Among all the crazy stuff Sonic was doing in the mid to late 2000s, I always felt that Riders fully encompassed the series' full attempt to be creative and unique from others. I love the newer racing games by Sumo Digital but at the end of the day they're just other kart racers. Sonic using a board and being active while racing is such a cool and fitting concept
Ikr! I feel like that's the thing critics (and even fans) miss when thinking about Riders. The physicality and attitude of skateboarding in the 90s/00s PERFECTLY fit a cocky, faster than sound hedgehog.
Honestly, I love Riders, its probably the best sonic racing game, it was a racing game in a style that fits sonic, cuz Riding hyper fast hover board while going throught some extreme terrain, sounds like something sonic would do, the game it self is really fun, and makes more sense then sonic driving a car
At first I was gonna disagree about needing a tutorial, but looking back on this game didn't realize how steep the learning curve is. Hard to believe I got really good at this. For a racing game the story had no business being this good. And I completely agree that Jet is Sonic's best antagonist. We've never seen someone get under Sonic's skin before, it's kinda surreal seeing him get mad for the first time. A few indermediate/advanced tips for those that wanna ace this game: >When you start a race start walking back then start your run around the 2.5~2.7 second mark in the count down. It's a bit difficult to get right but if you do, garunteed excellent/unbelievable start >When drifting you wanna input direction first then R. If you press R first you'll just brake and kill momentum. >When you do tricks you have to land properly to get to get the air and trick grade. HOWEVER if you do 4+ tricks in a row you will get an 'X' grade and the rider will auto orient themselves upon landing and keep up momentum. > There are 3 types of ramps: low incline ramps, steep half pipes, and 45 degree short ramps. To get the best air off each, hold control stick up for low ramps, back for half pipes. The 45 degree ramps could go either way or even sideways but depends on the stage. >Each level has a 100 ring capsule that will automatically max level your gear. Find where they all are and save them for the 2nd/3rd lap. If someone attacks you, your gear will reduce to lvl 1 and these capsules can be a great comback
Addendum to the last point: You can only get the 100 ring capsule in the forest stages as a flight type, and the 100 capsule doesn’t exist in the frozen factory in free race/Grand Prix, but it does in story mode for some reason?
Not sure if anyone knows this but you can escape a turbulence by inputting a tornado although one doesn't appear you will escape turbulence, but I don't remember if you kill your momentum
*i thank the RUclips recommendations* i remember playing sonic riders when younger, it was fun as hell, could never beat the third race level, though, i still adore the game
8:59 wait are you telling me i have kept missing the rails all the time because i wasn't pressing the button a second time and not because the collision with it was strange?...
Bought the japanese version on gamecube 2 or 3 years ago, still playing to this day. I’m glad you talked about the way they handled the cut-scenes, the characters are so expressive ! I think they are among the best in the series !
I feel like mentioning that backflipping off of curved jumps and front-flipping off of flat jumps to get to the higher jump paths is rather important. As long as u have a well charged jump that is
Sonic Riders was and still is my favorite sonic game. I can't even describe the joy I get from this graphics, gameplay and art direction that is so cool but rare.
24:45 Nick, that's Ulala from the Space Channel 5 series. She became a playable character in the SEGA All-Stars Racing games (just like AiAi and NiGHTS in ASR Transformed). Also, Sonic Riders was the first Sonic game I ever played back when I was young. Even now, it still remains as my #1 favorite racing game. The "hoverboard" concept makes it more unique and thrilling than any of the Mario Kart games IMO. I look forward to your review of SR: Zero Gravity. Keep up the good work!
hot tip it takes 2.5 seconds from the fifty mark to get to the line, so there's your perfect starting timing you can also hold back on certain ramps to jump higher for some shortcuts and forward to jump farther to access some shortcuts, other than that well covered
I love Riders, and its art style. It easily has some of the best character models of the series next to the both Adventure game and 06's. Too bad Free Riders killed it dead. Talk about start as you mean to continue - beating out Colours by about a week - with a pretty piss poor decade of the Meta Era in terms of games, story and character representation as well how they are supposed act when they do appear... Also with saying about Tails getting mad about being dissed by Wave, its good that they actually let him do something about it, proving he can stand as an equal beside Sonic. Rather than having being stuck having to prop up and carry and bad tribute act who has barely enough personality to fill a sandwich, despite the fact that Sega are trying to pass him off as Sonic. "And don't you dare try and do anything that makes you look cool in his presence Tails!" Sega warn. "As that could undermine our cheap marketing gimmick! And we need him to look strong. Hence why we're having Chaos take a dive after one hit rather than letting you fight himself yourself, allowing the chance of growth as you start to climb out of the hole of despair you're in." I was just as surprised when they let him stand up for himself against Silver in Rivals 2, who was coming across more like a high school bully, trying to take the young fox cub's lunch money/rings. But he soon learned he was messing the wrong kitsune and I remembered it was indeed from a different time. Here's hoping we can get back there again in the 2020s, now that Pontac and Graff have been given their marching orders. I heard they dumbed down Zero Gravity quite abit compared to the first game, but I guess when you can actually play the game with proper controls, unlike Free Riders, I guess you can't fault it too much. Plus I do like after Wave disses Tails, you see Amy going into battle for the pride of the young fox cub, proving that she isn't blind to the plight of others and is just a crazed Sonic fan girl... seriously how did Free Riders butcher her character so badly!?
I am loving this absolute renaissance of this game. It used to be a cult classic that the only people would play this are people who grew up on this game but now so many people are hopping on. Here’s to hoping that Sonic team gives this series one more shot
You forgot to mention that you can take top paths from ramps by jumping at the very edge of the ramp and holding either forward or back on the control stick to either shoot yourself forward or pop yourself up, depending on what that specific top path requires you to do to get on it (example: the top path in metal city requires you to hold forward when jumping off the edge of the ramp to get to it, while the one in egg factory requires you to hold backward). (Edit) also the ball and chain item, but I’m fine forgetting about that lol
It took me two years before I understood how to drift. I was stuck on sandy ruins for two years due to that final corner. Once I did it, l realised there were more stages. To play a game and realise years later that theres more maps to play on was mind blowing to me.
This game was a huge part of my youth. My cousin and I struggled to understand how to play this game optimally. When we finally figured it out, we were like GODS.
I'll admit, when I first played this game, I had NO idea what I was doin, it took me a bunch of experimentation to figure it out. Once I did though, I was zooming around the track and having no issues. It's a fun game.
I just like to say that Jet the Hawk is such an underrated Rival/Character in the Sonic series. 11:35 Like kinda excluding Metal Sonic, Jet is the only Sonic Rival that out right claims he's faster & better than Sonic and challenges him at his own game. I think there's a point he genuinely gets under Sonic's skin. Not to mention Jet is virtually the "Anti-Sonic" and it's a shame that he hasn't really came back until the IDW series during the "No Spoilers" Saga. Tho even there he and the Babylon Rouges really shined and it shows what great characters they are.
Thanks for making this video man. I was already interested in checking this game out since I'm a huge nights fan, but you totally convinced me. I'm sold
Man back in the day with my ps2 I would play this for hours! Discovering the mechanics of a racing game were always one of my favorite pastimes. Learning this game was extremely satisfying. From learning the best way to hold the analog off a jump, the shortcuts with flying type, and experimenting with all the e-gear! Zero gravity wasn’t as good for me but I still put tons of hours into that game as well. Sonic riders will always hold a place in my heart as one of the funnest racing games I’ve ever played and still do to this day. Wish it could make a comeback.
Love this game. It's nice to see other people loving it too. First time I discovered this game, I played for weeks with my cousins. And it was fun slowly learning and figuring out how the game works on our own. But even so, yea I agree, a good tutorial never hurts. I love Mario Kart and all, but they really need to bring back the different racing games that we had in the past. Like this game or even stuff like Kirby Air Ride.
When I was a kid, I played Zero Gravity on mi Wii, which has oversimplified mechanics. I started to play this game a couple of weeks ago, and I certainly struggled to learn how to play, each race from the story mode took me hours to beat until I mastered the mechanics and the shortcuts, but its so satisfying and fun once you get into it. I wish SEGA remake this game someday, an eventual online mode would be crazy.
There's also this mechanic about jumping where you can take shortcuts if when you jump you press a directional button. For example, you sometimes see that there's a second floor when you jump, like at the very beggining of Metal City, in these cases, you'd have to charge up your jump while also pressing the up directional button in order to "go further". On the other hand, sometimes you want to get higher, not further, like in Green Cave at the end where you can get a triple jump on spider webs or at Splash Canyon, also at the end where you can jump through the waterfall to land on a Rainbow, both cases done if you charge and "move" downwards. This mechanic was eliminated on Zero Gravity and well, it added some extra fun. All in all this will forever be my favorite game, and I'll always remember for bringing me so much fun and joy! Thanks for sharing this video so a lot of people can try this wonderful masterpiece!!!
Y’know, despite the very steep learning curve of this game, I understood the mechanics when I was 6. I have no idea how I even learned the game. I’m thankful that I understood the game so quick, because Sonic Riders is one of my favorite racing games.
Okay so this might be my favorite Sonic video on RUclips. I have plugged hundreds of hours into Riders and it is one of my favorite games of all time. I'm so happy to see that very detailed tutorial you put in, considering that I had to figure all of that shit out myself as a kid I know how steep the games learning curve is. Also. Finally! FINALLY! FINALLY!!!! SOME RESPECT FOR MY BOY JET!!! FOR THAT ALONE I'M SUBSCRIBING HOLY SHIT!! Riders, more than any other subset of the series, is what I want a new entry in the most. Thanks for making this.
My friend, you just summarized why I still enjoy Sonic Riders to this day. Totally not biased since it was my first Sonic game ever, but I still enjoy its art style and characters. Never got used to its mechanics, but it won't stop me from getting it again just to play it to its entirety.
Actually, the tornado spin does have one very specific and useful purpose; if you're using the Tornado Gear, it basically becomes free, infinite boost. It will send you forward instead of stopping you in your tracks, and you can spam it infinitely due to it costing no air.
im very happy to see that recently the original sonic riders is getting the attention it deserves, and with it so many fan projects that reimagine what a remake would be like... and thank you for including sonic riders tournament edition!!
I have a lot of nostalgia for this game, and full transparency, the nostalgia I have is why I will unironically defend the lack of tutorials. I spent hours doing tracks over and over to figure out how certain mechanics work and how consistently nail jumps that need both height and speed to reach. Figuring everything out and practicing the tracks is, for real, the most fun I had with the game.
Every ramp that has a high level and ground level to access, you have to fully charge your jump while pulling down on the stick or pushing up on the stick to get to the higher level. It'll only be one or the other, and it's the same every time. For example, the first ramp in Metal city, you have to push forward, but the last ramp in the lap, you have to hold the stick down. Took me forever to figure that out. Holding forward is for levels that are further away, and pushing down is for levels that are much higher in the air. Also, forgot to mention Mission mode, which is actually really cool and challenging.
When I was 8 year old and got this game for the GC it took me nearly a year to get all the mechanics or how to even jump on the rails as a speed type. After that time I discovered a tutorial video in the gallery but it was in english and I am german so thats that. Anways I remember having a great time with this game and at a point I even started speedrunning the story for fun back in the day
I used to play this game a lot as a kid, but I recently got my hands on it again and DEAR GOD IT STILL IS AS GOOD AS I REMEMBER, one of my favourite games ever. I'm currently trying to beat all missions with gold rank and man are they fun to do. The sequel's great too, especially with the new additions to the level up system
6:40 the Tornado Spin is almost exclusively made for Battle Mode, where using it to counter people trying to ram you with +5 Attack is a matter of life and death. 7:50 What about the Ball and Chain or giant Bomb? Granted these items are exceedingly rare, but when you do get them: *Ball & Chain: it's reverse of Speed Sneakers; you go a hell of a lot slower for a few seconds. *Bomb: A huge bomb just appears in front of you and rapidly rolls over everyone in front of you. I don't think I've ever seen one explode. Also, Lightning Shield is temporary, lasts about 10-15 seconds before it just fades out. I imagine they do this so you still have to aim to collect rings most of the time instead of just becoming the runaway ring sponge who's constantly at Lvl 3. 10:00 Power-Types do have a bit of a disadvantage in regards to how their shortcuts operate compared to Fly and Speed in that when they open their shortcut, someone tailing them can tag along right behind.
I think you forgot to mention that when doing an air trick your height and distance are influenced by your tricks. If you rotate forward then you'll go as far as possible, if you rotate backwards you go as high as possible. Some platforms require you to do these types of tricks if you want to reach them, like the 1st track's 1st and last jump
Nice video bro. You might know this but I wanted to say this after watching your footage. For ramps that curve upward like a quarter pipe, hold the back button while and just after charging your jump. For “kicker” style ramps that don’t curve up, hold up on your controller the same. That’s how you get the best air.
I've never played this game but I own Zero gravity which is a fun game. Watching this game it looks a lot more fun. I dont mind using the gravity mechanic but it stops the gameplay a lot. While this game seems to be all go. It also seems to be a lot faster then Zero gravity. I'm surprised this game hasn't been rereleased on modern platforms. Cause if it was I might give it a shot. I have a gamecube but they cost a lot of money nowadays.
You can emulate it on PC. The tournament version that he was talking about in the end is basically just the game but on computer. And the biggest differences between this and Zero G is air management (a skill that takes a lot of time to get good at,) speed (this game is a lot faster and it feels glorious,) and automation. Zero G automates and locks away a lot of stuff that you could just do in this game.
Holy crap! I came as a tournament edition regular to see this cuz indeed riders is probably one of the most underrated gems of all time, but geez you went so into it! Im honestly just surprised you mentioned tournament edition in the first place. I will say though, if you do decide to play tournament edition, there is so much more to learn than what he talked about. From tech like boost chaining to skips that cut out sections of the track, there is so much to do in tournament edition. Other than all that though, great video! Its so awesome to see so many people talking about riders now! I just wish sega would stop sleeping on it Edit: forgot to mention this video alone earned you a sub. You’ve earned it
I was _just_ playing this game last night, and here are some tips: •The story and mission modes are insanely hard, so do not feel bad if you fail again and again. •On that note, be sure to take breaks while playing. At least on the PS2 version, trying races over and over really hurts your fingers and sometimes messes up my fingernails (I don't bleed, but the nail ends stick out from the sides of my fingers, it's kinda gross and very painful). •Do *not* buy the cloud from the shop. Like Nick said, it is far too slippery. Don't be like me and think "hehe good stats and funny Journey to the West/ Goku reference. Better save up all my rings after 3 years of on-and-off play of the story mode to get it!".l Actually, a lot of the gears are garbage, so be sure to check some GameFAQs guides to know if a piece of gear is worth your rings. •Feel free to replay the first stage dozens of times to get rings. Buying new gear is very fun, even if you cannot use them in story/mission mode.
Yes I found the Babylon story especially hard. First place EVERY mission is a bit demanding. Yeah you get experience because you have to do Hero side first but it's still to easy to lose last minute due to bull shit. The mission mode I didn't find hard to finish but getting those gold medals is hard as fuck. Especially the tricking missions, you basically have to get an X rank off every ramp!
@@sanjuku Getting gold on the trick missions so far has been easy enough for me. You just have to hold jump down for a stupidly long time before hitting the ramp.
This was one of my first racing games, and I must say, I was lucky! I spent hours and hours playing, I've played all games at 100% (except for Free Riders), and I have to say that it is my 2nd favorite racing series!
Honestly, Riders is a game I still routinely return to even with all the neat new consoles and gadgets and gizmos I could play literally anything on, it's a game that just immediately has impact and oozes charm. This video does a great job at discussing everything to love about the game, despite the jank that I personally feel adds a sort of charm to this game. The only issue I can take with it at all is that there's a few inaccuracies regarding the tracks. In particular, there are a total of SIXTEEN tracks, not fifteen, not fourteen. The bonus tracks still count, regardless of if they're bonuses or not. As well, you call the tracks "SEGA Carnival version 1" and "SEGA Carnival version 2," but not only is version 2 the ORIGINAL version of the track, it's the only one actually called "SEGA Carnival", as the other one is the alternate version called "SEGA Illusion." Beyond that, an utterly fantastic overview and video essay!
For me, the main 2 issues of this game are: -1 The lack of a tutorial or practicing level, I still remember that I went to the free race mode to practice with the AI. And the worst issue for me is that the characters are too light, I mean that when you crash with an NPC (or wall or obstacle), the momentum pushes you out of the course to the limits of the track (I mean the grass or brown sand in the desert). That thing annoys me, because in the desert level of the Babylon story ( I don't remember the name since I skip the race introduction, bad for me) I always get pushed to the brown sand and I always lose on that race. Anyways great game, tha style and music makes me remember of Jet Set Radio Future and I love that game : 9/10
I had so much trouble getting this game to start on my old Windows XP laptop 10 years ago, after watching the epic intro and cutscenes, the game would just not play. I remember winning this in a Kids Magazine competition as a part of the Sonic PC Collection containing Sonic Adventure, Heroes, Mega Collection Plus and of course... Riders 10 years later (this year), I got a better computer that can play CDs, and I tried installing this game over there once I did, I got excited to play this hidden away gem. I remember each time I raced a track in the story mode, it would take me about 20-30 tries before I become 1st place and actually move on with the story then I went head first into the missions and aimed for Gold. They are what took up those 50 hours of required playtime to unlock E-10000R This game made me feel challenge like I never had before in a Sonic game, and it was satisfying. As of right now, I have unlocked all the tracks and characters (and Super Sonic), and I have also bought every last board, skate and bike in the Black Market shop and restored all the exclusive boards in Mission Mode I am 100% done with the game Going for a full-on 100% is kind of like my rite of passage into playing Tournament Edition (where all the characters, stages and gears are unlocked from the start) and I wanted to make sure I unlocked it all myself first so that I "deserve" to play SRTE if that makes sense
I WAS OBSESSED WITH THIS GAME AND ITS SEQUELS BEFORE 2020 ENDED AND I STILL WANT TO PLAY IT SO BAD. My father promised an Xbox 360 before the year-end so I could play Zero Gravity but it never came. YET, I look forward to it in the future :) thanks for this video!
I remember playing this in this after school care and I used to play with older kids and I was like 2nd grade and everyone wanted to be wave. I finally got her for the first time, but then some 5th grader was complaining "hey I wanted to be Wave"! So this other 5th grader was a bully and his friend so he snatched the controller from me and switched it to someone else. I didn't do anything because I was in 2nd grade and soft. But other than that this game was awesome. 👌😎👍
I used to play Sonic Riders alot with my sister YEARS ago. She'd always beat me in races even with a handicap(using objectively bad extreme gears). I still play it occasionally here and there but not as much as i used to, but i still love the game.
The animated intro and CG opening cutscene always had me giddy as a kid; I thought this game was so fucking cool and exuded style. Remember absolutely getting my ass kicked in the story races until I became good enough, still have nightmares of trying to beat both of those Babylon tracks in either story. Really hope to see extreme gear make some sort of return in a future title, I recently read the IDW comic and had a cheesy smile when Sonic and Knuckles made use of them so it gives me some hope.
I beat the hero story a while ago, and I didn't see this video, probably because I beat it before the video and babylon garden was a chore. But I've started bablyon story and am on ice factory. I'm definetly gonna use this video for help! This was super informative and is going to help alot! You earned a new subscriber!! Also, I'm playing zero gravity right now and even though there are different mechanics, it's still gonna be helpful!
I grew up playing this a lot and pretty much mastered everything in your tutorial but still didn’t even know the tornado spin existed. Just shows how much this game needed a tutorial. Lol
I have played sonic riders before, I beaten it and 100% it. it's really enjoyable when you think about it, compared to games like mario kart or sonic racing transformed it's a entirely different thing and that what makes it unique. I do agree with you sonic riders has one of the best sonic cutscenes and maybe even up to date. the way how the characters express is great plus I can see from your point of view, the models do look hella nice even I wish they was in sonic heroes. sonic riders is underrated, it isn't talked about much and hell I didn't even know a fangame of it existed until you talked about it. I appreciate you trying to get fans into sonic riders because truly that game deserves more respect and love. I still play the game myself to this day well mostly using a emulator but I have fun speedrunning through the stages, learning new shortcuts in the process it's quite charming to say for the least.
Playing this game when i was a kid on my ps2 for years without any tutorial was sure not easy but i was able to improve by playing it more and more, me and my cousin used to play this game like madmen, the sega carnival stage with 99 laps for a long race to see who can stay on the 1st place the longest and win in the end and the most fun thing about it that we were very close none of us was more dominating than the other so there was definitely a rivalry challenge between us which made this game one of my favorites and most enjoyable specially if you play it with siblings, im also surprised that anyone would still make a review about this game after this long time it's definitely a hidden treasure when you understand it
This game is the GOAT sonic racing game. Pretty much mastered the game through perseverance. Stuff the game never teaches you I had to learn through trial and error. I love this game and prefer it over all the other Sonic racing games I just wish it was more transparent. I have no idea why I didn't drop this game as a kid. Had me frustrated from start to finish. Great video that I'm definitely going to show my friend who thinks Zero Gravity is the best. It's fun but it doesn't come close to how fun this game is. (once you learn how to play it)
Not a bad video man. I've always praised Riders since it first came out so it's great to see another fan. Next time though, maybe add some different music tracks (especially ones that don't loop every 15 seconds). It was a bit distracting hearing the same song for miniutes on end.
It's funny how patient we were when learning games as kids, because I'll watch some people play this game fir the first time and not be able to figure out the mechanics and get super frustrated, forgetting that I've known how to play this game for over a decade
People low-key sleep on this game and I really want it back. To me it's way more fun than the other sonic racing games
if you want it back play sonic riders competitive
mb its called tournament edition
Thanks
Yes I agree I played it a long time ago and it was an amazing game 10/10 would play it again
Riders is fun but I would not put it above All-Stars Transformed.
Transformed will always be my go-to sonic racer!
Among all the crazy stuff Sonic was doing in the mid to late 2000s, I always felt that Riders fully encompassed the series' full attempt to be creative and unique from others. I love the newer racing games by Sumo Digital but at the end of the day they're just other kart racers. Sonic using a board and being active while racing is such a cool and fitting concept
Ikr! I feel like that's the thing critics (and even fans) miss when thinking about Riders. The physicality and attitude of skateboarding in the 90s/00s PERFECTLY fit a cocky, faster than sound hedgehog.
God Sonic Riders is so underrated. I want the game back in modern consoles with an active online community
Luckily they have an online community that just came to light off of an E-Sports video.
ruclips.net/video/s_BxdE3BIMY/видео.html
Honestly, I love Riders, its probably the best sonic racing game, it was a racing game in a style that fits sonic, cuz Riding hyper fast hover board while going throught some extreme terrain, sounds like something sonic would do, the game it self is really fun, and makes more sense then sonic driving a car
It’s the game that got me into Sonic. I love this game so much. Jets Definetly my favorite character.
At first I was gonna disagree about needing a tutorial, but looking back on this game didn't realize how steep the learning curve is. Hard to believe I got really good at this. For a racing game the story had no business being this good. And I completely agree that Jet is Sonic's best antagonist. We've never seen someone get under Sonic's skin before, it's kinda surreal seeing him get mad for the first time.
A few indermediate/advanced tips for those that wanna ace this game:
>When you start a race start walking back then start your run around the 2.5~2.7 second mark in the count down. It's a bit difficult to get right but if you do, garunteed excellent/unbelievable start
>When drifting you wanna input direction first then R. If you press R first you'll just brake and kill momentum.
>When you do tricks you have to land properly to get to get the air and trick grade. HOWEVER if you do 4+ tricks in a row you will get an 'X' grade and the rider will auto orient themselves upon landing and keep up momentum.
> There are 3 types of ramps: low incline ramps, steep half pipes, and 45 degree short ramps. To get the best air off each, hold control stick up for low ramps, back for half pipes. The 45 degree ramps could go either way or even sideways but depends on the stage.
>Each level has a 100 ring capsule that will automatically max level your gear. Find where they all are and save them for the 2nd/3rd lap. If someone attacks you, your gear will reduce to lvl 1 and these capsules can be a great comback
Addendum to the last point:
You can only get the 100 ring capsule in the forest stages as a flight type, and the 100 capsule doesn’t exist in the frozen factory in free race/Grand Prix, but it does in story mode for some reason?
Not sure if anyone knows this but you can escape a turbulence by inputting a tornado although one doesn't appear you will escape turbulence, but I don't remember if you kill your momentum
I beat the game and never even knew we could use tornados.
*i thank the RUclips recommendations*
i remember playing sonic riders when younger, it was fun as hell, could never beat the third race level, though, i still adore the game
8:59 wait are you telling me i have kept missing the rails all the time because i wasn't pressing the button a second time and not because the collision with it was strange?...
@@kaexewires7531 some game mechanics take time to understand xD
@Paul Bell yeah i was pretty bad at the game back then so i never unlocked them
I have fond memories of my cousin slapping me
Yes
0:14 You can't convince someone to love something if they already love it.
Me and my brother had such a big rivalry on this game in the PS2. When he finally got good and defeated me, he was so happy.
Funny this has been brought up. I was just playing Zero Gravity last night
man zero gravity is GREAT, love that one also
Same
Awesome. Zero gravity is one of my favorite sonic games.
The first 2 are so good, it's a shame Free Riders killed the series. It honestly could have been good if the motion controls weren't a thing.
@@TheTrickmeister True. I mean the wii’s motion is probably the best way to go lol. Too many broken joysticks from the first one xD
0:40 you missed the opportunity to say "*im gonna show you* why you need to play sonic riders"
Yeah somebody gets it. This is my favorite racing game of all time.
Finally someone acknowledges sonic riders and thinks that it needs a comeback!
Bought the japanese version on gamecube 2 or 3 years ago, still playing to this day.
I’m glad you talked about the way they handled the cut-scenes, the characters are so expressive ! I think they are among the best in the series !
Dude there's an entire community dedicated to this so hard they made a mod that makes it even more fun and even a esport
I feel like mentioning that backflipping off of curved jumps and front-flipping off of flat jumps to get to the higher jump paths is rather important. As long as u have a well charged jump that is
9:05 OMG THANK YOU THAT IS LITERALLY THE ONLY MECHANIC OF THE GAME I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND I NEVER GOT TO FINISH THOSE RAIL GRINDING SIDE MISSIONS
Bruh
@@thanoscarssbu153 sup bro
@@makotoyuki6429 heya
Sonic Riders was and still is my favorite sonic game. I can't even describe the joy I get from this graphics, gameplay and art direction that is so cool but rare.
Dis game’s intero is lit
I've always wished the track in the animation was part of the game.
I love this game to bits. The story's cheesy but the gameplay is awesome.
24:45 Nick, that's Ulala from the Space Channel 5 series. She became a playable character in the SEGA All-Stars Racing games (just like AiAi and NiGHTS in ASR Transformed). Also, Sonic Riders was the first Sonic game I ever played back when I was young. Even now, it still remains as my #1 favorite racing game. The "hoverboard" concept makes it more unique and thrilling than any of the Mario Kart games IMO. I look forward to your review of SR: Zero Gravity. Keep up the good work!
Legit, Sonic riders is probably one my favorite sonic games. Up their with the rush games and adventure 2.
hot tip it takes 2.5 seconds from the fifty mark to get to the line, so there's your perfect starting timing
you can also hold back on certain ramps to jump higher for some shortcuts and forward to jump farther to access some shortcuts, other than that well covered
6:43 don't forget Sonic Rush, where he also uses the tornado spin in his boss battle in Blaze's story and the "He's like the wind" line from Tails.
There's a competitive scene that growing in the sonic riders modding scene.
Instructions unclear, Adam Sandler was at Red Box with the script for Click2 and a Gamecube2.
Send help in the form of Hatsune Miku.
I seriously need to give this game a go, I have Zero Gravity on Wii but I haven't played it in ages and it's the only Riders game I have. Great video!
I love Riders, and its art style. It easily has some of the best character models of the series next to the both Adventure game and 06's. Too bad Free Riders killed it dead. Talk about start as you mean to continue - beating out Colours by about a week - with a pretty piss poor decade of the Meta Era in terms of games, story and character representation as well how they are supposed act when they do appear...
Also with saying about Tails getting mad about being dissed by Wave, its good that they actually let him do something about it, proving he can stand as an equal beside Sonic. Rather than having being stuck having to prop up and carry and bad tribute act who has barely enough personality to fill a sandwich, despite the fact that Sega are trying to pass him off as Sonic. "And don't you dare try and do anything that makes you look cool in his presence Tails!" Sega warn. "As that could undermine our cheap marketing gimmick! And we need him to look strong. Hence why we're having Chaos take a dive after one hit rather than letting you fight himself yourself, allowing the chance of growth as you start to climb out of the hole of despair you're in." I was just as surprised when they let him stand up for himself against Silver in Rivals 2, who was coming across more like a high school bully, trying to take the young fox cub's lunch money/rings. But he soon learned he was messing the wrong kitsune and I remembered it was indeed from a different time. Here's hoping we can get back there again in the 2020s, now that Pontac and Graff have been given their marching orders.
I heard they dumbed down Zero Gravity quite abit compared to the first game, but I guess when you can actually play the game with proper controls, unlike Free Riders, I guess you can't fault it too much. Plus I do like after Wave disses Tails, you see Amy going into battle for the pride of the young fox cub, proving that she isn't blind to the plight of others and is just a crazed Sonic fan girl... seriously how did Free Riders butcher her character so badly!?
Zero Gravity is a different beast entirely and I think it's kind of unfair to compare the two i their gameplay.
Zero gravity is a bit more beginner friendly.
Screw BlueBlurBoy for defending Sonic Free Riders (re: it’s controls and its flanderized characters)
i loved sonic riders so much as a kid, i'm currently playing Sonic Riders DX, an awesome mod that adds a lot of content
Sonic Riders and Zero Gravity are my two favorite Sonic racing games. ESPECIALLY the Regravitified mod. I just got it, and I am addicted.
I'm watching this while playing Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time ❤
Never played a R&C game myself but I’m certainly gonna give the new PS5 one a shot
@@ItsNickForShort You'll probably love it :D
YAY! I love Ratchet & Clank!
Only one I've played is Tools of Destruction. The game gets much easier the more you play... probably too easy.
Sonic riders has one of the best soundtracks ever. The electronic beat just makes me, satisfied.
Sonic Riders is how I got into electronic music and never went back.
@@greatwavefan397 Exactly! Splash canyon had me like 🕺
24:45 Ulala from Space Channel 5, its an Rythmn game for the Dreamcast
2:19 do you see that sonic heroes render and a picture of sadx
I am loving this absolute renaissance of this game. It used to be a cult classic that the only people would play this are people who grew up on this game but now so many people are hopping on. Here’s to hoping that Sonic team gives this series one more shot
You forgot to mention that you can take top paths from ramps by jumping at the very edge of the ramp and holding either forward or back on the control stick to either shoot yourself forward or pop yourself up, depending on what that specific top path requires you to do to get on it (example: the top path in metal city requires you to hold forward when jumping off the edge of the ramp to get to it, while the one in egg factory requires you to hold backward).
(Edit) also the ball and chain item, but I’m fine forgetting about that lol
Sometimes I do that, and I still don't reach the top path. I think there are certain tricks you have to do to reach the ramps too.
It took me two years before I understood how to drift. I was stuck on sandy ruins for two years due to that final corner.
Once I did it, l realised there were more stages. To play a game and realise years later that theres more maps to play on was mind blowing to me.
This game was a huge part of my youth. My cousin and I struggled to understand how to play this game optimally. When we finally figured it out, we were like GODS.
I'll admit, when I first played this game, I had NO idea what I was doin, it took me a bunch of experimentation to figure it out. Once I did though, I was zooming around the track and having no issues. It's a fun game.
I just like to say that Jet the Hawk is such an underrated Rival/Character in the Sonic series.
11:35
Like kinda excluding Metal Sonic, Jet is the only Sonic Rival that out right claims he's faster & better than Sonic and challenges him at his own game. I think there's a point he genuinely gets under Sonic's skin.
Not to mention Jet is virtually the "Anti-Sonic" and it's a shame that he hasn't really came back until the IDW series during the "No Spoilers" Saga.
Tho even there he and the Babylon Rouges really shined and it shows what great characters they are.
Oddly enough, this was my first Sonic game. 😂
Me too! Then I played Sonic Adventure afterwards.
It’s got everything, even a fan parody
The fandub
thanks for this ive been struggling with the game due to the lack of a tutorial and couldn't get past race 4
Thanks for making this video man. I was already interested in checking this game out since I'm a huge nights fan, but you totally convinced me. I'm sold
Man back in the day with my ps2 I would play this for hours! Discovering the mechanics of a racing game were always one of my favorite pastimes. Learning this game was extremely satisfying. From learning the best way to hold the analog off a jump, the shortcuts with flying type, and experimenting with all the e-gear! Zero gravity wasn’t as good for me but I still put tons of hours into that game as well. Sonic riders will always hold a place in my heart as one of the funnest racing games I’ve ever played and still do to this day. Wish it could make a comeback.
sonic riders mechanics are really interresting, i wish more racing games had a"complex skill based gameplay like riders
"How cool would it be to know that maybe the ancient Echidnas fought the ancient Babylonians?"
Paramount: Pretty cool.
Where my royalties paramount? 🤨
Love this game. It's nice to see other people loving it too.
First time I discovered this game, I played for weeks with my cousins. And it was fun slowly learning and figuring out how the game works on our own.
But even so, yea I agree, a good tutorial never hurts.
I love Mario Kart and all, but they really need to bring back the different racing games that we had in the past. Like this game or even stuff like Kirby Air Ride.
When I was a kid, I played Zero Gravity on mi Wii, which has oversimplified mechanics. I started to play this game a couple of weeks ago, and I certainly struggled to learn how to play, each race from the story mode took me hours to beat until I mastered the mechanics and the shortcuts, but its so satisfying and fun once you get into it. I wish SEGA remake this game someday, an eventual online mode would be crazy.
There's also this mechanic about jumping where you can take shortcuts if when you jump you press a directional button. For example, you sometimes see that there's a second floor when you jump, like at the very beggining of Metal City, in these cases, you'd have to charge up your jump while also pressing the up directional button in order to "go further". On the other hand, sometimes you want to get higher, not further, like in Green Cave at the end where you can get a triple jump on spider webs or at Splash Canyon, also at the end where you can jump through the waterfall to land on a Rainbow, both cases done if you charge and "move" downwards. This mechanic was eliminated on Zero Gravity and well, it added some extra fun. All in all this will forever be my favorite game, and I'll always remember for bringing me so much fun and joy! Thanks for sharing this video so a lot of people can try this wonderful masterpiece!!!
God I'd love an online remake of this game on steam and modern consoles,
would love to see what extreme gear types people gravitate towards
Well, i used to have the ZERO GRAVITY sequel, and i have heard it is not as loved, but screw that, i had a lot of fun with it
Y’know, despite the very steep learning curve of this game, I understood the mechanics when I was 6. I have no idea how I even learned the game. I’m thankful that I understood the game so quick, because Sonic Riders is one of my favorite racing games.
Okay so this might be my favorite Sonic video on RUclips. I have plugged hundreds of hours into Riders and it is one of my favorite games of all time. I'm so happy to see that very detailed tutorial you put in, considering that I had to figure all of that shit out myself as a kid I know how steep the games learning curve is.
Also. Finally! FINALLY! FINALLY!!!! SOME RESPECT FOR MY BOY JET!!! FOR THAT ALONE I'M SUBSCRIBING HOLY SHIT!!
Riders, more than any other subset of the series, is what I want a new entry in the most. Thanks for making this.
Thank you so much! All the sharing you can do helps so I can keep doing big projects like this!
My friend, you just summarized why I still enjoy Sonic Riders to this day. Totally not biased since it was my first Sonic game ever, but I still enjoy its art style and characters. Never got used to its mechanics, but it won't stop me from getting it again just to play it to its entirety.
This was absolutely favorite racing game growing up. Many hours playing these every weekend with my cousins
Actually, the tornado spin does have one very specific and useful purpose; if you're using the Tornado Gear, it basically becomes free, infinite boost. It will send you forward instead of stopping you in your tracks, and you can spam it infinitely due to it costing no air.
im very happy to see that recently the original sonic riders is getting the attention it deserves, and with it so many fan projects that reimagine what a remake would be like... and thank you for including sonic riders tournament edition!!
I have a lot of nostalgia for this game, and full transparency, the nostalgia I have is why I will unironically defend the lack of tutorials. I spent hours doing tracks over and over to figure out how certain mechanics work and how consistently nail jumps that need both height and speed to reach. Figuring everything out and practicing the tracks is, for real, the most fun I had with the game.
Every ramp that has a high level and ground level to access, you have to fully charge your jump while pulling down on the stick or pushing up on the stick to get to the higher level. It'll only be one or the other, and it's the same every time. For example, the first ramp in Metal city, you have to push forward, but the last ramp in the lap, you have to hold the stick down. Took me forever to figure that out.
Holding forward is for levels that are further away, and pushing down is for levels that are much higher in the air.
Also, forgot to mention Mission mode, which is actually really cool and challenging.
*TELL 'EM, NICK!*
When I was 8 year old and got this game for the GC it took me nearly a year to get all the mechanics or how to even jump on the rails as a speed type.
After that time I discovered a tutorial video in the gallery but it was in english and I am german so thats that.
Anways I remember having a great time with this game and at a point I even started speedrunning the story for fun back in the day
This is one of my favorite Sonic games. I could never figure out how to unlock all the characters, but now I know.
I used to play this game a lot as a kid, but I recently got my hands on it again and DEAR GOD IT STILL IS AS GOOD AS I REMEMBER, one of my favourite games ever. I'm currently trying to beat all missions with gold rank and man are they fun to do.
The sequel's great too, especially with the new additions to the level up system
6:40 the Tornado Spin is almost exclusively made for Battle Mode, where using it to counter people trying to ram you with +5 Attack is a matter of life and death.
7:50 What about the Ball and Chain or giant Bomb? Granted these items are exceedingly rare, but when you do get them:
*Ball & Chain: it's reverse of Speed Sneakers; you go a hell of a lot slower for a few seconds.
*Bomb: A huge bomb just appears in front of you and rapidly rolls over everyone in front of you. I don't think I've ever seen one explode.
Also, Lightning Shield is temporary, lasts about 10-15 seconds before it just fades out. I imagine they do this so you still have to aim to collect rings most of the time instead of just becoming the runaway ring sponge who's constantly at Lvl 3.
10:00 Power-Types do have a bit of a disadvantage in regards to how their shortcuts operate compared to Fly and Speed in that when they open their shortcut, someone tailing them can tag along right behind.
I think you forgot to mention that when doing an air trick your height and distance are influenced by your tricks. If you rotate forward then you'll go as far as possible, if you rotate backwards you go as high as possible. Some platforms require you to do these types of tricks if you want to reach them, like the 1st track's 1st and last jump
Its not rotating and its not about your tricks.
Its what direction you are holding when you jump.
Down = High
Up = Far
Nice video bro. You might know this but I wanted to say this after watching your footage. For ramps that curve upward like a quarter pipe, hold the back button while and just after charging your jump. For “kicker” style ramps that don’t curve up, hold up on your controller the same. That’s how you get the best air.
I'll die on that hill with you, I love jet, always love seeing him in the sonic games, even though he's barely mentioned
I've never played this game but I own Zero gravity which is a fun game. Watching this game it looks a lot more fun. I dont mind using the gravity mechanic but it stops the gameplay a lot. While this game seems to be all go. It also seems to be a lot faster then Zero gravity. I'm surprised this game hasn't been rereleased on modern platforms. Cause if it was I might give it a shot. I have a gamecube but they cost a lot of money nowadays.
You can emulate it on PC. The tournament version that he was talking about in the end is basically just the game but on computer.
And the biggest differences between this and Zero G is air management (a skill that takes a lot of time to get good at,) speed (this game is a lot faster and it feels glorious,) and automation. Zero G automates and locks away a lot of stuff that you could just do in this game.
This is what created my love for games when I was 3-4
Holy crap! I came as a tournament edition regular to see this cuz indeed riders is probably one of the most underrated gems of all time, but geez you went so into it! Im honestly just surprised you mentioned tournament edition in the first place. I will say though, if you do decide to play tournament edition, there is so much more to learn than what he talked about. From tech like boost chaining to skips that cut out sections of the track, there is so much to do in tournament edition. Other than all that though, great video! Its so awesome to see so many people talking about riders now! I just wish sega would stop sleeping on it
Edit: forgot to mention this video alone earned you a sub. You’ve earned it
I was _just_ playing this game last night, and here are some tips:
•The story and mission modes are insanely hard, so do not feel bad if you fail again and again.
•On that note, be sure to take breaks while playing. At least on the PS2 version, trying races over and over really hurts your fingers and sometimes messes up my fingernails (I don't bleed, but the nail ends stick out from the sides of my fingers, it's kinda gross and very painful).
•Do *not* buy the cloud from the shop. Like Nick said, it is far too slippery. Don't be like me and think "hehe good stats and funny Journey to the West/ Goku reference. Better save up all my rings after 3 years of on-and-off play of the story mode to get it!".l Actually, a lot of the gears are garbage, so be sure to check some GameFAQs guides to know if a piece of gear is worth your rings.
•Feel free to replay the first stage dozens of times to get rings. Buying new gear is very fun, even if you cannot use them in story/mission mode.
Yep
Yes I found the Babylon story especially hard. First place EVERY mission is a bit demanding. Yeah you get experience because you have to do Hero side first but it's still to easy to lose last minute due to bull shit.
The mission mode I didn't find hard to finish but getting those gold medals is hard as fuck. Especially the tricking missions, you basically have to get an X rank off every ramp!
@@sanjuku Getting gold on the trick missions so far has been easy enough for me. You just have to hold jump down for a stupidly long time before hitting the ramp.
This was one of my first racing games, and I must say, I was lucky!
I spent hours and hours playing, I've played all games at 100% (except for Free Riders), and I have to say that it is my 2nd favorite racing series!
Honestly, Riders is a game I still routinely return to even with all the neat new consoles and gadgets and gizmos I could play literally anything on, it's a game that just immediately has impact and oozes charm. This video does a great job at discussing everything to love about the game, despite the jank that I personally feel adds a sort of charm to this game.
The only issue I can take with it at all is that there's a few inaccuracies regarding the tracks. In particular, there are a total of SIXTEEN tracks, not fifteen, not fourteen. The bonus tracks still count, regardless of if they're bonuses or not. As well, you call the tracks "SEGA Carnival version 1" and "SEGA Carnival version 2," but not only is version 2 the ORIGINAL version of the track, it's the only one actually called "SEGA Carnival", as the other one is the alternate version called "SEGA Illusion."
Beyond that, an utterly fantastic overview and video essay!
the sonic riders intro makes me feel invincible lol
For me, the main 2 issues of this game are:
-1 The lack of a tutorial or practicing level, I still remember that I went to the free race mode to practice with the AI.
And the worst issue for me is that the characters are too light, I mean that when you crash with an NPC (or wall or obstacle), the momentum pushes you out of the course to the limits of the track (I mean the grass or brown sand in the desert). That thing annoys me, because in the desert level of the Babylon story ( I don't remember the name since I skip the race introduction, bad for me) I always get pushed to the brown sand and I always lose on that race.
Anyways great game, tha style and music makes me remember of Jet Set Radio Future and I love that game : 9/10
I had so much trouble getting this game to start on my old Windows XP laptop 10 years ago, after watching the epic intro and cutscenes, the game would just not play.
I remember winning this in a Kids Magazine competition as a part of the Sonic PC Collection
containing Sonic Adventure, Heroes, Mega Collection Plus and of course... Riders
10 years later (this year), I got a better computer that can play CDs, and I tried installing this game over there
once I did, I got excited to play this hidden away gem.
I remember each time I raced a track in the story mode, it would take me about 20-30 tries before I become 1st place and actually move on with the story
then I went head first into the missions and aimed for Gold. They are what took up those 50 hours of required playtime to unlock E-10000R
This game made me feel challenge like I never had before in a Sonic game, and it was satisfying.
As of right now, I have unlocked all the tracks and characters (and Super Sonic),
and I have also bought every last board, skate and bike in the Black Market shop and restored all the exclusive boards in Mission Mode
I am 100% done with the game
Going for a full-on 100% is kind of like my rite of passage into playing Tournament Edition
(where all the characters, stages and gears are unlocked from the start)
and I wanted to make sure I unlocked it all myself first so that I "deserve" to play SRTE if that makes sense
I always need someone to tell me to play Sonic Riders. Game is too dang good!
Bruh, next to SA2B, Riders was/is one of my all-time favourite Sonic games 🤩
I WAS OBSESSED WITH THIS GAME AND ITS SEQUELS BEFORE 2020 ENDED AND I STILL WANT TO PLAY IT SO BAD. My father promised an Xbox 360 before the year-end so I could play Zero Gravity but it never came. YET, I look forward to it in the future :) thanks for this video!
I remember playing this in this after school care and I used to play with older kids and I was like 2nd grade and everyone wanted to be wave. I finally got her for the first time, but then some 5th grader was complaining "hey I wanted to be Wave"! So this other 5th grader was a bully and his friend so he snatched the controller from me and switched it to someone else. I didn't do anything because I was in 2nd grade and soft. But other than that this game was awesome. 👌😎👍
I used to play Sonic Riders alot with my sister YEARS ago. She'd always beat me in races even with a handicap(using objectively bad extreme gears). I still play it occasionally here and there but not as much as i used to, but i still love the game.
Sonic riders is my favorite sonic game and I’m glad to see more people recognizing it
The animated intro and CG opening cutscene always had me giddy as a kid; I thought this game was so fucking cool and exuded style. Remember absolutely getting my ass kicked in the story races until I became good enough, still have nightmares of trying to beat both of those Babylon tracks in either story. Really hope to see extreme gear make some sort of return in a future title, I recently read the IDW comic and had a cheesy smile when Sonic and Knuckles made use of them so it gives me some hope.
I loved this game as a kid. I even got the second one.
Sonic Riders was a huge part of my childhood! I grew up with sonic on the Gamecube and wii 😄
I beat the hero story a while ago, and I didn't see this video, probably because I beat it before the video and babylon garden was a chore. But I've started bablyon story and am on ice factory. I'm definetly gonna use this video for help! This was super informative and is going to help alot! You earned a new subscriber!!
Also, I'm playing zero gravity right now and even though there are different mechanics, it's still gonna be helpful!
Side note: I just beat hero story in zero gravity! It wasn't as hard as babylon garden, thankfully, but it still proved to be a challenge!
I played Riders on PS2 and I loved the heck out of it. One of the best spinoffs in the Sonic series imo.
I was OBSESSED with this game as a kid, thank you for giving this game the justice it deserves.
I grew up playing this a lot and pretty much mastered everything in your tutorial but still didn’t even know the tornado spin existed. Just shows how much this game needed a tutorial. Lol
Ngl this was my "Mario Kart".
Same!
Thank you very much for explaining this game to me :D I am definitely gonna try this game again
18:53 Uhh dude his name is literally in reference to a Sonic Boom which is what occurs when breaking the sound barrier.
And to this day, from 2010-2009... I still play Sonic Riders. I thank my cousin for introducing me this game as a kid.
I have played sonic riders before, I beaten it and 100% it. it's really enjoyable when you think about it, compared to games like mario kart or sonic racing transformed it's a entirely different thing and that what makes it unique. I do agree with you sonic riders has one of the best sonic cutscenes and maybe even up to date. the way how the characters express is great plus I can see from your point of view, the models do look hella nice even I wish they was in sonic heroes. sonic riders is underrated, it isn't talked about much and hell I didn't even know a fangame of it existed until you talked about it. I appreciate you trying to get fans into sonic riders because truly that game deserves more respect and love. I still play the game myself to this day well mostly using a emulator but I have fun speedrunning through the stages, learning new shortcuts in the process it's quite charming to say for the least.
Playing this game when i was a kid on my ps2 for years without any tutorial was sure not easy but i was able to improve by playing it more and more, me and my cousin used to play this game like madmen, the sega carnival stage with 99 laps for a long race to see who can stay on the 1st place the longest and win in the end and the most fun thing about it that we were very close none of us was more dominating than the other so there was definitely a rivalry challenge between us which made this game one of my favorites and most enjoyable specially if you play it with siblings, im also surprised that anyone would still make a review about this game after this long time it's definitely a hidden treasure when you understand it
This game is the GOAT sonic racing game. Pretty much mastered the game through perseverance. Stuff the game never teaches you I had to learn through trial and error. I love this game and prefer it over all the other Sonic racing games I just wish it was more transparent. I have no idea why I didn't drop this game as a kid. Had me frustrated from start to finish. Great video that I'm definitely going to show my friend who thinks Zero Gravity is the best. It's fun but it doesn't come close to how fun this game is. (once you learn how to play it)
I played it back in 2008 so much fun i still have save data xD
Not a bad video man. I've always praised Riders since it first came out so it's great to see another fan. Next time though, maybe add some different music tracks (especially ones that don't loop every 15 seconds). It was a bit distracting hearing the same song for miniutes on end.
It's funny how patient we were when learning games as kids, because I'll watch some people play this game fir the first time and not be able to figure out the mechanics and get super frustrated, forgetting that I've known how to play this game for over a decade