This game does racing right. Not only are you thinking moment to moment, but trying to achieve long term goals as well. It's one of the most engaging and fast paced racing games I've played.

Comparing this to Mario Kart, it's no contest. In Riders, you'll be engaging with multiple systems at any given time. Aside from drifting around corners, staying on track, beating up other racers, and riding turbulence (which are moment to moment systems) you'll be managing your air meter to stay afloat, gathering coins to upgrade your air meter, and boosting to gain speed. In mario kart you drift and use items. You don't even have control over items, so there is little gameplay there. While I understand that these both are not trying to do the same thing, I can safely say that Sonic Riders is a more engaging single player racing game.

The thing that impresses me the most is how second nature everything becomes. You'd think that this would be overwhelming, and at first, it is. But as you learn the game it becomes easier and easier to keep up with the moment to moment gameplay while thinking ahead.

I think the biggest issue with the game are that it doesn't have a ton of content. It doesn't have a ton of tracks, and there are a couple stinkers. So really, you don't have a ton to work with. The story mode is a decent challenge though, and unlocking all of the vehicles can provide a solid body to host the core gameplay. Also the drifting can be wonky sometimes. However Overall, it's still a very good game.