There is not an other Sonic game that let you play so many different characters and this is why I think this game deserves some respect. 4 different teams and you can still see that SEGA cared because every team has different cutscenes fitting for each character that it introduces.

The theme songs for every team is phenomenal. To this day I still listen to team Chaotix and team Dark themes.

Problem with this game is that it's very repetitive. Even if there are 12 different playable characters, they mostly play all the same in the same zones. Team Chaotix was still fun because their stages did not only revovle around going to the end of a level. One of the strongest thing of the game for me is the special stages. I think this game nailed how to obtain chaos emerald in 3D games. I wish they kept it like that. It makes the true ending much more enjoyable and rewarding to play.

2 player mode is nice, but I prefer the older ones like Sonic Adventure 2 Battle or even Sonic the Hedgehog 2. There are lot of different modes but in the end, you mostly do just 2 of them because the rest does not feel that fun.

Game is buggy at some point and it can be frustrating after a very long level with Team Dark for exemple.

This game follows up the story after SA2 so, I recommend playing it if you want more info to what happens to Shadow after SA2.

Can't give more than 3 stars. Lots of bugs, repetitive gameplay happens pretty fast too.

Sonic Heroes is a Sonic game that alluded me for years. I already knew the events of the game but I never got to play it and whenever I tried to, I never got far due to the extremely interesting controls.

But I finally beat this game and I can now write a review for it.

I've always been more into the 3D titles. I've beaten the 2D Sonic games, But I doubt I'd ever replay them with the exception being Sonic Mania. I was always a huge fan of the Adventure games due to their multiple characters you can play as and fun narratives. However, I find it hard to consider this an Adventure game. It takes ideas from them, sure. But I found more comparisons to the Genesis titles.

Sonic Heroes has the unique gimmick of Teams. Instead of playing as one character, you play as 3 at once and switch formations to tackle certain situations. You have Team Sonic which consists of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. You got Team Dark which is Shadow, Rouge, and new character E-123 Omega. Team Rose which has Big, Amy, and new character (At least in 3D) Cream The Rabbit (With Cheese the Chao). And Team Chaotix which has new characters (Again, Kinda... Because they were in a 2D Spin-off) Charmy The Bee, Vector The Crocodile, and Espio the Chameleon.

Each Team has 3 gameplay types, Speed which are Sonic, Espio, Shadow, and Amy. Power which are Knuckles, Omega, Big, and Vector. And Fly which are Tails, Charmy, Cream, and Rouge. I find it interesting that you are forced to use these gameplay types. However, there are many issues (Which I'll get to)

The stories are also pretty simple as simple gets. Team Sonic wants to stop Eggman, Team Dark has Shadow wanting to learn about his past, Rouge stealing Eggman's treasure, and Omega having revenge. Team Amy is about finding Froggy and Chocola the Chao. And Team Chaotix (A group of detectives) is trying to earn money to pay rent. All stories interconnect every so often and it's mostly about Metal Sonic coming back. I like the stories but I miss the intense stories that made me go "wow".

As for gameplay, It is all over the place. The game does a good job at making you feel like a speed demon in some instances which is easily the highlight. However, I found each formation (Especially Power) to be clunky and unfun. More times than I count where I died unfairly due to something breaking or the characters not stopping when I want them to. It's very slippery. The bosses are a joke. Some are way too easy while others take forever. However, my main issue with the bosses is how they don't give you a clear idea of what you should be doing. So you just end up being confused. Fighting other Teams is a broken mess as well.

Easily the worst part is how repetitive it is. Like the 2D games, there are basically Zones with 2 Acts and a boss. The problem is that every Team has the same levels. So it's extremely boring. There are small variations that aren't big enough to warrant a satisfying playthrough. Team Sonic is the get to the end quick goal and is the most fun because it's likely the first time you will be going through these levels. Team Dark is the exact same but the levels have more enemies (That's it). Team Amy is the easiest with the levels being slightly shorter, and Team Chaotix are random goals such as collecting rings, keys, etc. All the bosses are the same as well...

Unlike, most 3D Sonic games, you gotta go out of your way to get the 7 Chaos Emeralds. The mini-game to get them are reminiscent of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 with the halfpipe. However, it's broken in many ways.

Another issue with Sonic Heroes is how they treated Shadow. In reference to a commenter on my Sonic Adventure 2 review (You know who you are), It's dumb that Shadow returns in this game because it diminishes his entire sacrifice in Sonic Adventure 2. His return just one game later feels very forced.

Sonic Heroes is a game with a cool gimmick, has good gameplay (When it works), and great music. But it's overloaded with dumb stuff that makes you wanna throw your controller, a repetitive story, and an overall mediocre attempt at making a 2D Sonic game work in a 3D format

Would Lightly Recommend

2/5

People will point out my review for SA and SA2, but hear me out; This game... is nothing like SA and SA2. Unfortunately, it was the end of the Sonic Adventure era and the end of my interest for 3D Sonic for the most part.

My hot take is that I never liked the original Sonic games until the Sonic Adventures. The reason being that they are very different games, although the same mascot. Sonic Adventure has lots of exploration to do, and it's much more free form. There's the main plot going, but you can take it on your own pace.

The 2D Sonic however, there's no hand holding. You're always going. Which I understand that people like it, but I always feel I'm leaving something important behind.

Said that, back to Sonic Heroes: I think Sonic Heroes is more like a throw back, to try to attend people that were still complaining that the SAs feel very different from the classic Sonic, which indeed they do. But I always saw it as a very beneficial change.

Sonic Heroes don't have the exploration of the SAs, neither the "wow" moments. Everything looks and feels so generic. "Beach stage", "Cassino stage", "Air? stage"... Nothing about them really makes me feel anything.

It also doesn't have the chaos of the classic either, because it's 3D. The idea of formations, is great in concept, each formation is good for a specific thing, so you have to keep changing, but it all feels so clunky. I felt I was always fighting against my current formation to get what I wanted, which slowed everything down.

In sum, Sonic Heroes is an ok game, far from the Sonic Adventures, that ended up mildly pleasing SA and classic fans, but not making any very excited about it.