Rapid Fire- Sonic Riders Zero Gravity

Foreword: This is going to be one of (hopefully) several mini-reviews in the spirit of the way Toonami looks at games , as I still am unable to post reviews for Giantbomb.com due to a glitch. I am going to keep doing this until the issues are resolved.

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Sonic is one of the fastest video game characters since the days of the Sega Genesis. So seeing the Blue Blazer ride on a hoverboard might look weird at first. But I urge you to suspend your disbelief when Sonic and friends do this for the Wii racing game Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

There is a tale to be told in this game: When mysterious rocks began to fall from the sky and caused robots to rampage out of control, it is up to Sonic and company to fix the mess. But the story is not important; the racing is. This is where the mysterious stones spice things up.You see, these stones have the power to manipulate gravity, meaning that characters can now stick onto walls and other pieces of terrain and enter some shortcuts. You can also rotate your character on a dime for some sharp turns, and finally you can go all-in for one Gravity Dive that can give you a massive speed boost. Moreover you can evolve your hoverboard in the middle of the race to be faster, or even completely turning it into another vehicle to access some more pathways in the race. The game is at its best when you pull off the Gravity Dives and go through various shortcuts at amazing speed, and you'll look good doing it because the game is something to behold, especially for a Wii game.

The game has two story modes, including one fate-of-the-world boss battle in the second story mode. The two modes are easy enough but if you are still chomping for more racing there is a Grand Prix mode (race on 6 tracks in a row) and local multiplayer for up to 3 other racers. There are also mini-tasks you can tackle out of over 15 tracks, such as breaking targets with the gravity powers or finishing a lap at a certain amount of time. Now those parts are indeed very hard.

This game is not going to supplant Mario Kart as the number one racing game on the Wii, but that being said it is still a good game in its own right. It plays well, sounds good and looks even better. If you want a racing game for the Wii, this game is one serious prospect to consider.

I give Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity 4 stars out of 5.

Right thru gravity, indeed.

This is the link for the full review. Note that this review is very old though.