Sonic R

"A true gem in the Sonic the Hedgehog series."

Introduction:

Sonic R might be one of the most underrated games of all time. It was one of my first Sonic games ever (the first of many) and it stands up as an excellent entry in the series. It has a very unique feel to it, which I will attempt to explain in the rest of my review. So let's go!

Gameplay: 8

Sonic R is fun, speedy, and relaxing. There are plenty of characters to choose from (the number of which I won't spoil), and some great courses to go along with them. It would be nice to have a few more tracks, but you can race them in reverse mode too, which adds on some replay. Some characters run, some hover, and a couple even pilot vehicles! The ones that run and hover are by far the most fun, and the ones that pilot vehicles are pretty much just worse than the others. But this doesn't really matter too much since you'll be having so much fun just cruising along the courses. The control is great, but there is one problem. Sometimes turning around can be very difficult if you bump into a corner, but since this doesn't happen very much, it's fine. You can race in the Grand Prix to unlock courses and characters, or you can just race around the tracks in Time Attack mode. You can search for hidden balloons, play tag with computer-controlled characters, or race against yourself by facing your “ghost” from your last run. There's a great multiplayer mode too, which provides much enjoyment. There's just something about this game that relaxes you. It's so fun to speed along the course, you'll find yourself coming back to it over and over again.

Graphics: 9

The graphics are highly enjoyable in Sonic R. The bright, vibrant scenery to the nicely animated characters models are all good. It's not perfect. Certainly not up to today's standards, but it was pretty nice for the time. I enjoy them, and they sport some very nice water graphics. It's also worth mentioning that the weather and time of day changes. It usually doesn't effect gameplay, but when it's snowing, the water turns to ice, allowing you to walk on it. A nice touch.

Sound/Music: 10

The sound and music in Sonic R is awesome. The sound effects are all classic Sonic sounds, including springs, rings, and the ever-classic spin-dash sound effect. The sounds are great, and the music is too. Some say that the soundtrack in Sonic R is cheesy and ridiculous. That is something I need to clear up. The soundtrack in Sonic R is amazing. Maybe it's cheesy, that depends on your taste, but it always puts me in a good mood when I listen to it. The tunes are memorable, and all of them have lyrics and vocals. I recommend buying Sonic R just for the music. If you put it in your CD player, you can use it as a soundtrack! All of the songs are available too, including the non-vocal versions. Overall, the music is awesome. But if for some reason you really hate it, you can turn off the vocals, or even turn off the music altogether.

Value: 7

The game, technically, is too short. It's very easy to unlock all of the characters and courses if you know what you're doing, and there's a slight lack of race tracks. However, the fact that it's so cheap now, you can use it as a soundtrack, and it's so enjoyable to make new record laps, race your friends, and just enjoy the sights, the value is really pretty good.

Outro

In the end, Sonic R is an awesome racer with all the charm and feel of a true classic. It's just one of those special games that always sort of cheers you up, and provides catchy gameplay as well. Check it out!

Total Score: 8.8/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/09/07