Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Racing games these days seem to be the staple diet of consoles, so it really is no surprise to see the Sonic franchise have a go. With a series that is used to speed as a gameplay element you would think that it might come naturally to the blue hedgehog. Unfortunately, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is just another bland racer with little to hold interest.

You have your classic story mode, a single player affair with a weak plot to justify racing about on a hover-board, as well as time trials and multiplayer races. The story mode lends heavily from the ‘Sonic X’ anime including the terrible voice acting and cut scenes aplenty that try to tell a story which would be well-suited to an early morning kid’s show, and can be happily skipped to get to the game itself.

The standard controls are frankly horrible. It doesn’t so much feel like you are controlling the riders as vaguely pointing them in the right direction and hoping for the best. It comes down to the fact that Sega has tried to link together the Wiimote tilt controls and the d-pad to control the rider. As there is no need to actually use the tilt controls, you can find yourself holding the Wiimote at an angle, which sends your character into a wall or the floor when turning. If you have a Gamecube controller handy, it actually works much better.

When it comes to sharp turns, everything becomes ludicrously bullet-time while you point yourself around the corner before getting a burst of speed. Sure it looks pretty at first, but often it just detracts from the feeling of speed in the game. Of course, in order to get the burst of speed you have to ensure you have enough Gravity Power which is collected either from item boxes on the course, or performing tricks by jumping at the last possible moment; the later the jump, the more Gravity Power you are given.

Gravity Power can also be used for a speed boost activated by flicking the controller. During this time objects are thrown about in your path and you can bounce off them to further increase your speed and prolong your Power. You also have the staple diet of rings to collect that you can cash in for one of 3 increasingly expensive add-ons ranging from ‘Improved Maximum Speed’ to a unique character dependant ability. This can be grinding along certain rails to flying around the sky through speed boosts.

What you end up with is a distinctly average racing game that really doesn’t give you either a feeling of speed or control. It tries to do too much; feeling cluttered, and ultimately fails to deliver anything that will keep you coming back for more. On a console that has the likes of ‘Mario Kart Wii’ and ‘Tony Hawks Downhill Jam’, this is one for fans only.