Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Sonic and Mario can't seem to help competing. The blue blur always seems faster on the draw, with his Wii platformer releasing months ahead of Super Mario Galaxy, and now Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity looks to fill the mascot racer genre before the next Mario Kart iteration. One can't speak for Nintendo's racer just yet, but Zero Gravity might hold its own despite a few apparent frustrations.

For those who didn't play the original Sonic Riders on last-generation platforms, the game is essentially Mario Kart with a Sonic twist, meaning hover boards, loop-de-loops and more speed. Players can choose from the following modes: Story, Normal Race, Survival and World Rankings.

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In story mode, each of the three characters is used twice.

Although the latter three modes will be covered in detail later, let this be clear: the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection logo on the box doesn't mean online racing. World Rankings is only slightly better in Zero Gravity than Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, in that players can download the Ghost data (i.e. one's best track time in character form) from others.

The real first order of business is deciding on a control scheme. Three are available: Wii Remote held horizontally, Wii Remote held vertically and GameCube controller. The first setup is the typical "hold the Wii Remote like a steering wheel" and the second involves pointing an obtrusive blue marker at the screen to direct the rider. The third should be self-explanatory, but the lack of Classic Controller support baffles this reviewer.

Turning feels a bit too rigid.

After testing all three, the GameCube controller takes the crown. The hover boards are innately stiff in turning, and neither Wii Remote scheme feels tight enough. Fortunately, the game doesn't even need to be told to switch to the GameCube pad; plugging in my WaveBird caused an immediate override of the Wii Remote.

Those familiar with Sonic Heroes will recognize the flow of Story Mode. Players start with Team Heroes (Sonic, Tails and Knuckles), watch a cut-scene, race, watch another cut-scene and race again. With only six courses, the plot isn't meant to be engaging, and the rather cheesy dialogue ensures just that. At least players can choose between the English and Japanese voices, or just skip the cinematics entirely. As for the other audio, like the music and sound effects, they're crisp and fitting for the context.

All of the scenes after the introduction use the in-game engine, which is an obvious step-back from the stylized Sonic and the Secret Rings. Although the characters are expressive, and the Wii version is generally sharper thanks to widescreen and progressive scan, the overall visuals still exhibit mid-level PS2 quality. To the game's credit, the courses - which range from a grungy technological city to an aquatic playground to the hollows of an enormous jungle - enjoy more creativity in look and structure.

The race courses keep your interest while boarding.

Gravity is the gimmick, naturally, and Zero Gravity employs the mechanic fairly well. Players have a GP (Gravity Points) gauge that can be built up by obtaining the GP Boost item and performing tricks during the race (launching from the start line at just the right moment will also earn players a healthy gauge from the onset). Tricks usually consist of well-timed jumps from ramps, but also for catching wind currents and grinding on rails. Accumulated GP can be used for either Gravity Control or Gravity Dive - the first being useful for really sharp turns and the second being handy for blazing across straightaways.

The game provides cues as to the best moments for using these techniques, but players are free to experiment. For example, I've learned to use Gravity Control as a compensation for stiff turning, although one wonders if the developers intended this approach. At any rate, the gravity element is nicely integrated; the sensation of gravity 'sucking in', then propelling the character ahead adds to the thrill of speed. Of course, players have to monitor their GP gauge closely. Exhausting it all on a Gravity Dive, for instance, and then having nothing left for Gravity Control on an upcoming turn can cause unwanted slowdown.

Successful gravity usage can create a sense of racing nirvana.

To that extent, coming in first essentially means memorizing the courses so as to know where to best use techniques. A luck factor comes into play just like in Mario Kart, but it's not the kind to depend upon. Players will find item boxes scattered around the courses, but these are far less emphasized in Sonic Riders than Mario Kart, and perhaps by consequence, often far less useful. Some of the items, like Speed Down and Parts Lock, are simply frustrating since they slow you down and lock your parts. Given the reasonably challenging AI, those items can be fatal. Most times, however, the item boxes yield rings, which only have value in the Shop for purchasing new gear.

Beating Team Heroes' story section unlocks the Babylon Rogues' part of the plot, along with the World Grand Prix in Normal Race and a number of new racers such as Cream, Shadow, Blaze and Rouge. Come back for Stage 2 as I cover the rest of the modes, including multiplayer.