Basic, yes, but incredibly fun nonetheless. And what’s edgier and cooler than skateboard tricks?: Sonic Riders features a basic stunt system to add variety to the races. Sonic has always been edgier than its direct competitor, Mario. Speed Types have the highest top speeds but lack acceleration Power Types are though, but slow brawlers and the Flight Types are the only ones capable of air riding, at the cost of having terrible durability. The racers are divided according to their capacities into three types: Speed, Power, and Flight. Just like Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing would do years later, the roster of Sonic Riders also includes some iconic characters from previous Sega games: AiAi, NiGHTS, and Ulala are available as secret unlockable characters. Sonic and his friends are included, but so are some new additions to the Sonic mythos, such as Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, and Wave the Swallow. Many well-known characters from previous Sonic games make it into Sonic Rider’s roster. Quick reflexes and memorization skills are needed to overcome the game’s 16 tracks. The gameplay of Sonic Riders looks more like WipeOut than Mario Kart 64, with racers darting through the treacherous courses at the speed of sound.

Sonic Riders is a racer with the rebellious attitude the blue hedgehog is known for, trading puny karts for hoverboards. This isn’t Sonic’s first entry in the racing genre: Sonic R was an ill-fated attempt at turning the Sonic formula into a racer, but the less said about that game, the better.

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