Sonic Riders

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Heroes Story

Babylon Story

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Beta elements

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This article is about the 2006 video game. For the spin-off series, see Sonic Riders series.

Try to keep up!

— Tagline

Sonic Riders (ソニックライダーズ, Sonikku Raidāzu^?) is a racing video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in early 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Windows. The game introduces the Babylon Rogues, a trio of thieves that team up with Doctor Eggman to antagonize Sonic and his friends. The narrative is set in a World Grand Prix organized by Eggman to obtain the Chaos Emeralds.

Riders was developed to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the series, and is the first major Sonic racing game since Sonic R (1997). In the game, the characters ride hoverboards called Extreme Gear while performing stunts to maintain fuel. Sonic Team took no inspiration from prior titles in development, and chose to center around hoverboards for a more distinct, dynamic gameplay. The game was made to appeal to extreme sports fans.

Upon release, the game received mixed reception. The graphics and overall sense of speed were praised, but the gameplay mechanics were seen as confusing and frustrating. It nevertheless was a commercial success, with almost a million copies sold by mid-2006. The game spawned the Sonic Riders series which also included Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008) and Sonic Free Riders (2010), both of which received similarly polarizing reviews.

Plot

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

Sonic Riders features two major storylines: Heroes and Babylon, which star Team Sonic and the Babylon Rogues respectively. As with games like Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes, the stories occur concurrently, although only the Heroes story is available at first; completing it unlocks the Babylon story, which features an extended ending with the final boss and an epilogue.

Screenshot of the Sonic Riders CG intro cutscene of the Heroes Story, depicting Sonic (left) racing against a green, anthropomorphic hawk with white gloves, boots, and yellow goggles. Both characters are riding hoverboards called "Extreme Gear".

Sonic first facing Jet the Hawk.

Doctor Eggman learns of a legend about an ancient society known as the Babylonians, which bestowed a boy with an "Angel Wing" with which he ruled the world. Coveting this technology for himself, he learns that the Babylonians' descendants, the Babylon Rogues — Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow and Storm the Albatross — possess the Key to Babylon Garden, and persuades them to steal the Chaos Emeralds and compete against Sonic. Later that day, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are looking for an Emerald in Metal City when it is stolen by the Rogues; Sonic and his friends try to stop them but fail. However, Sonic is excited that he has a new rival to compete against.

The next day, Eggman announces the "EX World Grand Prix", where participants need a Chaos Emerald as an entry fee, promising the seven Emeralds as a prize for the winner. The heroes enlist after learning that the Babylon Rogues are the event's contestants. The trio later runs into Amy, who reveals that she has signed up for the tournament as well to be with Sonic. Tails explains the Babylon Rogues' link to the Babylonians, but is confronted by Wave, who ridicules Sonic's Gear but secretly places a bomb on it.

The final race is eventually held at Sand Ruins. Sonic loses due to Wave's sabotage. As the winner, Jet uses the Chaos Emeralds and the Key to summon Babylon Garden. However, Eggman snatches the Key and flies off to the Garden, with Sonic's friends and the Babylon Rogues following him separately. There, Jet challenges Sonic to a final race but loses. Then, Sonic spots Eggman attempting to open a large door and attempts to stop him, but the doctor reveals he is holding Amy hostage. Sonic attacks Eggman and hands the Key to Babylon Garden to Jet, although Amy is unpleased that Sonic attacked the doctor with her being there and chases after him.

The Babylon Rogues then use the Key to open the door Eggman had attempted to open, accidentally summoning the Babylon Guardian in the process. Teaming up with Sonic and his friends, the Babylon Rogues defeat the Guardian, revealing the Babylon treasure Eggman had wanted. However, the treasure turns out to be a Magic Carpet, and Eggman is disappointed with the result of his effort. Afterwards, the Babylon Rogues part ways with Sonic and his team, with Jet vowing to return and face Sonic again.

Characters

Image	Character	Biography
File:Sonic Riders Sonic.png	Sonic the Hedgehog	Sonic hates evil as much as he loves freedom. Sonic can be short tempered at times but will always show a gentle side to those in trouble. He's normally carefree and easy going, even when the going gets rough; but when it comes to a showdown he's aggressive and focused like a hedgehog possessed! Sonic has always been known as the world's fastest, but inexperienced with Extreme Gear, he will have to fight to hold onto this reputation.
File:Jet 1.png	Jet the Hawk	Known as the "Legendary Wind Master," Jet leads the Babylon Rogues, a talented group of thieves. Jet's Extreme Gear skills are revered far and wide, earning him an impressive reputation. He carries a mysterious "control box" said to have been passed down from the ancient Babylonians.
File:Tails 53.png	Miles "Tails" Prower	His real name is "Miles Prower," but his friends just call him "Tails." He's a little kid fox with two tails and a heart of gold. He loves tinkering with machinery and has made various devices to help Sonic. This time he's pitching in as the team mechanic, fixing up the Extreme Gear.
File:Wave the Swallow.PNG	Wave the Swallow	A superb mechanic, Wave takes care of all of the Babylon Rogues' Extreme Gear. While she's capable of fixing many things, Extreme Gear is her specialty, and her knowledge and experience surpass both Tails and Eggman in this area.
File:Sonic Riders Knuckles.png	Knuckles the Echidna	Born on Angel Island, Knuckles spends his days guarding a precious stone called the Master Emerald; for reasons he himself doesn't understand. His hard headed demeanor makes him gullible, and he has been tricked by Eggman on more than one occasion. Bringing his inherent aggression to the race, he plans to show Eggman that this time he really means business!
File:Storm The Albatross 1.png	Storm the Albatross	Storm is the muscle behind the Babylon Rogues' nefarious schemes and Jet's right-hand man. What he lacks in smarts, he makes up for in raw power. He has a quick temper, but is slow in movement. He tends to stutter when excited or flustered.

Gameplay

File:Metal City 01.png

Knuckles in Metal City.

Sonic Riders is a 3D, third-person racing video game. Here, players race against seven other competitors on a total of sixteen tracks, nine of which must be unlocked through progress in the story mode, and two that are unlocked by winning Gold in each World Grand Prix (5 tracks per Grand Prix). The game features two main teams with three characters each: Team Heroes, with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles; and the Babylon Rogues, with Jet, Wave, and Storm; although additional characters can be unlocked. Just like in Sonic Heroes and Sonic Advance 3, while all of the characters play the exact same, they each possess different stats and character types that determine at what they excel at:

• Speed Type: These characters have the highest top speed stats, but only average acceleration and durability. They can grind on rails placed around some parts of tracks by pressing ///[X] twice (once to jump over the rail, second to grind on it).
• Flight Type: These characters have the highest acceleration stats and good top speed stats. Their durability and cornering differs between character to character however, making them somewhat ambiguous in terms of these stats. They can air ride through Accelerators, often accessing shortcuts and different objects.
• Power Type: These characters have the best off-road durability and can break through Barricades and other objects on tracks, though their speed and acceleration stats are only average.

The races in Sonic Riders start with the playable character and their opponents on foot in a small area with a countdown and an electric barrier. Once the countdown has reached zero, the barrier will be deactivated and the racers will be able to pass, starting the race. However, if a player touches the barrier before the race begins, they will be shocked until a second after the race has begun.

Sonic Riders makes use of Extreme Gear as vehicles, which are basically hovering vehicles that take the form of hoverboards, motorbikes, or rocket skates. Each Extreme Gear differs in performance and stats, and might even give a character abilities they would not normally have. Extreme Gear are powered by Air, which is limited and stored in an Air Tank. While the Extreme Gear has a large supply of Air, the player will be able to perform jumps, steer, and brake. However, if the player is running out of Air, steering and braking will be much more complicated, if not impossible. Once the Extreme Gear has completely run out of Air, the playable character will be left running around on foot. Air can be obtained by performing Air Tricks while airborne, picking up Air Item Boxes, or by utilizing Air Pits, amongst others. After preforming Air Tricks, the player will be given a specific rank based on their performance; the higher the rank, the more Air will they obtain:

Rank	Points earned
File:X Rank (Sonic Riders).png	10
File:SS Rank (Sonic Riders).png	8
File:S Rank (Sonic Riders).png	6
File:AA Rank (Sonic Riders).png	4
File:A Rank (Sonic Riders).png	2
File:B Rank (Sonic Riders).png	1
File:C Rank (Sonic Riders).png	0

Sonic Riders also features Rings, which can be sparingly found on the races. Rings can be used to instantly upgrade the player's Extreme Gear to make it faster. Thirty Rings allow the player to move faster and attack opponents on the character's range. They also fill up the Air Tank, which will be able to store more Air. Sixty Rings improve these features to make the playable character faster. However, the player will lose all their Rings if they get attacked by an opponent or fall off of the track. Doing so will cause all of the upgrades the player obtained to get reversed.

Controls

Button formation					Movement
GameCube	PC		PlayStation 2	Xbox
	P1	P2
left/right	[←]/[→]	[8]/[6] on numpad	left/right		Steer
	[X]	[END]			Jump
/	[A]/[S]	[DELETE]/[PAGE DOWN]	/	/	Brake
Steer + /	Steer + [A]/[S]	Steer + [DELETE]/[PAGE DOWN]	Steer + /	Steer + /	Air Slide
/	[Z]	[HOME]	/	/	Air Boost
+	[A] + [S]	[DELETE] + [PAGE DOWN]	+	+	Tornado
near a Grind Rail	[X] near a Grind Rail	[END] near a Grind Rail	near a Grind Rail	near a Grind Rail	Grinding (Speed Types)
while midair	[↑]/[↓]/[←]/[→] while midair	[2]/[4]/[6]/[8] while midair	while midair		Air Tricks
up/down after touching an Accelerator	[↑]/[↓] after touching an Accelerator	[2]/[4] after touching an Accelerator	up/down after touching an Accelerator		Float up/down (Flight Type)
while on foot	[←]/[→] while on foot	[8]/[6] while on foot	while on foot		Move
START	[F]	[.]	START		Pause

Objects

Items

• Air
• Item Box
  • Air
  • Explosion
  • High Speed
  • Invincible Barrier
  • Magnetic Barrier
  • Rings
  • Speed Down
  • Question Item
• Ring

Gimmicks and obstacles

• Accelerator
• Air Pit
• Automatic Trail
• Barricade
• Bomb
• Catapult
• Dash Panel
• Grind Rail
• Trick Zone
• Turbulence

Characters

Playable

Character	Type	Stats
		Dash	Limit	Power	Cornering
File:Sonic (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Speed	★★★☆	★★★★	★★★☆	★★☆☆
File:Tails (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Flight	★★★★	★★★☆	★★☆☆	★★★☆
File:Knuckles (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Power	★ ★ ★ ☆		★★★★	★★☆☆
File:Amy (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Speed	★★★☆	★★★★	★★★☆
File:Jet (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png (first appearance)
File:Wave (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png (first appearance)	Flight	★★★★	★ ★ ★ ☆
File:Storm (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png (first appearance)	Power	★ ★ ★ ☆		★★★★
File:Dr. Eggman (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png
File:Cream (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Flight	★★★★	★★★☆	★★☆☆
File:Rouge (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png				★★★☆
File:Shadow (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Speed	★★★☆	★★★★
File:Elog (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png (first appearance)	Power	★ ★ ★ ☆
File:Elor (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png (only appearance)	Speed	★★★☆	★★★★	★★★☆
File:Aiai (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Power
File:NiGHTS (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Flight
File:Ulala (Sonic Riders - Shop icon).png	Speed
Super Sonic	All 3	N/A

Non-playable

• Babylon Guardian (only appearance)
• Chao
• Jet's father (mentioned)
• Wave's father (mentioned)
• Omochao
• Stolen (mentioned)

Extreme Gear

Sonic Riders is the first game to introduce Extreme Gear, high-tech hoverboard vehicles powered by air that the characters ride on, and which are the central component in the gameplay. Every playable character has their own unique default Extreme Gear, which only they can use, but additional Extreme Gear can be obtained in the game by either buying them in the shop for Rings, or fulfilling certain requirements, such as completing one or more missions with a given Rank. They all come in different sizes, appearances and colors.

The Extreme Gear in Sonic Riders come in three different types, each with their own attributes and basic appearances:

• Board: Resemble regular boards. The Board types are a more balanced class of Extreme Gear, having average statistics and an average rate of fuel-consumption.
• Bike: Resemble motorbikes. The Bike types are a more powerful class of Extreme Gear, but less maneuverable and less fuel-efficient. They can first be unlocked by completing the Babylon Story mode before they can be bought, much less used.
• Skate: Resemble roller skates. The Skate types are a less powerful class of Extreme Gear, but are more agile and more fuel-efficient. They can first be unlocked by completing the Heroes Story mode before they can be bought, much less used.

List of Extreme Gear

There are a total of 54 different Extreme Gear that can acquired in Sonic Riders. The following Extreme Gears are listed as they appear in the Gear Gallery. Extreme Gear no. 1-38 are Board types, no. 39-48 are Bike types, and no. 49-54 are Skate types.

No.	Gear	Type	User(s)
1	File:Blue Star - Artwork - (1).png	Speed	Sonic
2	File:Yellow Tail - Artwork - (1).png	Flight	Tails
3	File:Red rock SR.png	Power	Knuckles
4	File:Pink Rose SR.png	Speed	Amy
5	File:Type-J SR.png		Jet
6	File:Type-S SR.png	Power	Storm
7	File:Type-W - Artwork - (1).png	Flight	Wave
8	File:Temptation SR.png		Rouge
9	File:Smile SR.png		Cream
10	File:High Booster SR.png	Any	Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, Ulala, AiAi, E-10000G, E-10000R
11	File:Auto Slider SR.png
12	File:Powerful Gear SR.png
13	File:Fastest SR.png
14	File:Turbo Star SR.png
15	Speed Balancer
16	File:Blue Star II SR.png	Speed	Sonic
17	File:Access SR.png	Speed or Power	Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Shadow, Ulala, AiAi, E-10000G, E-10000R
18	File:Beginner SR.png	Any	Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, Ulala, AiAi, E-10000G, E-10000R
19	File:Accelerator SV v2.png
20	File:Trap Gear SR.png
21	File:Light Board SR.png
22	File:Slide Booster SR.png
23	File:Legend SR.png
24	File:Magic Carpet SR.png	Flight	Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Shadow, Ulala, AiAi, E-10000G, E-10000R
25	File:Magic Broom.png		Tails, Knuckles, Wave, Storm, Cream, Nights, Rouge, AiAi, E-10000G
26	File:Hovercraft.png		Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, Ulala, AiAi, E-10000G, E-10000R
27	File:Chaos Emerald SR.png	All 3	Sonic/Super Sonic
28	File:Faster SR.png	Any	Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, Ulala, AiAi, E-10000G, E-10000R
29	File:Gambler.png
30	File:Power Gear SR.png
31	File:Opa Opa SR.png
32	File:The Crazy SR.png
33	File:Night Sky SR.png	Flight	Nights
34	File:BANANA SR.png	Power	AiAi
35	File:E-gearG.png		E-10000G
36	File:E-gearR.png	Speed	E-10000R
37	File:Channel5 SR.png		Ulala
38	File:Berserker.png	Power	Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, Ulala, AiAi, E-10000G, E-10000R
39	File:E-Rider SR.png		Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, AiAi, Eggman
40	File:Air Tank SR.png
41	File:Heavy Bike SR.png
42	File:Destroyer SR.png		Sonic, Tails, Amy, Jet, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights
43	File:Omnipotence SR.png		Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, AiAi, Eggman
44	File:Cover S SR.png	Speed, Power	Sonic, Amy, Jet, Shadow
45	File:Cover F SR.png	Flight, Power	Tails, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Nights
46	File:Cover P SR.png	Power	Knuckles, Storm, Eggman, AiAi
47	File:Hang On SR.png		Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, AiAi, Eggman
48	File:Super Hang-On SR.png
49	File:Darkness SR.png	Speed	Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, AiAi, Ulala
50	File:Grinder SR.png		Tails, Knuckles, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Nights, AiAi
51	File:Advantage S SR.png		Sonic, Amy, Jet, Shadow, Ulala
52	File:Advantage F SR.png	Speed, Flight	Tails, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Nights
53	File:Advantage P SR.png	Speed, Power	Knuckles, Storm, AiAi
54	File:Cannonball SR.png	Speed	Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Nights, Ulala, AiAi

Courses

There are a total of nineteen courses in Sonic Riders, thirteen of which appear in the game's Story Modes, one additional course, two nostalgia stages, and one stages in the Survival Battle Mode.

No.	Heroes	Babylon
1	Metal City	Night Chase
2	Splash Canyon	Red Canyon
3	Egg Factory	Ice Factory
4	Green Cave	White Cave
5	Sand Ruins	Dark Desert
6	Babylon Garden	Sky Road
7	Digital Dimension	Babylon Guardian
8	Sega Carnival	Sega Illusion

Survival tracks

• Dual Towers
• Snow Valley
• Space Theater

Story Mode

Heroes	Character		Babylon
Metal City	Sonic	Jet	Night Chase
Splash Canyon	Tails	Wave	Red Canyon
Egg Factory	Knuckles	Storm	Ice Factory
Green Cave	Tails	Jet	White Cave
Sand Ruins	Sonic		Dark Desert
Babylon Garden		Wave	Sky Road
		Sonic	Babylon Guardian

Cast and Voice Direction

Julie Rath was the voice director for the English dub and Keiichiro Miyoshi was the voice director for the Japanese dub.

Role	Voice Actor(s)
	English	Japanese
Sonic the Hedgehog	Jason Griffith	Jun'ichi Kanemaru
Miles "Tails" Prower	Amy Palant	Ryō Hirohashi
Knuckles the Echidna	Dan Green	Nobutoshi Canna
Jet the Hawk	Jason Griffith	Daisuke Kishio
Wave the Swallow	Bella Hudson	Chie Nakamura
Storm the Albatross	Dan Green	Kenji Nomura
Amy Rose	Lisa Ortiz	Taeko Kawata
Dr. Eggman	Deem Bristow	Chikao Otsuka
	Mike Pollock
Shadow the Hedgehog	Jason Griffith	Koji Yusa
Rouge the Bat	Kathleen Delaney	Rumi Ochiai
Cream the Rabbit	Rebecca Honig	Sayaka Aoki
E-10000G	Maddie Blaustein	Daisuke Kishio
E-10000R
Babylon Guardian	Maddie Blaustein	Kenji Nomura
Omochao	Liza Jacqueline	Etsuko Kozakura
Babylon Computer	Bella Hudson	Chie Nakamura
AiAi	Kaoru Morota
Ulala	Apollo Smile

Some clips of Wave are actually clips of Blaze from Sonic Rush, as Bella Hudson voiced both characters. In addition, most of Dr. Eggman's gameplay dialogue is recycled from Deem Bristow's recordings for Sonic Adventure 2.

Soundtrack

The original soundtrack of the game is Speedbeats Grand Prix: Sonic Riders Original Soundtrack and was composed by Tomonori Sawada, Kenichi Tokoi, and Fumie Kumatani. Sawada directed the sound and recorded the sound effects, while Tokoi and Kumatani did the music for the game. Most of the game's music involves techno and synthesizers, as such it has an electronic, futuristic-type of feel.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	63.46% (GCN) 59.70% (PS2) 58.84% (Xbox) 43.33% (PC)
Metacritic	59% (GCN) 55% (PS2) 56% (Xbox)
Review scores
Publication	Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly	5.5/10
Eurogamer	5/10
GamePro	3.125/5 (Xbox)
GameSpot	6.6/10
Hyper	65%
IGN	6.2/10
Nintendo Power	8.0/10 (GCN)
Official PlayStation Magazine (UK)	5/10 (PS2)
Official Xbox Magazine (UK)	4.9/10 (Xbox)

Sonic Riders received mixed reactions from reviewers, with Metacritic sitting at 59% for the GameCube version, 55% for PlayStation 2, and 56% for the Xbox version. The later released PC port of the game received the lowest scores overall compared to the other three versions, with a 43.33% on GameRankings.

With many criticizing its confusing gameplay, Alex Navarro of GameSpot praises the turbulence mechanic along with the game's multiplayer modes. Matt Casamassina of IGN said that at least "this is a much better game than Shadow the Hedgehog, exclaiming that the game does a good job at "mixing up the levels". Frank Dry of Hyper criticizes the fact that "the blue wonder is forced to hop on a naff hoverboard to race", as the game strays from the Sonic series' trademark gimmick: running. The replay value given by the three character types was praised, but the little incentive to do so overshadows it.

Adaptations

File:Sth163.jpg

Cover of Sonic the Hedgehog #163.

Archie Comics made a two-part arc covered in Sonic the Hedgehog #163-#164, which served as a loose adaptation of Sonic Riders, with the art for the story mimicking the game's 2D art style. It was also stated that the events of the game happened in the Post-Super Genesis Wave timeline, though no adaptation was ever made.

Trivia

• Unlike other contemporary multi-platform games in the Sonic series, the console differences in all four versions of Sonic Riders are largely negligible:
• The PlayStation 2 version contains freely selectable text languages, though there is no voice setting unlike previous PS2 Sonic games.
• The Xbox version contains dual languages dependent on system settings. This release also has the highest resolution. However, the FMV cutscenes have frame rate issues and lagging.
• The GameCube version also lacks voice language settings, however unlike previous GameCube ports, the controls here are almost as good as the other versions thanks to it being a racing game.
• The PC version is an up-scaled port of the Xbox version, therefore it features selectable voiced languages. The audio in this version has been down-sampled and the game only supports two players. There is also no exit game option.

File:SonicRidersPC 06.png

Animation difference for Storm between the PlayStation 2 version (left) and PC version (right).

• The PC version also features an error where the characters' mouths and animations are misplaced.
• There was a demo available for the PC version of the game, which featured running-only gameplay in Metal City.
• During development, Nintendo Power announced AiAi as a playable character in the game. Nintendo Power also claimed that Mario would be a GameCube exclusive character, which was later proven false.
• All Xbox and PlayStation 2 copies of the game bought at Target came with a free Sonic X DVD.
• This is the first Sonic game since Sonic the Hedgehog CD to have an anime-style opening cutscene.
• Sonic Riders is the first Sonic game to support widescreen display.
• Shadow and Eggman are the only characters that do not have Extreme Gear exclusive to themselves, as Darkness and E-Rider, can be ridden by any character in the game.
• In one of the Babylon story cutscenes, when Jet opens a door with his control box, the control box disappears but is then in is his hands again in the next frame.
• In the last cutscene, Amy's gloves are different.
• In one of the Babylon story cutscenes, Wave is shown detaching the red jewel from her necklace, which is a small computer, to look at Eggman's diary entry bought by Storm. However, if one looks carefully in one of the scenes while Jet is reading what Eggman says, the red jewel is reattached to her necklace again as she is still showing the digital file.
• Normally, the tip of Knuckles' tail would be pointing downwards, but it points upwards in this game during gameplay and the non-CG cutscenes. Strangely, his tail is also not crooked at all and is rather straight in the CG cutscenes, this would be the case in the CG cutscenes of Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity as well.
• This is the only Sonic Riders game where the Air Tricks are named.
• This was the last Sonic game Yuji Naka produced before leaving Sega.
• Sonic Riders was the last Sonic game released for both the Xbox and the GameCube, along with being the last for the PlayStation 2 in Japan, but not on PC.
• Ulala has 3D artwork in this game, but Nights and AiAi do not. However, her artwork is recycled from Sega Superstars.
• In Rouge's official art her eyelids are blue, but in gameplay, her icon on the tailing map at the bottom of the screen has pink eyelids.
• This is the second Sonic game where Amy chases Sonic with her Piko Piko Hammer at the end of the game, with the first being Sonic Rush.
• Whenever a male character performs a complex trick, Omochao exclaims: "And she sticks the landing!" and vice versa for female characters.
• This is the only game in the Sonic Riders trilogy that doesn't have a robot as the final boss.
• In the opening cutscene of the Heroes story, just before the Babylon Rogues show up, the SEGA Carnival music is played in the background.
• In the opening cinematic of the game, while the members of Team Sonic and the Babylon Rogues are passing through a wall of graffiti paintings, if one looks very closely, it features the painting taken from the cover art of Limp Bizkit's second studio album, Significant Other.
• The PC version's instruction manual features an advert for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) that states that it would be released on Xbox 360 and PC, instead of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
• A Game Boy Advance version of Sonic Riders was in development by Backbone Entertainment, but it was cancelled due to a tight schedule. Despite this, Sega liked the company and worked with them again for the Sonic Rivals series.
  • The Game Boy Advance version was initially pitched to Sega as Sonic Extreme, similar to the cancelled Sonic the Hedgehog Extreme, which was skateboarding game.

Videos

TrailerJapanese commercialEuropean commercialGerman commercialTGS 2005 trailer

File:Sonic Riders Trailer (Playstation 2) (XBOX) (Nintendo GameCube) (Windows)

File:Sonic Riders Japanese Commercial

File:Sonic Riders commercial

File:Sonic Rides Werbung

File:Sonic Riders • TGS 2005 Trailer • PS2

External links

• Official Japanese website
• Official North American website
• Sonic Riders at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sonic Riders

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Main article · Scripts (Heroes, Babylon) · Staff · Beta elements · Gallery

V·T·E · {{Zero Gravity info}} · {{Free Riders info}} · Category

Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off games

Sega Master System	Sonic Spinball (1994) · Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1994)
Sega Mega Drive	Sonic Eraser (1991) · Sonic Spinball (1993) · Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1993) · Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio (1994) · Knuckles' Chaotix (1995, 32X) · Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
Sega Saturn	Sonic 3D Blast (1996) · Sonic R (1997)
Sega All-Stars	Sega Superstars (2004, PS2) · Sega Superstars Tennis (2008, multi-platform) · Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010, multi-platform) · Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012, multi-platform)
Sonic Riders	Sonic Riders (2006, multi-platform) · Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008, multi-platform) · Sonic Free Riders (2010, Xbox 360)
Sonic Storybook Series	Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007, Wii) · Sonic and the Black Knight (2009, Wii)
Mario & Sonic	Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007, multi-platform) · Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009, multi-platform) · Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011, Wii) · Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2012, 3DS) · Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013, Wii U) · Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016, multi-platform) · Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019, Switch)
Super Smash Bros.	Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008, Wii) · Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (2014, 3DS) · Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014, Wii U) · Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018, Switch)
Sonic Boom	Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014, Wii U) · Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014, 3DS) · Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom (2015, mobile) · Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2016, 3DS)
Arcade and redemption machines	Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car (1991) · UFO SegaSonic (1992) · Sonic the Hedgehog (1993) · SegaSonic Popcorn Shop (1993) · SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter (1993) · SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993) · Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1993) · Sonic the Hedgehog (1993) · Air Circus (1994) · Curling Holiday (1994) · Sonic's Space Tours (1994/1999) · Sonic the Fighters (1996) · Sonic the Hedgehog (1997) · Sonic & Tails Spinner (2002) · CR Sonic (2003) · Sonic Spinner (2007) · Sonic Live! (2008) · Sonic Sports Basketball (2010) · Sonic Sports Air Hockey (2010) · Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Arcade (2011) · Sonic Athletics (2013) · Sonic Ghost Shooting (2013) · Sonic Brain Ranking (2013) · Sonic Dash Extreme (2015) · Sonic Blast Ball (2015) · Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition (2016) · Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (2020)
Other	Puzzle Construction (1991, TeraDrive) · Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld (1994, Pico) · Tails and the Music Maker (1994, Pico) · Sonic's Schoolhouse (1996, PC) · Sonic Shuffle (2000, Dreamcast) · Shadow the Hedgehog (2005, multi-platform) · Sega Splash! Golf (2008, PC) · Sonic the Hedgehog (2008, Didj) · Team Sonic Racing (2019, multi-platform) · Sega Streaming Theater Sonic Edition (2021, PC) · Sonic Speed Simulator (2022, multi-platform) · The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (2023, PC)
V·T·E | {{Mainline}}, {{compilation}}, {{handheld}}, {{mobile}}, {{browser games}}