So Mario Kart Wii is finally out to much rejoicing, but what's this approaching from behind? It looks like a blue blur... it's a hedgehog on a hoverboard! Never one to turn down a bit of mascot rivalry, Sega has now released Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, a follow up to their 2006 answer to the kart racing genre.

The story revolves around a meteor shower, which suddenly causes Dr. Robotn... I mean Eggman's robots to go run rampant. It turns out that the meteorites were parts to a special machine that allow for the manipulation of time and space, which the robots are furiously trying to track down. By divine intervention, Sonic miraculously obtains one of the meteorites and the chase is on. The fact that Sonic & Co think the best way to outrun a legion of robots is to beat them in a three-lap race around a closed circuit mightn't be the most well-conceived plan, but we'll forgive it because after all, it's aimed at the little ones.

For returning players, you know what to expect from the title, now with new abilities to tackle corners in slow motion and charge up for a super boost. For those of us that never gave the series a chance (I take it that's most of you), Sonic Riders is all about hoverboard racing through multi path tracks, busting tricks and using power-ups to gain an edge. Sonic Riders might rest on the fringe of kart racers, but its standard fare you'd no doubt expect.

Mario Kart has always been so popular because it's simple enough to pick up and play but with a depth that longs to be mastered. Sonic Rider's biggest fault in my eyes is its over-complication. The courses are confusing and the controls more so. For a game that should be at home as a pick up and play title, it takes time to understand the mechanics before you can just jump in. It's no RPG, but there's too much to concentrate on for a first-time player. They'll find themselves against controls that are counter intuitive and tracks that offer multiple routes but only if you know what you're doing. The 'Gear Change' power up system goes beyond simple perks to actually affecting how you are able to progress around a track. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity features a tutorial, but even with demonstrations of each aspect I still struggled to remember and implement them. Put it in a party situation with 4-player multiplayer and it's just too much to handle. Unless you're keen to learn the tracks on your own and dominate the single player, it just feels overcomplicated for the type of game that it is.

The question still remains though, what the hell is the super-fast hedgehog doing on a hoverboard in the first place? Marty McFly may have made the item the must-have mode of transportation for the year 2015, but you can't help but think that the chilli dog-loving mammal would be better suited on foot. Sonic R way back on the Saturn tackled foot racing in 3D, whilst more recently on the PSP Sonic Rivals has tried its luck in 2D, but both have failed to hit the mark. This failure is not because Sonic wasn't wearing a pair of badass shades or grinding up rails, but just that the feel and mechanics failed to capture that original Sonic spirit. All that Sonic fans (that is to the say the millions of gamers that made Sonic a household name) really just want is a game about running and jumping at super speed with no wankery in between.


It's not a bad looker and offers a substantial amount of variety and longevity, provided you like what's on offer. Sadly this one that only the hardcore fans and young gamers new to the franchise will enjoy.



Nothing to see here folks, you may now return to playing Mario Kart