I thought I was fair in assuming this would be 'mediocre' or 'bargain bin' at worst but they gutted out every single mechanic from Riders 1 and replaced it with something explicitly dumber or commodified for Wiimote controls. This has less interaction than a mobile game and feels worse. I've never played a racing game where the sensation of turning my character made me feel like I was taking physical abrasion against the air.
But the icing on the shitcake is they get racist and retcon the Babylonians into being aliens???!?!? Why???? Like, Riders already rubs into hazy stereotype territory by framing the Babylonians as descendants of genies, but it's at least like, something that obviously feels like a product of Aladdin-isms and a larger cultural misread. It wouldn't be be the first PS2 mascot game to do that (cough cough, Ape Escape 3). But, how do you let National Geographic and white-exceptionalism historical rhetoric twist your character direction and worldbuilding??
And like, it makes them so much less cool. God.
It still has good music, the environmental design is just as astounding for PS2 as Riders (if not more), and newcomers Silver and Blaze are great. Amy gets a playable mission in story mode, hip hip hooray. But like, I don't care. This was torture. Having loved Riders and having shared really special moments with siblings through that game, this felt insulting. If this was the one game I got for a Christmas or birthday, kid me would've felt upset. I'm always hesitant to be mad about games, but I remember being a kid and only getting to pick a few new games per year. I never had an allowance, and my parents only let me pick things out at holidays. Sonic is an IP that mostly treats its target audience with respect, and a child with no access to the internet or journalism would be fair in assuming this game looks cool. Kids don't deserve things like this.
Sonic Team is forgiven for letting the haters influence their creative decisions, but their crimes are not forgotten.
But the icing on the shitcake is they get racist and retcon the Babylonians into being aliens???!?!? Why???? Like, Riders already rubs into hazy stereotype territory by framing the Babylonians as descendants of genies, but it's at least like, something that obviously feels like a product of Aladdin-isms and a larger cultural misread. It wouldn't be be the first PS2 mascot game to do that (cough cough, Ape Escape 3). But, how do you let National Geographic and white-exceptionalism historical rhetoric twist your character direction and worldbuilding??
And like, it makes them so much less cool. God.
It still has good music, the environmental design is just as astounding for PS2 as Riders (if not more), and newcomers Silver and Blaze are great. Amy gets a playable mission in story mode, hip hip hooray. But like, I don't care. This was torture. Having loved Riders and having shared really special moments with siblings through that game, this felt insulting. If this was the one game I got for a Christmas or birthday, kid me would've felt upset. I'm always hesitant to be mad about games, but I remember being a kid and only getting to pick a few new games per year. I never had an allowance, and my parents only let me pick things out at holidays. Sonic is an IP that mostly treats its target audience with respect, and a child with no access to the internet or journalism would be fair in assuming this game looks cool. Kids don't deserve things like this.
Sonic Team is forgiven for letting the haters influence their creative decisions, but their crimes are not forgotten.
6 Comments
i will SOMEDAY but i have not ever owned an Xbox, let alone a kinect. When I do, I will. It'll be fucked up if it turns out to be better than Zero Gravity, barring kinect-induced glitches
It absolutely does not. Barely reads motion inputs even by Kinect standards.
I'm glad someone else out there appreciates how robust and technical the original Riders was and understands how Zero Gravity brought none of that magic over. Riders was such a complex push-pull of so many unique mechanics like its air management, trick chaining, character type balancing, all approached so uniquely. Sonic Team's decision to automate so much of what made the original Riders so appreciable outright killed this game, which is such a shame because I love its overall graphic design and style.
my older siblings got this on wii when i was like 8 or 9 and i played with them and couldnt figure out how to control it and i cried
zeroesandones
1 year ago