If Sonic fans are waiting for the hedgehog’s next great game (or even the first good racing game) then there’s bad news ahead: all Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity manages to do is scratch his legacy once more.

The game begins with Eggman trying to act out his evil plot in a story which is actually weaker and more contrived then the usual standard for one of Sonic’s games – even when compared to the spin-offs – and has a duration that will see you complete the game in a few hours.

Anyway, it sets up some reason why Sonic has to stop running and hop on a hover board and race. Unfortunately, once you’re on that board things don’t really improve.

A Sonic the Hedgehog racing game should be fast, and, at times, this game reaches levels of speed appropriate for a game bearing the blue mascot’s name. When using the Wii-mote, however, it’s hard to properly control your character even at a snail’s pace – imprecise to the point your poor avatar gets a beating as he’s slammed into each side of the track in turn. To salvage anything, you’re going to have to dig out a Gamecube controller.

When a particularly sadistic corner approaches, you’re able to slow your character down by holding a button. Now you can position yourself suitably to make it around the bend, until you decide to release your racer off again. It’s a great idea that does shine in the few moments the game allows it to.

Using this turn technique is one way you can use up your energy points, earned through jumping. The other way is to dash, giving you a quick boost to overtake some rivals. Crashing into things can speed you further, although it’s best not to ponder the logic of this (as is true of many elements of the game, including the aforementioned story).

There are different boards to ride, with different types of board allowing you access to different shortcuts on levels. One grants you the ability to grind your way to victory, cutting seconds off your lap times by making use of the various rails dotted around. There are other styles of shortcut, which could have lead to interesting play if used properly.

This feature is another victim of the weak and infuriating level design — often demanding several runs before you can find a successful route around the course. None of the techniques (such as turning) or other intricacies built into the play are properly explored on each track, leaving the whole thing seeming another missed opportunity.

It looks and sounds like a Sonic game, but Zero Gravity is another failed attempt at a worthy addition to the Hedgehog’s once great franchise, and is best left alone.

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.

Tags: bad_news, racing_game, sonic_riders_zero_gravity, sonic_the_hedgehog, wii_mote

• Sega Trademarks New Sonic Title
• Sonic The Sackboy: LittleBigPlanet Goes Hedgehog with DLC Costume Pack
• Hands-On Preview: Pro Bull Riders: Out of the Chute
• NYC Gym Explains $110 Wii Fit Program
• SEGA Announce Summer of Sonic: World’s First Sonic Convention
• Sonic Unleashed Goes Arctic and Runs on a Whale in New Holoska Trailer
• Wii/DS Review: Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games
• Sonic Unleashed – E308 Screens

5 Comments » Toone on May 30, 2008 3:39 pm Neuk met me! sonic, ik wil wippen! LOLLIPOP on April 5, 2009 12:23 am LMAO this review is a completely big shit. O_________________o on June 3, 2009 1:12 am im not really interested… hm… for some reason this reminds me of Kirby Airride. lols wtf on June 11, 2009 2:30 pm whats mario doing in a sonic riders zero gravity picture… i see luigis hat too. Sparks on June 13, 2009 7:56 pm well belive ot kirby air ride was a good game but this game gets boring fast RSS feed for comments on this post. Comment Now Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks. Notify me of followup comments Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.