Sonic Heroes

 GameCube
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 295 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 194 out of 295
  2. Mixed: 79 out of 295
  3. Negative: 22 out of 295
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  1. E102Gamma
    Nov 15, 2021
    3
    Lets start with the positives:
    Music - Excellent as always
    Art direction - As good as one can make it in 2003. The levels look amazing. Story - Back to basics in all but one campaign. Its not exactly a plus but this was the very first big Sonic game released on all the major consoles of the time. It would make sense to hold back on the exposition, lore, and world building. Now then,    Lets start with the positives:
    Music - Excellent as always
    Art direction - As good as one can make it in 2003. The levels look amazing.
    Story - Back to basics in all but one campaign. Its not exactly a plus but this was the very first big Sonic game released on all the major consoles of the time. It would make sense to hold back on the exposition, lore, and world building.

    Now then, everything else. This was the very first time the heads of Sonic Team promised to bring Sonic "back to his roots" a promise that would be made nearly every single time the series got a new game. I don't believe they understand what the phrase means. In the game, the player controls three characters at a time. Sonic Team wanted to make a game focused around a single gameplay format, like the classics, but they didn't want to relinquish any of the supporting cast so this was the result. Sonic Heroes was made on the same engine as Sonic Adventures 1 and 2; two games that pushed the engine and the Dreamcast to its absolute limits. Now the team had to get it working on four separate pieces of hardware. What resulted is a game less stable than both of the prior installments at their worst. Both of the Adventure games' instability can be excused because:

    1. It's often easy to avoid.
    2. All the characters control comfortably and have a very simple move-set.
    3. 3D was still in its early stages. Nearly all 3D games of the 90s had plenty of instability. Comparing 90s 3D gaming to everything afterwards is like comparing NES games to the SNES.

    Most of the flaws with the Adventure games were excused in their time because 3D was still a developing innovation. There were hurdles that couldn't be jumped over, but by 2003 those hurdles had been all but demolished and to see Sonic Team still struggling to climb over them was disappointing. I won't talk about the gameplay in detail. Its main problems are instability and obnoxious controls. The four selectable teams on the menu are separate campaigns in disguise. Don't be fooled. You have to play the game 4 times in order to see the end of the story with little to no variation. It's like having to play Sonic 3 as Sonic, then Tails, and then Knuckles in order to play Death Egg Zone onward.

    Levels - 3
    Visuals - 8
    Story - 6
    Bosses - 0    … Expand
  2. DarkerSonic06
    Jul 7, 2018
    1
    Why SEGA?Why? SADX and SA2 had one of the best level design in the series, and what did you to Heroes ?The level design is crap and its just Generations without Boost. Why do we have Team Dark and Chaotix.Why didnt Shadow can be dead? He is comepletely unuseful in the games since SA2
  3. Vickly
    Mar 16, 2004
    4
    A big failure in my opinion. I had thought that with the release of the awesome sonic adventure games, nothing could go wrong with this one, I was sadly mistaken. They still had not cleared up the bad camera angles, and you had to do virtually the same thing for each team. Very easy to beat, and the characters look a little too shiny. No plot at all, I really did not like it.
  4. JohnB.
    Jan 15, 2004
    3
    Notice how all the users here only comment on graphics and sound. These people obviously have shallow taste in games and would buy anything if it had "sweet 3-d graphics and cool sound". People, not all games of the new millenium have to be 3-D. In fact, ever since sonic went 3-d, his games have lost much of its fans, flavor, and popularity. People don't realize that all you do in Notice how all the users here only comment on graphics and sound. These people obviously have shallow taste in games and would buy anything if it had "sweet 3-d graphics and cool sound". People, not all games of the new millenium have to be 3-D. In fact, ever since sonic went 3-d, his games have lost much of its fans, flavor, and popularity. People don't realize that all you do in this game is run foward and let the computer automatically hold you by the hand through the levels. Terrible game...shame on you Sega.… Expand
  5. RabidR
    Jun 23, 2008
    2
    Ok, here's the truth about this game. Yes the graphics are good, yes the concept is great, but the game engine destroys what could have been a good sonic game. Clipping through walls and the floor in places, bad level design that will certainly make you fall into the pit below every stage for no reason, overly difficult to get into the special stage and to get the emeralds at all Ok, here's the truth about this game. Yes the graphics are good, yes the concept is great, but the game engine destroys what could have been a good sonic game. Clipping through walls and the floor in places, bad level design that will certainly make you fall into the pit below every stage for no reason, overly difficult to get into the special stage and to get the emeralds at all thanks to twitchy controls and the fact your forced to slow down when you get caught up on the corners of the tube. The pinball physics are off and force you in directions you have no control over and you will die because of this unlike Casinopolis in Sonic Adventure DX. These and other reasons make playing this game a chore and not worth anyones time and effort. If your completely blind to these obvious issues in the game then you will enjoy it, otherwise STAY AWAY!… Expand
  6. Raknner44
    Feb 22, 2021
    0
    Los personajes se caen hasta con las acciones automáticas. No puedo creer que no hayan pulido eso. Cuando era chico me parecía buen juego pero porque en mi PC me corría muy lento. Ahora que lo juego a su velocidad original me doy cuenta de la realidad.
  7. Dungeon00X
    Jun 25, 2020
    1
    I remember beating this game back in 2003, but now visiting it years later I have no clue how we all just accepted this completely broken, buggy, unfinished game. It's like we were all just accepting it and Sonic '06 is what finally made everyone say "Hey, we're not taking this sh*t anymore". The play testers must have been brain dead for this to have passed.
  8. StNishigo
    May 4, 2021
    3
    Sonic Heroes does not stand the test of time, not that it was incredible when it first released, but I may have given it a moderate score of 5 or 6 at it's release.

    One of the biggest problems with the game is with the big jumps. It's hard to tell where you are landing which artificially increases the difficulty. The next biggest problem is a that the game expects you to beat it 4 times    Sonic Heroes does not stand the test of time, not that it was incredible when it first released, but I may have given it a moderate score of 5 or 6 at it's release.

    One of the biggest problems with the game is with the big jumps. It's hard to tell where you are landing which artificially increases the difficulty. The next biggest problem is a that the game expects you to beat it 4 times with characters that play almost identically. The later levels force you to either skip as much as you can or play at a snails pace because combat is not rewarding and can be very punishing.

    The story is forgettable and not worth the multiple playthroughs. Skip this one and find something better to play. Almost any Sonic game will do it.    … Expand
  9. Tigre-Assyrien
    Apr 9, 2022
    0
    i am playing this game right now, wich was a part of my childhood, but i dont care about feelings and nostalgia, yeah the music and menus are a nice throwback, but the actual game? the gameplay? controls? this is an absolute joke its unplayable not just by today's standards,
  10. Ben-Ben
    Mar 2, 2021
    4
    It's an okay game that has the classic Sonic Charme but the fact that you have to play every stage four times is really annoying. If it was just Team Sonic and Team Dark, the game would have been so much better but it's required to complete all stories to get to the final boss. Another thing that's just stupid is that they that they now have set lines wich they repeat over and over again.It's an okay game that has the classic Sonic Charme but the fact that you have to play every stage four times is really annoying. If it was just Team Sonic and Team Dark, the game would have been so much better but it's required to complete all stories to get to the final boss. Another thing that's just stupid is that they that they now have set lines wich they repeat over and over again. To finish of, the controls are questionable and the special stages suck ads.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best GameCube Game of 2004
4
#4 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2004
2
#2 Most Shared GameCube Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 49
  3. Negative: 1 out of 49
  1. Weekly Famitsu
    80
    8 / 8 / 8 / 8 - 32 gold [Vol 786]
  2. GMR Magazine
    70
    The glorious 3D speed rush is still broken by moments where you will csream with rage inspired by whatever sadism or idiocy has kept Sonic Team from fixing its camera and control schemes after five years of 3D Sonic games.
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  3. Eurogamer
    60
    The camera is crap, the scale is awkward, the story and characters are basic and cringe-worthy, the combat is tedious, the platforming and puzzling is too basic, and I was well bored of it by the time I conquered the final level with the first of the four Teams, which wasn't even that long after I first grabbed it out of the shrink-wrap.
    Read full review
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