Platform: GC, PS2, XB

Genre: Platformer

Publisher: Sega

Developer: SONICTEAM

ETA: Q1 2004 (Q4 2003 in Japan)

Review: Blinx (Xbox)

Review: Sly Cooper (Playstation 2)

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Sonic Heroes

There once was a time when publishers had mascots that almost invariably found themselves as flagship titles (or at least attempted flagships) in their gaming libraries. Of course, they almost always wound up being platformers, with Mario on Nintendo’s systems, Sonic on Sega’s, and Bonk on the Turbografx-16 being the most prominent of the bunch. Now even these standard-bearers of yore are having to work a lot harder to hold their own in this age of the first person shooter, RPGs, and “mature” gaming. Nonetheless, Sega is pushing on with yet another installment in its Sonic franchise.

A short time ago, Sega’s little blue speed demon started to make it’s way onto a new platform since the Dreamcast had been laid to rest. This title plans to expand on that by appearing on all three major consoles. The most noticeable change to gameplay, though, this time out is an emphasis on team play, as players will be in control of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails simultaneously, taking advantage of each of the three characters’ unique skills to traverse the stages of the game.

Features:

Play as one of four teams for a total of 12 playable characters – Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose or Team Chaotix – each with their own unique signature moves and storyline.

Each team boasts multiple specialized stages with unique missions and CG movies driving each “team” story forward.

Experiment with team formations to learn the best way to defeat enemies, solve puzzles, and navigate massive environments.

Each stage contains multiple paths and missions for maximum replayability.

- Mr. Nash

(June 21, 2003)