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 installment of the Sonic Riders series (following Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity) and the seventh racing video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series overall.
The game received mixed reviews from critics who praised its content, multiplayer options and graphics but was panned for its controls.
Plot
The plot starts with Dr. 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:
- Team Heroes: Sonic, Tails and Knuckles
- Team Babylon: Jet, Wave and Storm
- Team Rose: Amy, Cream and Vector
- Team Dark: Shadow, Rouge and E-10000B
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.
Gameplay
Sonic Free Riders is a hoverboard racing game featuring characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise 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.
Action Items
Throughout the race, the player will encounter Action Items in a race from Item Boxes which either benefit them or hinder their opponents. The Action Items the player can receive varies depending on the player's position on the race. These items include:
Playable characters
| Character | Icon | Stance | Profile | Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attribute | Lv.1 | Lv.2 | Lv.3 | ||||
| Sonic the Hedgehog | 
|
Regular | Though footloose and free as the wind, this hero can't let injustice go unpunished. He's ready for the World Grand Prix with a next-gen extreme gear! | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Miles "Tails" Prower | 
|
Regular | A natural tinkerer, this fox kit is ready to put his gear know-how and tuning expertise to the test at the World Grand Prix! | Dash | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Limit | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★☆☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ||||
| Knuckles the Echidna | 
|
Regular | As tough as he is stubborn, this guardian of the Master Emerald is set to tackle the World Grand Prix with his usual wild passion. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Jet the Hawk | 
|
Goofy | With unrivaled Gear handling and an uncanny knack for reading the wind, he's there to put his pride on the line and face his rival, Sonic! | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Wave the Swallow | 
|
Goofy | As a combination racer and techie for Team Babylon, this ace's expertise in tuning Gear rivals even her vast knowledge of treasure. | Dash | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Limit | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Storm the Albatross | 
|
Goofy | Though not the brightest bulb, his incredible strength and absolute loyalty make him an invaluable asset as Jet's right-hand man. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★☆☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Amy Rose | 
|
Regular | As Sonic's self-appointed "girlfriend", she's usually hot on his trail. Spunky and proud, she's joined the Grand Prix to be close to him. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Cream the Rabbit | 
|
Goofy | This kind, if naive, youngster is never far from her friend, Cheese. She'd intended to come cheer Amy on, but got roped into racing. | Dash | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Limit | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★☆☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ||||
| Vector the Crocodile | 
|
Bike Gear Only | This strong-armed, big-hearted croc with a short fuse and an endless greed for cold hard cash couldn't refuse Amy's offer to join her team. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Shadow the Hedgehog | 
|
Goofy | This obsidian hedgehog boasts land speeds to rival Sonic's. Though uninterested in the Grand Prix itself, he is eager to test his racing skills. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Rouge the Bat | 
|
Goofy | Famous the world over as a treasure-hunter who targets only jewels, she uses her wiles to bewilder foes as she races for the prize. | Dash | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Limit | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| E-10000G | 
|
Regular | Though mass-produced, this Eggman robot boasts high speed, power and intel specs. It joins the race under orders to gather rider data. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Silver the Hedgehog | 
|
Goofy | A denizen of the future who returned to save the planet from ruin. Sincere and just, he uses telekinetic abilities to gracefully guide his gear. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Blaze the Cat | 
|
Regular | A princess of another world, tasked with guarding the Sol Emeralds. Those she can't best with her keen judgment fall prey to her flames instead! | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Dr. Eggman | 
|
Bike Gear Only | An evil gennius, mad scientist, and archnemesis to Sonic and his friends. He appears in the finals of his own Grand Prix to do away with the heroes. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Metal Sonic | 
|
Regular | Built with specs to rival Sonic's, this robot was made to be the hedgehog's nemesis. With the other riders' data, he's become the perfect racer. | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| E-10000B | 
|
Regular | N/A | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Avatar | N/A | Regular/Goofy[2] | N/A | Dash | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Limit | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ||||
| Power | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ||||
| Super Sonic | N/A | Regular | N/A | Dash | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Limit | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||
| Power | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||
Extreme Gear
Sonic Free Riders is the third game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series to use the Extreme Gears 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 Gears 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: the Board type and Bike type.
List of Extreme Gear
There are a total of 38 different collectible Extreme Gears that can acquired in Sonic Free Riders. The following Extreme Gears are listed as they appear in the Gear Gallery, starting from the first listed Extreme Gear and onward, moving anti-clockwise on the in-game list.
|
Name |
Gear Part Slots | Users |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Star | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Yellow Tail | 2 | Miles "Tails" Prower |
| Red Rock | 2 | Knuckles the Echidna |
| Pink Rose | 2 | Amy Rose |
| Type-J | 2 | Jet the Hawk |
| Type-S | 2 | Storm the Albatross |
| Type-W | 2 | Wave the Swallow |
| E-Rider | 1 | Dr. Eggman |
| Smile | 2 | Cream the Rabbit |
| Temptation | 2 | Rouge the Bat |
| Black Shot | 2 | Shadow the Hedgehog |
| Metal Star | 2 | Metal Sonic |
| Psychic Wave | 2 | Silver the Hedgehog |
| Flame Lance | 2 | Blaze the Cat |
| Hard-Boiled | 1 | Vector the Crocodile |
| E-Gear | 2 | E-10000G, E-10000B |
| Avatar-M | 2 | Male Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Avatar-F | 2 | Female Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| High Booster | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox Live Avatar |
| Turbo Star | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Fastest | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Beginner | 0 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the Hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Omnitempus | 0 |
Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, |
| Potential | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Legend | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Gambler | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Wanted | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| The Crazy | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Explosion | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Professional | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Steel | 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Reserve Tank | 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Vector the Crocodile, Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Angel • Devil | 0 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Vector the Crocodile, Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Hang-On | 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Vector the Crocodile, Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Super Hang-On | 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Vector the Crocodile, Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Auto-Slider | 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Vector the Crocodile, Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Fortress | 0 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, Wave the Swallow, Cream the Rabbit, Rouge the Bat, Shadow the hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, Vector the Crocodile, Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, Xbox LIVE Avatar |
| Chaos Emeralds | 0 | Sonic the Hedgehog |
Courses
- Dolphin Resort Standard
- Rocky Ridge Standard
- Frozen Forest Standard
- Metropolis Speedway Standard
- Magma Rift Standard
- Forgotten Tomb Standard
- Final Factory Standard
- Metal City Standard (Returning course)
- Dolphin Resort Expert
- Rocky Ridge Expert
- Frozen Forest Expert
- Metropolis Speedway Expert
- Magma Rift Expert
- Forgotten Tomb Expert
- Final Factory Expert
- Metal City Expert
Music
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".
Features and functions
Offline features
- Players: 1-2
- Players Co-op: 2-4
- Multiplayer Versus
- In-game Dolby Digital
- HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p
- Storage Device
Xbox Live features
- 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.
Reception
The overall reception of the game has been mixed. IGN gave the game a 7.5/10, praising the gameplay, music and options. They had said that that it is a must buy game of the Kinect because there are lots of features in both multi-play and single-play. They had criticized the menu screen saying that it does not have a good presentation but the voice support helps a lot. They had also said that the cutscenes aren't so cool because they are just "talking by heads". Official Xbox Magazine also gave it 7.5, praising the wealth of content and multiplayer options whilst criticizing occasional unresponsiveness in the controls. GameTrailers gave the game a score of 4.5, panning cumbersome controls that tax the body. Brian Crecente of Kotaku reviewed it negatively, calling it "the most broken of the Kinect titles I've played." Kotaku's Crecente later reported that the responsiveness of the controls seemed to differ between persons, 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." GamesRadar gave it 4/10 and X-play giving it 2/5 stars. As of 27 June 2015, it has sold 1.05 million copies.[4]
Xbox Achievements
| Image | Name | Description | Xbox Live Gamescore |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Welcome License | Clear the Board Gear Basics Tutorial. | 10 |
|
First License | Place 1st in a Normal Race. | 15 |
|
Debut License | Upload a record to the leaderboards. | 15 |
|
Offline Champ License | Place 1st 16 times in Offline Normal Races. | 15 |
|
Rich King | Save a total of 10,000 Rings. | 15 |
|
Bomb-Happy | Hit rivals with a Target Torpedo 30 times. | 15 |
|
Rocket Star | Use a Soda Rocket 30 times. | 15 |
|
Punchout | Attack rivals with a Bowling Strike 30 times. | 15 |
|
Masters | Attack rivals with a Tee Shot 30 times. | 15 |
|
Troublemaker | Attack rivals with Octo-Ink 30 times. | 15 |
|
Clutch Shooter | Attack rivals with a Free Throw 30 times. | 15 |
|
Ringmaker | Use a Ring Can 30 times. | 15 |
|
Boost Star | Use an Octo-Boost 30 times. | 15 |
|
Grand Prix License | You've cleared the World Grand Prix. | 30 |
|
Tag License | Play all courses in Tag Race. | 30 |
|
Relay License | Play all courses in Relay Race. | 30 |
|
Tutorial License | Clear all Tutorial stages. | 15 |
|
Time Attack License | Play all courses in Time Attack. | 15 |
|
Ring Collection License | Play all courses in Ring Collection. | 15 |
|
Damage Survival License | Play all courses in Damage Survival. | 15 |
|
Gear Collector | Collect every Gear. | 40 |
|
Part Collector | Collect every Gear Part. | 15 |
|
Character License | Unlock every character. | 30 |
|
Dolphin Master | Beat 03'45"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Dolphin Resort. | 15 |
|
Rocky Master | Beat 04'00"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Rocky Ridge. | 15 |
|
Frozen Master | Beat 04'15"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Frozen Forest. | 15 |
|
Metropolis Master | Beat 03'50"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Metropolis Speedway. | 15 |
|
Magma Master | Beat 03'36"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Magma Rift. | 15 |
|
Forgotten Master | Beat 04'15"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Forgotten Tomb. | 15 |
|
Final Master | Beat 04'00"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Final Factory. | 15 |
|
Metal Master | Beat 03'15"00 in a standard course Time Attack for Metal City.
15 | |
|
Resort Master | Beat 04'42"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Dolphin Resort. | 20 |
|
Ridge Master | Beat 05'45"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Rocky Ridge. | 20 |
|
Forest Master | Beat 05'00"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Frozen Forest. | 20 |
|
Speedway Master | Beat 04'50"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Metropolis Speedway. | 20 |
|
Rift Master | Beat 05'00"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Magma Rift. | 20 |
|
Tomb Master | Beat 05'00"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Forgotten Tomb. | 20 |
|
Factory Master | Beat 05'22"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Final Factory. | 20 |
|
City Master | Beat 05'20"00 in an expert course Time Attack for Metal City. | 20 |
|
Trick King | Perform an X-Rank trick on every standard course. | 20 |
|
Expert Trick King | Perform an X-rank trick on every expert course. | 30 |
|
Character Master | Place 1st with every character. | 40 |
|
Gear Master | Place 1st with every Gear. | 50 |
|
Charred King | Take damage from Target Torpedos 30 times. | 10 |
|
Gutter King | Take damage from Bowling Strikes 30 times. | 10 |
|
Dash King | Get an UNBELIEVABLE Start Dash on every course. | 40 |
|
Jolt King | Get shocked touching the starting line 30 times. | 10 |
|
Survival King | Get 1st in a Damage Survival race with 150 or more points. | 15 |
|
Ring King | Clear a Ring Collection course with over 400 Rings. | 40 |
|
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 Mike Pollock.
| Role | English voice actor | Japanese voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Sonic the Hedgehog/Super Sonic | Roger Craig Smith | Junichi Kanemaru |
| Miles "Tails" Prower | Kate Higgins | Ryo Hirohashi |
| Knuckles the Echidna | Travis Willingham (credited as Kent Hampton) | 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 (credited as Mike Mycheck) | Daisuke Kishio |
| Wave the Swallow | Kate Higgins | Chie Nakamura |
| Storm the Albatross | Travis Willingham (credited as Kent Hampton) | 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, E-10000B | Wally Wingert |
Trailers
Trivia
- This is the first Sonic game to have its story written by Ken Pontac and Warren Graff.
- 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 retail game to have the modern Xbox 360 banner on its boxart.
- This is the first and so far only Sonic game for the Xbox 360 to require the Kinect peripheral.
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.[5]
- 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 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."
- 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 not possible with Bike Gear.
- In gameplay, the player can hear the characters' dialogue which was not possible 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 Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs after the continuity was rebooted.[6]
References
- ↑ Only playable in Team Dark's Grand Prix Mode.
- ↑ The Avatar's stance can be changed in the Options menu.
- ↑ When Sonic is equipped with the Chaos Emerald Gear and uses the Kick Dash after having collected at least 30 rings.
- ↑ Game Database. vgchartz.com. Retrieved on 29 July 2015.
- ↑ Sega America Blog Out of the Mouths of Hedgehogs
- ↑ Ian Flynn (13 August 2014). The Thread of general Sonic-related questions. BumbleKing Comics. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015.
External links
- Official website (English)
- Official website (Japanese)