Sonic Riders

Sonic Riders
File:Sonic riders.jpg
Developer(s)	Sonic Team
Publisher(s)	Sega
Platform(s)	GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release	February 23, 2006 February 21, 2006 March 13, 2006
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Sonic Riders is a Sonic racing game revealed by Famitsu on September 7, 2005 prior to 2005's Tokyo Game Show. It has been released in America for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Plot

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are hot on the trail of another Chaos Emerald when a trio of thives riding hoverboards come out of nowhere and steal it from under their noses. Sonic quickly starts his pursuit, but when Knuckles manages to knock Storm, one of the thieves, from his board, Sonic uses it to catch and overtake the leader of the thieves, Jet, in an attempt to head them off. However, Jet, being vastly more experienced at using the technology, manages to knock Sonic from his board using the wake of his excessive speed, thus allowing the thieves to finally escape from Tails and Knuckles. The next day, Sonic and the team find out that Doctor Eggman has set up an Ex-World Grand Prix, where the entry requirement from each player is one Chaos Emerald and the prize is winner takes all. The team then discovers that the main contenders are those very thieves that they ran into the previous day! Our heroes promptly take up the challenge. But what are Eggman's true motives, and what of the three thieving avian rogues?

Characters

The confirmed playable characters are:

Speed

• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Amy Rose
• Jet the Hawk
• Shadow the Hedgehog
• E-10000g (also known as "Robo 2")
• Ulala (from Space Channel 5) [1]
• Super Sonic [2]

Flight

• Miles "Tails" Prower
• Wave the Swallow
• Rouge the Bat
• Cream the Rabbit (and Cheese)
• NiGHTS [3]

Power

• Knuckles the Echidna
• Storm the Albatross
• Dr. Eggman
• E-10000r (also known as "Robo 1")
• Aiai (from the Super Monkey Ball series) [4]

Rumored Characters

There is a 17th character slot on the US site; since there is no indication as to who they are, some possible rumors are:

• Super Sonic
  • Confirmed to exist in the game when using a Chaos Emerald gear with Sonic; however, whether he is the 17th slot is unknown.
• Mario
  • In Nintendo Power, there is a phrase "some dreams do come true" about a character; this could mean Mario as a GCN-exclusive character, because of the dream of Mario VS Sonic. Still, the possibilities are extremely low. The quote most likely refers to the already confirmed character NiGHTS.
• Billy Hatcher
  • Perhaps a possibility. This character is a strong possibility, if some of the others aren't playable.
• Fang the Sniper/Nack the Weasel
  • Although unlikely, Fang does bring up much discussion. Also, the Chaotix were brought back in Sonic Heroes after being gone for while, which doesn't make Fang the MOST unlikely choice. Plus GamerTV describes Fang riding a bike. Look here for further detail

Notes

Some notes about the list:

• Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross, all new, are members of a new organization of thieves and bandits known as the Babylon Rogues and are led by Doctor Eggman during the tournament until a certain point in the game. Jet is Sonic's rival at the time, Wave is Tails' one and Storm is Knuckles'. Other than that, very little is known about them except that Wave is a master mechanic.
• Only Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jet, Wave, and Storm are playable in Story Mode. However, Amy, E-10000g, and E-10000r do race against the other players. Amy and Eggman also make appearances in the plot of Story Mode.
• It is unknown as to what Shadow is like in Sonic Riders after the events of Shadow the Hedgehog, considering that in the end of SHtH, he chose to leave his past behind to be a free citizen.
• GamerTV is said to have shown a picture of a character, of which someone described this way:

Kinda hard to discribe, im guessing hes some sort of puple rat by looking at him (color coordination again) but he has a massive L-shaped tail and a pointy bucktooth (beaver?) and a western style hat and attire, kinda like a cowboy. He was also driving a bike of some kind which ive seen only eggman do.

This description matches Nack the Weasel/Fang the Sniper. However on Sonic HQ, someone else managed to record the episode. Apparently, there was a 3 second clip from a game called Crazy Frog Racer (based off the fad of the same name) that was meant to compare Sonic Riders with other games. The particular scenes they had shown must've simply contained a character who resembled Fang, while it wasn't actually him. Although, upon browsing through the Crazy Frog Racer website, no such character matches Fang's description. Possibly indicating that he is indeed in Sonic Riders.

• In the PS2 Demo, Eggman has clips of his voice by Deem Bristow AND Mike Pollock. This is apparently because they decided to reuse some of Eggman's Sonic Adventure 2 2-Player Mode quotes in Sonic Riders. The rest of the characters use brand new quotes.
• So far, there has been no "Last Story" available. Due to the lack of conclusion in the Babylon Story, and also from the aspect of Sonic Team's commenting on a 'huge' story mode, it's possible that more stories are unlockable.
• It has been confirmed that Omochao is the announcer.

Character Attacks

Each character will have set abilities to use on other opponents. Thus far, the potential abilities for some of the characters are:

• • Sonic - Yells, "Here I come!,"(Lv1), Rolling Splash(Lv2), Tangle Roll(Lv3)
  • Tails - Electric Plug(Lv1), Swinging Electric Plug(Lv2), Stronger Electric Plug(Lv3)
  • Knuckles - Beast Roar(Lv1), Arm Swing(Lv2), Fist Screw(Lv3)
  • Jet - Sneeze(Lv1), Leaves(Lv2), Screw Attack(Lv3)
  • Wave - Scold(Lv1), Wrench(Lv2), Dynamite(Lv3)
  • Storm - Tornado Clap(Lv1), Wind Slap(Lv2), Hammer Slam(Lv3)
  • Amy - Scream, "Out of my way!"(Lv1), Piko Piko Hammer(Lv2), Stronger Piko Piko Hammer(Lv3)
  • Dr. Eggman - Loud Party Staff(Lv1), Glove Punch(Lv2), Blinding Fart(Lv3)
  • Rouge - Heart Attack(Lv1), Kick(Lv2), Bat Cracker(Lv3; from Sonic Battle)
  • Cream - Crying Face(Lv1), Cheese(Lv2), Stronger Cheese(Lv3)
  • Shadow - Energy Balls(Lv1), Turn and Kick(Lv2), Chaos Control Spheres(Lv3)
  • E-10000R(Robo 1) - Head Split(Lv1), Double Arm Spin(Lv2), Head Bash(Lv3)
  • E-10000G(Robo 2) - Blinding Light Bulb(Lv1), Spinning Kick(Lv2), Guru Guru Punch(Lv3)

Stats

Stats taken from Demo Disc recently released.
Board and Vehicle stats are relative to character using it.
Both are incomplete lists.

Characters
Name	Type	Dash	Limit	Power	Cornering
Sonic The Hedgehog	Speed	3	4	3	2
Miles Tails Prower	Fly	4	3	2	4
Knuckles The Echidna	Power	3	3	4	2
Amy Rose	Speed	3	4	3	2
Jet The Hawk	Speed	3	4	3	2
Storm The Albatross	Power	3	3	4	2
Wave The Swallow	Fly	4	3	3	2
Dr. Eggman	Power	3	3	4	2
Shadow the Hedgehog	Speed	3	4	3	2
Rouge the Bat	Fly	4	3	3	2
Cream the Rabbit	Fly	4	3	2	2
E-10000g	Speed	3	3	3	2
E-10000r	Power	3	3	3	2

Boards and Vehicles
Name	Type	Dash	Limit	Power	Cornering
Blue Star	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Yellow Tail	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Red Rock	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Pink Star	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Type J	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Type W	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Type S	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Smile	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Temptation	Board	+0	+0	+0	+0
Darkness	Skates	+0	+0	+0	+0
E-rider	Bike	+1	+1	+1	+1
Air Tank	Bike?	-1	-2	-1	-1
Heavy Bike	Bike	+0	+0	+0	+0
High Booster	Bike?	-1	-1	-1	+0
Auto Slider	Board?	+0	-1	+0	+0
Powerful Gear	Board?	-2	+0	+3	+0
Fastest	Board?	-3	+3	+0	-2

Courses

There are 16 courses in the game, 8 for Team Hero and 8 for Team Babylon. Each course has a coinciding "partner" from the other team. The courses are listed below.

Heroes

• Metal City
• Splash Canyon
• Egg Factory
• Green Cave
• Sand Ruins
• Babylon Gardens
• Digital Dimension
• SEGA Carnival

Babylon

• Night Chase
• Red Canyon
• Ice Factory
• White Cave
• Dark Desert
• Sky Road
• Babylon Guardian
• SEGA Illusion

Extreme Gear

It has been confirmed that there will be more than just air boards. These air vehicles will be called "Extreme Gear". Currently, three types are known. Bikes, skates, and boards. The boards are the main one, but the other two can be found as well. Eggman uses a bike (and others have been seen with bikes) called "E-Rider," and; ironically, Shadow uses a pair skates called "Darkness". The known gear is below.

• Boards
  • Blue Star [Sonic Only]
  • Yellow Tail [Tails Only]
  • Red Rock [Knuckles Only]
  • Type J [Jet Only]
  • Type W [Wave Only]
  • Type S [Storm Only]
  • Pink Star [Amy Only]
  • Smile [Cream]
  • Temptation [Rouge]
  • E-GearG [E-10000g]
  • E-GearR [E-10000r]
  • Blue Star 2 [Sonic Only]

• Skates
  • Darkness [Shadow]
  • Grinder

• Bikes
  • E-Rider [Eggman, Jet]
  • Bike [Jet]
  • Motor Cycle [Storm]
  • Accleration Bike [Wave]
  • Motor Bike [Knuckles]
  • Scooter [Sonic]
  • Engine Cycle [Tails]

Unlockables

Characters

• Shadow the Hedgehog
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'
• Rouge the Bat
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'
• Cream the Rabbit'
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'
• Dr. Eggman
  • Beat 'Babylon Story'
• E-10000g
  • Play a certain amount of races.
• E-10000r
  • Play a certain amount of races.
• Ulala
  • Thus far, it is not known how to unlock Ulala.
• AiAi
  • Thus far, it is not known how to unlock AiAi.
• NiGHTS
  • Thus far, it is not known how to unlock NiGHTS.

Gear

• Darkness
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'
• Temptation
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'
• Smile
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'
• E-Rider
  • Beat 'Babylon Story.'
• Blue Star 2
  • Beat 'Babylon Story.'
• Magic Carpet
  • Beat 'Babylon Story.'

Courses

• SEGA Carnival
  • Get a gold in the 'Hero Cup' of Grand Prix mode.
• SEGA Illusion
  • Get a gold in the 'Babylon Cup' of Grand Prix mode.

Stories

• Babylon Story
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'

Modes

• Mission Mode
  • Beat 'Hero Story'

Shop

• Ability to buy Skates
  • Beat 'Hero Story.'
• Ability to buy Bikes
  • Beat 'Babylon Story.'

Miscellaneous

The game is being produced by Takashi Thomas Yuda, who created Knuckles and has worked on such titles as Puyo Puyo and Space Channel 5.

It is known that, according to a preview for Sonic Riders found on IGN [5], there are about 50 Extreme Gear in total, and that there is no button used for acceleration, nor is there a "trick" button; tricks are done with the control stick.

Each story ends with six races; Babylon Gardens is the final Heroes story mode stage.

It has been confirmed through translations of the Japanese site, that there are unlockables in mission mode. This may be where some special, "real" secret characters can be unlocked. This may in fact be where Ulala, NiGHTS, and AiAi are unlocked. Also confirmed is that there are over 100 missions in mission mode, given out by Wave and Storm, who aren't played in their respective missions.

The inclusion of NiGHTS, Ulala and AiAi was confirmed very early on at The GHZ, although some denied their reliability.

Features

• All-new air board racing. New blend of snowboarding, surfing and high-speed racing combat.
• Innovative “Turbulence" air-system. Catch the drift of your opponents and leave them in your wake!
• Insane tricks. The more difficult trick you pull off, the more points you get!
• 4-Player Ultimate Battle. New rival group, the Babylon Rogues sets the stage for scorching head-to-head multi-player battles up to 4 players.
• Choose from 17 different playable characters, the largest selection in any Sonic game to date!
• Over 14 outrageous tracks, plus multiple modes, and tons of bonus unlockables.
• Collect and customize your Extreme Gear with over 9 unique types of equipment to choose from, as well as equipment upgrades.
• Unravel the mystery in Story Mode. You’ll play as two opposing teams, complete with cut-scenes.
• Cut-scenes done by the legendary anime production company "Production I.G.", it is confirmed they did the intro, it is unknown if the other cut-scenes by I.G.

Cameos

• In the Team Sonic opening, during Eggman's announcement, a city that appears to be "Central City" can be seen in some monitors behind him. Either that, or the monitors are actually windows.

• When Eggman is talking to Sonic, Tails and Knuckles at the beginning, at the top right you can see a picture of Sonic running from the whale off Sonic Adventure. Also next to that is a picture of Sonic Sonic Heroes style.

• The Sega Carnival stage features numerous references to several other Sega franchises, including NiGHTS and Billy Hatcher*

Rumors

• An interview with Eurogamer suggests that Sonic Riders is already scheduled to get a next-gen sequel on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 [6]. However, this could be interpreted simply as a 'port' - as opposed to releasing a true 'sequel' - up to a more powerful range of systems than currently available.
• The same interview suggests that Sonic Riders may see release on the PSP, but nothing has been decided yet.
• In an interview with Nintendo Power, Takashi Yuda says he doesn't know much about the Nintendo Revolution; but based on what he does know, he believes that the system could bring Sonic Riders "to the next dimension" [7].

Sonic Riders 2

Sonic Riders 2 is an upcoming game that was announced by Takashi Yuda (the producer of Sonic Riders) to Eurogamer in an interview. The game will appear on next-gen consoles, Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Not much is known about the games other than the above information.

Gallery

• Cream
  Cream
• Eggman
  Eggman
• Knuckles
  Knuckles
• Rouge
  Rouge
• Shadow
  Shadow
• Sonic
  Sonic
• Team Babylon (Babylon Rogues)
  Team Babylon (Babylon Rogues)
• Tails
  Tails
• Gameplay
  Gameplay
• Gameplay
  Gameplay
• Gameplay
  Gameplay
• Gameplay
  Gameplay

External links

• Official US site
• Official Japanese site
• Official European Site