Yeah, Sonic Heroes was the clear breaking point of the series when the drop in quality was most apparent. But even so, I loved the game when I first got it. Last time I played it, though, it really was apparent how many problems it had. I had forgotten how freakin' long some of those levels are. Frog Forest and Bingo Road in particular were massive drudges. I also hate Hang Castle, but for some reason really enjoy Mystic Mansion, just because when you make it out of that dang well by the skin of your teeth and appear at the goal ring at dawn, I can't even describe the sense of relief and victory I feel, even now. There's also something very cathartic when you blow up the ships in Egg Fleet. Actually, my best memories of the game were when I would borrow my friend's Game Shark and use the Moon Jump and Super Speed codes to skip through huge parts of the levels, especially Final Fortress. Since it was a straight shot from start to goal, you could finish almost the entire level that way. Good times.
For one: Heroes is how old now? I was posting what I thought the lyrics were on SoaH City way back before the game was released. Talk about a memory. For two: It's an alright game. Fantastic visuals and music (now the Casino Park theme is stuck in my head), but hate on Mystic Mansion. It once took me 20 minutes to get out of the level./> Overall, it was fun, but not a classic game.
I bought the Gamecube version when it came out. Not a good investment of $50 when I look back on it. =/ It was annoying, glitchy, and cheap as hell. I still recall one moment where I came to a pole and did that tornado move to grab it, and for NO REASON at all it didn't work and I fell to my death. I also now realize that this game started the trend in newer Sonic games where the characters never shut the hell up. Seriously, every five seconds during the level they just started talking and pointing out the obvious. Thankfully this seemed to stop after Sonic '06. Despite my rage I managed to get to the last boss in Team Dark's story, before I decided to put it down and go on to other games/things. It wasn't until just last year when I decided to go back and finally beat the game. Maybe it's because I'm older now and knew what to expect, but the game seemed SOMEWHAT more playable than I remembered, but still annoying. Although I found the final Metal Sonic fight to be a lot of fun. Maybe if I played through the entire game again now it wouldn't be as bad as before, but I don't plan on it anytime soon. The whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth. At least the music was alright (except some of the vocal songs) and the levels had cool concepts and appearances, like the haunted mansion levels.
I'm in the US, but coincidentally I've been playing it lately. I did something today that you folks across the pond might enjoy on this, the day of Sonic Heroes's 10th EUnniversary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy_okR9mGBA#t=1050
My sis got the Gamecube version years ago, and we both played it to death. If she wasn't playing it, I was while she watched me play, and we'd enjoy cracking jokes about the characters. Team Dark was easily my favorite version of the campaign, because it felt harder than Team Sonic's, (Team Rose being Easy Mode.) and the dialogue was less cheesy. Getting Chaos Emeralds was pretty crazy too. Good times. I know the game's not perfect, but the presentation, frame-rate, scenery, and music was great. I'd honestly still play it if I had my PC version with me; SEGA would probably get my money if they put it on Steam. I want to disagree on one or two points, but the way you articulated it has me in stitches.
I played it for about 5 min before it went back into my pile of shame. I'm glad to know it was actually bad and not just me being hasty and not giving it much of a chance.
The game's fine to me and most of the issues people complain about (especially the special stages, which are really god damn piss easy), I don't find at all. O_o I also like it since it gave me a lil' something to be proud of; namely, letting me figure out how to properly edit stage textures. 8D
The first Sonic game I never cared to beat. To this day I've still never completed it. I beat Sonic Adventure when it came out, I beat SA2, but Heroes just didn't hold my interest, and I was only 11 at the time. I always did love the artstyle of the levels, though. The character models always looked strange to me, though. The music was hit and miss, but was pretty good for the most part. Oh yeah, I had the Gamecube version, as this was my main console throughout that generation.
When I first played it like 8 or so years ago it was loads of fun. I've beaten it with all 4 teams and got all the Emeralds. Graphics were lush and crisp. Music was outstanding. And there was some very good feel of satisfaction when you were successfully switching between formation to get through obstacles or kill enemies. When I tried to play it again some time ago I noticed how repetitive and unnecessarily long levels are and how the engine is slippery as hell. But still I think it aged better than, say, Sonic Adventure 1&2. And it actually is a somewhat solid platformer unlike aforementioned two. Also graphics look surprisingly good for a PS2/Gamecube game.
Man I feel old... when it came out I remember I was so happy I could finally play Sonic Heroes. I still sometimes play it when I feel nostalgic a bit. Some places piss me off in the game, but I mostly enjoy it. I always used Fly formation cause of Tails :D. The frog level I love for the design a lot. Especially the areas where it was raining and it felt that foggy/rainy feeling.
I remember being so hyped when it was announced. There was also the fact that there was a member of a French Sonic forum who had access to unreleased art (at the time) from the game (mainly artworks of the Chaotix, Rouge and other characters) and he showed them to us secretly. He and Solly even got playable betas some time later and described some stuff (like Hang Castle, the Egg Emperor) that no one else had heard of. I remember that I used Vector's artwork as an avatar here or on Cult before I was allowed to, and had to lie that I made it myself to avoid him getting in trouble. Fantastic memories I've also finished the game multiple times on GC and once on X-Box. Not on PS2 because that version is the worst. I own the Japanese and Pal versions of the game on GC and PS2 and the Pal version on XBox and PC. Yup I like the game despite its flaws.
The game looked so cool when it was announced. After the adventure series looking nothing like Sonic, I saw Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles flying through Green Hill zone 2. Also the Chaotix were back! It was magical. And then it came out and I loved it. Unfortunately I was only 12 at the time. Now? I can't play it. I cannot get past the Casino Zone without being bored to death. Ya know what would have made this game better? If they kept the same 14 zones, let you pick what characters you wanted on your team, said fuck all to the different stories, and actually made some fun levels that weren't 10+ minutes long. What we got instead were levels that repeated the same geometry twice, and then you play that as 4 characters. Plus with the extra missions and the super hard mode, you essentially play each level 18 times over since you play the level twice over each time. Last time I played more than 6 levels (because Act 1 and Act 2 did not exist despite them clearly existing) I felt sick to my stomach. Oh, and this game has by far the worst bosses to ever be in a Sonic game. Ever. I cannot express that enough. The game felt they needed a boss every 2 zone/acts, so we got 2 variations of Egg Bird, 2 Robot attacks, 2 team fights, Egg emperor, and Metal Sonic mk dragon. Top tier shit bosses. Oh and it introduced health bars to enemies in Sonic games. Nope nope nope nope nope. This game was like someone painted the mona lisa on a turd. It stylistically was perfect for Sonic, but everything about it was ass.
As broken as it was, it was the last Sonic game I actually finished besides Sonic 4 1 and 2. Granted Shadow was the last game I bought. I remember eagerly awaiting Heroes as it seemed it had been FOREVER since the release of Sonic Adventure 2. Time does funny things to you. I loved that special stages came back, although The overall entrance and utilization in Sonic 2 was more difficult. I remember the secret to them was using Knuckles/Power character. Metal Sonic as "The Terminator" is still my favorite "Monster of the Week."
I don't know why I never thought of it before, but why they didn't go the Chaotix route with Metal Sonic for the final boss is absolutely beyond me. It'd of been epic. Instead we get... a dragon. Which was a shame, since at the time seeing Metal Sonic's grand reappearance was just wonderful. He was ignored for a good 8 years, only to be ignored again for another 7. Now he has more show time than Shadow, which I approve of.
Exactly this. Even the final boss was pretty standard for a Sonic game. Looking back, despite finding it a bit 'meh' at the time and even worse now, literally everything about it worked for a Sonic game. It even had a few original tropes, too - ones that worked in the established universe. I'd actually kill for a game with the same atmosphere and style these days but with better, more focused gameplay.
Originally had it on PS2, there were a few frustrating things in that game: The rising lava part in Power Plant. The crocodile chase in Lost Jungle. Those fucking Special Stages. Honestly I hate tube based special stages with a passion but these ones? At least I managed to clear them when I got the PC version. Either way, I wouldn't mind a Steam version. What's the hold up? There IS a PC port, but knowing SEGA they'd rather do things backwards by doing a port to the 360 THEN porting it to PC.
Oh god, I originally played it on Gamecube at my friend's house then bought the game for PS2 as it wasn't until my birthday a few months later that I finally got a Gamecube myself. That version had some glaring issues that begged to be fixed when compared to the GCN one. Not sure about the Xbox version but I heard it was a similar story. Graphics were washed-out, sound was delayed and the frame rate was awful. As soon as I got my Gamecube, I immediately traded in the PS2 version for the superior one. :v:
This is basically my exact opinion. I've been doing a "let's play" type playthrough of it, and intending to play Shadow and '06 afterwards, called "Sonic Trilogy of Pain". The name was meant in as tongue-in-cheek a way as possible, but it's becoming interesting for reasons I didn't initially expect - the game is so glitchy and finicky and awful, so actually PAINFUL to play, that the videos are quickly becoming more and more about my horrifying descent into madness and anger. You can literally feel my jadedness increase with every episode. At the very beginning of the series, I was like "this game's not nearly as bad as the other two in this 'trilogy of pain' but it kinda belongs here" but no, it REALLY deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Shadow and '06.
