Electronic Gaming Monthly: Sonic Heroes (CJ)

I could go on and on about how Sonic just doesn't work well in 3D, but it wouldn't change anything. He's here to stay. Thankfully, most of what made the Adventure games a bore—in particular, everything that didn't star Sonic or Tails—is gone, and as a result, Heroes plays more like the balls-to-the-wall Sega Genesis Sonics. It's even got a classic-style casino stage, something that the previous 3D efforts didn't even dare to try. But for each brave step forward, it takes a few back. Racing full speed through stages that take 10 or more minutes to complete while constantly switching characters for the most mundane of tasks becomes exhausting.

It's even worse when you consider that you have to play through the same stages four times (once with each team) to get the real ending. I don't have the patience for it, especially when the terrible camera and hit-or-miss lock-on attacks that leave you plunging to your doom (and spelled trouble in the last two Sonics) still haven't been adequately addressed.

Once at the forefront of platforming action, the Sonic series hasn't aged well. And while Heroes is better in some respects than the last two, it still leaves me disappointed.