Gaming Target - Xbox: Sonic Heroes

Written by Ryan Genno on January 26, 2004

First Impressions: Are you ready for some intense three-way action?!

Over the years certain names have become synonymous with video games. Characters like Super Mario, Lara Croft, and Pac Man are just a few examples of famous and recognizable game heroes. One name you would have put right up there in terms of popularity is Sega's speedy blue wonder: Sonic the Hedgehog. Since making his debut way back in 1991 on the Sega Genesis, Sonic has had over 30 different games, multiple cartoon shows, and several other commercial tie-ins. Now Sega's top mascot is not only coming to the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo GameCube, but he's also making his first appearance on the Xbox with the new 3D game Sonic Heroes.

What makes Sonic Heroes different then Sega's earlier 3D Adventure titles is the brand new Team system. Instead of picking only one character from a bunch of selectable heroes, you can now play as one of four teams, and each has three sets of characters that you control at once. Each member of your desired team has their own set of abilities. For example: in the Blast Team, Sonic is the all out speed demon, Tails is the one who can fly, and Knuckles is the heavy hitter who is good at breaking walls. It only takes a simple button press to switch characters on the fly, and you can even use your partners to perform unique tag team attacks to show your enemies whose boss. Rounding out the other three teams are the Dark, Rose, and the Chaotix Team. The Dark Team has Shadow the evil Hedgehog and that weird Batgirl, both from Sonic Adventure 2. Joining them is a new E-102-like robot. Amy Rose, Cream the Rabbit, and that overly goofy Big the Cat are part of the sickeningly cute Rose Team. The final three (Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee, and Vector the Crocodile) are part of Team Chaotix. These oddball guys are actually characters from an old and obscure 32X only game that starred Knuckles.

Although the fully 3D Sonic Adventure games were big sellers for the Sega Dreamcast and the Nintendo GameCube respectively, many still had mixed feelings about Sonic's move to the third dimension. You either love them or you hated them. Having high-speed action with an awkward camera system just makes you miss the good old days of the 2D Sonics, despite all the new game play features. So far Sonic Heroes looks fairly smooth and the graphics are very colourful as well, but it remains to be seen if the camera is any better in this title.