Sonic
Riders
Information
Background: Sonic Riders was released for the GameCube, Xbox,
and Playstation 2 in February of 2006 (in America). This is the first
Sonic the Hedgehog racing game since Sonic R was released for the Sega Saturn
in 1997. Instead of characters running on foot, characters use floating
hoverboards called Extreme Gear (simply known as Gear). Extreme Gear
is powered by Air, which is stored in an Air Tank. Air is consumed as
the Gear is used, however characters can replenish Air by performing tricks
or finding an Air Pit.
Story: There are two stories available in the game:
Heroes and Babylon. The Heroes story begins when Sonic and his friends
encounter a Chaos Emerald in the city at night. To everyone’s surprise,
three birds appear on Extreme Gear and steal the emerald. Dr. Eggman
later announces a race called the “EX World Grand Prix.” Sonic does
not seem interested until he sees that the thieves from the night before.
He is determined to enter the race.
The Babylon story supplements some events in the Heroes story. Three
new characters are introduced: Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and
Storm the Albatross. Together these three make up the Babylon Rogues.
The Babylon Rogues seek to find the fabled treasure of Babylon and will
do anything to unlock their ancient secrets.
Gameplay Modes: There are several different modes to play
the game: Normal Race, Story, Mission, Tag, and Survival.
Normal Race allows for three different types of game play. The first
is Free Race, where up to four people can play one track against the computer.
(Note: Some tracks must be unlocked before they can be played in this
mode.) There is also Time Attack, which can be used to practice the
track and get the best time. The World Grand Prix is a non-stop event
with five tracks. Points are awarded depending on how you rank (no
points are awarded for eighth place, which is last place), and the player
with the best score wins.
Story Mode is for one player, and the next race is determined by the storyline.
There are only two storylines.
Mission Mode is unlocked once the Heroes story has been completed.
There are several sets of missions, and the criteria must be met in order
to successfully beat the mission. A badge is awarded upon completion
of the mission and is either gold, silver, or bronze.
Tag Mode has two players sharing an Air Tank. The partners must stay
close together as they race or the character that is ahead will be forced
to stop. Either partner can cross the finish line to win.
Survival Mode has two different types of games. There is a Race Stage,
where four characters fight for possession of the Chaos Emerald. The
character must go through a gate with the Chaos Emerald to obtain a point.
The character with the most points wins. The disadvantage of having
the Chaos Emerald means that your Air will decrease while the opponents
have unlimited Air.
The other type of Survival Mode is the Battle Stage. Four players
battle until only one remains.
Chaos Emeralds: Chaos Emeralds are not collected in the game.
Eggman does require an emerald to enter the tournament in the Heroes story
mode, but the emerald has already been found. The Survival Mode Race
Stage allows characters to try and take possession of the Chaos Emerald
while racing around a track.
Miscellaneous: Additional characters and race tracks can be
unlocked upon completion of certain requirements. To prevent spoilers,
the characters and tracks will not be named.
There is a Shop that is available. In the shop you can buy Gear in
exchange for rings. Rings are obtained once a race is won in Story
Mode (also the World Grand Prix).
See Also:
Read a Review of Sonic Riders
Information on the Sonic Riders soundtrack
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