Sonic Riders!

Recent happenings of pertinence to Sonic fans.
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Dash
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Post by Dash »

Are the Rings part of the ranking system too? Like having to collect so many and beat the couse at such-and-such time? That was a tad frustrating in MK:Super Circuit.

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One Classy Bloke
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Post by One Classy Bloke »

Have no fear, that is not the case. But from what little i've played, you seem to need to level up to really do well. Or i just suck, which is more likely.

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Nova
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Post by Nova »

Unless this game includes a animation of Sonic falling asleep of boredom, Im never going to buy it.

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One Classy Bloke
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Post by One Classy Bloke »

Have no fear, that is not the case. But you do have possibly the best characterisation in story mode since (maybe) Sonic Adventure.

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big_smile
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Post by big_smile »

Do you have access to the design document for the game (or any form of insider documentation for Riders or any other Sonic title)? If so, can you post some scans of it?

^_^

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One Classy Bloke
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Post by One Classy Bloke »

I've looked into it before, but i believe they are kept in SOA or SOJ's networks, so i've had no luck. I'll keep looking around. However, if i do find anything, i really can't release them until the game has been released in all regions.

Something that is interesting is there is a new model of the Dreamcast. It's radically different from the original. I'll post the pictures i took soon.

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Segaholic2
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Post by Segaholic2 »

big_smile wrote:^_^
I was wondering if you were dead too.

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Light Speed
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Post by Light Speed »

One Classy Bloke wrote:Something that is interesting is there is a new model of the Dreamcast. It's radically different from the original. I'll post the pictures i took soon.
Why would they make a new Dreamcast? Does it play those 3.9TB discs?!

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Frieza2000
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Post by Frieza2000 »

Nintendo power has an article about Riders. And while Nintendo's articles about Sonic always suck, it does have some new info that OCB's been too lazy to type. Here's the lowlights.
Using "air" is arguably the most important gameplay aspect of Sonic Riders. It's used for boosting, air-sliding (akin to power-sliding in other racing games), and releasing small tornadoes to get rivals off your tail. If the air gauge empties completely, however, you'll find yourself running instead of boarding - probably eating the other riders' dust - until you manage to re-energize at a pit stop or by some other methods.
So now Sega has decided that Sonic runs slower than an "Extreme Gear," which OCB tells us is about as fast as a Ferrari.
... you can show off your tricking skills by using the analog stick in conjunction with the R Button. As impressive as they look, the stunts aren't just for show, you'll be graded on the trick when you land, and the better your grade, the more bonus air you'll receive. ... Additionally, since this is a Sonic the Hedgehog game, the courses are littered with rings and power-up containers. Collecting rings will raise your character's level, giving him a larger air gauge and increased offensive capabilities, whereas power-up containers can hold speed boosts, invincibility barriers, magnetic barriers (for attracting rings), or simply a resupply of air. ... you can exchange rings for more-powerful Gear in the shop. Some Gear even add special abilities (like letting any character grind).
16 courses. Every course is designed with winding pathways, insane jumps, ability-based shortcuts, and other unique elements such as Egg Factory's lava traps and the Green Cave's giant roots that you can ride at any angle. Each course also contains a special segment that offers a brief respite from the normal racing action. In these sections, your rider is transported automatically - be it by river rapids, a huge crossbow, or an enormous centipede - and you must spin the analog stick to pick up speed and refill your air gauge.
There's also an interview with the game's producer, Takashi Yuda. Here's some of it.
NP: What made you decide to create a racing game that's so unique compared to the norm - such as having no gas pedal and incorporating stunts into the gameplay?

TY: Sonic games have always allowed a wide variety of features and elements. By eliminating the gas pedal we allow the player to concentrate on performing the multitude of tricks, including grinding the rails, riding the Turbulence, and pulling off all the aerial tricks possible.

NP: I've heard that Sonic Riders was inspired by the boards in Back the Future Part II. Can you explain how the idea evolved from that inspiration into the game?

TY: We know Sonic is famous for his speed. When we were thinking about a sport Sonic himself would like to participate in, the only thing that came to mind was boarding. Boarding allows Sonic and friends to not only experience grate speed, but also do tricks, like grinding on pipes and rails, and aerial maneuvers. ... Boarding also opened up wild environmental-design possibilities. You'll find yourself racing in a forest, in a factory, in a desert, amongst a wide variety of other landscapes.

NP: Did you do any special research on racing or extreme sports for the creation of the game?

TY: We researched many different types of sports, especially the extreme-type sports. We didn't try to perform any crazy tricks on skateboards or our snowboards, but the research gave us a great idea of how the game should feel.

NP: What would you say are the most important elements of great course design?

TY: The most important point we took into consideration was Sonic's skills. We designed the courses that would allow Sonic to show off his abilities; if we stick to conventional racecourse design and didn't consider Sonic's special skills, then the courses could have ended up being less fun.

NP: Why did you feature new characters as the adversaries instead of old characters like Shadow or Rouge?

TY: There is no racing without rivals, right!? We had them appear as characters that are somewhat close to the Sonic family, but not the same. This way we could get a diverse group of racers together for really good competition.

NP: What is the purpose of the areas on each course where you're required to spin the analog stick, and what made you want to include that aspect into the game?

TY: We wanted to make Sonic Riders not only fun for older gamers, but younger gamers as well. We added the spin-the-joystick elements to give younger players new perspective [sic] on playing a racing game.

NP: How did your previous development experience with Sonic games help with the creation of Riders?

TY: Working on previous Sonic titles really teaches you what Sonic is about. Speed and agility are Sonic's strong suits, and it helped us in the design of Sonic riders to focus on those skills.

NP: Was there anything you liked about Sonic R that you wanted to incorporate into Sonic Riders?

TY: We really wanted to provide more unique abilities for all the characters similar to what Sonic R had. However, we didn't incorporate this because we wanted to ensure that the players felt the game was balanced regardless of the character they chose.
Image
Last edited by Frieza2000 on Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Segaholic2
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Post by Segaholic2 »

Thanks for the article. Riders is looking less and less interesting with every new bit of information we receive.

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Post by Baba O'Reily »

Segaholic2 wrote:Thanks for the article. Riders is looking less and less interesting with every new bit of information we receive.
As opposed to when the original concept was pitched? Yeah, I remember the glowing embrace that everyone greeted the idea with.

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Segaholic2
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Post by Segaholic2 »

I thought the idea had potential.

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Post by Baba O'Reily »

I was indifferent to it. I think. I don't remember, I don't really care. Still don't.

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Light Speed
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Post by Light Speed »

The one or two trailers I watched made it look pretty fun. I still won't buy it or play it though. It's one of those games that I would've only bought because it had Sonic on it, regardless if I liked it or not. Since I don't do that anymore, I doubt I'll pick it up.

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Post by Ngangbius »

TY: We really wanted to provide more unique abilities for all the characters similar to what Sonic R had. However, we didn't incorporate this because we wanted to ensure that the players felt the game was balanced regardless of the character they chose.
So all 16 characters are a bland clone of one another? Totally Sweet, Sonic Team!

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Post by Light Speed »

TY: We really wanted to provide more unique abilities for all the characters similar to what Sonic R had. However, we didn't incorporate this because we wanted to ensure that the players felt the game was balanced regardless of the character they chose.
More like we didn't feel like giving everyone different abilities AND ensuring they were still balanced.

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Post by Tsuyoshi-kun »

Ha ha. I am SO glad I never really cared for this racing dreck.

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Dash
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Post by Dash »

I dunno, I still think it's looking okay. The feel that it has seems all right, and the previews(Not just from OCB) seem favorable. I'm going to be optimistic/stupid and give it a chance.

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Post by Ritz »

As long as it still has Aiai in it, it warrants a purchase on my part.

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One Classy Bloke
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Post by One Classy Bloke »

Did i ever mention how good the game actually is? Because there are some good ideas in there.

Sup Sega, you're not gonna fire me now, right?

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Light Speed
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Post by Light Speed »

You are much to classy to get fired. About that remodeled Dreamcast though, whats the point? Are they gonna sell them?

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Frieza2000
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Post by Frieza2000 »

I think it's going to turn out like every other Sonic spin-off, though I fear without the same charm as games like Sonic R and Drift. As far as spin-offs go, this isn't looking like much of a credit to the team. But again, depending on the level design they could still pull off a fun game. Judging by some of the nicer screenshots it might even have a pleasant aura. I'm probably going to hate the story though. The only hope I have for it is that OCB say's it's not meant to be serious. I wish they hadn't included one.

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Post by Egore »

Jonathan Metts from Planet Gamecube went hands-on with it and seemed to like it.

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Post by Double-S- »

Yeah, well, it's Jonathan Metts. Who's that? I have no idea. And it's from Planet GameCube. Who are they? No idea. As far as I can tell they're not even affiliated with the other Planet places.

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Dash
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Post by Dash »

Frieza2000 wrote:I think it's going to turn out like every other Sonic spin-off, though I fear without the same charm as games like Sonic R and Drift. As far as spin-offs go, this isn't looking like much of a credit to the team.
For the record, Drift had no charm. It and it's sequal would perhaps be the most conceptually retarded Sonic games ever if Shadow hadn't claimed that crown last fall. IMO Riders looks to be far more appealing than Drift ever could be.

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