Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Sonic games are well known for is their sense of speed. The classic Sonic games have him racing through each level trying to collect as many rings as possible before the time limit ends. Since these games always revolve around swiftness, the Sonic Team developed a racing game a few years back entitled Sonic Riders for the GameCube, and it was met with decent fanfare. This year they have released a sequel to that game called Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.

Once the game is loaded, players will find several game modes to keep their time occupied. First off is the story mode, which centers on a gravity manipulating meteorite Sonic finds that attracts robots and makes them crazy. Players must keep this meteorite out of the evil alien thieves’ hands while running from the homicidal robots. In the Normal Race mode, players have two options: free race and time attack. In free race players can compete with up to four humans on any race track that they have already unlocked. Time attack mode allows a player to race against the clock and then upload their fastest time to the world rankings system. Other players can then download any ghost and try to beat its time.

In Survival mode, up to four players can compete in three different games that have their own special rules: relay, ball, and battle. In Relay mode, players run a team relay race using a gear as the baton. The first team to complete a set amount of laps wins. Survival Ball has players riding around in a small game field and using the Gravity Control gesture to shoot a ball through the goal. The last mode is Battle where players move around attacking with missiles (they pick up) using the Gravity Control motion. To help protect players there are various shields located throughout the level that will protect them from annihilation.

Something that many players will find distressing is the cheap AI in this game. One way to get around this is by playing with your friends, but that is not always an ideal solution. When players look at the box it says Wi-Fi compatible, but unfortunately it is not a true online experience. As stated earlier the only thing that is online is the leader boards, in which players can submit and download Ghost racers and try to beat their scores. This is a huge disappointment because this game would have benefited from a true online mode, since most of the modes are really fun to play with friends.

One thing that helps prevent the game from being mundane is that player can choose the type of Gear they will use while racing. These are what each gear type can do: general riding, grind areas, take off from catapults, bust through objects without slowing down, and ride slipstreams.  There also is an upgrade system-before each race, the computer determines what upgrades can be purchased during the game being dependent on the amount of rings players have collected. The upgrades can range from speed boosts to character-specific gears such as a hover cycle for Knuckles. The problem is that it is too easy to collect the necessary rings in order to accomplish this. In other words, it doesn’t feel too special when players activate the upgrades.

To put this game into perspective, think of this game like Sega’s answer to Mario Kart - minus the incredible fun of the latter game. Players will hop on their air boards, racing through each level trying to collect various rings and power ups for their boards to try to win the race. The main problem with this game is that it is intensely lacking a true sense of speed that these games are known for.

There are three ways to control this game, use a GameCube controller, hold the Wii-mote vertically, or hold the Wii-mote horizontally. Players will want to use the Wii-mote since it allows various gestures that make the game more personal and interactive. The main problem is that these controls are not refined enough, and sometimes they will not work. Other times when players use the boost, they will run into walls because the steering is not as tight as it needs to be. This is a real letdown because this completely disrupts the gameplay and makes it hard to enjoy.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is not the game players will want to use to show off the graphical capabilities of the Nintendo Wii. While the game uses bright colors to “pop out” certain things, the main problem is the overall lack of detail. The various levels that players will race are very generic. The developers really did not try to make them stand out from each other, or even from the previous game. The character models do sport nice detail but do not stand out from the rest of the game, which is a disgrace. The only thing that the game has going for it is the outstanding CG work which can only take the game so far.

The soundtrack for this game is what players might expect after they play any Sonic game: very generic rock-techno music. While it does fit within the game, (the techno music will want to make players go faster) it does get old after a while. One thing is for sure, more music variety would have been greatly appreciated. The character voice-overs are not that great and will get on gamers' nerves after playing for a while. 

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is rated for everyone.

Gameplay: 5.1
The controls are not polished enough for this game to be released, this is a shame because this game does have some potential.

Graphics: 6.5
The graphics for this game are decent, but this system is capable of doing much more than what was offered.

Sound: 6.4
Generic rock-techno sound tracks and below par voice acting permeate this game.

Difficulty: Easy
This game is very easy to get a handle on and play. The AI is really cheap and does get annoying.

Concept: 6.3
Other than pondering the question of why one of the faster video-game characters has to rely on a hover board in this game, this game really does not offer anything new to this genre.

Multiplayer 5.9
Up to four gamers can play on one screen, although not having true online mode really hurts.

Overall: 5.9
This game could have been a real heavy hitter, especially coming off of the holiday rush. Instead with unpolished controls, dismal graphics, and a mediocre soundtrack, this game will remain a shadow of what it should have been.