E3 2003 prototype

This is a sub-page of Proto:Sonic Heroes.

Stage DifferencesThere were some changes to the stages that were seen in later builds, but redone before the final version. Unused ContentA lot of them, including 2D artwork from Sonic Adventure 2, and...a Sonic X logo?

Debug Modes#

Debug Displays#

Camera Info#

This will enable a debug display during gameplay.

Technical Differences#

• The game's name is labeled as "Sample Game Name", which is changed to "SONIC HEROES" in the final GameCube version.

• This is the only GameCube prototype in which it uses a different Game ID, which is a generic ID used in many other prototypes.
• The app loader file for the GameCube version is dated September 5, 2002. Surprisingly enough, its date matches the even earlier title screen that can only found in the Xbox version. It was later updated as April 17, 2003 in the final.
• The AFS archive, a file that stores voice clips, is not present in this build since voice acting was in a very early state at this point in development.
• The files for the cutscenes aren't on the disc.
• Only five ADX files are available. See below for more information.

Bugs#

Text & Hint DifferencesWith no voice-overs at the time, the game explains how these work instead.

E3 2003	Final

The hint rings show a blue semi-transparent rectangle surrounding the text just like in Sonic Adventure 2.

Gameplay Differences#

• The Speed formation can't do a solo attack when attempting to perform a Rocket Accel.
• The Team Blast mechanic doesn't exist in this build yet.
• Simliarly, the Power Cores haven't been implemented in this build yet, meaning you can't level up your teammates.
• Knuckles can't move when using Volcanic Dunk after attacking initially.

E3 2003	Final

Instead of getting a level up when passing a checkpoint, you'll get an item depending on which formation you're currently playing as. The Speed formation gets speed shoes, Flight formation gets 20 Rings, and Power formation gets a shield.

Object Differences#

Floating Item Box#

E3 2003	Final

The Floating Item Boxes are a lot smaller compared to the final.

Audio Differences#

Music#

A total of three stage tracks exist in this build. Interestingly, Sea Gate's music is given the filename STG02 in this build, suggesting it may have been intended for Ocean Palace at this point in development. In the final, it was moved to the file as STG29, which is the last normal stage music in the game.

• The Speed Up track doesn't exist in this build, so the stage music continues to play instead. It's also missing the "Round Clear" track from Sonic Adventure 2.

Voice#

Path: sound/bank3.pac

At this point in development, almost no voice clips are present in this build (as Japanese voice acting was recorded between July 11-20¹), but there are still changes to note about:

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles' death voice clips (when getting hit by an enemy with zero Rings) are very different compared to the final.

• The voice clip for Tails' Thunder Shoot is different.
• Tails also has a different voice clip for when the player flies for too long.

"Coming Soon!" Screen#

Beating either stages or getting a game over will give you the "Coming Soon!" screen and take you back to the title screen. There are other ways to see this:

• Likely for demo purposes, the timer counts down, limiting gameplay sessions to just be 10 minutes.
• The game will automatically reset after the player is inactive for a short while.

References#