Sonic has certainly had a hard time of late; with a relatively hit-and-miss foray into the world of 3D, it’s up to ‘Sonic Heroes’ – marking the blue hedgehog’s first appearance on the PS2 and Xbox – to prove he’s still got what it takes.<br><br>Creating a 3D title that still maintains the trademark Sonic aspects is certainly not an easy task; issues with cameras and controls whilst maintaining the sense of speed must surely have caused a few troubled times at Sonic Team, however I’m glad to say they’ve nearly got it spot on with this one.<br><br>Essentially ‘Sonic Heroes’ removes the pointless exploration and shooting sections from the ‘Sonic Adventure’ series, placing the sole emphasis on the enjoyable Sonic sections that featured within those games and ultimately resulting in a game that bears a closer resemblance to the old 2D titles. However it’s not just that; Sonic Team at their creative best have come up with an excellent teamwork system, which pits three different characters into four different teams, namely Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles); Team Rose (Rose, Big the Cat, Cream the Rabbit); Team Chaotix (Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee); and finally Team Dark (Shadow the Hedgehog, E-123 Omega, Rose the Bat).<br><br>Each member of the team has a unique ability, categorised into ‘Speed’, ‘Power’ and ‘Flight’; simply by swapping between which character is leading the team allows you to take advantage of the specific ability. The technique is using the correct character and ability at the right time to progressing through the level, although thanks to some wonderful level designs and multiple paths it’s entirely possible to work your way through the level without it feeling as though you’ve got to play it by their rules all the time.<br><br>On top of the fundamental abilities, each character also has a considerable range of unique moves and attacks, which can again benefit when used at the right time, at the right place; thankfully the game does a good job of introducing these through a tutorial mission at the start. In addition it’s possible to unleash a Team Blast special attack, destroying everything in your path and collect items to level-up your characters attack moves. It’s certainly quite a tricky concept to grasp at first, and will probably leave a lot of people scratching their heads to begin with – a Sonic game that’s hard to grasp at first is certainly a different concept - however take the time and you’ll slowly begin to realise that this is a decent attempt at maintaining Sonic’s trademark qualities. Thankfully the levels provide valuable clues as to when to switch over, whilst the characters do a good job of voicing helpful (albeit with traditionally atrocious voice acting) clues as to what you should do next. <br><br>As with any Sonic game it’s all about rushing from start-to-finish as quickly as possible; to begin with you’ll probably find it impossible thanks to the same awkward camera and control issues that have plagued Sonic in the past, however it is entirely possible to master a level, know when to switch characters and race through the absolutely huge levels in no time at all – classic Sonic fashion. <br><br>You can tell that Naka-san and his team have spent a long time trying to perfect Sonic’s translation to 3D, as such the homing attack in particular plays a major role in simplifying the experience whilst also maintaining the sensation of speed; players can use this attack to zip across areas whilst defeating handily placed enemies, or alternatively be able to buzz back on to the level when you’ve accidentally fallen off it – an extremely annoying aspect that hampered the enjoyment in ‘Sonic Adventure’.<br><br>Any Sonic fan will absolutely love the look and feel of ‘Sonic Heroes’; everything from the menu screens to the re-appearance of Bonus Stages at the end of a level reverts back to the classic look of Sonic 2D titles.<br><br>Without shadow of a doubt the games strongest aspect is the level designs, you’re literally taken on one hell of a rollercoaster ride through them and boy does the size of them surprise you. As we’ve said before, Sonic Team have done a great job of making them feel as though they’re not completely on-rails, with a number of branches running through them and if you screw up it’s nearly always possible to get back on track without too many hassles.<br><br>It’s not a perfect game however; arguably the biggest worry is that the game just doesn’t feel completely solid, with a number of little annoying glitches and gameplay flaws that rear their ugly heads and hamper the experience. You’ll often find yourselves hugging walls, inadvertently stopping and falling off levels; these unfortunately just drag down the frenzied experience, although it should be noted that it’s far more polished then either of the ‘Sonic Adventure’ titles.<br><br>It’s also not a particularly large game and can be completed in less than six hours by most people; however Sonic games have never been particularly long, and in true fashion it’s all about how quickly you complete a stage and what grade you end up with. The game offers you the chance to play through with the four different teams, however there’s little difference to the actual game, which means it’s highly unlikely you’ll bother playing through the game with all of them. On a positive note the game contains a wide range of modes for you to unlock and replay levels, whilst the re-appearance of ‘Sonic 2’ styled 2P matches is an absolute god-send for any true Sonic fan.<br><br>The look of the game is still quite refreshing, mainly because of the frantic pace and dynamic camera positions that you’ll find yourself thrust upon, however you can’t help thinking that this is working on a Dreamcast instead of a Playstation2, Xbox or GameCube. Sadly both the Xbox and PS2 versions are prone to slowdown, although it should be noted that the PS2 version is definitely the worst with lower texture resolution and a lack of special effects. Considering that Sonic has already graced the GameCube on a number of occasions, it’s not surprising to note that this is without a doubt the superior version, sporting cleaner visuals and hardly any slowdown.