Sonic Heroes (Xbox)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes.

Following the release of Sonic Adventure 2 (SA2), the previously unthinkable happened when Sega went third-party and started developing titles for non-Sega consoles and handhelds, including Sonic Advance, which officially ended the long-standing rivalry with Nintendo. When Sega showed interest in developing a multi-platform Sonic game, Sonic Team USA landed on a team-based concept to take advantage of the capabilities of newer hardware. Since the new title, Sonic Heroes (Heroes), would celebrate the series’ twelfth anniversary, they also decided that they would create a standalone experience closer to the Genesis games instead of a third Adventure entry, both due to the number of numbered sequels hitting the market and out of a desire for accessibility. The final game would launch in 2003 to mixed reception, but still sold very well and led to the development of 2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog.

Unlike some of the other Sonic games I’ve reviewed recently, I actually have more of a personal history with this one. When it first came out, it was one of the first Sonic console games I owned, so I played it obsessively, yet I couldn’t ever finish the game. At some point, I didn’t have my PS2 copy anymore, though an original Xbox that I bought still had a copy in the disc drive, so I ended up playing that copy for the purpose of this review (the disc had seen better days, but the data layer still looked fine). Fortunately, the disc held up well as I finally completed Heroes over twenty years later and concluded that it’s built around a neat idea with a tedious and frustrating execution.

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GameCube)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Sonic Adventure 2.

Following the success of Sonic Adventure (SA1), development began on its sequel, Sonic Adventure 2 (SA2), but not without incident. Dreamcast sales struggled in spite of SA1’s success, so Sonic Team downsized and a portion of them moved to San Francisco, where they established Sonic Team USA. From there, development continued in earnest, with the goal of streamlining the design of SA1 and appealing to American sensibilities, including a greater emphasis on action, giving the six playable characters more equal playtime and capturing an “American” atmosphere for the setting. Although this gamble paid off, with strong critical reception and selling over 500,000 copies worldwide, Sega had already discontinued the Dreamcast months before SA2 launched, giving the game the distinct honor as the final Sonic game released on Sega hardware. Around this time, Sega had transitioned to third-party development and, a year later, released an updated GameCube port with additional multiplayer content, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (SA2B), which became one of the bestselling GameCube games of all time. From then on, starting with 2003’s Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog became a multiplatform series.

Thanks in part to SA2B, SA2 also maintains a reputation as perhaps the most important Sonic game ever made, not just for establishing a formula for the rest of the series moving forward, but also for its influence on the fandom. It not only introduced new characters that remain popular to this day, in particular Shadow the Hedgehog, but also has iconic moments that future games have referenced and a soundtrack that has proven memorable among those who have played it. SA2 would also not only get its own adaptation in the Sonic X anime alongside SA1, but influence the story of the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which motivated me to finally play this game (through SA2B on GameCube due to cost and availability). Shadow the Hedgehog himself would get his own spinoff game, Shadow the Hedgehog, as well as his own Shadow Generations game alongside a remaster of Sonic Generations. I know that I myself wanted to play this game as a kid, but now that I finally have as an adult, I found it worth the effort, even if it’s showing some age now.