I was happy to find that the game is well-balanced, requiring even use of all three abilities, and multiple pathways can be accessed by exploring areas with different team leaders. And in the story mode, goals are different for each of the four teams, which adds to the replay value. Add in the many pickups and level-ups, and there's quite a bit of gameplay, mostly presented in a zippy update of the old 2D Sonic goodness.

Death by Speed

There are a couple issues, though. For one, it's way too easy to dash off a cliff into an instant death, which seems totally out of place these days. The quick deaths of the 2D days were acceptable, because it was easy enough to keep Sonic's feet on the ground with only four basic directions to move. The 3D model, however, while presenting a great update of the classic style, offers too many ways to die ignominiously, often because you simply can't see what's ahead. And the speed isn't always maintained; it's fairly easy to run Sonic off course into a Jersey barrier, which really breaks the momentum. So in some levels the game moves in fits and starts as you try to keep up the pace. Unfortunately, for all the various team goals, mini-games, and alternate routes, there's not as much variety to Sonic Heroes as I'd like. The core teamplay idea is a great idea, but it's adhered to so closely that by the time you're ten hours into the game, there are few surprises left. At that point, serious Sonic fans will likely persevere, but it may be tough for everyone else to stick it out.

Pretty as a Picture

The lord of the rings.
While Heroes has had a bright debut on the GameCube and Xbox, framerate issues plague the PS2 version, rendering some of the fastest areas (like the pinball on crystal meth "Casino" level) a stuttering mess. What a shame, because in theory the game looks great. To my eyes, the brightly colored, loop-infested world of Sonic isn't so much a throwback as a welcome return to gaming as it was in the pre-"mature" days. Visually, this should be (and almost is) light, speedy, and fun; the point is just to have a good time and enjoy the view. The character models aren't always amazing, but the worlds are packed with smooth detail and the geometry is always impressive. After all, none of it has to make any sense, freeing the designers to create spectacular worlds.

The sound doesn't fare quite as well, due largely to the character voices. For one, the plotting and dialogue is fairly silly, but the PlaySkool voice acting has got to go. Sonic is one of those characters, like Tom and Jerry or Mario, who should never talk. But the main trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles insist upon relentlessly flapping their gobs. Some of the talk is necessary, indicating when to switch leaders and so forth, but most could have been trimmed, removing what's easily the most embarrassing aspect of the game.

In many ways, Sonic Heroes is the way the series originally should have made the 3D transition. The two-player game can be fun, with special (unlockable) areas to run through in split-screen mode. Any dedicated Sonic fan will be happy to see the door shut on the diluted Adventures, but the conversion to 3D still has a few kinks to iron out. It's nice to see the old guy getting back on his feet, and hopefully next time we see him, Sonic will be running at full speed.