3/5 ★ – MegaBlastoise's review of Sonic Heroes.

Platform Played: GameCube Date Reviewed: Jul. 8, 2023 Rating: 6.5/10 Sonic the Hedgehog had a very rough but well remembered 6th generation. Look, I'm not saying that the Blue Blur had a rough transition into 3D, but quite a number of his early 3D games were of varying quality. Sure, there were the Adventure games, but most of them were not quite what people expected at the time. And I feel that Sonic Heroes is no exception. Released in January of 2004, it received mixed reviews which still linger on today. So where do I fall in this Sonic Heroes debate? Let's start with the positives. This game has a very good soundtrack that has that early-to-mid 2000's sound that I can't quite describe, but still feel incredibly nostalgic for (granted, I didn't play this game after Unleashed which has that same feeling and more, but hey, who am I to complain about that?). My personal favorites include Seaside Hill, Mystic Mansion, Ocean Palace, Casino Park, and Bullet Station. Heroes also had pretty good graphics for the time and the frame rate is consistent, at least on the GameCube and Xbox versions. From what I understand, the PS2 version runs like shit and is a graphical mess, but don't quote me on that. The gameplay is very unique to the series while also being an expansion of the Adventure games. Like with Adventures 1 and 2, there are different stories that eventually come together for the big finale. You have Team Hero (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles), Team Dark (Shadow, Rouge, and Omega), Team Amy (Amy Rose, Big, and Cream), and Team Chaotix (Vector, Espio, and Charmy). Unfortunately, despite the different arcs, the teams all go through the same stages which may cause a lot of fatigue, since all 4 stories need to be completed to access the final boss. The overall stage design is reminiscent of the 2D games and combat is clunky but fun. As the team names suggest, you control 3 characters at the same time, each with their strengths and weaknesses. You have Speed characters, Flight characters, and Strength characters. Knowing who to use at what time is key to completing the stages. The story is incredibly generic even by Sonic standards, so I'm not going to waste my time talking about it. Just know that each team has a motive for what they're doing. If there's one part of the gameplay I will bitch about, it's trying to go for 100%. The bonus stages are basically the Sonic 2 half-pipe on cocaine, the overall repetitiveness of the game can leave you burnt out after only a couple of stages (I originally had this review planned for May, but I was a moron and went for a completed save file). Overall, Sonic Heroes for the GameCube is a pretty mediocre game that needed a little more time to cook. Trust me, this game WILL make you lose your mind in places. Physical copies are pretty expensive, but thankfully the game is available on Steam, so at least you have an option if you somehow want to check this game out.