Even though Sonic the Hedgehog is known for his immense speed, he’s had a hard time getting into the racing game groove. His first attempt with Sonic Drift for the Sega Game Gear was quite the washout, and the sequel didn’t do much better. Later came Sonic R which took Sonic and friends from their little cars and set them running on their own feet in an adventure that was moderately fun, but too short and simplistic. Now Sonic Team is trying Sonic’s racing luck again with Sonic Riders. Combining elements from F-Zero GX and Kirby’s Air Ride, Sonic Riders puts the blue blur on an airboard and sends him on a speedy quest to recover Chaos Emeralds.

Features

• Sonic’s first new racing game in nearly a decade


• Normal Mode provides conventional racing action


• Story Mode follows Sonic’s adventures in search of Chaos Emeralds


• Multiplayer fun with Tag and Survival modes


• Unlock additional characters, racetracks, and Extreme Gear units

Super Sonic Racing Once Again
When a mysterious band of thieves called the Babylon Rogues abscond with a Chaos Emerald, Sonic and friends give chase and wind up being challenged by Dr. Eggman to a race. Eggman’s EX World Grand Prix offers all of the Chaos Emeralds up as a prize and since the thieves are apparently somehow linked to this contest, Sonic decides to enter the competition to collect the big prize. Along the way he and the usual cast of characters including Tails and Knuckles the Echidna will have to unravel the mad doctor’s latest scheme.

The cast of Sonic Riders ride around on airboards known as Extreme Gear, hovering rides that are fueled by air. As long as a Gear has air in its tank, it’ll keep moving. As such, the controls in Sonic Riders have no accelerator button. After crossing the starting line, the Gear just goes and goes until it runs out of air. Once the air tank runs empty the character riding the Gear has to run on foot until a refill can be found, so the key to Sonic Riders is to keep precious air in the tank. The L and R buttons function as a rudimentary brake, slowing the Gear but never actually stopping it. The Control Stick steers the Gear, but unfortunately the Gear doesn’t respond well to quick turns. All too often, players will see a hazard up ahead and try to steer away to dodge it, but the Gear just won’t veer away fast enough to avoid wiping out. It’s also possible to end up moving in the wrong direction on the track, but since the Gear cannot stop, it is not possible to turn around to move in the correct direction without falling behind in the race. When this happens, the screen simply fades to black and drops the offending character back on the track in the right spot. Press the B button to use a little air for a quick speed boost, while the X button takes an offensive swipe at nearby competition. Furthermore, while airborne Sonic and friends can execute various flips and twirls to gain air and, on occasion, speed.

Sonic Riders includes several gameplay modes, although they all revolve around the same basic racing mechanic. Players take a running start towards the starting line and then jump aboard their Extreme Gears for a three lap race through various Sonic-inspired raceways (jump the gun and try to take off before the green light hits, however, and an electric barrier will stop hedgehogs in their tracks with a penalty). Tracks branch out into multiple paths, but all eventually loop back to the starting/finish line. Along the way, players should pick up rings, recover air, and knock the other players back with a carefully timed press of the X button which causes characters to execute a little offensive move, such as Sonic’s power punch. Aside from the air tank gimmick, Sonic Riders follows the rules of today’s conventional racing games. Speaking of air, Extreme Gears tend to give off contrails in their wake. It’s possible to get caught up in these contrails and slide right up to the nearest competitor. Riding these contrails is a great way to catch up lost ground quickly and allows players to link together various flips and turns to pull off combos.



As far as game modes go, Sonic Riders features a few ways to play the same basic game. Normal Mode has the familiar racing formats live, such as free racing, time attack, and a standard grand prix format in the style of games such as Mario Kart. Story Mode follows Sonic and friends as they track down the Babylon Rogues through a series of races with animated segments breaking up the action to tell the story and specific goals to meet during the race (such as defeating a particular character or finishing the race in a certain ranking). Tag Mode is a multiplayer mode in which players share a single air tank while competing against an opposing team and Survival Mode involves fighting off rivals while collecting Chaos Emeralds. An unlockable Mission Mode adds a little replay value as well.