Articles By Vector

The Japanese release date has been pushed from December 12 to December 30th.

Source: Sega of Japan

We have a ton of new screens of the Ocean Palace zone from Sega. You can see them on the Sonic Heroes page in Game Info. This would've been up sooner, but the Sonic Heroes server wouldn't let me upload.

Source: Sega

http://ngage.ign.com/articles/453/453820p1.html

Basically, it's a port of Sonic Advance, but with a reduced screen width because of the shape ofN-Gage's screen. Supposedly it's hard to tell where you're going. Yikes.

Thanks to Adamis, Soly, and Nemesis! Dream Avenue has a copy of the Sonic Heroes alpha and has kindly taken a ton of screenshots.

Possible Zone List, New Pics
More New Pics
New Zones & Menus (Character Select, Sound Test, etc.) Directory
Team Blast & Special Stage Directory

The zones confirmed so far:
Seaside Hill / Ocean Palace
Great Metropolis
Power Plant
Casino Park
Bullet Station / Rail Canyon
Jungle (Unknown name)
Sky (Unknown name)
Mad Express (a level on top of a train, may be 2p only)

Sonic Heroes has 7 multi-player modes, including racing and bobsleds.

The Team Blast moves of Team Sonic and Team Rose are pictured.

There is a special stage and it looks like a cross between the Chaotix and Sonic 2 special zones, with a race with a chao hot air balloon thrown in.

See it on the forum. Nintendo Dream Magazine has 5 new screenshots and some (slightly) more detailed info on each team's story. Cheese's brother's name is Chocolate. Thanks to the person who posted this!

I grabbed these pics from SEGA's Sonic Heroes movie, and Dub edited and hosted them. They're grainy, since they're from the movie, but they get the point across.

A new character, apparently based on E-102 and named "Omega." (There's an Omega on its shoulder.) Check out those claws!

Rouge's new look.

Chaotix running.

Besides the change in gear, Vector's bulked up a lot.

The first close-up look at Espio's new design. You can see the spiked gloves more clearly here, and he has amber yellow eyes.

New look, but at least Vector's not totally different. ^_^

It looks like Sonic has picked up Mighty's wall kick.

A giant red & black robotic dragon spirals around the rails.

WB: YOU!!! GO AND BRING ME SOME MORE PUDDING !!!!

WB: THIS NEEDS to be a higher quality so it can be made into a Wallpaper. :)

These next 2 pics aren't by us, but they speak for themselves!

The Sonic Comic Convention just opened, and it features 17 fan comics, including Butterflies!

Gamespot is reporting that Sega Smash Pack for GBA, which combines Sonic Spinball, Ecco the Dolphin, and Golden Axe, has been released.

Source: Gamespot

I translated Sega Of Japan's Sonic Advance 2 page and found a few tidbits.

Here are 2 pics that aren't on Sonic Team's page. Notice the Amy icon that shows up again, and what looks like a Chao Garden mini-game involving Cream and Cheese.

The site claims that Sonic Advance 2 will be "6 times" as big as Sonic Advance. Cream is described as a "beginner" character.

You can also see a VERY impressive video there. The video's character select screen seems to confirm that there are exactly 4 playable characters in the game. It's only up at certain times of day. The video reveals some very interesting stuff, so be sure to check it out.

According to Sonic Team's page, the game will be released on December 19, 2002, in Japan. ST again promises a game 6 times as large, and boasts "The fastest speediness in history."

Also from Sonic Team's page:

"In each character, it is an original action a large number addition! It is new. [Trick action] ‚ðŽg‚¦‚Î -- it can go apparently, and it does not go to the place which is not likely to be or does not take -- or [ that a hand also reaches a ring ]"

This broken translation COULD mean that each character takes their own path in each level, according to your interpretation.

Source: Sega Of Japan

The game isn't even out yet, and already a "beta" mystery. One of the pics Buzzbomber found reveals that Sonic Team DEFINITELY, at the least, made some Amy graphics for use with Sonic Advance 2.

In this pic, that 1-UP icon is clearly Amy.

It seems pretty likely that Amy was at least seriously considered as a character in Sonic Advance 2.

Source: Sonic Team