Sonic Heroes

"Three words: Could be better."

As I said, this game could be better than it is. Though it's not as big as a disappointment as others may say, it still could have been better.

Background: There are four teams in this game. Team Rose, Team Chaotix, Team Dark and Team Sonic. Please don't get confused.

Graphics: 8/10
Ok, once again, I start with this section because that is about the only thing people will judge a game by the box with. Just to let you know, all Dreamcast Sonic games had better graphics. (But, as rumor has it, Dreamcast just had better graphics period.) Most of the characters in this game are shiny. Where did that came from? Also, the characters are more rounded, like in Sonic Adventure, giving them a much younger feel to the characters. The only character that remotely has good mouth movements is Vector, and that's only because of his snout. Now, after trashing the graphics, here's a positive side, as always, the levels are great to look at! If anything, that is what boasted graphics' score.

Game play: 8/10
Well, umm, it's different. This is the first Sonic game (to my knowledge) where you play with more than one character in the same level! Having three characters to keep track of was a pain! Though the game play is rather simple, it gets advanced. You have to switch characters when ever you need a new task finished. Though each team had different objectives (Chaotix with there finding things,) what was a bit disappointing was the fact that each team had the exact same Game play. There isn't as much variety in this game. Slap on a new name for an attack and BOOM! Each team has different game play? Nope, sorry doesn't work like that. If you use the same attack with the same button, there is no variety. But, I gave it the score because you don't have to convert from each team, so it makes Game play very simple.

Story: 9/10
The story was the high point of the whole game! For once, it isn't Eggman trying take over the world. (GASP!) There is a ‘new' villain in town. Ok, so he's not new, but for some he is! Basically, there are four stories, each tied into each other somehow. Here is a break down of each story:
Team Sonic: 9/10: The Team gets a letter from Eggman giving them 3 days to stop him. Simple, huh? Well, it got a nine because it has a slight turn around, a plot twist if you may!
Team Rose: 5/10: Ok, not the best! It's completely out there! Their story is that Froggy and Cheese's brother were stolen, so they think Sonic did it. It does tie into the rest of the game, sooner or later!
Team Chaotix: 9/10: This Team was new for me, though most know them as the returning team from Knuckles' Chaotix. Well, they get a mysterious phone call one day, so their adventure begins. Their objective, listen to their client and finished his/her (no spoilers!) commands and missions.
Team Dark: 9/10: No, it didn't get this score because Shadow is in it! I thought that this was one of the best stories in the whole game. I have a weak spot for people who are forced to work together, and people who can't remember who they are, and robots! Once again, it doesn't really make any sense at first, but it ties into the whole game.
Final Story: 10/10 Fun and hard! Final bosses are always my favorite thing to do! You'll see if and when you get there!
Now it is time for the down side to the story. What ever happened to the Master Emerald, Knuckles? It isn't mentioned in the game at all! It's his job, why isn't it mentioned? Also, Knuckles can't really be part of Team Sonic, the boy is a loner! But, those are the only down sides to the plot!

Challenge: 9/10
The game is extremely hard! The levels are a lot longer than usual. The whole Team thing makes it difficult. I really didn't like that part of the game. The skill levels are split, so if you want to start without any Sonic game background, play Team Rose. Then, if you finished them, try Team Chaotix, then Team Sonic, then Team Dark. Don't go backwards, believe me, I tried. One thing in this was that all the levels were the same, only with different skill levels! Team Rose will play the easier parts, while Team Dark will play the more advanced sections of the levels. Now, for extended missions and rank A's, here's a hint: Have a bunch of time because you will be ready to smash your PS2 by the 50th try to complete all the missions, collect all the emblems and race to get all the Chaos emeralds (which is the only way to unlock the final story!) Have fun!

Extras: 7/10
Well, there aren't really any extras, except the famous 2P-mode, brought back from Sonic Adventure 2! You have to work for your 2P-mode races, so it gets a good score, but, it's just not fun after a while. While you get a variety of races, Ranging from Advanced Races to Battle, where's the fun? After you kill your friends in each event, you really don't have the desire to play it any more. There is another extra called Super Hard Mode! It's basically Team Sonic redoing the whole game with harder missions and levels. Nothing really interesting, except that you can't get a game over or you start over!

Replay: 7/10 Once you beat EVERYTHING in this game, it's not as fun to go back to, but it will take a good while to do everything. Without the Choa to keep you busy, or just the fact that by the time you finish this game, you're sick of, it doesn't have the best replay value I've seen in my life.

Buy/rent? I'd recommend renting first, see if you like it, then you can buy it!

Recap:
Graphics: 8
Game play: 8
Story: 9
Challenge: 9
Extras: 7
Replay: 7
Buy/rent: Rent first
Overall: 8.0!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/06