What the world of videogames is lacking are more games like Sonic Riders. More unique racers in general would be nice, but just lately we seem to be stuck in that rut of regular vehicles, with night-lit streets to race on. Don't get me wrong; Burnout: Revenge and Midnight Club 3, amongst others, are classics. Sonic Riders would have to be tarred with the same great brush as the SSX games, but these are titles that are often overlooked as racing games. This isn't just a bog standard racer either; it's quite clever how it all works and, boy, it's bloody hard too. No matter how much your kid loves Sonic, keep them away from this game for God's sake, as it's the most infuriating thing since Ninja Gaiden! However, thousands, myself included, will find quite a lot of enjoyment out of this nifty racing title.

Before I get onto telling you how this game is clever in my book, let me tell you the principle of the game. You play as many of the Sonic characters, you can also play as some of the evil guys in this game who are new to the Sonic series. They keep on adding new ones; I remember when it was just Sonic and Tails! Anyway, you're equipped with 'Extreme Gear', which consists of some futuristic hoverboard - although the Sonic characters never call it that specifically, I wasn't born yesterday, I know what it is, my umbilical cord was cut off quite some time ago. So you're riding on your board, going through many pacy levels, including big jungles and large mechanical environments - you see, this whole boarding event was organised by Dr. Eggman himself. While boarding however, there is a copious amount to take on board yourself. See what I did there? Take on board? For a boarding game? [Crickets chirrup and tumbleweed blows by in the eerie silence. Ed]

Firstly, if you're ever going to win you're going to have to remember that coming top three, and even sometimes coming first, is mandatory if you want to progress to the next race, so expect to play the same level over and over again until you perfect every tight turn, every twist and every grind there is. Winning isn't easy and it's not all about remembering all those twists and turns either. You have to learn to ride other boarders' turbulence. When an opposing boarder is riding ridiculously fast, tearing up the track, he leaves a trail of wind - a line of turbulence. You can actually push into this line of wind and ride it, by rapidly moving your thumbstick from left to right and right to left. You can even pull off tricks while riding the turbulence and tricks are also a mandatory part of succeeding.

You see, your boarder has what they call an Air Meter which has to be kept reasonably full to pull off all your fancy flying, grinding, pummelling special character moves, as well as accessing that all important boost button, which you're going to need to use lots and lots. To gain air you need to pull off tricks. Like I said, you can ride the wind like a half pipe and pull off stunts that way. You can also pull off tricks by flying off ramps, or actually going out of your way to one of the environmental half pipes available throughout the races. I suppose you could also call into the pit stop too, which replenishes your air - but the pit will cripple your position and it's not always there when you need air. Pulling off tricks is a breeze; it's easy and it's fun. You do most of your tricks with one single thumbstick too, twist, turn and flip, all with the stick, making patterns in the air; it all looks all feels very satisfying.

If you run out of air, you have to come off your board and just run. This slows you down considerably, so it's advisable to pick up some rings, find a ramp to jump off and pull some tricks or stop at the pit if it's nearby. Of course, experienced players that keep all of the above on their mind at all times will keep their air topped up! Sonic Riders isn't the fastest feeling game out there, and I'm sure he could be outraced by those ridiculously fast Burnout cars, which is disappointing considering that Sonic is the fastest thing alive. However, the whole racing while multitasking turbulence, remembering to pull off tricks, while boosting around corners, is a challenge in itself - and should keep a wide audience entertained.

The modes available should last most people, although the Story Mode is a little on the short side. This mode basically tells a rather comical and pointless story about the good guys and bad guys of the game, FMVs before races, all voice acted - it's nice to begin with the story mode and then explore the other modes afterwards, so it serves it purpose. There is a tutorial video hiding under the extras, not easy to find, and considering that this game really needs a tutorial to play it properly, you'd have thought it would have been a little bit more accessible. Normal Race does what it says on the tin, while Tag Mode is just like a Normal Race, but you form a team and share your air, which adds up for some interesting multiplayer fun. There is a Survival Mode, which consists of a Race Stage that sees you finding and passing through the gates with the Chaos Emerald and a Battle Stage, which is like a free-for-all arena battle where you roll into other people and eliminate them. To round everything off, you can buy new stuff in the Shop with rings you have collected through Story Mode.

Multiplayer is one of those subtle bonuses that hides away in Sonic Riders. Though you might not buy it for you and your friends to play on, you'll soon be inviting them over for a bit of four-player challenging racing. All the above modes, minus Story, can be played with friends, and the Tag Mode is a good laugh (and a good way to turn two of your friends against you and another friend, I might add) - but a beverage and a multiplayer battle is where the fun is. It's just a shame there wasn't an online mode included.

Graphically the game is quite satisfying. There are no frame-rate issues, which is surprising considering the nature of the game, and the FMVs all look pretty; I don't know if Sonic has ever looked as good in 3D - even though I'm still against 3D Sonic, he really works his charm in this racing game. All the race tracks, despite not that many being available, look stunning, especially in the outdoor one where you go from grass to water and you have to raft your way through the waves at the drop of a hat. The graphics aren't perfect, I even got stuck in a bush while racing, and the interface is a little drab, not really Sonic themed in the slightest, but the in-game graphics really do set that right tone for this type of game. The audio in the game is rather good too. Funky beats fill the air while racing, that typical Japanese pop that Sega games seem to be famous for these days. Menu music isn't all that great though, as the same loop wares thin after a while and the repetitive menu blips also wear on the nerves too. However, with most of your time spent racing, I'm sure you'll be happy with the music on offer and the FMVs are well acted (although I'm not entirely convinced with Sonic's manly deep voice) - so the good definitely outweighs the bad here.

Sonic Riders is an enjoyable little title with surprisingly good gameplay, and the multiplayer is a must try if you do end up getting hold of a copy. Although the game is a little on the difficult side, I've haven't had this much satisfaction from winning a race since winning Wipeout races on the ole PSOne. 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. I bet Nintendo wish they'd have thought of this first!

Hey, it's-a-me, Mario Riders!

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).