Sonic Heroes
Sonic’s debut on the PS2 is less than impressive.
Tags: Sonic Heroes Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Larry McCormick on Feb 13th, 2004
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic Heroes (title page) | 1-2 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Platformer | No | ||
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It’s sad that a once dominant gaming icon like Sonic has been subjected to one average game after another for the past few years. Sonic Adventure, available for the Dreamcast and GameCube, was pretty good but its sequel left much to be desired and failed to address any of the first game’s shortcomings (especially the camera system). Sonic Team has been pledging for some time that their latest title, Sonic Heroes, would put the blue blur in a game he could be proud of. Instead of setting the series back on the right path, however, Heroes shows that Sonic Team still has a few things to learn about making 3D Sonic games. And be warned PS2 fans, the game is significantly better on the GameCube and Xbox.
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I was shocked at how substandard the graphics are in the PS2 version of Sonic Heroes. Unlike the 60fps silky smooth GameCube version (the Xbox version stutters a bit), PS2 Heroes struggles to run at a paltry 30fps, occasionally dipping below that when there are several enemies on screen. The texture quality is noticably degraded from the GameCube and Xbox versions of the game plus the textures suffer from visible seams, tearing and warping. You often can’t see enemies or objects until you get very close to them and they magically pop into view. Graphically, this game even pales in comparison to Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast and is more on par with the 1999 DC release of the first Sonic Adventure. It’s really a shame, because the game is so focused on speed and rollercoaster-like thrill rides that the bad visuals hurt the experience tremendously, especially since quite often all you do is sit and watch your characters get thrown about the levels as the scenery blazes by.
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The music is OK if you’re into the cheesy 80s rock that provided the soundtrack for the last two Sonic titles. While every song is ultimately forgettable, none of them are distracting or annoying. The voice acting is as terrible as ever but thankfully it’s kept to a minimum this time around as the game is focused more on the action than plot.
As far as the play mechanics are concerned there are some good and some bad elements worth examining. First, the good. The style of gameplay in Heroes is closer to the classic 16-bit Sonic titles that gamers know and love. It’s all about action and speed. No more emerald shard hunting. No more fishing. No more slowly lumbering around as a mech, playing target practice. In this respect Sonic Team has made a very wise decision. Despite the game’s numerous problems which I’ll discuss shortly, it’s still fun speeding through levels, bouncing off mushrooms and bumpers and hitting dash points that send Sonic and company dashing at high speed into the unknown.
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While Heroes does feature 12 characters (broken into four groups of three), it doesn’t stray from the classic Sonic formula. Each team features one character specializing in speed, one in power (best for combat) and one in flight. Players can switch to any member of their team on the fly and will need to switch between them frequently as the levels are constructed in a manner that necessitates each character be used at particular points. Personally, I still wish they would have focused entirely on Sonic, but this approach to multi-character gameplay is much better than the approach taken in the last two games.
Now for the bad. The camera system is still atrocious. Sometimes it wildly swings around and changes views when you absolutely don’t want it to. It can be difficult to see and attack enemies that are right next to you. Rotating the camera manually is barely ever any help and woe is you if you try doing it with the right analog stick instead of the shoulder buttons as you’ll end up stuck in first person mode accidentally almost every time you attempt it.
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Camera issues aside, the collision detection is still wonky. I fell through solid floors plummeting to my death, ending up running through solid walls and falling to my doom, walked through rings that are impossible to pick up and saw the speed characters’ homing attack miss many a time also sending my characters into the great beyond. One other annoyance: when you’re flying or jumping high in the air… your characters don’t cast a shadow on the ground so it can be VERY difficult to tell exactly where you are in the 3D environment.
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The control in the PS2 version of Sonic Heroes is not up to par either. Just try moving your characters in a straight line. Apparently Sonic and his buddies had a few drinks before each time I picked up the controller. I didn’t have time to force them to stand on one leg and touch their nose while reciting the alphabet backwards but I’m sure their blood-alcohol content was up there. They also love to turn on what are nearly right angles from the gentlest tap on the left analog stick. The control has been an issue in all of the Sonic games since the move to 3D, but after checking out the GameCube version again, I have to say the problem is significantly worse in the PS2 edition.
In terms of extras, Heroes doesn’t really offer anything significant. To see the true ending you have to beat the game with all four teams. As you collect emblems you’ll unlock multiplayer games that are really just a novelty worth checking out once or twice more than anything else. You can also go back and replay levels trying to get a rating of “A” on them all if you’re a glutton for punishment. Speaking of punishment, get ready for some of the weakest boss battles, ever. Not weak as in they’re easy, weak as in they’re cheap.
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Sonic Heroes is not the game Sonic fans have been waiting for. It does do a few things right, such as putting the emphasis back on speedy gameplay, but it still suffers from many of the same problems that have been with the series since it debuted on the Dreamcast in 1999. The PS2 version is far and away the worst version of the game, suffering from last-generation graphics, looser control and more glitches. The game is still moderately enjoyable, but if you’ve got a GameCube or an Xbox don’t even think about getting this version, even if it goes budget before the other two. I don’t mean to harp on this point so much, but once you see the game running on the PS2 and then on the other systems, you’ll understand.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+Sony fans finally have a Sonic game +Pure Sonic action, unlike the adventure series |
5.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
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-Graphics are poor, especially compared to the other versions -Control is too loose -Camera issues and glitches abound |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
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You know, there's an old adage that says a job worth doing is worth doing right. It's too bad Sonic Team didn't heed this advice when porting Sonic Heroes to the PlayStation 2. This inferior version isn't the worst action/platformer on the PS2, but it's heavily outclassed by similar fare on the system. Unless you love Sonic and only own a PS2, avoid this version. |
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Tags: Sonic Heroes
Posted by Larry McCormick on Feb 13th, 2004 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
