Sonic Heroes
Developers | |
---|---|
Sonic Team USA | |
Publishers | |
Sega | |
Russia | 1C-SoftClub[1] |
Retail re-release | Sold Out Software |
Engines | |
RenderWare[2] | |
Release dates | |
Windows | November 16, 2004[3] |
Reception | |
Metacritic | 66 |
Taxonomy | |
Monetization | One-time game purchase |
Modes | Singleplayer, Multiplayer |
Pacing | Real-time |
Perspectives | Third-person |
Controls | Direct control |
Genres | Action, Platform |
Art styles | Cartoon |
Themes | Contemporary |
Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
⤏ Go to series page | |
Sonic the Hedgehog fangames (series) | |
Sonic CD | 1995 |
Sonic's Schoolhouse | 1996 |
Sonic 3D Blast (series) | |
Sonic & Knuckles Collection | 1997 |
Sonic R (series) | |
Sonic Adventure (series) | |
Sonic Heroes | 2004 |
Sonic Mega Collection Plus | 2006 |
Sonic Riders | 2006 |
Sonic Racing (series) | |
Sonic the Hedgehog | 2010 |
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine | 2010 |
Sonic Spinball | 2010 |
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | 2011 |
Sonic 3 & Knuckles | 2011 |
Sonic Generations | 2011 |
Sonic CD (2012) | 2012 |
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I | 2012 |
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II | 2012 |
Sonic Dash | 2014 |
Sonic Lost World | 2015 |
Sonic Mania | 2017 |
Sonic Forces | 2017 |
Sonic the Hedgehog (Mobile Decompilation) | 2021 |
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mobile Decompilation) | 2021 |
Sonic Colors: Ultimate | 2021 |
Sonic Origins | 2022 |
Sonic Frontiers | 2022 |
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog | 2023 |
Sonic Superstars | 2023 |
Sonic Dream Team | 2023 |
Sonic X Shadow Generations | 2024 |
Warnings
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see Availability for affected versions).
Sonic Heroes is a singleplayer and multiplayer third-person action platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. It is part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
Originally released on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube between 2003 and 2004, the game was ported to PC and released on November 16, 2004.
Most of the fixes documented in this article target the Sonic PC Collection version and will not work with other versions of the game.
Availability
Source | DRM | Notes | Keys | OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Retail | SafeDisc v4 DRM[Note 1]. Korean release has simple disc check. 2 CDs. |
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Retail | DRM-free executable found in the Sonic PC Collection.[6] |
Demos
- A demo is available here.
- Alternatively, the Japanese version of the demo is available here. The different language demos can't be installed at the same time.
Essential improvements
- Almost all mods in the article require Reloaded II.
Essentials: Graphics
- Implements widescreen (and tallscreen) support, improved load times, uncapped splitscreen framerate, windowed and borderless windowed, high aspect ratio fixes, an improved launcher and a lot of various options.
Installation[7] |
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Essentials: Widescreen Revamp
- Requires TONERR, Universal File Redirector and Essentials: Graphics
- Remakes most UI elements in Widescreen and uses higher quality assets.
Fix Compilation
- Fixes several issues listed in Issues fixed.
Installation[8] |
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Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | %APPDATA%\Sega\SONICHEROES\sonic_h.ini |
Save game data location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | %APPDATA%\Sega\SONICHEROES\SONICHEROES_* |
Video
Graphics feature | State | WSGF | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | Supports 4:3 resolutions only. See Widescreen resolution. | ||
Multi-monitor | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
Ultra-widescreen | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
4K Ultra HD | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
Field of view (FOV) | See Field of view (FOV). | ||
Windowed | See Windowed. | ||
Borderless fullscreen windowed | See Borderless fullscreen windowed. | ||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | Amount unknown. | ||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | |||
Vertical sync (Vsync) | |||
60 FPS | Single-player modes runs at 60 FPS, however, split-screen multiplayer is rendered at 30 FPS (frameskip). See Frame rate (FPS). | ||
120+ FPS | Capped at 60 FPS. | ||
High dynamic range display (HDR) |
Widescreen resolution
Use Essentials: Graphics and Essentials: Widescreen Revamp[9] |
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Use a Flawless Widescreen script[citation needed] |
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Field of view (FOV)
Change with Widescreen Fix[citation needed] |
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Windowed
Use Essentials: Graphics[7] |
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Make sure Borderless Fullscreen is off in the mod settings. You can also enable Resizable window or scale the window as you wish. |
Enable Windowed mode through configuration launcher[11] |
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Set Screen_Full to 0 in sonic_h.ini [11]
|
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Borderless fullscreen windowed
Use Essentials: Graphics[9] |
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Make sure Borderless Fullscreen is on in the mod settings. Notes
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Frame rate (FPS)
- Split-screen multiplayer is capped at 30 FPS by default.
Disable 2P frame skip[9] |
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Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | Mouse remapping only. Refer to Strategy Wiki for keyboard controls here. | |
Mouse acceleration | ||
Mouse sensitivity | ||
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support | Uses DirectInput. See Controller support. | |
Full controller support | ||
Controller remapping | Basic button remapping available in external launcher and in-game options. PC version lacks camera rotation when using the right analog stick without a workaround.[13] See Controller support. | |
Controller sensitivity | ||
Controller Y-axis inversion |
Controller types |
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XInput-compatible controllers | XInput-compatible controllers work at a basic level correctly via the DirectInput interface.[14] See Controller support for improved XInput support. | |
---|---|---|
Xbox button prompts | A mod that replaces the generic prompts with ones from the Xbox port can found here; a patch for Widescreen Revamp is also available. | |
Impulse Trigger vibration |
PlayStation controllers | Supported via DirectInput.[15] | |
---|---|---|
PlayStation button prompts | A mod that replaces the generic prompts with ones from the PlayStation 2 port can found here. | |
Light bar support | ||
Adaptive trigger support | ||
DualSense haptic feedback support | ||
Connection modes | , Wired, Wireless (Bluetooth) |
Generic/other controllers | May cause spinning camera on some controllers due to wrong axis being interpreted as the right analog stick. | |
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Button prompts | A mod that replaces the generic prompts with ones from the GameCube version can found here. |
Additional information | ||
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Controller hotplugging | Not supported by default. See Controller support for hotplugging. | |
Haptic feedback | Off by default in the Options menu. Supported on some DirectInput controllers. See Controller support to restore haptic feedback for XInput controllers. | |
Digital movement supported | ||
Simultaneous controller+KB/M |
Controller support
- The PC version of Sonic Heroes does not read trigger information from DirectInput controllers. The game still supports pressure sensitive rotation using the trigger buttons.[16] The following solution can restore trigger rotation functionality, providing pressure sensitive trigger rotation.
- Camera controls with the right analog stick and hotplugging support in the PC version can be restored.
Install Controller Hook and Custom Mapping for Controller Hook through Reloaded II[17] |
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|
Xidi
- Adds full DirectInput controller support for modern XInput-based controllers.
- Restores haptic feedback.
Installing Xidi |
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Audio
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | Sliders for SE/Voice and BGM in external configuration launcher, both of which can also be muted. | |
Surround sound | Up to 7.0 output with DirectSound3D restoration software. | |
Subtitles | ||
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost | ||
Royalty free audio |
Localizations
- The non-Japanese versions only includes the English voice-over tracks, and lip-synching during FMV sequences are synched up to the English dub.
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | Dubtitles. | |||
French | ||||
German | ||||
Italian | ||||
Japanese | Lacks dual-audio support in non-Japanese releases (i.e. cannot select Japanese voices with English subtitles). Japanese voice mod, download. See XBOX Quality Media for the Xbox-quality Japanese FMV files. |
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Korean | ||||
Russian | Officially distributed by SoftClub, but with no localization; fan translation is available here. | |||
Spanish | Castilian. Contains some translation errors. |
Disable voices
- This setting will disable most in-game voice-overs without muting sound effects altogether, however, voice-clips that also have subtitles will still play out as normal.
Use Essentials: Graphics[7] |
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Add Charmy_Shutup to sonic_h.ini [18]
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Network
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Players | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Local play | 2 | Hold A Button + Y Button after selecting a level to turn the chosen team into "Metal Heroes". | ||
LAN play | ||||
Online play |
Issues fixed
Game refuses to start
Change Data Execution Prevention settings[citation needed] |
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Ensure Data Execution Prevention (DEP) setting is set to Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only or add a DEP Exception for |
Missing voice effects
- Certain voice effects are missing in some releases of the PC port.
Use Sonic Heroes Missing Audio clip fixes[20] |
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Missing explosion effects from Espio's shurikens
- The blue crescent particle textures are not included in the PC port of the game.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[21] |
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Leadership Crown not displaying
- Bobsled HUD textures do not display.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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Egg UFO sign light not animating
- Arrow lights fade animation is missing.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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White borders when grinding on splines
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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F9A4D 0A --> 02 F9A6C 02 --> 03 F9A6E 0A --> 02 F9AA4 0A --> 02 |
Transparent frog feet
- You can see through frog feet.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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EE3ED C7 05 E4 AB 7B 00 70 2E 40 00 468A20 04 --> 12 468A44 04 --> 12 |
Grand Metropolis Energy pipe not using indirect
- Game doesn't scan for high quality object archive for lava indirect.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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Grand Metropolis Energy pipe glass can be seen through walls
- Incorrect material flag.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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Inconsistent Teleporter warp light appearance
Make warp light accurate to the PlayStation 2 look[citation needed] |
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Laser indirect effect disabled in Final Fortress
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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31A800 40 --> 50 31A950 40 --> 50 31AAA0 40 --> 50 31AB79 40 --> 50 |
Shadow's tornado effect is single-sided
- Incorrect culling materials applied to the model.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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Signal Monitor flickering
- Signal flickering animation present in console releases is missing on PC.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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Theater Light dark
- Dark light effect
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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8D 44 24 FC 50 6A 14 E8 40 B0 F2 FF 6A 02 8B 46 0C 85 C0 74 6F 8B 40 24 85 C0 74 68 8B 88 B0 00 00 00 8B 80 AC 00 00 00 85 C0 74 58 8B 00 85 C0 74 52 2D 00 01 00 00 51 69 D1 00 01 00 00 8B 4C 24 04 83 F9 01 75 23 83 7C 10 04 01 75 07 83 4C 10 08 04 EB 05 83 64 10 08 FB 50 6A 02 6A 14 E8 98 AF F2 FF 83 C4 08 58 EB 0C 83 7C 10 04 01 75 05 83 64 10 08 FB 59 49 75 BD E8 8D FF D2 FF FF 0C 24 75 8A 83 C4 04 E8 70 AF F2 FF 83 C4 08 C3 |
Odd Vertex Paint rendering for the root ball in Frog Forest
- The vertex paint disappears from the model.
Use Fix Compilation[7] |
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Hex editing solution[citation needed] |
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Transparency bugs for certain game objects
- Fixes various alpha blending issues by (mostly) tweaking individual object blend modes.
Use Sonic Heroes Transparency Blending Fixes[22] |
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Amy's hammer has an inverted color scheme
Use Amy's Hammer Fix[7] |
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Other information
API
Technical specs | Supported | Notes |
---|---|---|
Direct3D | 8 | Minimal required DirectX version listed is 9.0b, however the game uses D3D8 for rendering. For D3D9 support use external wrapper such as D3D8To9[23] |
Executable | 32-bit | 64-bit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Windows |
Middleware
Middleware | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Audio | Criware | ADX format music files. |
Cutscenes | Criware | Sofdec format FMV files. |
Modifications
Modding essentials
Reloaded II[24] |
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Mods
Heroes Console Restoration
- Returns effects, textures, objects, animations and more from console versions of the game.
- Follow the page instructions for correct installation.
XBOX Quality Media
- Ports over the music, videos, sound effects, and voice-overs from the Xbox port, which are higher quality there. The files are based on the English version of the game.
- Japanese version can be found here.
Dialogue Volume Fix
- Rebalances the sound mixing of the in-game dialogue voices. Only applies to the English dub.
Extended Draw Distance
- Increases the rendering draw distance of levels.
Definitive Character Visual Overhaul
- A collection of enhanced yet faithful character models and removes the "shininess" (specular highlights) from the character models.
Smoother Rain Particle Effects
- Smooths pixelated rain particle effects.
Sonic Heroes AI Enhanced HD Textures
- Enhanced HD-quality texture pack with upscaled Gigapixel AI using neural networks (work-in-progress). Has an unofficial patch to cover some textures that are not upscaled by the base mod.
- Place the mod above Essentials: Widescreen Revamp in the priority list.
4X GUI
- Higher resolution GUI and HUD graphics that are either faithfully redrawn or AI upscaled four times their original resolution while a few liberties where taken with update the game's UI elements. Not compatible with character and object mods unless they have been combined with this one. Only includes the English localization.
- Place the mod above Essentials: Widescreen Revamp in the priority list.
HD Rings
- A port of SoloSlacker's HD Rings for Sonic Adventure DX, featuring various ring models and texture options while removing the low-quality LOD rings.
E3 Title Screen
- A recreation of the game's title screen from the E3 prototype (which are left in the final version's files) and supports up to 18:9 aspect-ratios.
- Place the mod below Essentials: Widescreen Revamp in the priority list.
System requirements
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 98SE | ME, 2000, XP |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium III 866 MHz AMD Athlon 850 MHz |
Intel Pentium IV 1.4 GHz AMD Athlon XP 1800+ |
System memory (RAM) | 128 MB | 256 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 800 MB | 1.5 GB |
Video card (GPU) | Nvidia GeForce 256 ATI Radeon SDR 16 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0b compatible | Nvidia GeForce 3 ATI Radeon 9000 64 MB of VRAM |
Other | 12X CD-ROM |
Notes
References
- ↑ [1] - last accessed on 2023-06-14
- ↑ renderware - clients & titles (retrieved) - last accessed on 2023-05-19
- ↑ SEGA SHIPS SONIC HEROES FOR PC (retrieved) - last accessed on 2023-05-19
- ↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
- ↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
- ↑ Verified by User:Sewer56lol on 2019-08-03
- CRC32: 821662F7.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 Verified by User:Sandemc on 2024-04-03
- ↑ Verified by User:Sandemc on 2024-04-03
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Verified by User:Sewer56lol on 2019-11-03
- Author of the solution.
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2021-12-15
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-09-25
- ↑ Verified by User:Amethystviper on 2023-06-24
- Setting the game to 3840x2160 with Borderless Windowed enabled in Essentials: Graphics video settings caused the game to render in a misaligned, lower resolution window that does not cover the Windows taskbar despite the display's native resolution is 4K.
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-09-25
- No such option for right stick camera looking exists in the PC version from what I can tell without mods.
- ↑ Verified by User:Sewer56lol on 2019-11-03
- Tested with Xbox One controller.
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2021-12-14
- ↑ Verified by User:Sewer56lol on 2019-11-03
- Reverse Engineering of input handling code.
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-09-26
- Tested this fix with an Xbox One controller.
- ↑ Sonic Heroes Hidden Setting - The Cutting Room Floor - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ Verified by User:Cheatfreak47 on 2018-12-12
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-09-26
- Stock PC voice effects files is smaller than this fix.
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-09-26
- This fixed the mission shuriken effects with a vanilla copy of the game.
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-09-27
- Tried this fix with a vanilla installation of the game and these fixes solved the issue.
- ↑ Verified by User:Sewer56lol on 2019-11-03
- ↑ Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-09-26