Sonic's been around so much longer than Sony's console that, on first load, it's both a surprise and a pleasure to see the old 'hog light up the PS2. It's a sight that bridges two console generations, and for a moment it's almost as if the March of the Console was a smooth hike instead of a long-fought war. Too bad, then, that the new adventure of the Blue Bomber brings along other 16-bit baggage like cheap, sudden deaths, and a highly dodgy camera. Sonic Heroes doesn't skimp on the speed that made the series famous, but it's a qualified success at best.

Back to the Future

I was never a fan of the Dreamcast-based Sonic Adventures. Those games stripped most of Sonic's unique qualities, leaving a little blue guy barely qualified to be a platform mascot. It's like expecting a track star to headline a Die Hard flick -- what are the odds? But Heroes dramatically revamps the old Sonic formula with team gameplay that feels both nostalgic and modern. A set of paper-thin storylines pit twelve classic (and perhaps not so classic -- do we really need the Chaotix team?) characters against the determined Dr. Robotnik, but more important is that the "blue blur" is back.

Instead of simply controlling Sonic through a maze of pathways and corkscrews, you have a team of three heroes. The default (read: "good") trio is Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles; each can become team leader with a quick button press, allowing you to quickly juggle the powers of speed, flight and, er, power. The other three teams feature similar personality groupings (Team Dark has Shadow, Rouge, and Omega, for example), and each character has a unique special attack, though the basic power layout is always the same.

Paths of Glory

This is the Hotwheels course you always wanted.
A typical area will see you dashing through a set of loops and long elevated roads, picking up rings, and tossing the occasional special "tornado" attack to take down robots. When a cliff looms in your way, quickly swap in Tails as leader, and he'll fly the team over the obstruction, using Sonic and Knuckles as projectiles against flying enemies, which can be grounded for the burly Knuckles. He's the go-to guy when huge blocks or cadres of enemies loom, as his fists of fury quickly dispatch nearly anything that can be broken. Each character's special can be powered up three times per level, making combat easier as you go along.

Of course, possessing golden rings is still the way to survive close calls with Robotnik's goons. Each area requires quick changes to move smoothly along, and there are more than a few built-in mini-games, such as the short rocket-car runs that have you blasting at high speed, trying to grab as much booty as a hedgehog can hold. Bonus areas and boss levels diversify the action, though these, too, use the basic team gameplay.