"A Bad Sonic Game, A Decent Racing Game"

Sonic Team was busy with an unknown project. Saturn was in need of a Sonic game. Europe's Traveller's Tales came up with two: Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic R. Neither accurately brought Sonic into 3D, and both were too late to save the Saturn anyway. Oh, well…

GRAPHICS: 8
This game pushed the Saturn to its limits. The visuals are every bit as good as PlayStation games, and some claim the Radiant Emerald's graphics rival anything seen before on Nintendo 64! However, the PC version is sub-par and does not really utilize any graphics cards. Not that I have a graphics card, and not that I still play my PC anymore! >;)

CONTROL: 7
The control seems very odd for Sonic at first (since when has he used an accelerate button?), but once I got used to it, I became undefeatable. The turning, acceleration and such are very tight, and each character handles very well. Added bonuses include each character's special moves, like Sonic's double-jump, Knuckles' glide, etc… Oh, by the way, Amy stinks. Just had to say that. :)

SOUND: 9
The music and sound FX are really great. The FX are all traditional Sonic, but the music is the high point. Richard Jacques' tracks and songs are all perfectly suited to each track, and I find myself singing along rather often. Just don't let that pass to my friends… ;)

REPLAY VALUE: 8
There are 5 humongous tracks each with many many many different routes to take. Plus 6 different hidden characters to find, including the ultra-cool Super Sonic! Hey, and since when have you been able to be Robotnik and his metal creations? Yeah! On top of that, there are lots of Time Attack modes, like Reverse, Tag Battle, and Balloons. Also the two-player mode in Saturn and four-player on PC.

OVERALL: 8
Well, Traveller's Tales tried, and although this is an awful Sonic game, it's a pretty good racer featuring my favorite cast of characters. If you're a Sonic fan, you need to hunt this down. If you like racers and want something totally different, this is your game. Definitely worth the cheap price you can find it for used.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/10/00, Updated 02/10/00