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— Tagline

Sonic Free Riders (ソニック フリーライダーズ Sonikku Furī Raidāzu?) is a 2010 racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. The game uses the Xbox 360 Kinect's motion sensor capability released and was released as a Kinect launch title on November 2010. The game was first announced on 14 June 2010 on E3 2010 at Microsoft's Conference. It is the third and final installment of the Sonic Riders series (following Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity) and the seventh dedicated racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series overall.

The game received mixed to unfavorable reviews from critics who praised its content, multiplayer options and graphics but was panned for its controls.

Plot[]

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.

The plot starts with Doctor Eggman who hosts a second World Grand Prix. However in the announcement, he seems to disguise himself as King Doc, hiding himself from revealing his true identity. This time, four teams enter to prove themselves to be the best or win the prizes:

Each team wins the World Grand Prix as the player goes through the story of each team. In the end, King Doc announced that the competitors still have final races to run. Eventually, Eggman decides to drop his disguise and reveals that he attempted to gather the racing data of all of the competitors using Team Dark's E-10000B and challenged them all to a race once again. The doctor loses, who is disappointed that the data he found didn't help him at the slightest. E-10000B breaks down, who is revealed to be Metal Sonic who actually collected the data of every racer and passed on fake info to the doctor. Metal Sonic challenges Sonic to a race, in which Sonic wins. In the end, Eggman reveals he never had prizes to reward at all, however all the team characters agreed that they had fun racing.

Characters[]

Image Character Description
Sonic-Free-Riders-Characters-artwork-Sonic Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic is a hero who loves to live free and does not tolerate any devious deeds. He can be short tempered at times, but is always there for those who are in trouble. He usually travels at supersonic speed on foot, but with his new and advanced Gear, he'll be cruising even faster in style at the Grand Prix with his teammates Tails and Knuckles.[7]
Sonic-Free-Riders-Characters-artwork-Tails Miles "Tails" Prower A kid fox with two tails - hence his nickname "Tails." He loves tinkering with machinery, and has developed various devices to support Sonic's adventures in the past. All of Team Heroes' Extreme Gear are built and customized by this brilliant engineer.[7]
Sonic-Free-Riders-Characters-artwork-Knuckles Knuckles the Echidna Knuckles is the defender of the giant Master Emerald on the floating island in the sky known as Angel Island. To bring toughness to the track, his Extreme Gear is built to enhance his physical abilities.[7]
Jet-sonic-free-riders--signature Jet the Hawk Jet is the captain of a treasure hunting team known as Babylon Rogues. He is considered the most technically gifted Extreme Gear rider with the ability to accurately read the wind streams. He holds high standards and considers Sonic as an ultimate rival since he is the fastest on land. As a team leader, Jet also dislikes showing any sign of weakness to anyone.[8]
Wave-SonicFreeRiders Wave the Swallow Wave is the only gal on the Babylon Rogues, who also happens to be their top mechanic. Being a super achiever, she's in charge of upgrading all of the Extreme Gear and their airship and even analyzes unknown treasures in her spare time. Although she is older than Jet, she faithfully respects and follows him as her leader.[8]
Sonic-Free-Riders-Characters-artwork-Storm Storm the Albatross Storm is the heavyweight rider of the Babylon Rogues. As his frame indicates, he has enough strength to crush a boulder with little effort. He is scorned by Jet for many of the things he lacks but he is happy to defer to Jet's leadership and to be his right-hand man.[8]
Sonic-Free-Riders-Amy-Rose-artwork Amy Rose Amy is always hot on Sonic's heels as his self-professed girlfriend. With a spark of energy and her trademark item - the Piko Piko Hammer, she is ready to track down the blue blur wherever he goes. Hoping Sonic will be racing at the Grand Prix once again, she decides to join the event.[9]
Sonic-Free-Riders-Eggman-artwork Dr. Eggman An evil scientific genius who is always coming to blows with Sonic and his friends, since he is always scheming for world domination The question is how this mad scientist will attempt to crash the party this time around.[9]
Sonic-Free-Riders-Shadow-artwork Shadow the Hedgehog This dark hedgehog boasts running speeds to rival Sonic's. Though uninterested in the Grand Prix itself, he is eager to test his riding skills and would like to beat Sonic.[9]

Gameplay[]

Sonic Free Riders is a hoverboard racing game featuring characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series riding on Extreme Gear. The game is controlled by using the player's body to navigate their chosen character through the course. Actions include bending their body to steer, performing kicking motions to increase speed, and jumping to perform tricks which earn more boost. The player alternatively has the ability to ride bikes, controlled by steering motions. By collecting enough Rings, players can increase their level during each race, which enhances their attributes. There are several power-ups which each require specific motion actions to activate, such as a missile which is thrown like a football or a boost that is activated by shaking a soda can. Motion actions are also required when passing through certain sections of some courses such as swimming in Dolphin Resort. Players can equip Gear Parts to their Gear which grant special attributes, such as improved cornering or the ability to access specific shortcuts, which can be changed by switching the riding stance. Players can also perform special moves if they are falling behind in races.

The game's main single player campaign is the Grand Prix mode, where players select from one of four teams of characters to play through the story. Along with Time Attack and Free Race modes, Sonic Free Riders also features a few multiplayer modes that can be played cooperatively. Tag Mode allows two players to race together, requiring synchronized coordination to perform combined tricks, while Relay Race mode, playable with up to four players, requires teammates to swap places after each lap. The local multiplayer supports up to two active players, while online player multiplayer features one active player per console for up to eight players. The game also supports voice recognition, allowing players to navigate menus using their voice.

Objects[]

Items[]

Gimmicks and obstacles[]

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

Character Icon Stance Statistics
Attribute Lv.1 Lv.2 Lv.3
Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic Free Riders - Sonic Icon Regular Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Miles "Tails" Prower Sonic Free Riders - Tails Icon Regular Dash ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Limit ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
Knuckles the Echidna Sonic Free Riders - Knuckles Icon Regular Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Jet the Hawk Sonic Free Riders - Jet Icon Goofy Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Wave the Swallow Sonic Free Riders - Wave Icon Goofy Dash ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Limit ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Storm the Albatross Sonic Free Riders - Storm Icon Goofy Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Amy Rose Sonic Free Riders - Amy Icon Regular Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Cream the Rabbit Sonic Free Riders - Cream Icon Goofy Dash ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Limit ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★☆☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆
Vector the Crocodile Sonic Free Riders - Vector Icon Bike-type only Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Shadow the Hedgehog Sonic Free Riders - Shadow Icon Goofy Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Rouge the Bat Sonic Free Riders - Rouge Icon Goofy Dash ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Limit ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
E-10000G Sonic Free Riders - E10000G Icon Regular Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Silver the Hedgehog Sonic Free Riders - Silver Icon Goofy Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Blaze the Cat Sonic Free Riders - Blaze Icon Regular Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Dr. Eggman Sonic Free Riders - Eggman Icon Bike-type only Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Power ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Metal Sonic Sonic Free Riders - Metal Sonic Icon Regular Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
E-10000B[note 1] Sonic Free Riders - E10000B Icon Regular Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Avatar N/A Regular/Goofy[note 2] Dash ★★☆☆☆ ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Limit ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆
Power ★★☆☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Super Sonic[note 3] N/A Regular Dash N/A N/A N/A
Limit N/A N/A N/A
Power N/A N/A N/A

Extreme Gear[]

Main article: Extreme Gear

Sonic Free Riders is the third game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series to use the Extreme Gear in gameplay, the first ones being the game's predecessors, Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. Like in the two previous titles, the Extreme Gear are high-tech hoverboard vehicles that are used by the characters to ride on. They are fueled by Air that allows the player to perform certain actions and are the central component in the gameplay.

Like in the two previous titles, every playable character has their own unique default Extreme Gear, which only they can use. However, additional Extreme Gears can be obtained in the game as the player progresses.

Unlike the two previous titles, Sonic Free Riders only features two types of Extreme Gear: Board type and Bike type.

List of Extreme Gear[]

There are a total of 38 different collectible Extreme Gear that can acquired in Sonic Free Riders. The following Extreme Gear are listed as they appear in the Gear Gallery, starting from the first listed Extreme Gear and onward, moving counter-clockwise on the in-game list.

Name Image Gear Part Slots User(s)
Blue Star Blue Star Free Riders 2 Sonic
Yellow Tail Yellow Tail SFR 2 Tails
Red Rock Red rock SFR 2 Knuckles
Pink Rose Pink Rose SFR 2 Amy
Type-J Type-J SFR 2 Jet
Type-S Type-S SFR 2 Storm
Type-W Type W SFR 2 Wave
E-Rider E-Rider SFR 1 Eggman
Smile Smile SFR 2 Cream
Temptation Temptation SFR 2 Rouge
Black Shot Black Shot SFR 2 Shadow
Metal Star Metal Star 2 Metal Sonic
Psychic Wave Psychic Wave SFR 2 Silver
Flame Lance Flame Lance SFR 2 Blaze
Hard-Boiled Hard Boiled 1 Vector
E-Gear E-Gear SFR 2 E-10000G, E-10000B
Avatar-M Avatar M 2 Male Xbox LIVE Avatar
Avatar-F Avatar F 2 Female Xbox LIVE Avatar
High Booster High Booster SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Turbo Star Turbo Star SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Fastest Fastest SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Beginner Beginner SFR 0 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Omnitempus Omnitempus SFR 0 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Potential Potential SRZG 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Legend Legend SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Gambler Gambler SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Wanted Wanted SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
The Crazy The Crazy SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Explosion Explosion SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Professional Professional SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Steel Steel SFR 2 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar
Reserve Tank Reserve Tank SFR 1 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Metal Sonic, Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar
Angel • Devil Angel Devil SFR 0 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Metal Sonic, Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar
Hang-On Hang On SFR 1 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Metal Sonic, Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar
Super Hang-On Super Hang-On SFR 1 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Metal Sonic, Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar
Auto-Slider Auto Slider SFR 1 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Metal Sonic, Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar
Fortress Fortress SFR 0 Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Metal Sonic, Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar
Chaos Emeralds Chaos Emeralds (Sonic Free Riders) 0 Sonic

Courses[]

Sonic Free Riders features a total of eight unique tracks to race on, along with there being both standard and expert variants of each, creating sixteen different options. The courses are as follows:

  1. Dolphin Resort
  2. Rocky Ridge
  3. Frozen Forest
  4. Metropolis Speedway
  5. Magma Rift
  6. Forgotten Tomb
  7. Final Factory
  8. Metal City

Features and functions[]

Offline[]

  • Players: 1-2
  • Players Co-op: 2-4
  • Multiplayer Versus
  • In-game Dolby Digital
  • HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p
  • Storage Device

Xbox Live[]

  • Players: 2-8
  • Content Downloads
  • Leaderboards
  • Voice Messaging
  • Voice Support

Avatar Support[]

There are unlockable costumes in which the player can unlock for their avatar, both male and female. These are the following:

  • Sonic Shirt – Place first on every course with Sonic.
  • Jet Shirt – Place first on every course with Jet.
  • Sonic Free Riders Shirt – Watch the credits in their entirety.
  • E-10000 G Shirt - Place first on every course with E-10000 G.

Soundtrack[]

The main theme, "Free", was performed by Chris Madin, with music by Jun Senoue and lyrics by Johnny Gioeli. It was first performed at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show. The game's soundtrack, Break Free: Sonic Free Riders Original Soundtrack, was composed by Tomonori Sawada and Koji Sakurai and was released on 8 December 2010. Included in the 12 tracks is a Crush 40 version of "Free".

The soundtrack would later be released on iTunes on 25 April 2012 to coincide with the Platinum Collection re-release of Sonic Free Riders in Japan a day later, accompanied by re-releases of the soundtracks for the previous Sonic Riders titles: Speedbeats Grand Prix: Sonic Riders Original Soundtrack, and Zero Gravity Tracks: Sonic Riders Shooting Star Story Original Soundtrack.[10]

Reception[]

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
Metacritic 47%[11]
Review scores
Publication Score
Famitsu 32/40[12]
Game Informer 5.75/10[13]
GamesRadar 4/10[14]
GameTrailers 4.5/10[15]
IGN 7.5/10[16]
Joystiq 1/5 starsStar emptyStar emptyStar emptyStar empty[17]
Official Xbox Magazine (UK) 7.5/10[18]
X-Play 2Star fullStar halfStar emptyStar empty

The overall reception of Sonic Free Riders has been mixed, with its score on Metacritic sitting at a 47%,[11] although it was the "34th Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010" on the site.[11]

Jack DeVries of IGN gave the game a 7.5 out of 10, praising the gameplay, music and options.[16] He stated that Sonic Free Riders is "definitely one of the games you should get to round out your Kinect collection" as there are lots of features in both multi-play and single-play. Although, he criticizes the menu screen's presentation, but says that the voice support helps a lot.[16] Official Xbox Magazine also gave the game a 7.5 out of 10, praising the wealth of content and multiplayer options whilst criticizing occasional unresponsiveness in the controls.[18] GameTrailers gave the game a score of 4.5/10, panning cumbersome controls that tax the body.[15] Brian Crecente of Kotaku reviewed the game negatively, calling it "the most broken of the Kinect titles" that he had played.[19] Kotaku's Crecente later reported that the responsiveness of the controls seemed to differ between persons,[20] with fellow reviewer Stephen Totilo saying the controls worked fine for him. Joystiq gave the game 1/5 stars, calling it "the equivalent of patting your head while rubbing your stomach while riding a unicycle."[17] GamesRadar gave the game 4/10,[14] with X-Play agreeing with their rating of 2/5 stars.

Free Riders Japanese Best Kinect Title Award

Free Riders' "Japanese Best Kinect Title" award.

As of June 2015, the game has sold 1.05 million copies.[21] On 18 September 2011, Sonic Free Riders was awarded for "Japanese Best Kinect Title" by Microsoft Japan for its contribution to the sales of the Kinect, which had reached 10 million units sold by 9 March 2011.[22][23] Director/Producer Kenjiro Morimoto stated that him and his team were extremely happy to receive the award, and that while they found its development to be challenging, they were glad to bring the fun of Kinect to many consumers.[24] On 1 March 2012, Sega announced that Sonic Free Riders would also see a re-release under the Platinum Collection budget label on 26 April 2012, alongside Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force; both games retailed for 2,940 yen.[25] The game would also see a North American Platinum Hits re-release in 2013.[26]

Achievements[]

Image Name Description Gamescore
SonicFreeRiders Achievement WelcomeLicense Welcome License Clear the Board Gear Basics Tutorial. 10
SonicFreeRiders Achievement FirstLicense First License Place 1st in a Normal Race. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement DebutLicense Debut License Upload a record to the leaderboards. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement OfflineChampLicense Offline Champ License Place 1st 16 times in Offline Normal Races. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RichKing Rich King Save a total of 10,000 Rings. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement BombHappy Bomb-Happy Hit rivals with a Target Torpedo 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RocketStar Rocket Star Use a Soda Rocket 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement Punchout Punchout Attack rivals with a Bowling Strike 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement Masters Masters Attack rivals with a Tee Shot 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement Troublemaker Troublemaker Attack rivals with Octo-Ink 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement ClutchShooter Clutch Shooter Attack rivals with a Free Throw 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement Ringmaker Ringmaker Use a Ring Can 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement BoostStar Boost Star Use an Octo-Boost 30 times. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement GrandPrixLicense Grand Prix License You've cleared the World Grand Prix. 30
SonicFreeRiders Achievement TagLicense Tag License Play all courses in Tag Race. 30
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RelayLicense Relay License Play all courses in Relay Race. 30
SonicFreeRiders Achievement TutorialLicense Tutorial License Clear all Tutorial stages. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement TimeAttackLicense Time Attack License Play all courses in Time Attack. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RingCollectionLicense Ring Collection License Play all courses in Ring Collection. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement DamageSurvivalLicense Damage Survival License Play all courses in Damage Survival. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement GearCollector Gear Collector Collect every Gear. 40
SonicFreeRiders Achievement PartCollector Part Collector Collect every Gear Part. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement CharacterLicense Character License Unlock every character. 30
SonicFreeRiders Achievement DolphinMaster Dolphin Master Beat 03'45"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Dolphin Resort. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RockyMaster Rocky Master Beat 04'00"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Rocky Ridge. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement FrozenMaster Frozen Master Beat 04'15"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Frozen Forest. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement MetropolisMaster Metropolis Master Beat 03'50"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Metropolis Speedway. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement MagmaMaster Magma Master Beat 03'36"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Magma Rift. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement ForgottenMaster Forgotten Master Beat 04'15"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Forgotten Tomb. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement FinalMaster Final Master Beat 04'00"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Final Factory. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement MetalMaster Metal Master Beat 03'15"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Metal City.

15

SonicFreeRiders Achievement ResortMaster Resort Master Beat 04'42"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Dolphin Resort. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RidgeMaster Ridge Master Beat 05'45"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Rocky Ridge. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement ForestMaster Forest Master Beat 05'00"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Frozen Forest. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement SpeedwayMaster Speedway Master Beat 04'50"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Metropolis Speedway. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RiftMaster Rift Master Beat 05'00"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Magma Rift. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement TombMaster Tomb Master Beat 05'00"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Forgotten Tomb. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement FactoryMaster Factory Master Beat 05'22"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Final Factory. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement CityMaster City Master Beat 05'20"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Metal City. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement TrickKing Trick King Perform an X-Rank trick on every standard course. 20
SonicFreeRiders Achievement ExpertTrickKing Expert Trick King Perform an X-rank trick on every expert course. 30
SonicFreeRiders Achievement CharacterMaster Character Master Place 1st with every character. 40
SonicFreeRiders Achievement GearMaster Gear Master Place 1st with every Gear. 50
SonicFreeRiders Achievement CharredKing Charred King Take damage from Target Torpedos 30 times. 10
SonicFreeRiders Achievement GutterKing Gutter King Take damage from Bowling Strikes 30 times. 10
SonicFreeRiders Achievement DashKing Dash King Get an UNBELIEVABLE Start Dash on every course. 40
SonicFreeRiders Achievement JoltKing Jolt King Get shocked touching the starting line 30 times. 10
SonicFreeRiders Achievement SurvivalKing Survival King Get 1st in a Damage Survival race with 150 or more points. 15
SonicFreeRiders Achievement RingKing Ring King Clear a Ring Collection course with over 400 Rings. 40
SonicFreeRiders Achievement TechnicalKing Technical King Place 1st without using a Kick Dash. 30

Cast[]

This is the first game where all the previous 4Kids voice actors have been replaced with Studiopolis voice actors, except for Mike Pollock.

Role English voice actor Japanese voice actor
Sonic the Hedgehog Roger Craig Smith Jun'ichi Kanemaru
Super Sonic
Miles "Tails" Prower Kate Higgins Ryo Hirohashi
Knuckles the Echidna Travis Willingham[note 4] Nobutoshi Canna
Amy Rose Cindy Robinson Taeko Kawata
Cream the Rabbit Michelle Ruff Sayaka Aoki
Vector the Crocodile Keith Silverstein (uncredited) Kenta Miyake
Jet the Hawk Michael Yurchak[note 5] Daisuke Kishio
Wave the Swallow Kate Higgins Chie Nakamura
Storm the Albatross Travis Willingham[note 4] Kenji Nomura
Shadow the Hedgehog Kirk Thornton Koji Yusa
Dr. Eggman Mike Pollock Chikao Otsuka
Rouge the Bat Karen Strassman Rumi Ochiai
Silver the Hedgehog Quinton Flynn Daisuke Ono
Blaze the Cat Laura Bailey Nao Takamori
Omochao Laura Bailey Etsuko Kozakura
E-10000G Wally Wingert N/A
E-10000B

Trivia[]

  • This is the first Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Riders game to be released exclusively on a Microsoft console.
  • This is the first Xbox 360 Sonic the Hedgehog game to have the modern Xbox 360 banner on its box art.
  • This is the only Sonic game for the Xbox 360 to require the Kinect peripheral.
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Website asking for mode of choice.

  • The game's original website used a Webcam feature for a hit start of the Kinect gimmick.
  • Unlike the previous two Sonic Riders games, all the characters start riding on a Gear approaching the starting the line from a relatively far distance as opposed to holding a "packed-up" Gear and approaching the starting line on-foot.
  • Amy is the only starting character from Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity who must be unlocked in this game, which therefore makes this the only game in the subseries in which Amy is not available as a starting character.
  • This is the first game where Sonic is seen swimming without a life jacket (with the exception of Super Smash Bros. Brawl). However, this is merely for gameplay purposes.
  • This is the first game in which nearly all of the 4Kids voice actors were replaced by Studiopolis voice actors. Only Mike Pollock was kept as Dr. Eggman's voice actor.[27]
  • This is the first Sonic Riders game in which Shadow, Rouge, and Cream are in Story Mode, as opposed to being unlocked to be played in Race Mode.
    • This is the second game to feature Cream in missions, the first being Sonic Riders.
  • This is the first game since Sonic Heroes to have Metal Sonic as the true main villain. Also, Metal Sonic's plan to absorb the data of the other characters mimics his plan in Sonic Heroes as well.
  • This is the only Sonic Riders game with no skate gear (possibly due to conflicts with some of the Kinect motions).
  • This is the first Sonic Riders game to feature weapons during mid-race and not just on a Battle Course.
  • This is the first Sonic Riders game to not feature any characters from other Sega franchises (NiGHTS, Ulala, Amigo, etc.).
  • Team Babylon and Team Rose are the only two teams that face off in the same location, Metropolis Speedway, in either story (Standard and Expert respectively).
  • The game has its own Xbox and Kinect skin sold separately.
  • During the ending of the first 1/3 of Team Dark's story, Omochao says, "Is it the calm before the storm? I'll have all the details, assuming that robot doesn't get anymore ideas." However, in the subtitle during the last 7 words, it reads, "assuming that robot doesn't get get anymore ideas."
TheBest360Ever
  • In the Final Story, after Sonic beats Metal Sonic, Wave mentions that the lack of treasure and money will ruin their reputation as rogues, but the subtitle said "Rouges" instead of "Rogues".
  • Some of the artwork in the game (such as on the character select) are reused art from the other Sonic Riders games. Examples are that Tails and Knuckles portraits are taken from Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. This was before original artwork for the game was used in the final build.
  • In some point during development, Dr. Eggman and Vector were probably meant not to be limited to Bike Gear, as there are unused voice clips of them shouting "Switch!", a line characters on board-type Extreme Gear shout when changing Gear Parts, which is impossible with Bike Gear.
  • In gameplay, the player can hear the characters' dialogue which was impossible in the first two games (except when attacked by another character).
  • This is the only game in the Sonic Riders series where the final boss fight takes place in its own story.
    • Additionally, this game is also the only Sonic Riders game where the final boss is a playable character.
  • According to Ian Flynn, the events of Sonic Free Riders have taken place in the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs after the continuity was rebooted in issue #252.[28]
  • Sonic Free Riders is the only Xbox 360 Sonic title in Japan to be given a budget re-release under the Platinum Collection banner.
  • In 2023, a fan-made patch was created by Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) modder "Rei-san" for Sonic Free Riders that added controller support to the game, allowing players to play it without the need of a Kinect. The patch was received extremely well for allowing what was seen as an "unplayable game" to many, either due to the lack of a Kinect, adequate space for it, or finding the Kinect controls to be difficult to use, to be more widely enjoyed.[29]

Videos[]

Notes[]

  1. Only playable in Team Dark's Grand Prix Mode.
  2. The Avatar's stance can be changed in the Options menu.
  3. When Sonic is equipped with the Chaos Emerald Extreme Gear and uses the Kick Dash after having collected at least 30 Rings.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Credited as "Kent Hampton"
  5. Credited as "Mike Mycheck"

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 ソニック フリーライダーズ (Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved on 13 February 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sonic Free Riders – Website Open And Release Dates Confirmed. Sega (1 October 2010). Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved on 4 March 2022.
  3. Xbox LIVE Marketplace - ソニック フリーライダーズ (Japanese). Microsoft (JP). Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved on 13 February 2022.
  4. Xbox LIVE Marketplace - SONIC FREE RIDERS. Xbox. Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved on 13 February 2022.
  5. Xbox LIVE Marketplace - SONIC FREE RIDER (French). Xbox. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved on 13 February 2022.
  6. Xbox LIVE Marketplace - SONIC FREE RIDERS. Xbox. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved on 13 February 2022.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Sonic Free Riders (Xbox 360) United States instruction booklet, pg. 10.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sonic Free Riders (Xbox 360) United States instruction booklet, pg. 11.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sonic Free Riders (Xbox 360) United States instruction booklet, pg. 12.
  10. 『ソニック フリーライダーズ』Xbox360プラチナコレクション!. Sonic Channel Staff Blog (26 April 2012). Retrieved on 26 November 2023. "2012年4月25日より『ソニックライダーズ』『ソニックライダーズ シューティングスターストーリー』『ソニック フリーライダーズ』の3タイトルのオリジナルサウンドトラックを「iTunes Store」他にて配信を開始いたしました♪"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Sonic Free Riders (Xbox). Metacritic. Retrieved on 4 March 2022.
  12. ソニック フリーライダーズ(Xbox 360)のレビュー・評価・感想情報. Famitsu (25 Novemver 2010). Retrieved on 6 August 2022.
  13. Gonzalez, Annette (3 November 2010). Sonic Free Riders Review. Game Informer.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Zubriski, Bryce (2 December 2010). SONIC FREE RIDERS REVIEW. GamesRadar. Retrieved on 4 March 2022.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Review Pod: Sonic Free Riders (Flash). GameTrailers (4 November 2010). Archived from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved on 4 March 2022.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 DeVries, Jack (1 November 2010). Sonic Free Riders Kinect Review. IGN.
  17. 17.0 17.1 Nelson, Randy (4 November 2010). Sonic Free Riders review: Board to death. Joystiq. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved on 4 March 2022.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Reyes, Francesca (4 November 2010). Sonic Free Riders Review. Official Xbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved on 4 March 2022.
  19. Crecente, Brian (4 November 2010). Review: Sonic Free Riders Shows How Bad Kinect Controls Can Be. Kotaku. Retrieved on 4 March 2022.
  20. Crecente, Brian (10 November 2010). Is Sonic Free Riders Broken, Or Is It The Reviewers?. Kotaku. Retrieved on 4 March 2022. "...suggested they poll reviewers to see if there was some commonality among those that had control issues. That's what I'm going to do here"
  21. Game Database. vgchartz.com. Retrieved on 29 July 2015.
  22. Sales of Microsoft's Kinect top 10 million. Phys.org (9 March 2011). Retrieved on 4 November 2023.
  23. 本日更新ソニックチャンネル!. Sonic Channel Staff Blog (5 October 2011). Retrieved on 4 November 2023.
  24. 『ソニック フリーライダーズ』 Japanese Best Kinect Title 受賞. Sonic Channel (Old) (18 September 2011). Retrieved on 4 November 2023. "Morimoto: この様な名誉ある賞を頂けたことに、開発一同たいへん大きな喜びを感じています。本タイトルの開発は「初めてのこと尽くし」でいろいろと苦労も多かったのですが、本タイトルを通して多くの方々にKinectの楽しさを届けることができて良かったです。このタイトルを支えてくれた関係者の皆様、本当にありがとうございました。"
  25. 「ソニック フリーライダーズ」「電脳戦機バーチャロン フォース」の2作品が“Xbox 360 プラチナコレクション”として4月26日に発売. 4Gamer.net (1 March 2012). Retrieved on 10 November 2023. "yusuke: セガは本日(2012年3月1日),「ソニック フリーライダーズ」および「電脳戦機バーチャロン フォース」をXbox 360 プラチナコレクションとして4月26日に発売することを発表した。価格は共に2940円(税込)。"
  26. File:Sonic Free Riders Platinum Hits Disc.png
  27. Sega America Blog Out of the Mouths of Hedgehogs. Sega.
  28. Flynn, Ian (13 August 2014). The Thread of general Sonic-related questions. BumbleKing Comics. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015.
  29. Rei-san (17 July 2023). Sonic Free Riders | No Kinect Patch | Release v1.0. Youtube. Retrieved on 25 November 2023.

External links[]

Sonic Free Riders

Main article | Scripts (Introduction, Team Heroes, Team Babylon, Team Dark, Team Rose, Final Race) | Staff | Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off games
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