Game Review - Sonic Heroes
The following is apart of an audio piece I've done for Gamer's Radio, it will air in an episode in the near future. Episodes are available as a PodCast which you can subscribe to with your favourite client.
G'day folks, angeles here reporting from the sunny shores of Australia.
Now, I should start by saying that as an ex-Sega refugee, I have idolised the 'Blue Blur' known as "Sonic the Hedgehog" since I was little. I've turned to Nintendo to satisfy my hedgehog cravings, and this is hopefully the first of many Nintendo installments I'll do for Gamer's Radio. I've chosen to review "Sonic Heroes" for the Nintendo Gamecube, as I think it best represents what I'm all about. I know this game has been out for a fair while, but I hope you enjoy it just the same. None of this means I will go any easier on this game, and in alot of aspects, I was really disappointed with this latest installment, and you'll soon find out why.
Being a Gamecube game, you can expect that the graphics are visually stunning, and I think this is the strongest point of the game, although the title screen could have had more effort put into it. I'm used to seeing the characters on the screen wagging a finger at you, or something similar. When you leave the game running, you're presented with short clips of the characters to a groovy rock tune, which reminded me alot of the old Sonic CD, which is when Sonic's story first truly started to shine. Something else which gave me that classic feel was the level titles, which takes me back many years.
The music in the game can sometimes be a bit repetitive, unlike many of the previous games in this series. While it does fit the rock style we've come to expect, it isn't really as exciting or motivating. To me, this is where "Sonic Adventure" was stronger. Most of the sounds you hear you will recognise from the previous games, although I was let down by the fact the jumping sound was replaced by a 'wooshing' noise.
Gameplay wise, we have four different teams of three. This is something we've not seen before in Sonic games and it gives it a little extra edge. Back in the days of Sonic 3 and Knuckles on the Megadrive (the Genesis for you Americans), I always wished I could control Tails myself when he was buddied up with Sonic. This aspect where you can switch between characters in a tandem fashion really appealed to me. Each character brings their special abilities, seperated into three categories; Speed, Flight, and Power.
The teams we are presented with are: Team Sonic with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Team Dark with Shadow, Rouge, and E-101. Team Rose with Amy, Cream, and Big. And lastly, Team Chaotix with Vector, Charmy, and Espio. Team Dark, to me, is a bit of an 'Odd Trio', and them teaming up is never properly explained. Team Rose sort of makes sense, but Big has never really been associated with the other characters. It was exciting to see Team Chaotix however, the members of which making a reappearance from back in the days of "Knuckles Chaotix" for the 32X.
Controlling this game can sometimes be a chore, and even downright frustrating at times. It ranges from unresponsive, to just plain crazy, where you end up falling off edges easily trying to attack the nearby enemies or bosses. Also, attempting to get a perfect in these huge levels are near impossible for younger gamers, as it is too easy to be hurt when you're trying to race through the level in record time. The checkpoints are a pain to get now, as they're alot smaller, and don't fit in with the fast paced action, so you end up missing alot of them. Another annoying factor are the various glitches, where mysteriously fall through the floor.
Now, the storyline this time, is more immersive and fluid than ever, which makes it the type of game where you connect with each of the characters. The bosses are amazing and unique, but another disappointing part for me is that it doesn't pick up from the story we've gotten used to in the "Sonic Adventure" series. I wasn't impressed when I tried each different storyline, as it's basically the same levels with different cut-scenes. This makes the game very repetitive, and even as a fan, I haven't bothered to complete them all.
While this game does provide a 2 player aspect, I felt this isn't as good as it could be. First of all, in the 'Action Races' the screen is split vertically, where I would've preferred a horizontal split. Secondly, the 'Battle Mode' is very basic, where you just have to push the other team off the edge, and in my opinion, the arena's are too small, a 'Sonic Battle' for the Gameboy Advance style would have been alot more preferable. Don't even think of trying to play these games by yourself, there's no option for a computer controlled opponent, which could've extended the life of this game considerably.
All in all, this is a good game for when you just want to race through levels mindlessly and watch cool cut-scenes, but you can expect this game to gather alot of dust, especially if you're not a Sonic fan. I personally hope the Nintendo DS version of Sonic will be alot better.
Thanks for listening, this is angeles, signing off for Gamer's Radio.
Enjoy!
G'day folks, angeles here reporting from the sunny shores of Australia.
Now, I should start by saying that as an ex-Sega refugee, I have idolised the 'Blue Blur' known as "Sonic the Hedgehog" since I was little. I've turned to Nintendo to satisfy my hedgehog cravings, and this is hopefully the first of many Nintendo installments I'll do for Gamer's Radio. I've chosen to review "Sonic Heroes" for the Nintendo Gamecube, as I think it best represents what I'm all about. I know this game has been out for a fair while, but I hope you enjoy it just the same. None of this means I will go any easier on this game, and in alot of aspects, I was really disappointed with this latest installment, and you'll soon find out why.
Being a Gamecube game, you can expect that the graphics are visually stunning, and I think this is the strongest point of the game, although the title screen could have had more effort put into it. I'm used to seeing the characters on the screen wagging a finger at you, or something similar. When you leave the game running, you're presented with short clips of the characters to a groovy rock tune, which reminded me alot of the old Sonic CD, which is when Sonic's story first truly started to shine. Something else which gave me that classic feel was the level titles, which takes me back many years.
The music in the game can sometimes be a bit repetitive, unlike many of the previous games in this series. While it does fit the rock style we've come to expect, it isn't really as exciting or motivating. To me, this is where "Sonic Adventure" was stronger. Most of the sounds you hear you will recognise from the previous games, although I was let down by the fact the jumping sound was replaced by a 'wooshing' noise.
Gameplay wise, we have four different teams of three. This is something we've not seen before in Sonic games and it gives it a little extra edge. Back in the days of Sonic 3 and Knuckles on the Megadrive (the Genesis for you Americans), I always wished I could control Tails myself when he was buddied up with Sonic. This aspect where you can switch between characters in a tandem fashion really appealed to me. Each character brings their special abilities, seperated into three categories; Speed, Flight, and Power.
The teams we are presented with are: Team Sonic with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Team Dark with Shadow, Rouge, and E-101. Team Rose with Amy, Cream, and Big. And lastly, Team Chaotix with Vector, Charmy, and Espio. Team Dark, to me, is a bit of an 'Odd Trio', and them teaming up is never properly explained. Team Rose sort of makes sense, but Big has never really been associated with the other characters. It was exciting to see Team Chaotix however, the members of which making a reappearance from back in the days of "Knuckles Chaotix" for the 32X.
Controlling this game can sometimes be a chore, and even downright frustrating at times. It ranges from unresponsive, to just plain crazy, where you end up falling off edges easily trying to attack the nearby enemies or bosses. Also, attempting to get a perfect in these huge levels are near impossible for younger gamers, as it is too easy to be hurt when you're trying to race through the level in record time. The checkpoints are a pain to get now, as they're alot smaller, and don't fit in with the fast paced action, so you end up missing alot of them. Another annoying factor are the various glitches, where mysteriously fall through the floor.
Now, the storyline this time, is more immersive and fluid than ever, which makes it the type of game where you connect with each of the characters. The bosses are amazing and unique, but another disappointing part for me is that it doesn't pick up from the story we've gotten used to in the "Sonic Adventure" series. I wasn't impressed when I tried each different storyline, as it's basically the same levels with different cut-scenes. This makes the game very repetitive, and even as a fan, I haven't bothered to complete them all.
While this game does provide a 2 player aspect, I felt this isn't as good as it could be. First of all, in the 'Action Races' the screen is split vertically, where I would've preferred a horizontal split. Secondly, the 'Battle Mode' is very basic, where you just have to push the other team off the edge, and in my opinion, the arena's are too small, a 'Sonic Battle' for the Gameboy Advance style would have been alot more preferable. Don't even think of trying to play these games by yourself, there's no option for a computer controlled opponent, which could've extended the life of this game considerably.
All in all, this is a good game for when you just want to race through levels mindlessly and watch cool cut-scenes, but you can expect this game to gather alot of dust, especially if you're not a Sonic fan. I personally hope the Nintendo DS version of Sonic will be alot better.
Thanks for listening, this is angeles, signing off for Gamer's Radio.
Enjoy!