wow they finally added a tutorial
it's actually pretty in depth so the learning curve isn't steep at all except getting used to the controls . it's probably weirder using a wiimote but i used a gc controller

as for actual gameplay, not being able to do combos is a big step down imo. the rank you get from the trick performed is only tied down to if you press the a button at the right time. which is a lot easier than the original but it loses a lot of charm that way. but being able to switch to another wall using gravity control is neat, in the first riders game you'd have to rely on flicking the stick up or down depending on the platform ahead to get on the alt route, it got a little confusing sometimes. oh and drifting is kinda awkward at first since you have to hold b and it makes you completely stop and you have to kinda wait until you turn around, not really horrible but i prefer the drifting in the original. other than that there isn't a whole lot different from the original other than the gear changes which are kinda useless except for grind.

won't spoil much but the boss is bs

despite being a step down from the original mostly in gameplay (still good overall), everything else about the game i find on par or better than the original

sonic fucking riders

ok lemme start this off by saying the same thing everyone else has already said. there's literally no tutorials in this game the only thing this game tells you to do is drift, everytime there's a sharp corner, and it teaches you absolutely nothing else which i find hilarious but that is fundamental flaw. i have no problems with learning how to do things on my own since that's my kinda learning style anyway but its really ridiculous how there isnt even a basic tutorial, might be in the manual but im reviewing the game here. so like. just do what i did and watch a vid or read a guide its not cheating/lame if the game doesn't do its job of teaching like most games should and do.

i've only done story mode so far but man i heard there was a learning curve for this game before getting into it and yeah that's definitely true. the controls are nice and it seems easy enough to be good at the game once you figure/learn how to actually do stuff but seriously don't underestimate it. the story mode isn't even a walk in the park because i swear the cpus are out for blood. so it artificially lengthens the story mode because its actually really short, you could beat it in an hour if you know how to actually play the game.

the story is. alright i mean its a sonic game so they're never really any better than "good enough". i like the characterization in this game a lot though. no one's really ooc and the babylonians although they mirror team sonic they still have their differences and are decently interesting characters in their own right.

my favorite part of this game is discovering alt pathways you can take, every stage has them and there are multiple, so even in a racing game there's a small platforming bit to it which is really cool for people that mostly like sonic because of platforming. takes a bit to be able to discover them and consistently take them but its pretty rewarding since you'll get 1st place a lot easier