Sonic Free Riders

It would seem that Sega just can’t get enough of Sonic the Hedgehog and neither can the fans. The Blue hedgehog is back once again in a brand new tile that goes by the name of Sonic Free Riders.

What’s so special this time is that you get to play using the new Microsoft Kinect sensor that makes it a lot more interesting when it comes to filling in the shoes of the speed-crazy hedgehog.

With years of history behind him, Sonic still manages to bring out new challenges by taking advantage from the latest gaming hardware, such as the Kinect.

The Story

While the main characters are the same as always (Sonic, Tails and Knuckles) some new villains have been added to spice things up a bit. This time, you get to help Sonic win a hoverboard competition (we all know who’s actually going to do the hovering) and teach the bad guys the same old lesson: don’t mess with Sonic.

While there are no actual cinematic scenes and only a bunch of voice acted images, it’s more than enough to get you fully updated on what you goal is: race the bad guys and win (doh).

The Gameplay

It’s fair to say that you’ve never played a Sonic game like this one before. Obviously, the Kinect was the only device that Sonic didn’t master up until now; going from the old school GameBoy to the Wii and PlayStation consoles, Sega goes full circle and introduces the hedgehog to every major gaming device that has ever been invented.

While I haven’t played lots of Kinect compatible games, controlling Sonic and his hoverboard is not that hard. What’s harder is to actually master all of his abilities and move just the right way so that you end up performing tricks instead of acting like a crazy person in front of your TV. Patience is the operative word when dealing with the Kinect, because getting agitated and angry only serves to further ruin your concentration and gameplay.

The first thing that you’ll probably want to do is disable the in-game microphone. Why? First off it’s very sensitive and it picks up any interference that might be in the room, even having the TV volume higher than normal. It can be frustrating to be pulled out of a race and having to close the menu that keeps popping up, just because the microphone “though” it heard something that sounded like a command. Don't get it wrong, the game isn't faulty, it's the Kinect sensor that's over sensitive and needs be shut down.

Steering the hoverboard sounds like a lot of fun and guess what, it actually is. Sure, it’s weird having to play a game without any visible controls, but it’s also good exercise. Not only that you get to jump up and down (no more working out at the gym), you also have to lean over in various positions that will cause Sonic to shift his board one way or another.

Even the powerups that you pick up are controlled by your hand gestures and body movement. Bowling balls can be thrown by doing a bowling gesture, rockets can be directed just like shooting darts and you can even wipe the screen clean when it gets foggy. Even flapping your arms can give Sonic more air time or even help him swim faster when he’s underwater.

Also, collecting gold rings can give you various upgrades for your hoverboard. From increased speed and prolonged air time ability to new and more colorful boards; you can unlock lots of features that you’ll find to your liking.

The replay value of Sonic Free Riders is pretty good and I can back this up by telling you that each race can be played by choosing a different path each time around. For instance, the first time you try a track you might want to familiarize yourself with it, so that next time you can get Sonic do to some rail grinding and even smash through some gates that you probably thought were unbreakable at first.

Even the background setting for each race looks like it has been given a lot of work, being highly detailed, animated and brightly colored. Don’t panic if you jump off a trampoline and, in midair, you get to cross paths with a dolphin (he means you no harm). While some elements are purely decorative, others, such as fiery lava jets coming up from the ground, can give you a hard time during a race, slowing you down quite often.

The two players mode is a bit tricky when it comes to performing combos and other fancy stuff. First off, both players need to be skills in controlling the hoverboard, because in some cases you’ll need to synchronize your moves so that you can pull off some really nifty tricks. Once you’ve mastered the Kinect, the rest is downhill and all that’s left is to either compete against your friend or work together towards getting a high score.

Audio and Video

Sonic seems to have developed a much deeper voice than before and this is not really a bad thing. It made me think that Sonic is finally grown up, until I heard the same corny dialogues that would make even a child go like “Say what?”.

On the other hand, the in-game sounds and music were dynamic and sharp. Combined with the fast paced gameplay and high quality graphics, the overall gameplay experience was certainly a delight. What pleases the eye in Sonic Free Riders is the amazing depth of color, contrasts and the way you get a high definition view of the world. If anything, it’s fun just to sit around and watch the game as others play it.

The Good

Kinect-friendly
Amazing graphics
Good replay value
Fun gameplay and co-op

The Bad

Dull story
Highly sensitive voice control

Conclusion

Sonic Free Riders is probably the best Kinect-friendly game out there, at the time; it recognizes hand gestures, body movement and even voice commands. Playing the game and mastering the virtual hoverboard seems like a real experience the more practice you get at it.

Besides a story that falls in the same cliché as any of the previous Sonic games, the overall experience is a lot of fun for children and grownups alike, plus it’s a great way to exercise and stop vegetating on the couch.

As a personal advice before playing the game, make plenty of room for your maneuvers, pull down the curtains on the window and make sure that your next door neighbor doesn't see you or he'll think you’ve gone batty when you'll be flapping your arms and dodging imaginary bullets around the house.

Sonic Free Riders

key review info

The Gameplay

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion