Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

08.01.2008
Critic 55/100
Users 66/100
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is a hoverboard racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2 and Wii. It is the fifth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the second entry the Sonic Riders trilogy. A port for the Xbox 360 was cancelled during development, while a sequel, Sonic Free Riders, was released exclusively for that system in 2010. Gameplay in Zero Gravity is largely similar to its predecessor, with characters racing on different types of hovercraft called "Extreme Gear". In addition to the mechanics from the previous game, Zero Gravity adds a new gameplay system based around gravity that replaces the predecessor's "fuel" system. During the race, performing tricks and other actions will increase a character's Gravity Points, or GP. If players have accrued enough GP by the time they enter certain areas of the track, they will enter a Zero-Gravity Zone, where they can perform one of two maneuvers. A Gravity Dive will create a small black hole that points gravity forward down the track, giving the player a powerful free-fall boost that is further augmented by striking objects in the vicinity that the hole displaces, such as cars or signs. Alternatively, Gravity Control will alter the gravity of the course, allowing players to reach otherwise-inaccessible areas and shortcuts. Players can also use Gravity Drift to more easily maneuver around sharp corners.
The Babylon Rogues retrieve an Ark of the Cosmos, one of five relics capable of controlling gravity, intending to use them all to power Babylon Garden's warp engine. Other Arks fall from the sky, with one of them striking technology company MeteoTech's Crimson Tower. As a result, the robots inside go haywire and begin a global rampage. Sonic, who is traveling with Tails and Knuckles, finds one of the Arks. He is attacked by the robots, but uses the Ark's power to escape. While being pursued, the trio runs into Amy, who has also found one of the Arks. The four head to MeteoTech to investigate, where they run into the Rogues, and Storm chases after Amy in an attempt to take her Ark. The others venture further inside, where they discover the company's owner, Doctor Eggman. Eggman reveals that one of the robots, SCR-HD, was struck by the Ark that hit Crimson Tower, giving it sentience and leadership over the other robots. The robots now seek to obtain all five Arks, one of which Eggman used to power the mother computer which controls all of MeteoTech. Amy surrenders her Ark of the Cosmos to Storm, but the two are attacked by a robot. It suddenly explodes and Storm finds another Ark inside, running off to find Jet. Eggman steals the Rogues' Arks and retreats towards the Crimson Tower, planning to use it to control all the world's robots, with the Rogues in pursuit. Sonic and the others retrieve Amy and travel to Crimson Tower to shut down the mother computer. They meet the Rogues there, and Jet challenges Sonic to one last race, with the winner getting all the Arks. The two storm the tower and take back the Arks, shutting down all the robots. The Arks' resonance calls down the Babylon Garden, and Sonic hands his Arks over to Jet. Before they can leave, SCR-HD appears and steals the Arks of the Cosmos, retreating to Babylon Garden. SCR-HD activates the Arks, revealing an ancient spaceship inside Babylon Garden, creating a massive black hole capable of destroying the planet and transforming into a monstrous robot named Master Core ABIS. Eggman escapes while the heroes and Rogues head for the ship and defeat ABIS with Gravity Dives, shutting down the Arks and stopping the black hole, leaving the ship adrift in orbit. In the aftermath, Tails speculates that the Babylonians' ancestors were aliens who lost control of their ship, releasing the Arks into orbit to shut it down before crash landing, hoping the Arks would one day return to the surface so they could return to their home planet. Jet arrives and challenges Sonic, who happily accepts.

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Part of collection:
Sonic Riders (last 3 games)

04.11.2010

Jump into the race! Become your favorite Sonic character and use your whole body to twist, turn and jump in this hi-octane game exclusive to Kinect. Crouch and jump to pull huge airs! Ride boards, bikes, jet skis, and even a mine cart! Take out competitors with crazy weapons!

08.01.2008

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is a hoverboard racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2 and Wii. It is the fifth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the second entry the Sonic Riders trilogy. A port for the Xbox 360 was cancelled during development, while a sequel, Sonic Free Riders, was released exclusively for that system in 2010. Gameplay in Zero Gravity is largely similar to its predecessor, with characters racing on different types of hovercraft called "Extreme Gear". In addition to the mechanics from the previous game, Zero Gravity adds a new gameplay system based around gravity that replaces the predecessor's "fuel" system. During the race, performing tricks and other actions will increase a character's Gravity Points, or GP. If players have accrued enough GP by the time they enter certain areas of the track, they will enter a Zero-Gravity Zone, where they can perform one of two maneuvers. A Gravity Dive will create a small black hole that points gravity forward down the track, giving the player a powerful free-fall boost that is further augmented by striking objects in the vicinity that the hole displaces, such as cars or signs. Alternatively, Gravity Control will alter the gravity of the course, allowing players to reach otherwise-inaccessible areas and shortcuts. Players can also use Gravity Drift to more easily maneuver around sharp corners.

21.02.2006

Sonic Riders is the fourth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, preceded by Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic R. The game was released to start off the 15th anniversary of the release of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. For a short while, the Microsoft Xbox version of the game was released with a free Sonic X DVD. This game introduces five new playable characters, the Babylon Rogues and the E-10000 series. A sequel to Sonic Riders, entitled Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, was released in 2008 for the Wii and PlayStation 2, followed by the Kinect-required game Sonic Free Riders for the Xbox 360 in 2010. This was the last Sonic the Hedgehog game for the GameCube and Microsoft Xbox.

Part of franchise:
Sonic The Hedgehog (last 3 games)

05.11.2025

Ready, Set, Rumble! Join Sonic in this intense arcade royale game set in Dr. Eggman's diabolical Toy World. Collect legendary skins, all-new emotes, and build skills as you progress through this action-packed game! Mayhem is best with friends!

25.10.2024

Shadow the Hedgehog is back with Classic and Modern Sonic in Sonic X Shadow Generations, an all-new collection featuring two unique experiences! Play as Shadow in a brand-new story campaign featuring never-before-seen abilities that prove why he's known as the Ultimate Life Form! Speed through iconic stages from Shadow's history, discover hidden secrets in an expansive hub world, and unlock new powers to take on Black Doom and save the world. Sonic X Shadow Generations also includes a complete remaster of the highly acclaimed Sonic Generations, a time-traveling adventure featuring a greatest-hits collection of 3D and 2D Sonic stages, now with upgraded visuals and new bonus content.

30.07.2024

Knuckles is ready to rumble! Muscle your way through all who dare stand in your path as the burly echidna.

Part of franchise:
Nights into Dreams (last 3 games)

31.01.2013

The PC version adds 5 exclusive characters, being Ryo Hazuki, Football Manager, Shogun, General Winter and Willemus.

15.11.2012

Race as Sonic and a host of legendary All-Stars and prepare to transform! Speed across land, sea and air in a high velocity battle to the finish line, as your amazing transformable vehicle changes from car to boat to plane mid-race. Racing on mobile will never be the same again!

15.11.2012

A new "Bonus Edition" of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed brings in the most sensible Sega franchise ever for a racing game: OutRun. A level based on Sega's classic racer will be included with the edition, sold to pre-order customers at launch (in other words, it's a bonus for the first printing, more than it is a "special" edition.) Alongside the OutRun content, the Bonus Edition includes a playable Metal Sonic character and vehicle, and an in-game "Emoticon Sticker Pack."

Could be interesting

24.11.2006

The game begins with Doctor 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 the Hedgehog receives a distress signal from Eggman. Suddenly, a mysterious hedgehog named Silver appears from the future. Silver is then pursued by Shadow. When they encounter each other, Silver tells Shadow he needs to get to Eggman, first. After numerous conflicts, it is revealed that Dr. Eggman is in fact Eggman Nega and that the real Doctor Eggman is captured into a card prior to the story. After one final battle with Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Silver, Nega is defeated, everyone is reverted to their original forms, and Silver returns to the future with Eggman Nega who is trapped inside a card.

21.02.2006

Sonic Riders is the fourth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, preceded by Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic R. The game was released to start off the 15th anniversary of the release of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. For a short while, the Microsoft Xbox version of the game was released with a free Sonic X DVD. This game introduces five new playable characters, the Babylon Rogues and the E-10000 series. A sequel to Sonic Riders, entitled Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, was released in 2008 for the Wii and PlayStation 2, followed by the Kinect-required game Sonic Free Riders for the Xbox 360 in 2010. This was the last Sonic the Hedgehog game for the GameCube and Microsoft Xbox.

10.03.2009

A wizard named Merlina, granddaughter of the original Merlin, summons Sonic to help free the mystical realm of King Arthur, who has been possessed by an unknown evil that comes from Excalibur's scabbard, and is now ruling the realm as the tyrannical Black Knight. Sonic's speed alone will not end The Black Knight's reign, so he must take up the talking sword, Caliburn, in order to break Arthur's curse and save the kingdom. Sonic must also collect the blades of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table and Excalibur itself if he is to restore King Arthur's sanity and return him to a benevolent ruler.

11.10.1994

Sega Rally Championship is a 1994 arcade racing game developed by AM5 on the Sega Model 2 board. The unique selling point of Sega Rally was the ability to drive on different surfaces (including asphalt, gravel and mud), with different friction properties, with the car's handling changing accordingly. As the first racing game to incorporate this feature, Sega Rally is considered to be one of the milestones in the evolution of the racing game genre. The music for the arcade game was composed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, while the Sega Saturn port's soundtrack was done by Naofumi Hataya and the Guitar were played by Joe Satriani.

17.03.2008

Sega Superstars Tennis is a tennis video game developed by Sumo Digital, crossing over numerous Sega franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kidd, Space Channel 5 and 12 more.

21.11.1997

Diddy Kong Racing is set on Timber's Island and revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizarding pig named Wizpig, through winning a series of races. The player can take control of any of the featured characters throughout the game. Diddy Kong Racing features five worlds with four racetracks each, and the ability to drive a car, hovercraft, or pilot an aeroplane.

13.11.2007

Sonic Rivals 2 is a platforming game with 2D gameplay in a 3D environment where you race another character to the finish line of each stage, just as the first game. Characters still obtain various power ups throughout the stage to attack their rival. The Boss stages are also the same in that you have to defeat the boss before your rival does. Players still collect cards for completing various challenges. The playable character roster includes all the characters from the previous game (Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, and Metal Sonic) along with the addition of Tails, Espio the Chameleon, and Rouge the Bat. There is an added Freeplay mode so that you may play stages previously cleared without having to race against another character. Some additions were made to the multiplayer challenges including Knockout, Ring Battle, Race, King of the Hill, Capture the Chao, and Tag play modes.

06.11.2007

Mario & Sonic on the Wii is a collection of twenty-four events based on the Olympic Games. Players can assume the role of a Nintendo or Sega character while competing against the others in these events. Players use the Wii Remote to mimic actions performed in real life sports, such as swinging a paddle.

04.12.2003

Sonic and pals are gearing up for some brawling action! Fight as one of nine characters including Sonic, Tails and Shadow! Knock 'em dead with special attacks and team-based assaults. Create and train fighting partner for 2-on-2 battles. Duke it out with your friends in 4 player battles. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first being Sonic the Fighters. It is also the first Sonic fighting game to be on a handheld.

30.12.2003

Sonic Heroes is an adventure and multiplatform video game in the Sonic The Hedgehog series, developed by Sonic Team and published by SEGA for the Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and Microsoft Windows PCs. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos Emeralds needed to defeat Doctor Eggman. This game differs from other Sonic games by allowing the player to take control of one of four teams, each with three characters, who each have unique abilities to use. The game received mixed reviews from critics but it performed commercially well, becoming a million-seller and making the best-selling lists for all three of its original platforms. Join Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose and Team Chaotix in a multiplatform adventure! Run, Fly, use your Power, grind, swing through 7 different levels with unique paths, fighting evil and solving puzzles for each team.