Sonic Riders was one of the most underrated spin-off games that faded into obscurity. Its hoverboard racing made it stand out from Mario Kart and Sonic and Sega All-Star Racing series. However, the failure of Sonic Free Riders ended the Riders series on a bad note. Despite the failure of Free Riders, I still believe that the Sonic Riders series deserves a second chance.
- Sonic Riders was one of the most underrated spin-off games that faded into obscurity.
- While the sequel wasn’t bad, the third entry’s Kinect exclusivity killed the spin-off series.
- The series deserves a second chance and should stay faithful to the first entry in the series.
What Made Sonic Riders So Special?
As I have previously mentioned, the hoverboard called Extreme Gear is what I believe stood out to me the most in the game. The overall design of these hoverboards reflected the characters who picked them. Additionally, as the player races towards the end of the final lap, he can perform all sorts of tricks to get the best rank possible and boost towards the finish line.
What’s even greater is the inclusion of SEGA’s other popular characters like AiAi and all of these characters had their unique Extreme Gear for fans to try out. Also, the game features mission mode where completing all of the listed missions unlocks Super Sonic and boy oh boy does he destroy everyone in his path while the boost is on. You know the best part? Fans have overhauled the overall game with Sonic Riders DX and it’s marvelous.
Sonic Riders Zero Gravity was the sequel entry in the Riders series and made the overall mechanics the previous entry had simpler. While the game was still fun, the joy of performing your tricks and the overall boost feeling was quite lacking for me. However, the third entry simply sabotaged any fun aspect the games had.
Sonic Riders Zero Gravity’s Simplified Mechanics
Don’t get me wrong, Sonic Riders Zero Gravity isn’t a bad game. However, it missed the freedom that made the first game so special. While it was always fun to fly in zero gravity, hit objects for an additional boost, and get to the finish line like a Sonic Boom, the new skills weren’t anything special and the lack of a boost mechanic made this feel lackluster.
Overall, the game had some good and some bad moments. While the next entry could’ve combined the best elements of both games, it made the one big mistake that seemingly killed the Riders series for good. You know what I’m talking about, right?
Sonic Free Riders & Its Kinect Exclusivity
I have no idea why this game was Kinect-exclusive. Had the Kinect feature been optional, perhaps this game wouldn’t have been so bad. When I first saw Sonic Free Riders, I was immediately reminded back to the days when I enjoyed the heck out of Sonic Riders. My naive 11-year-old self thought that I would get to have the same fun experience again thanks to the Kinect.
Guess what? I was wrong. The only thing I got from this game was back pain. The gameplay was awful, to say the least, and the Kinect sensors didn’t respond well whenever I wanted to select a game mode. My experience was so bad that the only time I had “fun” was when my friend came to my place and we both competed to see who would have back pain first playing this “masterpiece.”
While fans have fixed the Kinect issues, all that remains is what could’ve been had the game not been Kinect-exclusive. While there were some hiccups along the way, there’s no doubt that the series was quite underrated. If SEGA and Sonic Team ever bring the series back, please let it be even better than the first Riders game because it truly deserves its second wind.
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