| Requiring absolutely no introduction whatsoever, the blue spiky dude makes a return to a console near you - any console, in fact - in his first multi-platform release. Following on faithfully from the previous titles in the Sonic Adventure series, Sonic Heroes brings its trademark high-speed platforming action to the current crop of gaming hardware, albeit with the inclusion of a selection of new features and, in particular, a brand new gameplay twist.As the title goes some way towards suggesting, the emphasis throughout the main portion of the game is not just on Sonic, but on the rest of his gang - Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and a further eight characters. As you'd expect, the characters are all playable, but the twist here is that you take control of three characters simultaneously, meaning that, in order to conquer each of the game's expansive worlds, you have to master each character's unique abilities and subsequently make the best use of them in the appropriate situations. As such, throughout the game, you have to experiment with different team formations in order to learn the best way to defeat enemies, solve puzzles and navigate the different environments.The main Story Mode sees battle on once again with the evil-yet-very unscary Dr. Robotnik - ultimate evil, world domination, or something - you know the score. There are four teams to choose from, each with their own unique storyline and various levels of difficulty. In each case you need to use each characters wisely to navigate 14 huge stages, as you battle your way through a relentless array of spirals, loops, twists and turns.With regard to the teams themselves, first and foremost is Team Sonic, the original trio of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, and an ideal one for combining high-speed action and average difficulty. Next up is Team Rose, the girly team consisting of Amy, Cream and Big - featuring shorter missions and suitable for younger players. Skill and concentration are required to endure heavy battles with the villainous Team Dark, which is made up of Shadow, Rogue and Omega. Finally, Team Chaotix is a devious team of crack detectives, consisting of Espio, Vector and Charmy.As well as the main single-player mode, the game also features plenty of other options, such as Challenge Mode - which enables you to replay each cleared Action Stage on the quest for better score and times, or missed items - and Battle Stations - in which two players battle for the highest score in accordance with the mission objectives. The list actually goes on and on, including such modes as Action Race, Battle, Special Stage, Ring Race, Bobsled Race, Quick Race, and Expert Race - some self explanatory, some we'll leave for you to discover for yourselves. |
