Sonic Riders
by Sega Of America, Inc.
List Price:
Our Price: $17.99
You Save: $2.00 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.99 (click here)
Category: Video Games
See more product details and other editions
Product Summary
Brand: Sega Of America, Inc.Release Date: 2006-02-21
Platform: Xbox
Model: 10086640632
Publisher: Sega Of America, Inc.
Product features:
- Burn up wide-open courses on airboards, battling computer or human opponents and pulling amazing tricks for bonuses
- Revolutionary slipstreaming gameplay - Opponents generate half-pipe-like turbulence on the course - use it to your advantage!
- A cast of familiar characters are joined by a gang of new faces - All have their own unique skills
- Discover new characters in the giant Story Mode
- Up to four players in multiplayer splitscreen
Video Game Reviews of Sonic Riders
Customer Review: Sonic's running out of speed fast
Summary: 2 Stars
Sonic the Hedgehog's legacy started in 1991 with a game of the same name, taking its place as SEGA's competitor to Nintendo's popular, portly, platforming plumber Mario. For years, Sonic's thrill lay in his speed, loops, and attractive 2D visuals. All of the sudden, 3D happened and I personally don't think SEGA ever realized the proper way to reinvent Sonic for the next generation like Nintendo did with their mascot. I still think they're missing their jump by a mile. Sonic Riders is not a good game by any stretch, and I think that someone in the development squad at SEGA needs to learn what unemployment feels like, because they're losing a lot of lives by missing that same jump.
Sonic Riders puts you in control of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and a few of Sonic's enemies as you race through several different levels on a hover board. Of course, as always, Eggman is up to no good, but he sets up a seemingly harmless Grand Prix with the entry fee of a Chaos Emerald from each contestant. He has a hidden agenda that our heroes are far too ignorant to catch (yet again, e-gad!) and it's up to Sonic and company to save the day. Only this time, it's all done on hover boards.
I want to emphasize that final sentence of the previous paragraph. This is where the SEGA developers should have felt that initial "something isn't right here" feeling. Sonic Riders is a hover board racing game. SEGA needed to take a lesson from Kirby Air Ride. You race each other on slippery, uncontrollable hover boards rather than the speedy feet that got Sonic into popularity in the first place. The result is a few hours' worth of frustration with slippery controls, a cheap trick system, and downright annoying tracks. Few of the tracks even showcase some of the things that made Sonic so exciting, like loops and corkscrews. In fact, Sonic Adventure's levels had several more of these obstacles than Sonic Riders does. It makes me wonder why SEGA didn't go somewhere with the levels creatively, because it would have made the game a lot more exciting.
The biggest problem in the game is how the boards control. Imagine putting a surf board on a frozen lake, running full-speed at it, jumping on, and trying to control yourself as you skid uncontrollably across the ice. It's hard. It's not fun. It's not what a video game should feel like. If I want to do something "fun" without control, I'll cattle prod a rhino and hop on, not spend $50 on a video game. There were times where I actually had to pause Sonic Riders or take it out of my Xbox console because the controls were becoming so frustrating.
Unfortunately, the game doesn't look or sound much better than it plays. Sonic Riders has the same colorful scheme and the same flashy neon signs, the same green forests, the same sandy deserts, and the same fiery volcanoes as Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2. It makes me think that SEGA took the latter and designed their graphics engine around it. Keep in mind, Sonic Adventure 2 was a Dreamcast game. Anyway, the music also sounds the same as always; aside from a few tracks, most of the music is sleazy, cheap, back-alley techno. The voice acting is decidedly childish, with Tails being as relentlessly annoying as always. Even the sound effect for picking up coins is the same familiar "ching" but I have to say, I'm getting a little annoyed with that these days.
SEGA is 0-for-2 on good Sonic games in the last few months. Aside from Sonic Rush on the Nintendo DS, they haven't put out a fantastic, or even acceptable, Sonic game for years. What's the deal? Is it really that hard to take such an iconic, impressive, and lovable character and make a good game out of his speed and intensity? Is it really a better idea to throw a hover board underneath him and his friends and take away any feeling of control? Seriously, what were they thinking? Sonic's creator Yuji Naka should be so ashamed. I really don't like being so harsh on a video game, but Sonic Riders isn't worth your money. It isn't worth your time, and it isn't worth having Sonic's name and image plastered on the cover. If you want to play a mean trick on your kids, buy them Sonic Riders - they might enjoy it just as much as Shadow the Hedgehog.
Description of Sonic Riders
Sonic Riders teams up Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles and a group of new characters, in a wild newracing game. Dr. Robotnik has challenged racers from across the world to compete in his Worldwide Grand Prix, the prize being a Chaos Emerald. Sonic and his friends must compete get the Chaos Emerald before anyone else does. Multiple visually stunning locations from across the Sonic universeKids & Family Games
Computer and Video Games
Bestsellers in Kids & Family Games
Lego Star Wars: The Complete SagaLucas Arts; Lucas Arts Entertainment; Release date: 2007-11-06; Xbox 360; Video Games
Best price: $18.99
Price in other shops:
Kirby Super Star UltraNintendo; Nintendo; Release date: 2008-09-22; Nintendo DS; Video Games
Best price: $27.50
Price in other shops:
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams CollectionCrave Entertainment; Crave Entertainment; Release date: 2008-02-26; Nintendo Wii; Video Games
Best price: $11.94
Price in other shops:
Active Life Outdoor ChallengeNamco; Namco; Release date: 2008-09-09; Nintendo Wii; Video Games
Best price: $51.97
Price in other shops:
Wii MusicNintendo; Nintendo; Release date: 2008-10-20; Nintendo Wii; Video Games
Best price: $48.80
Price in other shops:
SporeElectronic Arts; Electronic Arts; Release date: 2008-09-07; Windows XP; Video Games
Best price: $39.99
Price in other shops:
Lego Star Wars: The Complete SagaLucas Arts; Lucas Arts Entertainment; Release date: 2007-11-06; Nintendo Wii; Video Games
Best price: $18.98
Price in other shops:
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009Majesco; Majesco Sales Inc.; Release date: 2008-10-21; Nintendo Wii; Video Games
Best price: $35.00
Price in other shops:
Wii FitNintendo; Nintendo; Release date: 2008-05-21; Nintendo Wii; Video Games
Best price: $126.99
Mario Kart Wii with Wii WheelNintendo; Nintendo; Release date: 2008-04-27; Nintendo Wii; Video Games
Best price: $38.27
Price in other shops:
Similar Video and PC Games
Spider-ManACTIVISION; Activision Inc.; Release date: 2002-04-18; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops:
Crash Bandicoot Wrath of CortexUniversal Interactive Studios; Universal Interactive Studios; Release date: 2002-04-17; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $19.38
Price in other shops:
Taz WantedAtari; Atari Inc.; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $9.83
Price in other shops:
Call of Duty 3ACTIVISION; Activision Inc.; Release date: 2006-11-07; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $15.93
Price in other shops:
Sonic the HedgehogSega Of America, Inc.; Sega Of America, Inc.; Release date: 2006-11-16; Xbox 360; Video Games
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops:
Lego Star WarsEidos; Eidos Interactive; Release date: 2006-06-15; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $21.99
Lego Star Wars II: The Original TrilogyLucas Arts; Lucas Arts Entertainment; Release date: 2006-09-12; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $19.99
Sonic Mega Collection PlusSega Of America, Inc.; Sega Of America, Inc.; Release date: 2004-11-03; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $39.99
Shadow The HedgehogSega Of America, Inc.; Sega Of America, Inc.; Release date: 2005-11-15; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $20.39
Sonic HeroesSega Of America, Inc.; Sega Of America, Inc.; Release date: 2004-01-28; Xbox; Video Games
Best price: $19.20