Sonic R

Game review

Sonic and Tails decided to take a short break and go on a trip. Along the way, however, Tails notices an advertising banner that invites everyone to the World Grand Prix. Although Sonic is the fastest hedgehog in the world, he doesn't want to take part in the race at first, not even at Tails' insistence. But when he finds out that the evil Dr. will also take part in the races. Robotnik, immediately changes his mind.

Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's mascot, appeared this time in a relatively unconventional title. This is actually a racing game where four characters can race together (Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails the Fox, Knuckles and Amy). Whoever runs first to the finish line wins. You can unlock six more characters. The races take place on a total of five routes.

There are many game modes in Sonic R:
Grand Prix: You race against other characters on each of the circuits and have a chance to race against the level boss and unlock some of the other playable characters.
Time Attack: Run one of the tracks as fast as possible, get 5 balloons or mark 4 characters.
Multi Player: 4 players on a split screen or over a network. You can race with up to three players or challenge them to look for balloons. For 2-player games, the screen can be split horizontally or vertically.

Sonic R is a racing video game with single-player and multiplayer modes. The player selects a character and participates in a footrace on one of five race tracks, competing for the fastest time ahead of the other racers. Four characters are initially available, while the other six are secret characters that become available when the player completes certain in-game objectives. Although the gameplay is considered similar to kart racing games such as the Mario Kart series, Sonic R places an emphasis on jumping and exploration, as each track has multiple paths and hidden areas. The tracks, although original creations, are thematically based on the art style and environments of classic Sonic games such as Sonic the Hedgehog's "Green Hill Zone" and Sonic the Hedgehog 2's "Chemical Plant Zone". Players can also race through each track in reverse.

During each race, the player is able to collect items scattered across the track, bestowing advantages. Rings, a staple Sonic series item, are abundant; the player can exchange rings to gain a temporary speed boost or open doors leading to short cuts or special items. "Item Panels" give a random temporary advantage, such as a speed increase or shields that grant abilities such as being able to run across water or attract nearby rings. Collection of other special items, such as "Sonic Tokens" and the Chaos Emeralds, may lead to the unlocking of secret characters. Sonic R allows the player to select the type of weather seen during races. There is also a "Time Attack" mode, where the player races solo to get the fastest time, and a two player competitive mode, increased to four-players in the Windows port. In addition to the standard time trial mode, there are two others: "Get 5 Balloons", where five balloons are scattered across the track and must be located, and "Tag 4 Characters", where the player chases and must catch four others.