Sonic Riders, created by Sega's Sonic Team, proves to be a worthy addition to the age-old franchise. Players have a chance to face off as any of 16 racers, each with multiple Air Boards that are used to navigate courses at amazing speeds. More than 14 tracks will be included in the final version, each with multiple paths to explore. Characters are made unique by their attributes as well as their different boards that can be unlocked.
We went hands on with the GameCube build of Riders, and while it holds true to the franchise style, it also contains a few of its flaws.
From the get go Riders looks and feels like a true Sonic title. A selection of eight characters is available out of the box, with promise of another eight as the game goes on. While we didn't get a chance to play the final version, a main "GP" style mode can be assumed, as all 14 tracks get progressively harder. Riders certainly has the look of a Sonic game, and as the first gate opens seasoned Hedgehog players should be right at home. This game moves lightning fast and manages to pull off some incredible visuals while still holding 60 frames per second: Impressive.
Along with the impressive visuals comes the classic Sonic theatrics. Just like in previous titles, Riders will send players on a 300 mile an hour tour of some seriously breathtaking pieces of eye-candy. At any given time the track may simply turn upside-down, throw Sonic and company into loop s and drops, or hurl players into the sky. One of the tracks we were allowed to play actually featured a rushing river that the racers could use to surf down the track at super speeds, leaving competitors miles behind in the process.
However, along with the positive points that come with a Sonic title, the necessary negative aspects seem to creep in as well. Riders is relatively shallow, containing a boost bar and a few tricks that can be pulled off. The downside will come when players try to dig deeper into the aforementioned trick system only to find it is basically automatic. The game is obviously inspired by the likes off SSX, which isn't a bad thing. The only problem is that aside from the direction of spin and flip, all trick moves are controlled randomly. There is no trick button, and no real way to tweak or add to combos while catching air. The overall feeling just seems too simplistic.
The basic control also seems a bit undemanding in Riders at this point, and there are too many occurrences where it feels like we are watching the game rather than playing it. To keep the speed of the game continuous, the difficulty has been sacrificed. Many parts of the tracks have no walls, and allow the racers to loop around them in a cinematic but far too mindless fashion. On several occasions we would miss a turn or lose control only to whip around an alternate path and continue on our way. The game simply drives itself in too many areas, and the necessity for skill just wasn't what it should be.
That being said, Riders can still be pretty fun to play. Both single player and two player modes were available in the demo, and both were fun to blast through multiple times. The game looks stunning, and the production quality overall was great. If fans of the series are looking for an adrenaline rush, and don't mind the overall simplicity of the game, there is still a good chunk of fun to be had.
Sonic Riders hits shelves February.