Over the last couple of years our friend Sonic the Hedgehog has had a break from the 3D gaming world since his last outing in Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast, as all the Gamecube games which have been re-releases essentially lets face it. Sonic Heroes is the next outing for Sonic the Hedgehog featuring an all out effort from SEGA producing the game on every console - a very first for Sonic. Dr. Eggman is up to his usual tricks and this time it's going to take more than Sonic to defeat him this time!

In Sonic Heroes you get will get to play in teams all with their own objectives and individual storylines, the four teams available are Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Chaotix and Team Rose. What really is unique for Sonic and indeed a platformer game is that you're taking control of 3 characters all at once here, but they all have different abilities with all the teams having one character with that attribute - one will have a flying ability, one will have strength ability and one will have a speed factor.

The graphics in Sonic Heroes look very nice but at the moment are looking just about above average for Xbox standards. It is certainly a great upgrade for Sonic and his pals also bringing a new shimmering look to the characters which looks quite cool actually. Landscapes are nice and varied, nothing seems repeated with seaside stages to metropolis type stages to forests.

Sound in the game is a usual take on the Sonic games and looks set to continue a long line of classic music made by Sonic Team. Some of the themes have been originally composed by a band called Crush 40, there's also a variety of sound effects incorporated into the game along with ring effects and the like.

But looking into the game it has been clearly set for a larger and wider audience than previously seen, with various types of teams to accommodate children and perhaps the more serious gamer too. The game is set to have an extensive single player mode meaning playing through the game with all 4 teams will take quite a while, but will allow you to fully understand the storyline of the game. Along with many unlockable extras to provide the game with extras here and there. A 2 player mode has also been promised but there won't be anything more besides that such as Xbox Live, but quite honestly I hardly see where a platform game such as Sonic will profit from it.

Overall if you're looking for an old classic platformer put into its best 3D form yet this is it. Sonic Heroes is providing a long needed boost over all platforms incorporating new ideas, characters both old and new along with unmistakably excellent gameplay to provide a game which Xbox has needed in this genre, along with an undeniable piece of crafted work for the Sonic fans. It's time for a Sonic Boom to hit Xbox this February.

Preview By: Graham Seward