"A solid, fun racer with a couple minor issues."

Not much to say, so let's get right into the reviewing.

Story: 7/10
Some time after the first Sonic Riders, mysterious meteorites fall to Earth, characters we've seen before find them, and on the way it transforms into a mission to save the world. Basic, simplistic, and short, but if you've come here for a sweeping, grand tale you're looking at the wrong game. The story serves its purpose of moving the game from one stage to the next, which is exactly what it should do. And to that end, it does well.

Sound: 9/10
The game's music is energetic, with a futuristic trance tone. It suits the game's cyberpunk style well, and is engaging without becoming distracting. You won't be humming any of these tunes for days to come, but they enhance the playtime well. The voice acting has mostly improved since previous endeavors, and during gameplay don't distract. During story elements there are thankfully only two or three poor/corny lines, so your ears definitely won't end up bleeding.

Gameplay 9/10
This is the core element for a racer, and this is the area that Zero Gravity pretty much nails. Tracks are highly varied and well-designed, with several pathways in each, many hidden. The previous game's Air system has been done away with and replaced with Gravity Points, which are earned through tricks and item boxes on the track. The Gravity system, the game's namesake, allows you to manipulate gravity, whether to make those hairpin turns, speed down a straightaway with a black hole in your wake, or transfer to a vertical wall. There is a second system related to the hoverboards you ride. By collecting rings along the course, you can upgrade your board mid-race, to give it a speed boost, a new ability (Grinding, Flying, and Strength from the previous game return in this fashion), the ability to hold more gravity points, and a few other surprises. However, on the flip side is the fact that you cannot utilise those abilities until you've upgraded your board, meaning you'll often be on your second lap before you're able to use those handy ability-related shortcuts.

A decent local 2-4 multiplayer rounds out the package without hurting it.

Controls 5/10
Here is where the game mainly falters. This being the Wii version, there are of course movement-related controls. Two different kinds, in fact. The first (and default) is the remote held sideways. You tilt from side to side to steer, tilt toward yourself to brake, and flick upwards to engage the Gravity Dive. Excellent in theory, but in practice it simply is not precise enough for these tracks. The second is the remote held pointing at the screen, with similar controls, only you point at the side of the screen you wish to turn into. This suffers similar problems. Thankfully, there is a third control option that allows use of the GameCube controller, which is far tighter and responsive, and is probably what most players will switch to. In short, the motion controls fail to be useful, and the normal control is simply that, nothing flashy.

Online 5/10
The not-really-online feature is an interesting component. First off, I'll make it simple: No, there is not online multiplayer. What this allows is the ability to rank onto a worldwide leaderboard, and download the "ghost" data of those players to race against. I ask, if they went to the trouble to do this, why not give us actual online play? But then again, as this is the Wii I suppose we should be happy there is an online component at all.

Replay value 8/10
Story mode can be beaten in about an hour, so it's a good thing there's plenty to do afterward. Of the 16 characters, 9 are unlockable, and there are 61 boards total, buyable with rings. There is also a couple of standard tournaments, and many missions to do, some of which can get fairly challenging. There is also ghost data to play against, and of course local multiplayer. The game will remain fun for a while.

Overall 8/10 (not an average)
A solid Wii game, and a solid racer, which is a slight oddity to find together. It is fun with a gentle learning curve and many things to do. Definite rent if you're not sure, definite buy if you're a fan of the first.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/14/08

Game Release: Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (US, 01/08/08)