Sonic Riders

Worth Playing

Just don't believe the hate.

AceGamez

Sonic Riders doesn't boast too many tracks, nor does it have an online mode, which is a shame, but a bit of unique futuristic racing with familiar faces is what I'm after these days, and Sonic Riders delivers on that front hands down.

TotalPlayStation

I swung back and forth so many times on Riders' gameplay that I nearly had an emotional breakdown. The game can seem impossibly difficult until you learn all the shortcuts and master every turn. If that's your cuppa tea, get all over it. If not, rent it.

BonusStage

An engaging arcade racing game that brings along a host of unique new gameplay twists and turns that distinguish it from the score of other similar titles.

Cheat Code Central

It's certainly not perfect, but it is definitely playable and enjoyable. Again, my biggest complaint is the pits...pitstop that is. At any rate it's a far site better than the recently released Shadow the Hedgehog game.

Next Level Gaming

The biggest problem is that there is no online gameplay. And for the more experienced and hardcore adult gamer, this game will get boring very quick[ly].

GameZone

The series’ most notable feature – unparalleled speed – was somehow lost on this installment. Frustration prevails, an element I hope is excluded from all future Sonic releases.

Play Magazine

SR is packed with mostly quirky nuances that take time(and a little frustration)to master, often resulting in races being determined by track memorization as much as mastery of your particular racer's strength's and weaknesses as they pertain to each wild ride. [Apr 2006, p.63]

Gamer's Hell

Far too many Sonic titles are finding themselves occupying a disappointingly mediocre niche in the industry, and Sonic Racers never really advances beyond being acceptable in every department.

GameBrink

If you’re a Sonic diehard you’ll already have it. If you’re not you should never ever touch it. It’s probably the best Sonic racer ever created but as you might know this means nothing.

GameSpot

Sonic Riders can occasionally be quite entertaining, but too many of those entertaining moments are overridden by bouts of frustration and weak mechanics.

Gaming Target

An experiment in crafting a new style of extreme racing game that ultimately fell flat on its face.

Play.tm

It's not as bad as Shadow the Hedgehog (thank god) and is hopefully a step in the right direction for a character that continues to be stuck in a bit of a rut.

IGN

Sonic is one of the fastest videogame mascots alive, so why has he been made to ride a sluggish snowboard in this new racer?

Maxim Online

While not the deepest racer, the game has speedy thrills and frantic multiplayer action that help bring Sonic's usual racing antics and signature speed to the sky.

G4 TV

A highly flawed game. There’s a lot to do and see here, but the gameplay and mechanics can be frustrating and annoying, the story mode is pointless, and the voice acting is truly bad.

GameBiz

While Sonic Riders can be fun in the beginning it will quickly become boring.

DarkStation

Taking a break from the platform genre, Sonic goes racing ala Wipeout, with plenty of speed and more speed. Decent racer, albeit marred by a momentum-killing annoyance.

PSM2 Magazine UK

Another garbled 3D Sonic outing to add to the pile. [May 2006, p.52]

PALGN

With so much competition in the arcade racing genre, Sonic Riders is left out on the cold. It’s not a particularly bad game, but it has enough problems to push it well behind the frontrunners.

PSM Magazine

It's a shame that between this and "Shadow the Hedgehog", our blue-haired buddy has been driven into overkill hell. [Apr 2006, p.80]

ZTGameDomain

Sonic Riders is simply a weak attempt to cash in on the popular Sonic brand with a bare bones racer that simply does everything to the “average” degree.

Console Gameworld

Sonic Riders tries to be too many things at once and ends up failing to be much of a game at all.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Sure, you've got to pull off a few tricks here and there to keep up your momentum, but "SSX" it ain't. [Apr 2006, p.96]

Games Radar (in-house)

Sonic fans may fill their need for speed here, but everyone else, please walk on.

GameSpy

If you or a kid you know loves Sonic, this game will suit your purposes just fine. If you don't love Sonic, but love any racing title you can get, then check it out. If you don't fall into either of those categories, then we're sure you're probably not even reading this review.

Game Revolution

It offers interesting gameplay mechanics and a ton of modes, but the pieces don't fit together well, making this mascot racer better suited for a weekend drag race than a 500 lap cruise.

PSW Magazine UK

It looks really pretty, but it's too hard for kids, too childish for 'da yoof' and too much like a bad acid trip for anyone over 25. Even the most diehard Sega fan will find Sonic's latest a bitter slap in the chops.

Game Informer

The general feeling this game conveys is confusion and chaos, akin to being flushed down a jet-powered toilet. [Apr 2006, p.118]

games(TM)

There is little depth to the control of the boards, and we don't see why this shouldn't have been an on-foot racer. [Apr 2006, p.106]

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

An undercooked cartoon racer that again blemishest eh once-great Sonic name. Only the sense of speed prevents total unplayability. [Apr 2006, p.106]

Boomtown

It’s attractive and zippy, and it’s also frustrating and unfriendly for those who just want to pick it up for fun.

PSX Extreme

Racing games are supposed to be games of skill, not chance. Sonic Riders, despite all of its shortcuts and power-up items, feels like a game of chance. What's more, it's also a real pain in the ass to play.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

As part of the Sonic universe, the game offers tons of fun unlockables like movies and new racing environments, and the rings buy you more Extreme Gear... which makes no discernible impact on the game.

RewiredMind

With a powerful brand behind it, it could sell a truckload of copies. If the game mechanic was worked on a little bit more, then it could have sold several truckloads.

Edge Magazine

It’s just not accurate or tangible enough to be rewarding, handling with the same kind of wool as Sonic’s 3D platformers. [Apr 2006, p.93]

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

You never really feel like you're controlling the racers, but rather just making suggestions that they follow or ignore at their leisure. [Apr 2006, p.80]

Yahoo! Games

Why not make a game starring Sonic and only Sonic, where he's running around on his own two legs, without any weapons besides his own body, in an action/platformer? Crazy? Yes, but it just might work.

Play UK

An absurd racer that should be put through one of its own courses for punishment... This sucks. [Issue#139, p.87]

VideoGamer

How and why the company continues to churn out such rubbish is a mystery, and even the biggest Sonic fans must be starting to lose their patience.

Computer Games Magazine

But this isn't so much a racing game as a slapdash splash of smeared color that never quite captures the feeling of hurtling down a track. [Jun 2006, p.92]