Sonic Rivals
| Sonic Rivals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) |
Backbone Entertainment Sega Studio USA |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Takashi Iizuka |
| Producer(s) |
Takashi Iizuka Taylor Miller |
| Artist(s) | Ryan Slemko |
| Writer(s) | Takashi Iizuka |
| Composer(s) | Chris Rezanson |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Sonic Rivals is a game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series that was released in late 2006. It is the first Sonic game developed by a Canadian company, Backbone Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation Portable. The game was also supervised by members of Sega Studio USA including Takashi Iizuka.
A year later, a sequel was developed by the same company for the same platform.
Gameplay
While Sonic Rivals possesses the graphical style of the Sega Dreamcast era of games, the gameplay is actually on a 2D plane, playing much like the games from the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive era of games.[1] Characters race to the finish line while avoiding the level's obstacles. The game contains six zones, each with three respective acts, the third being a boss battle, totaling in 17 stages.[2] (One level,Sky Park, does not feature a boss stage.) Boss battles at the end of levels require the player to defeat the boss before the competing character does.[3] Five different characters are playable; Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Shadow the Hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog, and Metal Sonic, but gameplay is identical for all characters. The game features power-ups to collect that offer additional offensive and defensive abilities.[4]
Sonic Rivals consists of several different modes. In Story Mode, each of the four playable characters have separate story lines, and must race each other to the finish line in each stage in order to thwart Doctor Eggman's various schemes. In Challenge Mode, the player is given a goal to complete, such as hitting your opponent a certain number of times during a race or battle.[2] Wireless Play Mode features multiplayer games and races whereby players can wager cards, or just race for fun.[2][5] It is played Adhoc, and players can customize their racers using collectible cards won in Single player, trade cards with friends, and wager cards on races. Also a cup circuit mode is available where players race a rival for the chance to win a specific cup.
Cards
Sonic Rivals features an extensive collectible card system that spans a total of 150 cards. Performing specific objectives throughout the game will give you collectible cards. Such tasks include finishing a level, getting a certain number of rings, hitting your rival a certain number of times and getting to the goal within a certain amount of time.
The cards themselves feature pictures of characters and boxart from a variety of past games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The cards themselves are used to unlock secret costumes and items that alter the appearance of the characters. While they add a customizable aspect to the game, they are merely aesthetic; they do not affect gameplay.
Plot
The game begins Eggman turning Tails, Amy Rose, Rouge, and the Master Emerald into cards with his new device. Sonic and Knuckles arrive on the scene, and find out what has happened. Knuckles, bent on saving the Master Emerald, tells Sonic that teamwork is out of the question and that he needs to get to Eggman first. Sonic snickers and says that he likes a good challenge. Meanwhile, Shadow receives a distress signal from Eggman. Suddenly, a mysterious hedgehog named Silver appears from the future, and tells Shadow he needs to get to Eggman first. After numerous conflicts, it is revealed that Dr. Eggman is in fact, Eggman Nega. After one final battle with Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, and Metal Sonic, Nega is defeated, everyone is reverted to their original forms, and Silver returns to the future with Eggman Nega.
Reception
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Sonic Rivals received mixed reviews from critics. It received a score of 66.17% on GameRankings[6] and 64/100 on Metacritic.[7] IGN praised the graphics, sense of speed, and multiplayer mode, but criticized the game's controls and some level designs.[12] Similarly, GameSpot called it "fast and fun", but did not like the "trial and error" based gameplay needed due to the level designs.[9]
References
- ↑ Joynt, Patrick (2006-05-14). "Sonic Rivals Preview for PSP from". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- 1 2 3 "Sonic Rivals Europe Site". Sonicrivals.sega-europe.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ↑ "Sonic World". Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ↑ Torres, Ricardo (2006-11-16). "Sonic Rivals Hands-On - PSP News at GameSpot". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ↑ "Sonic Cult". Sonic Cult. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- 1 2 "Sonic Rivals (PSP)". GameRankings. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- 1 2 "Sonic Rivals Reviews for PlayStation Portable at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-11-20.
- ↑ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- 1 2 Mueller, Greg (2006-11-16). "Sonic Rivals Review". GameSpot.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ↑ "GameSpy: Sonic Rivals - Page 1". Psp.gamespy.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ↑ "Sonic Rivals: Reviews, Trailers, and Interviews". Gametrailers.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- 1 2 Juan Castro. "Sonic Rivals Review - PlayStation Portable Review at IGN". Psp.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
- ↑ Morris, Chris. "Game Blogs - Yahoo! Games". Videogames.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
