Sonic R

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Sonic R
Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2
Release
18 November 1997
  • Saturn
    • PAL: 15 November 1998
    • JP: 11 December 1998
    GameCube
    • JP: 11 August 2005
    • NA: 16 August 2005
    • EU: 30 September 2005
    PlayStation 2
    • JP: 11 August 2005
    • EU
    : 30 September 2005
multiplayer

Sonic R

unlock
secret characters.

Development began after the completion of

Windows the following year, and for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 as part of Sonic Gems Collection
in 2005.

Sonic R was the only original Sonic game released for the Saturn;

Mega Drive game, and Sonic Jam is a compilation of the first four mainline Sonic games. Initial reviews for the game were mixed, with retrospective reception being more negative. It was praised for its visuals and level design, but criticized for its poor controls, high difficulty and short length. Meanwhile, Jacques's soundtrack polarized audiences, who either found it catchy and well-produced or out of place in a racing game. Fan interest in Sonic R inspired Sega to revisit the racing genre with games such as Sonic Riders
(2006).

Gameplay

Sonic racing on the "Resort Island" race track

Sonic R is a racing video game with

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.[3] Four characters are initially available, while the other six are secret characters that become available when the player completes certain in-game objectives.[4] Although the gameplay is considered similar to kart racing games such as the Mario Kart series,[5][6][7] Sonic R places an emphasis on jumping and exploration, as each track has multiple paths and hidden areas.[8][9] 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".[8] Players can also race through each track in reverse.[10]

During each race, the player is able to collect

unlocking of secret characters.[12] Sonic R allows the player to select the type of weather seen during races.[13] 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.[12] 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.[14]

Characters

See also:
List of Sonic the Hedgehog video game characters

Sonic R features ten playable racers, each with unique attributes and abilities falling in line with their usual abilities.

Chaos Emeralds.[9]

Amy's car, Dr. Robotnik's Eggmobile and Eggrobo are the only characters that cannot

turbo that reloads after a certain amount of time,[17] and both the Eggmobile and Eggrobo can fire homing missiles capable of stunning opponents.[20]

Plot

Sonic and Tails are about to take a holiday when Tails notices an advertisement for a "World Grand Prix".

Chaos Emeralds, with which he aspires to enslave the world, and that he intends to gather them during the World Grand Prix while using a group of robotic henchmen he has built to best Sonic.[21] Knuckles and Amy overhear of Robotnik's plan and decide to compete. Together, the four must balance both winning races and obtaining the Chaos Emeralds to keep them out of Robotnik's reach.[21]

Development

After the completion of Sonic 3D Blast in 1996, Sega approached Traveller's Tales about working on a Sonic racing game.[8] Traveller's Tales, who coincidentally had been working on a 3D graphics engine without a purpose at the time, found this to be a logical progression.[8] Traveller's Tales chose to rebuild a Formula One game they were developing into a Sonic game.[22] Development started in February 1997 as a joint project between Sega's Sonic Team and Traveller's Tales.[8] The game was originally known as Sonic TT (the TT standing for Tourist Trophy).[23] It was first publicly announced as "Phase Two of Project Sonic" (with "Phase One" being Sonic Jam).[24] The schedule was tight, and Traveller's Tales requested more freedom than they had with Sonic 3D Blast.[25]

Sonic Team designed the race tracks and the game's general flow, and Traveller's Tales were responsible for the implementation and programming.

Environment mapping was achieved by writing what Burton described as a software version of the PlayStation's hardware rendering, as the Saturn's hardware was incapable of it.[28]

An early build was unveiled at the

Electronic Entertainment Expo in Atlanta, Georgia in June 1997,[8] with Sega releasing screenshots of a "40% complete build" to various magazines shortly afterwards.[29] The builds would be largely the same as the final game, with the exception of minor tweaks, such as the ability to play the "Resort Island" level being in sunset, rather than bright sunshine,[29] a change that was made because of the level's music track titled "Can You Feel the Sunshine?".[30] Traveller's Tales had used programming techniques inspired by those (such as a type of fog known as "Pixie Dust") used on the Nintendo 64.[25]

LCD handheld game around the same time in 1998.[32]

Music

"Super Sonic Racing"
"Super Sonic Racing", the main theme to Sonic R, was the first track composed for the game.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The soundtrack for Sonic R was composed by British composer

Metropolis Studios in London, where a week was spent on vocals, and a week was spent on producing, mixing, and finalising the tracks.[33] Jacques stated that this task was amongst the most difficult in his career because the lyrics needed to "really mean something".[25] Sonic R features two separate mixes of each song in its in-game soundtrack; ones with vocals and instrumental versions, giving the player the option to disable vocals.[33] An official soundtrack CD was released on 21 January 1998.[34][35]

Reception

The Saturn version of Sonic R received mixed reviews from critics at the time of its release, although retrospective commentary has been more negative. It received an aggregate score of 69 per cent from GameRankings, based on six reviews,[43] and the PC version received 70 per cent based on two.[42]

The game's visuals were considered its strongest feature.

Rainbow Road".[41] GameSpot stated that the cartoonish style of previous Sonic games worked well in 3D.[12] GameSpot, EGM, and GamePro criticised the background's graphical "pop-up", with GamePro opining that it ruined the multiplayer mode.[12][37][45] However, Sega Saturn Magazine praised the two-player mode for maintaining the same speed and graphical detail as its single-player counterpart.[41] Game Informer asserted that "the way they hid the background pop through translucent melting is innovative", but they panned the poor quality of the character animation.[39] Finally, Sega Saturn Magazine complimented the replay mode's more dramatic camera angles.[41]

Critical reaction to the game's level design was also positive. Game Informer found the tracks imaginative and filled with secrets, while EGM found them to be "some of the most well-designed tracks ever".

Nights into Dreams..., noting that "far more fun is to be gleamed [sic] from the exploration element" than "the temptation ... to leg it through each of the levels in a time trial-like way".[41] In a similar vein, Next Generation described Sonic R and Nintendo 64 contemporary Diddy Kong Racing as "less of a racing title and more of a driving adventure game".[40] Sega Saturn Magazine commented on the replay value provided by alternate modes, such as "Get 5 Balloons!", but conceded that "five tracks don't really suffice, even with the reverse mode".[41] GameSpot, EGM, and Game Informer also expressed disappointment with the limited selection of levels.[12][37][39]

The controls and overall gameplay were criticised, with some questioning their accuracy and depth. GameSpot finished every level in first place within one hour using only one of the four initial characters. While the game also features a hard mode, GameSpot concluded that "Sonic R has more in the personality department than in the depth department".[12] GameSpot and Game Informer cited finding the Chaos Emeralds and hidden coins as difficult,[12][39] but GameSpot argued that such optional tasks offered little in return, because the hidden characters "are mostly robot versions of the already playable ones".[12] Moreover, AllGame believed the controls took time to get used to, but added: "Start sliding around corners and letting off the gas at the right times and you'll be finding all of the secrets that Sonic R conceals in no time".[9] Likewise, Sega Saturn Magazine called the controls "initially tricky ... but incredibly playable," Next Generation stated "the proper techniques, with time, can be learned," and Game Informer concluded "once you get used to it, you'll find a real solid game".[37][40][41] Game Informer thought the game played better with the digital pad as opposed to Sega's analogue controller.[37] GamePro agreed that the controls were responsive, but to a fault: "At high speeds, it's nearly impossible to run in a straight line."[45]

Sonic R's soundtrack was particularly divisive. Sega Saturn Magazine described the "storm of controversy [that] surrounds the accompanying music", which "has come in for a bit of a slagging on the Internet recently for the addition of vocals." Although he was not a fan of dance music, Nutter stated that the tracks were "better than most chart stuff", while the included instrumental versions were sufficient "to appease everyone".[41] AllGame offered high praise for the soundtrack, which they called "One of the most inspired ... I've ever heard", while GameSpot believed the songs gave the game "so much more personality".[9][12] Conversely, GamePro deplored the music as "unbelievably annoying".[45] Computer and Video Games complimented the music, saying it "fits the Sonic style perfectly", and is reminiscent of Sonic CD's soundtrack.[44]

The

1UP.com wrote the visuals were grainy—"mak[ing] it hard to tell where you're going"—and the controls were frustrating and imprecise.[47] GameSpot described "its laughably bad soundtrack" as "[its] only redeeming quality",[48] and GameSpy called Sonic R "a concept that works better in theory than in practice"—despite its "fantastic (if not bizarre) soundtrack".[49] Conversely, Jeuxvideo.com, in a negative review of Sonic Gems Collection, praised the game, arguing that it was the only decent game in the compilation alongside Sonic CD.[50] In a 2003 retrospective, Game Informer described the game as "decent, but unmemorable", while GamesRadar included Sonic R in a 2014 list of the top 50 Sega Saturn games, calling it "a technical tour de force".[51][52] In 2013, GameTrailers ranked it as the second worst Sonic game, behind 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog.[53] Game designer Hirokazu Yasuhara, who helped Traveller's Tales rework the game in response to concerns over the quality of a preview version, has maintained that "the final version of Sonic R is actually quite good ... However, I do admit that the base concept of Sonic R, in which a player 'drives' running characters, is not great".[51]

Legacy

Despite Sega releasing two Sonic racing games prior to Sonic R, Sonic Drift and Sonic Drift 2, for the Game Gear, developer Takashi Yuda cited fans requesting more racing games in the vein of Sonic R would be Sega's actual inspiration for revisiting the genre in future years.[54] This led to the development and release of the hoverboarding game Sonic Riders, although there are no connections between the two games other than both being racing games.[54] Later Sonic racing games include Sonic Riders sequels Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity and Sonic Free Riders, and kart games Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and Team Sonic Racing.

Songs from Sonic R's soundtrack were included in later games featuring Sonic in their original forms or as remixes, including Super Smash Bros. Brawl,[55] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sonic Generations, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.[56]

The 2019 release Team Sonic Racing features several references to Sonic R, including remixes of songs from the soundtrack (including "Super Sonic Racing" and "Can You Feel the Sunshine?") and the use of the distinctive red "R" in the game's logo and on the in-game currency.[57]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: ソニックR(アール), Hepburn: Sonikku Āru

References

  1. ^ "THE WORLD'S FASTEST HEDGEHOG RACES TO THE 3D WINNER'S CIRCLE WITH "SONIC R"". Sega Central. Sega of America. 17 November 1997. Archived from the original on 2 February 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. ^ セガハード大百科 セガサターン対応ソフトウェア（セガ発売） [Sega Hardware Encyclopaedia Sega Saturn Software (Sega releases)]. Sega (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  3. Game Revolution. Archived from the original
    on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  4. ^ Official Guide, p. 31
  5. ^ Buchanan, Levi (20 February 2009). "Where Did Sonic Go Wrong?". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  6. Game Spy. Archived
    from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  7. GamesRadar. 25 February 2006. Archived
    from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  8. ^
    ISSN 1360-9424
    . Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  9. ^
    allgame. Archived from the original
    on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  10. ^ Sonic R Instruction Booklet Archived 18 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. North American, Sega Saturn version. p 7 (PDF)
  11. ^ Sonic R Instruction Booklet Archived 18 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. North American, Sega Saturn version. p 13 (PDF)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j MacDonald, Ryan (22 December 1997). "Sonic R Review for Saturn". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Sonic R © Sega PC". Gaming Entertainment Monthly. 20 February 1999. Archived from the original on 5 March 2003. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  14. ^ Official Guide, p. 33.
  15. ^ Official Guide, pp. 10-24.
  16. ^ a b Sonic R Instruction Booklet Archived 18 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. North American, Sega Saturn version. p 17 (PDF)
  17. ^ a b c Sonic R Instruction Booklet Archived 18 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. North American, Sega Saturn version. p 18 (PDF)
  18. ^ Official Guide, p. 22.
  19. ^ "ソニックR" [Sonic R] (PDF). Sega Saturn Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 45, no. 81. SoftBank Publishing. December 1997. pp. 180, 181. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  20. ^ Sonic R Instruction Booklet Archived 18 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. North American, Sega Saturn version. p 19 (PDF)
  21. ^ a b c d Sonic R Instruction Booklet Archived 18 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. North American, Sega Saturn version. p 3 (PDF)
  22. ^ Jon Burton (27 November 2017). Sonic R's F1 History Recovered - And a Surprise Find. GameHut. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  23. ^
    ISSN 1742-3155
    .
  24. Emap International Limited
    . p. 39. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  25. ^
    ISBN 978-1-926778-96-9
    .
  26. ISBN 978-1-9082-2230-5
    .
  27. ^ "Blue Is Back Again! Race Around Moebius! [sic]" (PDF). GameFan. No. 11. November 1997. p. 126. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  28. ^ Jon Burton (29 November 2017). Sonic R's "Impossible" Effects - How We Made them Possible (Coding Secrets). GameHut. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  29. ^
    ISSN 1067-6392
    . Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  30. ^ Jon Burton (21 June 2018). "Sonic R's Development Secrets". GameHut. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  31. ^ Sonic R Game, Options Menu
  32. ^ "Sonic R (Tiger Handhelds)". RF Generation. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  33. ^
    ISSN 1360-9424
    . Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  34. ^ "Sonic R – A Soundtrack Story". SegaBits. 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  35. ^ Official Guide, p. 112.
  36. ^ "Sonic R (PC) Review". Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h i j EGM Staff (February 1998). "Sonic R Review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 10, no. 103. p. 112.
  38. ^ Suciu, Peter. "Sonic R". GamePro. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  39. ^ a b c d e f McNamara, Andy; et al. (January 1998). "Everybody's Super Sonic Racing". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 21 September 1999. Retrieved 16 June 2014.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  40. ^ a b c d "Head Spin". Next Generation. Vol. 4, no. 38. Imagine Media. February 1998. p. 115.
  41. ^
    ISSN 1360-9424
    . Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  42. ^ a b "Sonic R for PC – GameRankings". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  43. ^ a b "Sonic R for Saturn – GameRankings". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  44. ^
    ISSN 0261-3697. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  45. ^
    ISSN 1042-8658
    . Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  46. ^ Bramwell, Tom (6 October 2005). "Sonic Gems Collection Review • Reviews • GameCube •". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  47. ^ Parish, Jeremy (16 August 2005). "Sonic Gems Collection". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  48. ^ Davis, Ryan (24 August 2005). "Sonic Gems Collection Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  49. ^ Theobald, Phil (15 August 2005). "GameSpy: Sonic Gems Collection – Page 1". Cube.gamespy.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  50. ^ Superpanda. "Test Sonic Gems Collection sur PS2". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  51. ^
    ISSN 1067-6392
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  52. ^ GamesRadar Staff (6 March 2014). "Best Saturn games of all time". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  53. ^ "GT Countdown – Top 5 Worst Sonic Games". GameTrailers. IGN. 27 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  54. ^ a b Theobald, Phil (20 January 2006). "GameSpy: Sega Talks Sonic Riders – Page 1". Ps2.gamespy.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  55. ^ Sakurai, Masahiro. "Full Song List with Secret Songs – Smash Bros. DOJO!!". Smash Bros. DOJO!!. Nintendo. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  56. ^ "SEGA Tunes: Sonic R's Super Sonic Racing". SegaBits. 1 May 2012. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  57. ^ Martin Robinson (17 May 2019). "Team Sonic Racing review - a smart spin on the character kart formula". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

Sources

  • SoftBank (24 December 1997). ソニックRオフィシャルガイド Sonikku āru ofisharu gaido [Sonic R Official Guide] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Sega Enterprises.
    ISBN 978-4-7973-0516-6
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonic_R&oldid=1226406756"