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Sonic Heroes
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Sega Studio USA
Publisher(s)	Sega
Designer(s)	Takashi Iizuka (Director/Level Designer)
Artist(s)	Kazuyuki Hoshino (Art Director) Hiroshi Nishiyama (Field Art Director)
Writer(s)	Shiroh Maekawa (also Main Game Design)
Composer(s)	Jun Senoue (Sound Director)
Engine	RenderWare
Platform(s)	GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
Release	GameCube PlayStation 2 & Xbox Windows
Genre(s)	Adventure, Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer, Online (PC only)

Sonic Heroes (ソニック ヒーローズ, Sonikku Hīrōzu) is a 2004 128-bit platforming single-player/multiplayer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team USA. It is the first multiplatform title in the Sonic series, developed for Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox and released in Japan in December 2003, in North America in January 2004 and in Europe in February 2004, later receiving a release for Windows in November 2004.

Gameplay

The game introduces several new gameplay elements. Unlike most Sonic games, where players control one character, three characters are available at any time to choose from, as the player may switch the party's leader freely, whilst the other two characters follow, with the formation depending on the leader. Each team contains three character types: speed, power and flight. Speed characters are able to perform spin dashes, homing attacks and light dashes, and can form whirlwinds that allow them to climb up poles. Power characters can use their strength to fight against strong enemies and break obstacles, as well as enter a gliding formation to ride up air fans. Finally, Flight characters have the ability to fly in the air for a short amount of time and can more easily attack airborne enemies. Each ability is also represented in the interface by color; blue for speed, yellow for flight, and red for power. By acquiring certain items or reaching checkpoints, characters can level up, increasing their efficiency when used against enemies. Each team also has a Team Blast skill, which can be performed when the Team Blast meter becomes full, and this can be achieved by performing such actions as destroying enemies or collecting rings.

By collecting a key hidden within each level and reaching the end of the level without getting hit, players can enter the Special Stage. In these stages, the player must run through a tube collecting colored orbs containing boost and avoiding bombs in order to catch a Chaos Emerald before it reaches the end of the tube. Chaos Emeralds are shared amongst all characters, and collecting all the emeralds, as well as clearing the game with all four teams, unlocks the last story.

Teams

Team Sonic

Members: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles

The main team of the game, who band together after hearing of Eggman's plan to take over the world in three days. Their levels are of medium difficulty and contain high speed sections. Team Sonic's Team Blast allows Sonic to rapidly fire himself at enemies in a quick time. Team Sonic battles Team Rose and Team Dark along the way.

Team Dark

Members: Shadow, Rouge, E-123 Omega

After Rouge sneaks into Eggman's base looking for treasure, she finds Shadow, who has lost his memory following his assumed death in Sonic Adventure 2, and E-123 Omega, a robot who seeks revenge on Eggman after being shut down. With all their problems relating to Eggman, the three decide to team up. Their levels represent the hardest difficulty, containing longer levels with more focus on skill and battle. Using Team Dark's Team Blast stops most enemies for a short amount of time, and this also frezzes time, allowing a bigger Time Bonus at the Result Screen, however fans, and automatic doors are shut off, because time is frozen. Team Dark battles Team Chaotix and Team Sonic along the way.

Team Rose

Members: Amy Rose, Cream, Big

A trio who join up to search for someone important. Amy is chasing after Sonic whilst Cream seeks to find her Chao friend Cheese's companion, Chocola, and Big is seeking out his friend, Froggy, with only a newspaper clipping to go by. Their team represents easy difficulty, containing shorter levels than the other teams, including a tutorial stage. Using Team Rose's Team Blast grants temporary invincibility with use, and levels each of them up. Team Rose battles Team Sonic and Team Chaotix along the way

Team Chaotix

Members: Espio, Charmy, Vector

Running a quiet detective agency, the Chaotix Team take on a request from a mysterious client in the hopes of a big payday. Their levels are mission-based, with each level requiring the player to fulfill a certain objective. Additionally, Espio has the ability to become invisible to enemies when using Leaf Swirl. Team Chaotix's Team Blast, allows rings to be collected when defeating enemies, numbes being either 5, 10, or 20. Team Chaotix battles Team Dark and Team Rose along the way.

If all A-ranks are achived, Hard Mode is unlocked. The player goes through all stages as Team Sonic, although this time it is much harder. Most paths from Team Dark and Team Chaotix are open, but rarely any Team Rose paths, although some custom paths are created for this mode.

Plot

Five months after the events of Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes initially sees Sonic off running around the world looking for adventure. Joining up with his friends Tails and Knuckles, who give him a message from Dr. Eggman stating that he will take over the world in three days, Team Sonic is formed and the classic trio head off to stop Eggman's latest plan. But they are not alone on this endeavor, as other characters from the series form their own teams to find Eggman first. The Chaotix Detective Agency has not had a client in a long time and need to pay the rent for the house. Charmy comes flying in with a box containing a walky-talky and become hired by an unknown client to find the Doctor, and they take on the name Team Chaotix. Rouge finds Shadow (who was presumably dead) locked up in a chamber and, however, awakes E123-Omega (also in the same chamber) unknowingly who is mad at Eggman for deactivating him and decides to take revenge on him. When Shadow gains consciousness, E123-Omega shoots all around the place, followed by him saying, "Must eradicate all Eggman's robots." Shadow is then seen jumping wall-to-wall to escape being shot, as Omega is also aiming at him too. Rouge breaks up their fight before they kill each other. After that short fight, Rouge decides they should team up to find Eggman and become Team Dark. Amy Rose, Cream the Rabbit, and Big the Cat team up to find Cream's Chao Chocola, Big's Froggy, and Sonic after seeing a newspaper article of Sonic holding both Froggy and Chocola. Eventually, they believe that this is all connected with Eggman. The player must control their chosen team to complete each stage, defeat Eggman's robots, and complete boss battles against Eggman himself, as well as defeat the other teams that have formed and stand in their way of finding Eggman first.

As each team reaches the final stage and defeat Eggman, they finally meet together and discover that the enemy they have been chasing is not Eggman, but is actually Metal Sonic, disguised as Eggman; the Doctor himself has been locked away, and Team Chaotix discovers that Eggman was their mysterious client. Metal Sonic reveals that he was created for the sole purpose of destroying Sonic and that Eggman's failures made that impossible. He decides to take matters into his own hands by locking up Eggman and transforming his body. The teams come together to battle Metal Sonic in its large, robotic form (called Metal Madness first, and later Metal Overlord when his transformation is complete), before Team Sonic transforms into its members' Super Forms and defeat Metal Sonic (as Metal Overlord), who returns to his original form. In the aftermath, Team Chaotix chases after Eggman, who is attempting to sneak away in order to avoid paying Team Chaotix their reward. Sonic and Tails leave, and Amy chases them. Rouge says she will look for someone else's treasure, while Knuckles chases after her. Shadow and Omega pick up the body of Metal Sonic, and in the end, Team Sonic goes off on their next adventure.

Development

Sonic Heroes was developed to celebrate the twelfth anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. The game's director, Takashi Iizuka, stated that he did not want to make Sonic Heroes a continuation of the Sonic Adventure series, as he was worried only core gamers would buy the title, and instead decided to create a game that more casual players could adapt to.

Unlike the two previous main series games, Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes uses the RenderWare engine so that the game could be programmed and ported easily to the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. Despite being able to port some textures and character models from the Sonic Adventure titles, most work on the title was started anew. Despite the use of cross-platform middleware, Sonic Heroes was Sega's first multi-platform title, and the development team found additional challenges in working with the Xbox, the platform that they had very little experience with.

The stage Seaside Hill will be included in the upcoming Sonic Generations.

Soundtracks

Jun Senoue once again returned to provide music for the game, along with the two songs by his band Crush 40. Replacing the individual character songs, playable teams now have team theme songs. The game features once again returning vocal talents Johnny Gioeli, Tony Harnell and Ted Poley, as well as new musicians Kay Hanley, Gunnar Nelson and rock band Julien-K.

The Sonic Heroes Official Soundtrack was released in North America on November 9, 2004. Triple Threat: Sonic Heroes Vocal Trax, which includes the original vocal theme songs from the Sonic Adventure game soundtrack, was released in Japan on February 4, 2004. Complete Trinity: Sonic Heroes - Original Soundtrax was released in Japan on March 3, 2004.

Voice actors

• Ryan Drummond as Sonic the Hedgehog / Metal Sonic
• William Corkery as Miles "Tails" Prower
• Scott Dreier as Knuckles the Echidna
• Lani Minella as Rouge the Bat / Omochao
• Jon St. John as E-123 Omega / Big the Cat
• David Humphrey as Shadow the Hedgehog
• Jennifer Douillard as Amy Rose
• Sarah Wulfeck as Cream the Rabbit
• Bill Corkery as Espio the Chameleon
• Emily Corkery as Charmy Bee
• Marc Biagi as Vector the Crocodile
• Deem Bristow as Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik / Mysterious Client

Reception

Critical response

Reviews of Sonic Heroes were positive, with Metacritic ranging from 64% for the PlayStation 2 version, based on 29 reviews, to 73% for the Xbox version, based on 28 reviews. Game Rankings averages range from 60% for the PC version, based on 9 reviews, to 75% for the Gamecube version, based on 35 reviews.

Reviewers noted several positive aspects to the game. These included the gameplay style; whilst the transition to 3D has been noted as rough for the Sonic franchise, Sonic Heroes came close to the series' 2D roots. Sound design was also praised, described as "inexorably linked" to the experience and "at least very pristine" with "perfectly implemented" sound effects, running in Dolby Pro Logic II. Graphics design and environments were also highlighted, described as colorful, vibrant and cheery, with consistent art design and an exceptionally vibrant color palette. Framerate was also consistent for the Xbox, GameCube, and PC versions, although a drop in framerate in the multiplayer component was noted.

It also attracted several negative criticisms. Often cited were the game's camera control system, described as "uncooperative" and "terrible". Camera control compounded an additional problem regarding the controls relative to the camera's position, such that pushing forward may or may not move the character in the same direction the camera is facing. Falling from the level's platforms into the deep pits below was also criticized. The game's voice acting also came in for criticism, described as "horrendous" and "the biggest misstep in the sound design".

In addition, the PlayStation 2 version received lower average scores. Clipping and graphic faults were cited, whilst the framerate was also lower than the other versions.

Sales

In 2004, Sonic Heroes was the sixth bestselling game in the United Kingdom overall, and a full year after its release, was still at number eight in the all-price chart. By October 2004, the game had sold over one million copies in Europe. The game ultimately sold well enough to enter all three consoles' "best-sellers" lists: Greatest Hits/Platinum for the PlayStation 2, Platinum Hits/Classics for the Xbox, and Player's Choice for the GameCube.

Re-releases

The game was also released in a package with Super Monkey Ball Deluxe on Xbox. It was also re-released in 2009 as a part of Sonic PC Collection.

References

1. ^ "Sega Chooses RenderWare For The Creation Of Sonic Heroes". 2003-05-27. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
2. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2004-01-05). "IGN: Sonic Heroes Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
3. ^ "Sonic Heroes for GameCube Review". GameSpot. 2004-02-06. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
4. Sega (2004). "Team Sonic". Sonic Heroes Manual. PC. Sega. pp. 4–5. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
5. Sega (2004). "Team Dark". Sonic Heroes Manual. PC. Sega. pp. 6–7. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
6. Sega (2004). "Team Rose". Sonic Heroes Manual. PC. Sega. pp. 8–9. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
7. Sega (2004). "Team Chaotix". Sonic Heroes Manual. PC. Sega. pp. 10–11. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
8. Barker, Ben (2003). "Sonic Heroes - An Interview with the Creators". Xbox.com. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
9. "INTERVIEW: Nights Watchman". Next Generation Magazine. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
10. ^ Bedigian, Louis (2004). "Video Game News - Sonic Heroes Zooms, Spins and Dashes To a Console Near You". GameZone. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
11. Interview section. "Yuji Naka and Takashi Iizuka Speak on Sonic Heroes". Sega. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
12. Goodnight, Lauren (2004-07-21). "Sonic Heroes Official Soundtrack - Mania.com". Mania.com. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
13. "Sonic Heroes Vocal Trax / Triple Threat". cdjapan.co.jp. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
14. "Complete Trinity: Sonic Heroes - Original Soundtrax". cdjapan.co.jp. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
15. Matt Casamassin (2004-01-05). "IGN: Sonic Heroes Review (GameCube)". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
16. Matt Casamassina, Ed Lewis (2004-12-10). "IGN: Sonic Heroes Review (PC)". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
17. Matt Cassamassina, Ed Lewis (2004-01-23). "IGN: Sonic Heroes Review (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
18. Matt Casamassina, Ed Lewis (2004-01-23). "IGN: Sonic Heroes Review (Xbox)". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
19. Ryan Davis (2004-01-06). "Sonic Heroes for GameCube Review". Gamespot. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
20. Ryan Davis (2004-01-27). "Sonic Heroes for PlayStation 2 Review". Gamespot. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
21. Ryan Davis (2004-01-27). "Sonic Heroes for Xbox Review". Gamespot. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
22. "Sonic Heroes (cube: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
23. "Sonic Heroes (pc: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
24. "Sonic Heroes (ps2: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
25. "Sonic Heroes (xbox: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
26. "Search Results from Metacritic.com - Sonic Heroes". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
27. "Game Rankings - Search - Sonic Heroes". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
28. ^ "Sonic Heroes Review from 1UP.com". 1UP. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
29. "Sonic Heroes (ps2: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
30. "Sonic Heroes - PS2". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
31. Lewis, Ed (2004-01-23). "IGN: Sonic Heroes Review (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
32. "An Unlikely Hero". Edge. 2005. Sonic Heroes was the sixth best-selling game in the United Kingdom overall, outperforming big hitters like Burnout 3 and Spider-Man 2. Are you very surprised? How about this: The same game, a full year after its release, it is still at number eight in this week's all-price chart. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
33. Van Autrijve, Rainier (October 29, 2004). "Sonic Is Sega's Hero of Sales Figures". GameSpy. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
34. Cook, Chris (2005-03-28). "Sonic Heroes Goes "Greatest Hits" On Home Consoles". Game Informer. Archived from the original on February 13, 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
35. "Sonic Heroes/Monkey Ball - XBOX". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-07-08.

External links

• Official website
• Sonic Heroes at MobyGames
• Sonic Heroes at the Sonic Retro community wiki

• 2003 video games
• 3D platform games
• Nintendo GameCube games
• Nintendo GameCube platform games
• PlayStation 2 games
• Xbox games
• Windows games
• PC games
• Sega Studio USA games
• Sonic the Hedgehog games
• Video games developed in the United States