When I first requested Sonic Riders, I didn’t realize it was a racing game.  My husband had always liked the little blue guy on the Genesis, but for whatever reason, we haven’t picked up any of the recent “Sonic revisited” games. So, this seemed like a good opportunity to get reacquainted. We asked, it came, and we were mildly surprised to see it was a racing game, which I would have known if I had done my homework. Having Sonic race did seem like a good idea, though, as he’s one crazy speedy guy.

Strangely, Sonic is racing on a snowboard in the air, I guess you’d call it a hoverboard. It looks odd, and it plays oddly. In fact, this whole game is rather offbeat. But that is to be expected of Sonic, after all.

The story is that Sonic and his friends were hanging out in Metal City, when they suddenly discovered a Chaos Emerald. As they were examining it, three people flew up on hoverboards and snatched the emerald. Soon after, Dr. Eggman challenges Sonic and his buddies to a racing competition to win back the Emerald from the supposedly reigning champions, which just happen to be the same threesome who stole the Emerald.

This lame story is actually presented fairly well, with great animation and vibrant colors, which are as good as any current game on the GameCube. Sonic and friends are presented wonderfully, and look great. Players are also treated to cutscene movies during the course of the Story mode for the level transitions.

There are many different playing modes: Normal race, which offers a free race with one-four players, a timed race of one player against the clock and a grand prix with one-two players for the championship; Story mode, a one-player game with races based on the story; Mission mode, a one-player mode with missions that is unlocked during gameplay; Tag mode, a one-four race with two players per racing board; and survival mode, a one-four player game of the last person standing in one of two racing modes.

Playing through the Story mode will unlock many of the tracks to play in other modes, and also allows players more interaction with the other Sonic world characters than the other modes. All the familiar favorites are here, Tails, Knuckles, Storm and more. Rings are the currency in this game, and can be used to buy advanced Extreme Gear to get an added edge in the races.

The tracks are interesting and varied with lots of detail, in fact, almost too much detail.  It’s hard to tell where the tracks are going and where the other racers, hazards and powerups are, because the scenes are too “busy” on the eyes. The vivid colors add to the problem, too, in that they almost hurt the eyes. It’s unusual to complain of too much graphic detail, but I guess too much of a good thing and all that.

The tracks have rings to collect, and also feature air pits to replenish the air supply for the hoverboard.  This is necessary, as using boosts of power and other tricks consumes quite a bit of air. Having players stop mid-race breaks up the race, though, and becomes annoying after awhile. Sometimes players can hitch a ride on another character’s wind draft, and catch a free ride. Parts of the tracks are automatically controlled by the game, and don’t require any involvement from the player.  This also may have seemed like a good idea, but it tends to break up the rhythm of the game, too. And where are the loops?

This isn’t a game that is easy to pick up and play. My husband never reads the manual before playing a game, but after playing Sonic Riders for a few races, he stopped and picked that thing up. The manual has good instructions and details on the various tracks and modes, but there is no instruction during the game. I, of course, always read the manual first and so fared a little better.

Our overall impression of Sonic Riders is that while it is designed well in terms of variety and visual appeal, and offers lots of modes for multiple players, it just isn’t as fun as some other racers. Racing through the air may have seemed like a good idea, but the actual experience, coupled with the constant breaks in gameplay, doesn’t quite measure up to its potential. That is not to say that this isn’t an amusing game, just that it could have been better. Sonic fans may want to pick up this game for some rounds with the Sonic characters, but the experience may leave pure racing enthusiasts a little cold.

Gameplay: 7.0
There are a lot of tracks, modes and other goodies in this game. This means lots of gameplay hours, if players enjoy the game.  However, the actual gameplay experience itself isn’t quite as fun as it could be, and it’s hard to know what’s going on at times, which leads to some frustrating moments in the races.

Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are wonderfully drawn and animated, and really showcase the GameCube’s graphic capabilities.

Sound: 6.0
The sound is upbeat and kind of techno, which fits the race theme fairly well. Nothing to get excited about, but not annoying, either.

Difficulty: Medium
While the game as a whole isn’t too difficult, the difficulty of the tracks is very uneven. Some of the first races are very hard to win, and the later races are easier.

Concept: 8.0
There is a feeling that the designers tried very hard to present a different racing game, and they succeeded. However, the actual gameplay just doesn’t live up to its potential.

Overall: 7.0
We had fun with Sonic, and with his friends. The amount of variety is good, with lots of powerups, goodies in the gear shop, and all sorts of different gaming modes for single or multi-player. But the tracks are schizophrenic, and uneven in design. Some are frustrating, and some are too easy. This game seems to have missed the mark a little bit. Not to say that it isn’t a worthwhile racing game, it is, just that it could have offered more.