Sonic Heroes/Development

Sonic Heroes has gone through several changes over its development process. There are several rejected ideas, levels designs, and other things that were left on the cutting room floor. The following details several of these things.

Development Process

Sonic Heroes was developed to celebrate the twelfth anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. The game's director, Takashi Iizuka, stated that he did not want to make Sonic Heroes a continuation of the Sonic Adventure series, as he was worried only core gamers would buy the title, and instead decided to create a game that more casual players could adapt to.

Unlike the two previous main series games, Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes uses the RenderWare engine so that the game could be programmed and ported easily to the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. Despite being able to port some textures and character models from the Sonic Adventure titles, most work on the title was started anew. Despite the use of cross-platform middleware, Sonic Heroes was Sega's first multi-platform title, and the development team found additional challenges in working with the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, platforms that they had very little experience with.

Early Game Design

Seaside Hill

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  Early videos show the help symbols having a wing on them instead of "FLY".

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  Also has wing and there are 4 instead of 2.

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  Also has wing and on the left dash hoops. Breakable wall with a spring within is replaced by crates.

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  4 Fly icons instead of 2.

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  The icons and green flapper are missing. In the distance a 2nd fleet has 3 green flappers instead of 3 red and 1 green flapper.

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  Team Rose usually starters further down the level in the beach area. Also new is the multi colored score rings.

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  Team Dark in a part of Seaside Hill that they normally cannot traverse.

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  In the distance the second wave platform is up instead of having two smaller columns to get to the next section. There is also 4 "Fly" signs in the distance. This is different from what Team Dark normally experiences.

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  Totaly different from what Team Dark finds normally. Usually there are several pillars with Eggpawn atop of them.

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  Eggpawn lifebars don't have speach bubles around them.

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  Team Chaotix in a area they normally cannot reach.

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  Yet again in a area Team Chaotix cannot reach.

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  Team Chaotix in Team Sonics level.

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  Team Chaotix in Team Sonics level.

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  Team Chaotix in Team Sonics level.

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  Team Chaotix in Team Sonics level.

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  Normally Team Chaotix's level ends here.

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  More of Team Chaotix in Team Sonics level.

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  More of Team Chaotix in Team Sonics level.

Ocean Palace

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  Team Rose at Team Sonic's starting point.

Power Plant

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  Background clouds are black instead of white.

Rail Canyon

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  At this part of the level Team Rose normally fights 2 Egg Pawns.

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  Normally this area is unreachable, and if it is reached the fan spins the other way.

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  The help monitor has a picture of a shoe instead of "Speed". Badnik is red instead of green. The second possible way through this section is missing.