Sonic Heroes (Xbox)

Sonic Heroes is not quite like any other Sonic game. If you are expecting another Sonic Adventure then you're in for a surprise. While Sonic Adventure had many RPG elements and was in some ways story based, Sonic Heroes goes back to the all-action style of the 2D Sonics, but obviously not 2D! It does play quite similarly however and any player of Sonic Adventure should get the hang of this very easily.

Rather than choosing a character and making the most of their particular strengths, this time you get to utilise all of their skills. In each team you get 3 characters, each with 3 different strengths. These are speed, power and flight. In the case of Team Sonic for example, you have speed from Sonic, power from Knuckles and flight from Tails. Also, rather than experiencing unique benefits from these skills, you have to swap around the characters to meet the requirements of the level. This may seem complicated, but I assure you it is easy to understand and do.

The game is suitable for players of all skill levels. Team Rose is designed for beginners, being beginners to these games in general, which is particularly good to the young audience this game has. Team Sonic is for the average player, still giving a challenge yet not too hard. Team Dark has an intermediate skill level. Team Chaotix is not quite like the others and is a more mission based campaign.

The extent of the game is something I commend. It has, as I just said 4 campaigns. There are also various features to unlock and you will do this as you progress. This leaves the player with plenty to do, which is something you expect of a game.

The game does have multiplayer capabilities. I must correct a previous reviewer on his comment on having 4 player mode. This is not true, you only can have 2 player games and link up is not available.

I believe it is an excellent game, well deserving of 5 stars. There is a reason why I have given it 4, and this is because it is often frustrating, which is not good for anyone, particularly young players. I suggest that any player keeps a cool head with it, and any parents buying it for young children should keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't getting worked up.

Overall, a highly reccommended game for all ages.

Sonic Team have spent a while now reviewing the formula and deciding on what the best action to take would be regarding their precious franchise. With less and less people turning to the blurry hedgehog these days as a videogame icon, a title that would rejuvenate Sonic's popularity and standing in the industry was essential to keep him above ground. Sonic Heroes is their latest return to the big league, and with the excitement on the streets surrounding the prospect of a new Sonic title, it'd be fair to say that the blue one's return has made a considerable impact already.

The main gimmick behind Sonic Heroes is the team-based action, allowing you to switch between three characters on the same screen. Each character is associated with a special attribute, be it speed, the ability to fly or powerful attacks. The team can also bunch together to perform team-based abilities, such as gliding or whirlwind attacks. The idea behind the team-based play is that in order to proceed throughout the level efficiently, you'll need to switch characters to take advantage of the situation.

For instance, if you've come across a long stretch of path, littered with trails of rings, bounce pads and perhaps a few enemies, Sonic would be the obvious choice thanks to his speed and special homing skill. Climbing a mountain or moving across a dangerous chasm populated by moving platforms would require Tails, while Knuckles is on hand to destroy huge groups of enemies, smash objects and form a triangle formation that allows the team to gently float to earth.

Heroes is great fun to play and looks fantastic. It runs smooth and has plenty of lastability thanks to the emblem system, which gives you more two-player modes and goodies the more you play. However this is an incredibly unforgivable game at times. For example the game moves so fast that sometimes you can't understand why you're falling to your death, so trial and error is the only way to combat it. You will be tearing your hair out with frustration as Sonic's light-dash takes your life for the millionth time, usually due to the absolutely insane and unhelpful camera angles.

One of the most unpleasent moments in the game involves jumping vine-to-vine across a swamp with an alligator hot on your tail. Mis-time a jump by a millisecond with the inconsistent frame rate and you go back to the start. Imagine playing Super-Pong at 2fps is the only way I can project this nightmare to you. Thankfully I did get over this wrist-slittingly horrible section and managed to progress through to the end of the game without losing my sanity.

As I mentioned earlier, the graphics look great. The music is decent although nowhere near as good as Adventure. The pinball table levels are a welcome addition as it allows you to catch your breath. Overall this game is a must for all platform gamers and of course all fans of Sonic.

4/5