairly simple and isn't a bad introduction to the platform genre of games. There is one team (Team Rose) that features a complete tutorial on every aspect of the game, however, even while not using Team Rose there are still hint rings located throughout the game that tell users what action they need to perform. Sonic Heroes is simply an average platformer that will more likely entertain young players new to the Sonic franchise than veterans of the genre.

It's sad that a once dominant gaming icon like Sonic has been subjected to one average game after another for the past few years. Sonic Adventure, available for the Dreamcast and GameCube, was pretty good but its sequel left much to be desired and failed to address any of the first game's shortcomings (especially the camera system). Sonic Team has been pledging for some time that their latest title, Sonic Heroes, would put the blue blur in a game he could be proud of. Instead of setting the series back on the right path, however, Heroes shows that Sonic Team still has a few things to learn about making 3D Sonic games. And be warned PS2 fans, the game is significantly better on the GameCube and Xbox.

Overall, while Sonic Heroes certainly isn’t the worst game ever made, it also leaves a great deal to be desired. Not every game series can make the transition from 2D to 3D, and Sonic Heroes is living proof of that fact. As a long-time Sonic fan, I am once again disappointed by a mishandling of the series by designers who seem to have completely lost touch with what made Sonic a great game in the first place, which was its simplicity. Sonic Heroes takes a simple concept and makes it complex seemingly for the sake of complexity, and the result is an overly frustrating game that feels more like work than fun. If you need a Sonic fix for your GameCube, look into Sonic Mega Collection and experience Sonic the way he was meant to be. Otherwise, if you thought Sonic Adventure was a great game, then Sonic Heroes will likely satisfy you, but the rest of us will be left shaking our heads, wondering what happened to our zippy blue friend.

Sonic Heroes pourrait tenter le joueur nostalgique de la grande époque de la Megadrive, mais il serait vite déçu par la médiocrité de ce titre. Monsieur Sega, soyez gentil, laissez-le mourir dignement maintenant.