Pandora's Box: The Ultimate GameCube Tier List

#80: Sonic Heroes

Rating: E

Players: 1-2

Price Range: ~$27 USD

Now, while this is a much more balanced experience compared to Shadow, it is also rather average in those respects.

Let's dive in.

Okay, first of all, the graphics, while okay, makes the game run well and are at least colorful, the soundtrack is quite underrated in the series, and the gameplay and the stages, like Sega's intention, are most similar to the classic 2D games with the team mechanic of a speed, flying, and power character adding variety and making a mechanically enjoyable game, which is a serious plus.

A run-through with Team Sonic is not a half-bad experience and is definitely more consistent than Shadow.

As for the version to play, the GameCube version is universally considered to be the superior version of the game, as it has the best graphics, runs the best, and is generally a smooth experience, while the PS2 version is the worst, as there is frame stuttering, the graphics a marginally worse, and there is even a bug in the game where the boss or gauntlet name as it displays in the last level of each zone has the first letter permanently stuck on the screen while being semitranslucent. Because it's white, your eyes are constantly going to get distracted to the left part of the middle of the screen while fighting enemies. How such an oversight got past testing, I have no idea. So, the best way to play the game is the version we are talking about today...if that's worth anything.

However, we are looking at the full package, not just a part.

And it is quite flawed.

First of all, the game's single greatest problem is the repetitiveness of the whole experience.

You see, the game's main gimmick is having to play as these four teams, Team Sonic, Rose, Dark, and Chaotix, who are all similar mechanically minus some animations and an attack or two.

The problem is that in order to unlock the final story, you not only need to complete all four campaigns, but you also need to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds across the four playthroughs.

The big bowl of issues here is the fact that all the teams, minus Chaotix, are all virtually the same besides the length and difficulty of the stages, with Rose having the easiest and shortest versions of the stages Team Sonic goes through and Dark has the hardest and longest renditions out of them all. Chaotix has a unique mission-based structure as opposed to just getting to the goal ring every single time. They're...fine.

And so, you could imagine how repetitive it is to play through the same stages three times with minor differences could be.

And then there are the special stages...

They are not...the worst, but there are still pretty bad.

They task you with running in this pipe and collecting orbs that add to your boost bar to blast your way through in order to catch the Chaos Emerald before it escapes, and it is not fun at all to control.

Do you simply move left and right on the control stick to move around the pipe, or tilt it in the direction relative to your position on the pipe itself? Who knows?

Getting the Special Stages is also irritating, as in order to have a chance at a special stage, you need to collect a key hidden in the stage and bring it to the end.

Simple, right?

Nope.

The problem is getting hit once causes you permanently lose it, requiring that you find another key in an attempt to not take damage to take a stab at the.

Given that there is a literal character in your team meant for combat encounters, not getting hit once is an absolute nightmare in the later stages, especially with Team Dark since their stages are ludicrously long and difficult, to the point that almost everybody gets the Emeralds with Team Rose and maybe Team Sonic.

Ridiculous.

Controls are also a little slippery. Not outright horrendous or unplayable, but it could be a bigger gripe for some people.

Also, the multiplayer mode...exists.

I have nothing to say about it given that the game isn't good enough to even warrant attempting to ask somebody to play with me.

Overall, Sonic Heroes is a good time with Team Sonic and maybe Chaotix for fans of the series, but otherwise, it is just merely okay.

(...)

A word of warning. The next one will probably be the most incendiary opinion on this whole list besides the game at the top of C Tier. It will take a while to finish to get all my thoughts out, so please be patient and open-minded.