Sonic Heroes


 * This article is about the game. You might be looking for the Sonic Heroes (song).

Sonic Heroes (ソニック ヒーローズ) is a video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for multiple platforms (PS2, GameCube, Xbox, PC and PS3 (PlayStation Network). It was first released on December 2003 in Japan and on the following year in other countries. This game differs from other Sonic games by allowing the player to take control of one of four teams, each with three characters, who each have abilities unique to them.

Gameplay
The game introduces several new gameplay elements. Unlike most Sonic games, where players control one character, three characters are available at any time to choose from, as the player may switch the party's leader freely, whilst the other two characters follow. Each character has an individual ability: speed for fast stages, power for breaking objects, or flight for reaching high platforms, and the player must use these abilities to traverse the fourteen stages. Each stage has a different layout for each team, providing different challenges for each story. Each ability is also represented in the interface by color; blue for speed, yellow for flight, and red for power. Each ability also has an element associated with it: Speed uses wind, Fly uses lightning and Power uses fire. These can be used to solve various puzzles, most notably in Team Chaotix's Mystic Mansion stage. Each team also has a Team Blast skill, which can be performed when the Team Blast meter is full. This can be achieved by performing such actions as destroying enemies or collecting many Rings.

Teams
In addition to controlling three characters, the player may select one of the four teams available to use at the beginning of the game. Each team has one member capable of the aforementioned skills, which are Speed, Power and Flight, but follow a different, yet intertwined, storyline. Each team also has a unique Team Blast skill that has major power and additional effect.

Team Sonic

 * Speed: Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Flight: Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Power: Knuckles the Echidna

Team Leader: Sonic the Hedgehog

Team Sonic is the title team of Sonic Heroes. This team and the associated levels are designed to be of medium or normal difficulty, and contain some high-speed sections. Their secondary missions involve reaching the goal within a time limit.

Team Blast
Team Sonic's Team Blast is called Sonic Overdrive. When used, Knuckles grabs Tails by the feet who grabs Sonic by the feet, and he spins Sonic and Tails around, before releasing them. Upon release, Tails kicks Sonic away, who yells "Blast Away!" and Sonic starts bouncing around the area at astounding speed, destroying all enemies in the area. After the performance, Sonic can perform the Light Speed Attack on additional nearby enemies, and using Sonic with the Thunder Shoot or Fire Dunk abilities gives a similar effect, until the Team Blast gauge resets.

Plot

 * For the script of this storyline, see Sonic Heroes/Script (Team Sonic).

While running around on his own, Sonic meets Tails and Knuckles in the Tornado 2. They reveal that they have received a letter from Dr. Eggman telling them of a new ultimate weapon that will be ready within three days to help the doctor in conquering the world and challenges them to stop him, if they can. Sonic, competitive as ever, accept the challenge. Unlike Tails, who is disturbed by the message and unsure what will happen, Knuckles is confident that there is nothing to worry about. Sonic, however, tells them that he would not miss this adventure and the three heroes band together once again to foil Eggman's plans.

After two levels, they receive an emerald and then defeat Eggman in the Egg Hawk. They then save a city under the control of Eggman, getting another emerald. Next they encounter Team Rose, which Amy, as ever, wanted Sonic to marry her but Team Sonic beats them. After this, they battle in Casino Park, with 24 more hours. Then they defeat Eggman in the Robot Carnival and entered Rail Canyon. They realize the Eggman is a fake, and to stall for time as the fleet of Eggman's battleships filled the skies. However, they don't recognize Neo Metal Sonic copying their data. After beating two more levels, they encounter Team Dark, who provoked the heroes in fighting them. They defeat the trio of anti-heroes and advance through a haunted castle. Once more, they beat Eggman, this time in the Robot Storm. They board the Egg Fleet and defeat Eggman in the Egg Emperor. After they blow up the fleet, Amy finds Sonic and Sonic runs away while both Tails and Knuckles look on.

Team Dark

 * Speed: Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Flight: Rouge the Bat
 * Power: E-123 Omega

Team Leader: Rouge the Bat (de-facto)

Team Dark and the associated levels are designed to be of hard difficulty, requiring skill and concentration to endure heavy battle. This team's secondary missions involve wiping out 100 enemies in the stage.

Team Blast
Team Dark's Team Blast is called Chaos Inferno. When used, Shadow pulls out a Chaos Emerald and performs Chaos Control. Rouge then lifts Omega off the ground, and Omega spins his torso around while shooting a powerful laser blast attack from his arms to destroy all the enemies in the area. After the performance, time will be stopped, which means that all enemies, doors and switches will be frozen in place until the Team Blast gauge resets.

Plot

 * For the script of this storyline, see Sonic Heroes/Script (Team Dark).

Rouge sneaks into one of Eggman's bases after hearing that Doctor Eggman is accumulating valuable treasures. To her shock, she finds Shadow the Hedgehog, who was thought to be dead, encased in a stasis capsule and without memory of who he is. As she awakens Shadow, however, she accidentally activates E-123 Omega, a robot bent on destroying Eggman and his robot as revenge on his creator for sealing him up in the base. Upon being activated, Omega attacks Shadow, thinking him to be a robot. Shadow saves Rouge and Rouge breaks up Shadow and Omega's fight. Realizing that all their problems lead to Eggman, the three anti-heroes team up to find Eggman.

After clearing two levels, they beat Eggman in the Egg Hawk. They then crush a Grand Metropolis in two levels before beating Team Chaotix. They pass two more levels and in the Robot Carnival beat Eggman, who claims Shadow has no past. They take down an underground base in two levels and again beat Eggman in the Egg Albatross. However, it turns out to be a fake. Shadow is concerned after seeing a broken Shadow Android. They leave, not seeing Neo Metal Sonic copying their data. Next they go through the Frog Forest and Lost Jungle, finding Team Sonic and beating them.

Afterwards they entered and escaped from a haunted castle in two levels and beat Eggman in the Robot Storm. The team find themselves on the battle ships in the Egg Fleet and got to Eggman in the armada's core. They then defeat Eggman in the Egg Emperor. They beat the fake Eggman and Rouge looks for the secret treasure, only to find numerous capsules filled with Shadow Androids. After Omega tells her that the original Shadow must exist in order for the duplicates to do so before setting out to destroy Eggman's facilities, she leaves with Shadow, planning to steal the Master Emerald again.

Team Rose

 * Speed: Amy Rose
 * Flight: Cream the Rabbit and Cheese
 * Power: Big the Cat

Team Leader: Amy Rose

Team Rose and the associated levels are designed for younger players, with shorter missions, which allows them to bypass the more difficult sections of many stages. This team is the only one to include the tutorial level in Story Mode. The secondary missions for this team entail the collection of 200 rings.

Team Blast
Team Rose's Team Blast is called Flower Festival. When used, Big bounces Amy and Cream on the surface of his umbrella. Amy and Cream then hop up to form a tower with Big, with Cream balancing on Amy, Amy balancing on the top of Big's umbrella and Big holding his umbrella as high as he can. Cheese then begins showering flowers and petals, destroying all enemies in the area. After the performance, each member is granted a Power Core, while the team itself is granted a Shield and becomes invincible.

Plot

 * For the script of this storyline, see Sonic Heroes/Script (Team Rose).

While near the beach with Cream, Amy is searching for Sonic in a newspaper, when the wind suddenly blows it away. Cream and Cheese manage to catch it and bring it back, but as the wind begins to blow again, Cream and Cheese are blown away with it. Big arrives and manages to catch them with his fishing rod. When they come together around the newspaper, it is revealed that Big is searching for his amphibian friend, Froggy, again and Cream is seeking out Cheese's lost brother, Chocola. With a picture in the newspaper (of Froggy and Chocola being carried off by who they believe to be Sonic) as their only clue, the three join up to find their lost companions.

After making their way across the seaside in two levels, they beat Eggman in the Egg Hawk and then find Team Sonic in a city, with Amy wanting to marry Sonic. After beating them, it appears that Sonic used the fight to make his escape and Team Rose continues in Casino Park and BINGO Highway. Next they beat Eggman at Robot Carnival. Big and Cheese suspect Froggy and Chocola are close, so Team Rose annihilates an underground base, beating Eggman in the Egg Albatross. However, they realize that the doctor is a fake, Froggy and Chocola are presumed to be held hostage somewhere else. Believing that Eggman has something to do with it, they head after him through the Frog Forest and Lost Jungle.

They encounter Team Chaotix, beating them, thinking they kidnapped Chocola. Afterwards, they search throughout a haunted castle (despite their fears) and beat Eggman in  Robot Storm. Then they take out Eggman's Egg Fleet and defeat his Egg Emperor. However, he is a fake too and dissolves into Chocola and Froggy and they are reunited with Big and Cheese. They hear a voice saying  "Chaos data has been copied." When Cream notices Sonic, she tells Amy who immediately chases Sonic while Cream and Big laugh in joy for their friend.

Team Chaotix

 * Speed: Espio the Chameleon
 * Flight: Charmy Bee
 * Power: Vector the Crocodile

Team Leader: Vector the Crocodile

Team Chaotix and the associated levels provide a different experience, as most are mission-based, and are only complete when the mission target is met. Because of this, their stages frequently loop back to the start so that players can scour the stage for anything that may have been overlooked. The missions mostly consist of collecting or destroying stage-specific items (Chao are often the target for collection). The secondary missions usually add an extra challenge to the normal goal, such as collecting or destroying twice as many targets or completing the mission without being seen by the enemies or elements inside of a level (for example, the frogs in Frog Forest).

Team Blast
Team Chaotix's Team Blast is called Chaotix Recital. When used, Espio and Charmy begin to play musical instruments while Vector sings into a microphone. The resulting sound waves they create destroys all the enemies in the area. For each enemy destroyed during the Team Blast, Team Chaotix receives a random amount of Rings. After the performance, Team Chaotix can receive additional amounts of rings for each enemy they destroy afterwards until the Team Blast gauge resets.

Plot

 * For the script of the storyline, see Sonic Heroes/Script (Team Chaotix).

On a particular day at the Chaotix Detective Agency, Vector is sitting at his desk in the office listening to music while Espio is standing solemnly by. Suddenly, however, Charmy comes crashing into the office with a mysterious package, claiming that they have gotten a job. Inside the package, the team finds a walkie-talkie, with a stranger who gives the team instructions through this device. The stranger claims that if the job he has for them is completed, the Chaotix will be "rewarded handsomely". Espio is wary of their client, but Vector and Charmy, with dollar signs in their eyes, reminds him that they "never turn down work that pays", and the team heads out.

After making their way past a seaside, they beat Eggman in the Egg Hawk. They then take down every one of Eggman's robots in Grand Metropolis and beat Team Dark, advancing in the bingo park. They then take on a special stage, recovering the Chaos Emerald. Continuing on, they defeat the Robot Carnival. In the Rail Canyon, they defeat Eggman in the Egg Albatross. However, he is turned out to be a fake, while the client reveals he knows that. He sends them to the Frog Forest, while Charmy and Vector suspect something about their client. In the forest, they meet Team Rose, who battle them, thinking they took Chocola. They are beaten and Team Chaotix journey to a haunted castle, beating Eggman in the Robot Storm. They then take down the Egg Fleet and Eggman in the Egg Emperor. He proves to be a fake and they rescue their client: the real Dr. Eggman. Charmy beats Eggman up for promising what he hasn't got.

Last Story

 * Team Dark
 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Rouge the Bat
 * E-123 Omega
 * Team Rose
 * Amy Rose
 * Cream the Rabbit
 * Big the Cat
 * Chaotix
 * Charmy Bee
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Team Super Sonic
 * Super Sonic
 * Super Knuckles
 * Super Tails

Plot

 * For the script of this storyline, see Sonic Heroes/Script (Last).

Continuing from Team Chaotix's story, Vector asks who locked Eggman up for trying to conquer the world and the doctor answers, but before he does, all the teams race outside and find Neo Metal Sonic transforming. He combines their data with the power of Chaos and becomes Metal Madness. Team Sonic decides to fight Metal Sonic using the seven Chaos Emeralds. Team Rose, Team Chaotix and Team Dark hold Metal Madness until he becomes Metal Overlord. Team Sonic uses the power of the emeralds to become Team Super Sonic and defeat Metal Overlord, returning Neo Metal Sonic to plain Metal Sonic. Sonic tells Metal Sonic to let him know when he wants a rematch and runs off. Tails and Amy chase after him, and Metal Sonic shuts down and collapses. Knuckles and Rouge go look for the Master Emerald, Team Chaotix go after Eggman for their money and Shadow and Omega hold up the defeated Metal Sonic and look at each other.

At the end, Team Sonic is seen running off to their next adventure.

Stages
This is a list of the stages in Sonic Heroes, arranged by theme. Some stages reappear in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the 2012 London Olympic Games, and Sonic Generations. Three stages from this game (Seaside Hill, Casino Park, and Final Fortress) reappear in the third installment of the Sega Superstars series, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.

Ocean

 * Sea Gate (Tutorial Stage)
 * Seaside Hill
 * Ocean Palace
 * Boss: Egg Hawk
 * Turtle Shell (Multiplayer Battle)
 * Egg Treat (Multiplayer Ring Race)
 * Seaside Course (Multiplayer Bobsled Race)
 * Road Rock (Multiplayer Quick Race)

City

 * Grand Metropolis
 * Power Plant
 * Boss: Team Battle (Team Sonic vs. Team Rose/Team Dark vs. Team Chaotix)
 * City Top (Multiplayer Battle)
 * Hot Elevator (Multiplayer Ring Race)
 * City Course (Multiplayer Bobsled Race)

Casino

 * Casino Park
 * BINGO Highway
 * Boss: Robot Carnival
 * Casino Ring (Multiplayer Battle)
 * Pinball Match (Multiplayer Ring Race)
 * Casino Course (Multiplayer Bobsled Race)

Canyon

 * Rail Canyon
 * Bullet Station
 * Boss: Egg Albatross
 * Mad Express (Multiplayer Quick Race)

Jungle

 * Frog Forest
 * Lost Jungle
 * Boss: Team Battle 2 (Team Sonic vs. Team Dark/Team Rose vs. Team Chaotix)

Haunted

 * Hang Castle
 * Mystic Mansion
 * Boss: Robot Storm
 * Terror Hall (Multiplayer Quick Race)

Airship

 * Egg Fleet
 * Final Fortress
 * Boss: Egg Emperor
 * Final Boss (Phase One): Metal Madness
 * Final Boss (Phase Two): Metal Overlord

Special Stages
Sonic Heroes marks the first 3D main-series Sonic game to have Special Stages. There are two types of Special Stages, Bonus Challenge and Emerald Challenge with the latter being able to collect Chaos Emeralds which are required to access the Last Story mode. There are Special Stages also played in multiplayer where the two players race each other to get the Chaos Emerald first.

Note: The stage Sea Gate can only be played as Team Sonic (Tutorial Mode) or Team Rose (Story Mode) under normal circumstances.

Past references
As characters interact, they sometimes make references to past Sonic games:
 * Amy: "This weather reminds me of our last attack on the Egg Carrier!" (allusion to Sonic Adventure) in Final Fortress.
 * Amy: "This place reminds me of Casinopolis!" (allusion to Sonic Adventure) in Casino Park.
 * Knuckles: "We have jungle mushrooms on my island too, but not this huge!" (allusion to Mushroom Hill Zone from Sonic & Knuckles) in Frog Forest.
 * Shadow: "Sonic.... Why does that name bother me so much?" (allusion to Sonic Adventure 2) when standing still in Hang Castle.
 * Sonic: "I never thought I'd see Shadow again" (allusion to Sonic Adventure 2) when standing still in Hang Castle.
 * Shadow: "Space? Did you say SPACE?" when replying to Rouge, who said "We might even be at the edge of space" (allusion to Shadow's "fatal fall" from space, or Space Colony ARK in Sonic Adventure 2) in Egg Fleet.
 * Shadow: "Some things never change, do they?" as a response to Rouge mentioning going after the Master Emerald (allusion to Sonic Adventure 2) at the end of the last story.
 * Metal Sonic: "I was created for the sole purpose of destroying you" when addressing Super Sonic (allusion to Sonic the Hedgehog CD, the game in which Metal Sonic made his debut) in Metal Overlord.
 * Knuckles: "The Egg Carrier is nothing compared to this!" (allusion to Sonic Adventure) in Final Fortress.
 * Big: Big's quest for Froggy is reminiscent of his story in Sonic Adventure. In addition, the Giant Frogs in Frog Forest and Lost Jungle resemble Froggy.
 * Rouge: "I haven't heard from the President lately" (allusion to Sonic Adventure 2) when standing still for a while in any stage.
 * Omega: "I couldn't even beat Gamma or Beta" (allusion to E-102 Gamma and E-101 Beta from Sonic Adventure) when Team Dark receives an E Rank.
 * Knuckles: "Maybe that was the GHOST of Shadow we saw earlier!" (allusion to how everyone thought Shadow died in Sonic Adventure 2.)
 * Knuckles: "She never gives up, does she?" (allusion to Sonic Adventure 2.)
 * Metal Sonic: Metal Sonic's Metal Madness form is a reference to the final round in Sonic CD (which is reached immediately after defeating him in said game). It can also be an allusion to Knuckles' Chaotix since Metal Madness is the second giant transformation of Metal Sonic.
 * Charmy Bee: "Dr. who?" (allusion to the classic Sonic games since Dr. Eggman was known as Dr. Robotnik) in Egg Hawk.

Reception
Reviews of Sonic Heroes were mostly average to positive, depending on the platform; Metacritic averages range from 64% for the PlayStation 2 version (based on 29 reviews) to 73% for the Xbox version (based on 28 reviews). Game Rankings averages ranged from 60% for the PC version (based on 18 reviews) to 74.5% for the GameCube version (based on 96 reviews).

Reviewers noted several positive aspects to the game. These included the gameplay style; whilst the transition to 3D has been noted as rough for the Sonic franchise, Sonic Heroes came close to the series' 2D roots. Sound design was also praised, described as "inexorably linked" to the experience and "at least very pristine" with "perfectly implemented" sound effects, running in Dolby Pro Logic II. Graphics design and environments were also highlighted, described as colorful, vibrant and cheery, with consistent art design and an exceptionally vibrant color palette. Framerate was also consistent for the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions, although a drop in framerate in the multiplayer component was noted.

It also attracted several negative criticisms. Often cited were the game's camera control system, described as "uncooperative" and "terrible". Camera control compounded an additional problem regarding the controls relative to the camera's position, such that pushing forward may or may not move the character in the same direction the camera is facing. Falling from the level's platforms into the deep pits below was also criticized. The game's voice acting also came in for criticism, described as "horrendous" and "the biggest misstep in the sound design" such as the infamous line "What are we gonna do Sonic?" and Tails' helpless personality. Also, the third Chaos Emerald (yellow) has proved extremely difficult to get compared with the others. Some reviewers found the controls a negative feature, and the combat heavy sections were also found as a negative point.

In addition, the PlayStation 2 version received lower average scores. Clipping and graphic faults were cited, whilst the framerate was also lower than the other versions.

But despite all of the negative criticisms, in 2004, Sonic Heroes was the sixth bestselling game in the United Kingdom overall, and a full year after its release, was still at number eight in the all-price chart. The game ultimately sold well enough to enter all three consoles' "best-sellers" lists: Greatest Hits/Platinum for the PlayStation 2, Platinum Family Hits for the Xbox, and Player's Choice for the GameCube. The game was also released in a package with Super Monkey Ball Deluxe on Xbox. The game has sold 5.46 million copies worldwide.

Development
The game uses the RenderWare engine so that the game could be programmed and ported easily to the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC CD-ROM.

The game's designer, Takashi Iizuka, stated that he did not want to make Sonic Heroes another Sonic Adventure title, as he was worried only core gamers would buy the title, instead preferring to create a game for general users to adapt to.

Voice Actors
Sonic Heroes is notable for being the last 3D Sonic game in which the English voice actors from the Sonic Adventure games recorded their voices. These English voice actors, along with their Japanese counterparts, are shown below.

Music
Complete Trinity: Sonic Heroes Original Soundtrax is the soundtrack of Sonic Heroes. It features in-game music on two discs. Triple Threat: Sonic Heroes Vocal Trax is the vocal soundtrack of the game, which contains the themes of the game and characters. The main theme of the game, "Sonic Heroes", is featured to the right.

The in-game music was composed by Jun Senoue.

Characters

 * All the characters speak one at a time by team formation during the stages or bosses (for example: first talks Sonic, then Tails and finally Knuckles).
 * This game marks the debut of E-123 Omega as well as Sonic's first appearance on the PS2 and Xbox.
 * Knuckles is the only power character who uses two hands to operate a pull switch.
 * Knuckles is the smallest power character.
 * Tails incorrectly states "Look at all those Eggman's robots!".
 * While selecting Shadow or Omega to be the leader in Team Dark, if the player uses the first-person camera to look at Rouge, she will occasionally turn her head in your direction and wink at the player.
 * In the cutscene before playing Robot Carnival as Team Chaotix, when Dr. Eggman says, "You've made quite of a mess here," the subtitles read, "You've made quit of a mess here." .
 * Whether you are playing as Team Rose or Team Dark or not, Eggman/Metal Sonic will say after Robot Carnival/Storm: "Don't get too excited, boys! Those were the easy ones!".
 * When entering Final Fortress as Team Sonic, Sonic will say "This must be Eggman's headquarters!" However the subtitles make a typo, and miss out the be reading "This must Eggman's headquarters!".
 * In the opening scene of Team Rose's story, Amy is seen with a newspaper clipping showing a photograph of Sonic carrying Chocola and Froggy. The article on the newspaper appears to be an AD for a "Palm" port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
 * In Seaside Hill and Grand Metropolis as Team Chaotix, when you see Eggman's robots at one point, Espio will say, "Are those Eggman's robots?". However, the subtitles say, "Are these Eggman's assassins?".
 * Amy's Piko Piko Hammer has red ends and a yellow middle instead of yellow ends and red middle.
 * When Charmy bursts into the Chaotix Headquarters in the first scene in the Chaotix' Story, it appears that their headquarters is inside a furniture shop.
 * None of the power type characters are female.
 * It should be noted that in this game Sonic's arms do not outstretch behind him while he runs. In other words, whenever he runs he is always swinging his arms.
 * Vector is physically the eldest character of the four teams. In terms of chronological age, Shadow has been alive longer, although he spent 50 years in stasis.
 * In the intro for Sonic Heroes, when all the teams come together, if you look closely, Shadow fist bumps Rouge, Team Sonic high five each other and Espio and Vector shake hands . This is also seen in a trailer for Sonic Heroes.
 * Sonic Heroes is the first and so far only time Metal Sonic has used a voice actor for dialogue. Metal also talked in Sonic Pinball Party and Sonic Generations, but both games contained no voice clips for Metal.
 * In Grand Metropolis, when you get to the cannon that leads to a rail section as Team Chaotix, Espio says, "I'll handle it." The subtitles incorrectly say, "Leave this to me!".
 * This also happens in Frog Forest when you get to the section with three green frogs, a bunch of Egg Pawns and an Egg Knight.
 * This is the only main series game released on consoles in which Shadow is playable in but does not transform into his Super State.
 * In the English version of Team Dark's final cutscene, Rouge tells Omega that Shadow is a robot. In the Japanese version, she believes Shadow is an android. Either way, this is likely an error on her part, as Omega suggests that Shadow is organic and may instead be a clone of the surviving original.
 * The English manual states the ages for all of the playable characters except Shadow and Omega. Cream and Charmy are 6, Tails is 8, Amy is 12, Sonic is 15, Knuckles and Espio are 16, Rouge is 17, Big is 18, and Vector is 20. The Japanese manual does not list their ages.
 * Knuckles is the only power character that has the same height as a speed or flight character.

Teams

 * Team Rose is the only team that has more females than males (there are none in Team Sonic and Team Chaotix).
 * Team Chaotix is the only team without a hedgehog, or even any kind of mammal on the team since Vector and Espio are reptiles and Charmy is an insect.
 * In the opening scene of Team Chaotix's story, there are pinned papers on a notice board behind Vector, showing concept drawings of the Badniks used in the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
 * Team Sonic and Team Chaotix do not have female members, while Team Dark and Team Rose do.
 * Oddly enough, the teams with no females do not face each other, nor do the teams that do.
 * All teams have at least one male character in them.

Differences between ports

 * There are few differences in each version. The PS2 version is usually considered the least favorable port, having lower quality textures and some graphical glitches as well as more framerate issues due to graphic memory being lower than the other versions, but is the only version to contain freely selectable languages. The GameCube version maintains the steadiest framerate, has the best shadows and has a unique Anti Flicker option, but only has one voiced language available (Japanese in the Japanese release, English elsewhere). The Xbox version (and "Originals" release) contains dual languages dependent on system settings as well as a higher resolution (HDTV 720p). Each console version also has its own take on surround sound - the PS2 version supports "Dolby Digital Pro Logic II" (Dolby Digital for cutscenes and Dolby Pro Logic II everywhere else), the GCN version only has Dolby Pro Logic II, and the Xbox version uses the Dolby Digital 5.1 output for both gameplay and cutscenes. The PC port released later is a port of the Xbox version and is basically the same version with few differences of its own - a new feature including switching camera modes between Auto Camera and Free Camera (though it is not always available). For the most part, it has higher resolution than even the Xbox version and features slightly enhanced shading in comparison. The downside is that has problems with certain gamepads (similar to the PC version of Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut) and only contains one voiced language due to size concerns at the time. There is also at least one known graphical oversight - Big's character model is missing its stripes in-game due to a simple error, prompting some fans to patch the problem.
 * Metal Madness and Metal Overlord are shiny blue on the PC version, whereas on other versions he is normal blue.
 * The Speed characters lacks the falling animation in the PC version and only loses Rings, making it harder to defeat them in Team battles.
 * This also allows for breaking some Laser Field Blocks as well.
 * Some glitches are only possible for the consoles versions, but not the PC version, like the Team Blast glitch.
 * Mostly in the PC version, Cream's "A rank" line and four voice clip files for Amy are empty (for example, the Hint for the trolley in Mystic Mansion).
 * The PC version's Formation screens are clear, while in the other versions they are disarrayed.
 * In the PC version of the game, the "All" selection in Multiplayer was supposed to play all the courses listed on each type of Multiplayer game mode, but instead it only plays two instead of all due to a mistake on the game's programming.
 * In the Japanese version, the characters' lip syncing noticeably does not mesh well. This is because the pre-rendered cutscenes were designed with English in mind, and it would be cheaper to have uniform visuals than to render two separate renditions of the same storyline. This is in contrast with the previous games (the in-games cutscenes were designed with Japanese in mind), and would become the standard for the rest of the series.
 * The "F" Rank was supposed to be in the game, but was scrapped for unknown reasons.
 * The team wheel looks almost identical to the Sharingan known as a wheel eye. However, it does not have an iris.

Gameplay

 * If the player is battling another team (any team) and he/she looks at them with the first-person camera, they will be doing ridiculous things (like spinning around in circles or star-jumping) However, he/she has to be on the platforms to do this, as when he/she is flying and looking down, he/she only see the person on his/her foot, and not the people on the ground. However, when he/she is flying and looking down and the team he/she is facing isn't directly under him/her, he/she can see the team doing the same things, spinning around etc.
 * In Final Fortress with Chaotix, player's mission is to collect 5 keys to free Chaotix's client (Eggman). However, in the last cutscene, Vector opens the door by breaking it.
 * Strangely, during the Special Stages, there's a slight chance that the player can go outside the tube but moves in an uncontrolled state.
 * This is first time to feature three bosses with counterparts as the three next bosses, the second was Sonic Colors.

Features
In the PS2 version, the menu actions of and  are switched; in PS2 games  is typically select and  is usually a back button, but this isn't the case. This is because all Japanese PlayStation games do this, and the American Sonic Heroes didn't switch and  for the menus, making it one of the few games released in America to have this quirk.
 * The game's sound test classes some of the levels as 'zones'.
 * Although any team can get any Chaos Emerald during gameplay, Last Story shows that Team Sonic got the blue emerald, Team Rose got the yellow and purple emeralds, Team Dark got the green and white emeralds, and Team Chaotix got the red and cyan emeralds.
 * Getting an A-rank on every level in the game unlocks Super Hard Mode, a very hard play through of every level (minus the boss battles); the mechanic would be used again in the form of Shadow the Hedgehog's Expert Mode.

Miscellaneous

 * In the 2008 edition of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, Sonic Heroes is awarded for most playable characters in a platform game.
 * Despite it being Knuckles' duty as a guardian to protect the Master Emerald at all times, he does not seem to be concerned with doing so during the storyline of Sonic Heroes, though it is hinted at during the final cutscene of the Last story.
 * During the Off-Panel for Archie Sonic Universe Issue 2, Sonic jokes that Archie might make a comic adaptation of Sonic Heroes in 2010 since they made an adaptation for Sonic Adventure 2 in 2009 and the game was released in 2001.
 * While no such adapt has been made, various elements from Sonic Heroes have appeared in the series, including:
 * Three person teams, including Teams Dark and Rose, though the latter featured Blaze the Cat in place of Big. Prior to the creation of these teams Omega, Cream, and Cheese were also introduced into the comic.
 * The Egg Fleet, though the Final Fortress ship was never seen.
 * The design for Neo Metal Sonic was applied to a group of robots known as the Metal Sonic Troopers.
 * Dr. Eggman piloted the Egg Hawk in several issues.
 * Egg Pawns, Egg Hammers, and Flappers became part of Eggman's army in the comic series.
 * This is the first Sonic game to appear on more than one console.
 * A remix of the "Battle: City Area" music can be heard in the Special Stages for the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors.
 * This is the first Sonic game to be released on a Microsoft console and a Sony console.
 * This is the first Sonic game to be in a High Definition resolution (Xbox and PC exclusive feature).
 * Seaside Hill appears in the Dreamcast era of Sonic Generations. Its Special Stages are playable in the 3DS version.
 * The Egg Emperor also appeared in Sonic Generations for 3DS, but as the boss for the DS era (Water Palace/Tropical Resort) after Tropical Resort.
 * This is the only Sonic game to have its theme song named after the game's title.
 * A remix of the Quick Race music can be heard during Cream: Chao Hunt mission in Sonic Generations.
 * There is a prototype version of the game that has differences between the final and the original releases of the GameCube games including music that has missing instruments on some background music like Casino Park.
 * This game can be downloaded on the PlayStation Network on PlayStation 3, but it is only downloadable in Europe for £7.99/€9.99. Unfortunately, in that region, it also does not feature any HD treatment or new features. The file size of the game is 4.5GB.
 * Although Metal Sonic was revealed in this game's trailer/intro, the game's manual for consoles refers to him as "mystery monster".
 * Team Rose's levels are the length of older levels in the series, before the series moved to longer stages that take more time to complete.
 * When using the Metal Heroes cheat, the hems at the bottom of Amy's and Cream's dresses become spiked. The same thing happens to the buckles on Big's belt.
 * The name "Sonic Heroes" is stated a total of three times throughout the entire game: twice by Sonic and once by Eggman.
 * Some of Eggman's robots are named after chess figures:
 * Egg Pawn - Named after a pawn.
 * Egg Bishop - Named after a bishop.
 * Egg Knight - Named after a knight.
 * Egg Emperor - Although not named after a chess piece, some may consider it a counterpart of a king chess piece.
 * It is possible to extend (go past the goal ring) some of Team Rose's levels like Casino Park.
 * By extending their version of Casino Park the player discovers some hidden dialogue between Amy and Cream about the VIP Table.
 * When you clear the Final story and watched the credits roll, the image that says "Get all A-ranks!" is actually the beta version of the game's title screen.
 * Prima's Official Strategy Guide for the game has left out some information.
 * Team Sonic's Team Blast is not named nor described.
 * It doesn't mention that Sonic and Shadow can't stay on walls infinitely during Triangle Jump or that Espio can.
 * It also doesn't mention the Metal Heroes cheat for 2P Battle in the guide.
 * Egg Pawns are called "Socio Pawns".
 * Prima's Official Strategy Guide's recommended order for playing the teams is Team Rose, Team Sonic, Team Dark and then Team Chaotix.
 * This game marked the first time that Crush 40 has recorded more than one song for one game.

Metal Heroes
Use these codes to become metal versions of your team in 2-Player Mode.
 * Nintendo GameCube: Hold + after you select a level in 2-Player Mode.
 * Xbox: Hold + after you select a level in 2 Player Mode.
 * PlayStation 2: Hold + after you select a level in 2 Player Mode.
 * PC: Hold + after you select a level in 2 Player Mode

Videos
Trailer 2= Trailer 3= Japanese Commercial=