Sonic Heroes

Do the Sonic All-Stars (and a couple runners-up) mark a return to form for Sonic Team?

Sonic Heroes marks a sort of return to form for Sonic. It?s a game built on the iconic hedgehog?s two basic strengths, the single-minded duality that made him famous in the first place: going forward and going fast. Even so, the blue guy?s not necessarily the star of this show.

A Bat, a Robot, and an Echidna Walk Into a Bar?
After achieving smashing success with the ?run forward? phenomenon during its 16-bit heyday, Sonic Team went off the beaten path with the Sonic Adventure series by throwing in adventure elements and secondary characters with goals that didn?t really have much to do with going around loops at high velocities. Some people dug it, but others balked at the decision to take the focus off the hustle. In that way, Sonic Heroes seems like blast processing from the past?but there?s definitely a twist.

In Sonic Heroes (coming for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube), you pick one of four teams of three characters: Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles), Team Rose (Rose, Cream the rabbit, and Big the cat), Team Dark (Shadow, Rouge the vampire bat, and Omega the robot), and Team Chaotix (Espio the chameleon, Charmy the bee, and Vector the alligator?they?re from Knuckles Chaotix, in case you?re confused). While each team has a different story line, the four teams are nearly identical in practice. Aside from a few differences in how attacks play out and a few alternate routes here and there, every team is composed of the same basic models?one Speed, one Fly, and one Power member. In Speed formation (i.e., Speed member in front), the team can dash and follow paths of rings as if they were bridges. In Fly formation, the team can achieve great height and hurl its members as if they were stunning boomerangs. Power formation can break blocks and winds up doing most of the enemy-bashing detail.

This new team mechanic proves to be Sonic Heroes? secret strength: Knowing who to switch to for certain situations (and being quick enough to do so!) adds a new level of instinctive twitchery to all the looping and running. Speed is never really compromised, even when your Power character is taking the lead. The camera in the preview build still needs a lot of work, though?that?s something Sonic Team?s never really been able to get quite right.

Triumvirate of Tempo
Sonic Heroes definitely has a nifty thing going for it, but will the Panzer Dragoon-y tri-form twist and 11 extra animals be enough to elevate the hedgehog to his former prime mascot status? Could be. There?s strength?and speed?in numbers.

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