Sonic Heroes
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| Sonic Heroes | |
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| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Release date(s) |  December 30, 2003 January 6, 2004 (GC) January 27, 2004 (PS2/Xbox) February 6, 2004 November 16, 2004 (PC) November 26, 2004 (PC) December 10, 2004 (PC) |
| Genre(s) | Adventure Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) CERO: All ages PEGI: 3+ |
| Platform(s) | GameCube, PS2, Xbox, PC |
| System requirements | PC: Pentium III 866 MHz CPU, 16MB Direct3D-compatible graphics card, DirectX-compatible sound card, 12x CD-ROM drive, 0.8GB hard disk space, Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, DirectX 9.0b |
| Input | PC: Mouse and keyboard, or analog joypad Console: Game controller |
Sonic Heroes (ソニックヒーローズ Sonikku Hīrōzu?) is a video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is the first multiplatform game in the Sonic series. The game was developed on the Nintendo GameCube, then ported onto the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and PC CD-ROM using Renderware technology. The phrase "Sonic Heroes" refers to the uniting of the protagonists of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
The game introduces several new gameplay elements. Unlike past Sonic games, which have all had a player controlling one character, players are able to control three characters at a time, switching the party's leader from speed, power and flight.
This game also marked the return of many characters from the Sonic universe: Chaotix, a group last seen in Knuckles' Chaotix on the Sega 32X; Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat from Sonic Adventure 2; Cream the Rabbit from Sonic Advance 2; Big the Cat from Sonic Adventure; Metal Sonic, who, prior to this game, had not played a major role in the series for years, last having one in Knuckles' Chaotix in 1995. The game also introduces a new character, E-123 Omega.
Although the plot for Sonic Heroes is somewhat sparse, a portion of it, particularly Team Dark's storyline, was a set-up for Shadow the Hedgehog released in 2005.
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[edit] Teams
Unlike past Sonic the Hedgehog games, Sonic Heroes is the first Sonic game that allows the player to control three characters at once (although the player controls the selected character, while the computer takes control of the remaining two characters). A player will choose one of four teams to use at the beginning. The four teams all have their own strengths and weaknesses as do each of the individual characters. Sonic Heroes was the first Sonic game to introduce the "Speed, Flight, and Power" concept into the series.
A team is made up of three characters, each suited for a specific task. The three types of characters are "flight," "speed," and "power." Flight-type characters are able to ascend short distances with other party members; Speed-type characters have the ability to move at a faster rate than the other two members of the team; Power-type characters are the physically strongest of the three.
[edit] Team Sonic
- Sonic the Hedgehog - Speed
- Miles "Tails" Prower - Flight
- Knuckles the Echidna - Power
Team Sonic is the main team of Sonic Heroes. One day, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna, the game's protagonists, receive a letter from the "special" Doctor Eggman. The Doctor tells them of his new ultimate weapon that will be ready within three days, thus, challenging them to find and destroy it. The three band together to stop the mad doctor's plans.
The typical level for this team requires one to race through the levels as quickly as possible, with intermediate difficulty settings. Team Sonic's abilities are very similar to Team Dark's, with the exception of the Power character's combos (Knuckles triggers volcanic eruptions). When separated from their teammates, Tails attacks by throwing ring bombs and Sonic attacks with the somersault slide. Team Sonic is one of the two teams that is capable of using the Light Dash. Sonic can use the Triangle Jump which allows him to bounce between close walls, and his tornado move, Blue Tornado, homes in on the nearest enemy.
The Team Blast is "Sonic Overdrive", in which Knuckles holds Tails, holding Sonic, spinning them around picking up speed, until Knuckles lets go and Tails launches Sonic like the Thunder Shoot. Sonic will use "Light Attack", destroying all enemies and stunning bosses like the Thunder Shoot. While the Gauge restores itself, Tails can launch Sonic into Light Attack at any level, and when Sonic approaches any enemy, he can, for a limited time, use Light Attack on his own, allowing him to destroy any enemy within his radius. Also, if Knuckles uses Fire Dunk on Sonic, Sonic will perform Light Attack on enemies.
When the player collects all seven of the Chaos Emeralds, and clears all four stories, super transformation is unlocked for Team Sonic. Team Sonic's abilities are now given a virtual "Level 4". Sonic is able to use Light Attack at any given time, but at the cost of 5 rings. Tails's Thunder Shoot is powered up to destroy many more targets by launching Sonic into Light Attack and Knuckles into homing attack. Knuckles's combo move enables him to continually punch the air, causing numerous explosions. The Team Blast is also altered to that of a simultaneous Light Attack by all three members. Leveling up further is disabled as there are no further levels and there is no longer an after affect for the Team Blast. Furthermore, Team Sonic is now ring dependent. A ring is lost every three seconds and loss of all rings results in loss of a life. Team Sonic may only use this move in the final boss battle. The ring loss rate strips a little difficulty off the game, as the previous games had a ring loss rate of one ring a second.
[edit] Team Dark
- Shadow the Hedgehog - Speed
- Rouge the Bat - Flight
- E-123 Omega - Power
Team Dark's common cause is to find Dr. Eggman. Rouge, the founder of the team and its resident flyer, is after Eggman's hidden treasure. Shadow, the speed specialist (and eventual leader), wants to know his true identity and why he was left inside a pod, which he never completely figures out until Shadow the Hedgehog, making this game's storyline a kind of build-up to it. Omega, the fully-armed robot, is angry with Eggman for abandoning him and wishes to destroy Eggman's robots for revenge and to prove he is superior.
Team Dark's missions are the most fighting-oriented in the game, calling for its members to blast through large hordes of enemies to reach the goal ring. To accommodate for this, Team Dark has more powerful offensive techniques at its disposal. Shadow uses his Homing attack to blast through rows of Eggman's flunkies; Rouge, besides being able to launch her companions at airborne enemies, can attack enemies with powerful kicks or ring-like bombs; Omega can launch his friends at enemies, after which he transforms his arms into formidable Gatling guns to take out entire groups of foes. Team Dark's attacks are generally identical to Team Sonic's. An exception is the differences between their leveled-up finishing moves (e.g.,Omega uses weapons while Knuckles uses flaming earthquakes). Like Sonic, Shadow can Triangle Jump and Light Dash, and his tornado move and solo attack work the same way as Sonic's.
The Team Blast is Chaos Inferno, that once activated, Shadow will grab the green Chaos Emerald from Omega and uses Chaos Control, and Rouge, lifting Omega over Shadow's head, will have Omega use Chaos Inferno, in which he will fire two huge purple beams from his arms. The beams will destroy all enemies in range. Also, while the gauge is being restored, time will be frozen by Chaos Control, done by Shadow. Once the gauge is restored, everything will be normal again.
[edit] Team Rose
- Amy Rose - Speed
- Cream the Rabbit and Cheese the Chao - Flight
- Big the Cat - Power
The characters of Team Rose are each trying to find someone important to them. Amy searches for "her" Sonic, because she notices that Sonic had been missing from her life for quite a while, and also tries to defeat Eggman just in case Sonic had been captured or something like that, impressing Sonic so that she may have herself another shot at getting married to Sonic. Big is searching for his amphibian friend Froggy again, and Cream is seeking out Cheese's lost brother, Chocola. With a picture in the newspaper (being carried off by who they believe to be Sonic) as their only clue, the three join up to find their lost companions.
Team Rose has the simplest levels in the game, boasting fewer enemies, longer flight times, and earlier endings. Amy leads the speed formation, and although she is not quite as quick as Sonic, she has her handy Piko-Piko Hammer to smack enemies and shoot tornadoes forward. Amy is the only speed character who cannot Triangle Jump, but as compensation, she can twirl her hammer in midair to hover over limited distances. Cream can fly her teammates over long distances, and with solo attacks, she can send Cheese to attack for her. Big's weapon of choice is his trusty fishing pole, which can be swung around as his finishing move, but also has a built-in parasol to help the team ride air currents over obstacles.
Their Team Blast is "Flower Festival", in which Big balances Amy and Cream onto his parasol as an explosion of flowers bursts from it. Along with destroying all nearby enemies, this will level-up all characters and give the team a shield and temporary invincibility. In Team Battles, it temporarily prevents the other team from changing team members.
[edit] Team Chaotix
- Espio the Chameleon - Speed
- Vector the Crocodile - Power
- Charmy Bee - Flight
Team Chaotix is composed of quiet, ninja-like, and disciplined Espio the Chameleon; their headstrong music-loving leader Vector the Crocodile; and the air-headed flying ace Charmy Bee. Notably missing is Mighty the Armadillo, who appears with his team in Knuckles' Chaotix.
Team Chaotix is a detective agency. One day, they receive a mysterious package with a walkie talkie in it. An eerily familiar stranger gives the team instructions through this device and claims that if the job he has for them is completed the Chaotix crew will be handsomely rewarded. Espio is wary of the job, but Vector, with dollar signs in his eyes, reminded him of Chaotix's number one rule, "We never turn down work that pays!"
In Sonic Heroes, the missions of Team Chaotix are very different from the other three teams'. From collecting hermit crabs to destroying golden turtle robots, the goals these three pursue are unique and are reminiscent of Knuckles' and Rouge's hunting levels from Sonic Adventure 2. Additionally, each member has unique skills that set them apart from the other characters of his type. Espio's tornado move affects the area around him and turns him invisible to avoid enemy fire and pass through laser barriers. He can also throw a huge shuriken as his solo attack and hang on walls indefinitely while Triangle Jumping. Charmy can activate special flowers to teleport the group to another flower in the level and can attack on his own with his stinger. Vector attacks by crunching enemies in his jaws, then spewing what is said to be halitosis at enemies (the halitosis he breathes is in the form of musical notes). As Vector levels-up, he breathes fire and the fan-dubbed "bubblegum bombs" in which Vector chucks up a load of explosive bubblegum bubbles.
Team Chaotix's Team Blast is "Chaotix Recital", in which Espio plucks on a samisen, Charmy bangs on a bass drum and sings poorly, and Vector screams into a microphone, destroying every enemy on-screen and gaining a random amount rings for each one. While the Team Blast gauge goes down, any enemy the team destroys will earn them extra rings, which can be particularly useful in the 'Robot Carnival' and 'Robot Storm' bosses since the ring boxes fill the gauge up quicker.
[edit] Last Story
The last story starts out where Team Chaotix's story left off, with the team entering a building by directions of their client, who they discover inside to be Eggman himself. Vector asking Eggman who locked him up in this prison. He then replies "It was-" but is cut off by the scene finishing.
All of the teams, and Eggman, rush toward the tower and discover Metal Sonic atop it, who then transforms into a powerful, massive reptile form (Metal Madness) by combining the data copied from Teams Sonic and Shadow through the power of Chaos. Teams Dark, Chaotix and Rose then compose a plan to stall Metal Sonic while Team Sonic powers up into their super forms.
A boss battle begins with Teams Shadow, Rose and Chaotix battling Metal Sonic, who then sprouts wings and takes to the air. With the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Team Sonic transforms into Team Super and take off to battle Metal Sonic's new form, Metal Overlord.
After it is defeated, Metal Sonic reverts back to its original form falls back down to the ship, confused as to why Sonic was able to beat him. Sonic retorts him - "We're Sonic Heroes!" - then dashes off, with Tails and Amy Rose in pursuit, as Metal Sonic deactivates. Rouge takes off to gain the Master Emerald, with Knuckles on her tail, and Team Chaotix chase after Eggman to get their pay. Omega and Shadow remain near Metal Sonic's body. The game finishes with Team Sonic cheering as they joyfully dash through the hills.
[edit] Reception
Reviews for Sonic Heroes were generally fairly positive. Critics cited the visual style the game had (which harkens back to the classic Sonic games of the mid-1990s). However, many noted its shortcomings as well, including:
- The PlayStation 2 version has clipping and graphic faults during gameplay, also considerable framerate drop, making it the worst of all three releases; it consistently rated less than the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube versions in both critics and fan reviews.[1], [2],[3]
- Unlike the Sonic Adventure games, Sonic Heroes did not have nearly as many unlockable bonuses, and most of the ones Heroes did have were for 2P mode only.
The PC version rated fairly well and garnered good reaction from fans and critics. [4],[5],[6]
Sonic Heroes enjoyed good sales, entering all three of the "best-sellers" lists: Greatest Hits (PS2), Platinum Hits (Xbox), and Player's Choice (GameCube).[7], [8], [9][citation needed] Sonic Heroes was also released in a package with Super Monkey Ball on the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox. In 2004, Sonic Heroes was the sixth bestselling game in the UK overall, and a full year after its release, was still at number eight in the all-price chart.[1]
[edit] Voice actors
This is one of the final Sonic games in which the English voice actors from the Sonic Adventure games recorded their voices. These English Voice Actors, along with their Japanese counterparts, are shown below:
Due to a mistake on IMDB, many mistake Marc as Espio and Bill as Vector, but Marc states in an email that he did do the voice of Vector while Bill did the voice of Espio. [10]
[edit] References
- ^ An Unlikely Hero. Edge (February 2005). “Sonic Heroes was the sixth bestselling game in the UK overall, outperforming big hitters like Burnout 3 and Spider-Man 2. Surprised? How about this: that same game, a full year after its release, is still at number eight in this week’s all-price chart.”
[edit] External links
- Sonic Heroes official site
- United Kingdom's Sonic Heroes official site
- Sonic Heroes at Sega.com
- Sonic Heroes at MobyGames
- Sonic Heroes at the Internet Movie Database
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Sonic the Hedgehog main series
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Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) · Sonic the Hedgehog 2 · Sonic the Hedgehog CD · Sonic the Hedgehog 3 · Sonic & Knuckles · Sonic Adventure · Sonic Adventure 2 · Sonic Heroes · Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) |
