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Shift into zero gravity!


— Tagline

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (ソニックライダーズ シューティングスターストーリー Sonikku Raidāzu Shūtingu Sutā Sutōrī?, lit. "Sonic Riders Shooting Star Story") is a 2008 hoverboard racing video game for the Wii and PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Sonic Riders and the second entry in the Sonic Riders series. The game was published by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with CRI Middleware.[7]

The game was released in Japan and North America in January 2008, in Europe in February 2008 and in Australia in March 2008. The PlayStation 2 version was not released in Japan. A sequel, titled Sonic Free Riders, was released in November 2010 exclusively for the Xbox 360.

Plot[]

Storylines[]

Sonic discovers a legend regarding an artifact known as the "Ark of the Cosmos", an item that can take matter and use it to control gravity. However, the Babylon Rogues, Sonic's well-known rivals, are also after the legendary artifact. This sets off a war over who gets the artifact, now leading them to settle their dispute by having an Extreme Gear competition.

Heroes Story[]

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.

The story begins when shooting stars crash into the planet. One crashes into the Crimson Tower and rolls into the back of a MeteorTech robot. It activates, along with others and goes on a rampage.

The next day, Team Heroes are on their way to Megalo Station in Monopole when they hear about the news on the radio. Tails gives Sonic a meteor which he thinks might be from the events last night. Soon, they are attacked by the robots, who seem to have recognized the meteor Sonic is holding and barely escape. While Tails and Knuckles use their respective flying and gliding abilities to distance themselves, Sonic almost falls from the summit of a 300-storey building, but fortunately, the meteor was able to stop his fall, clamping the object to his wrist. All three manage to escape from the city afterwards.

Team Heroes then meets up with Amy, who says she was being pursued by the robots as well. As she hugs Sonic, she drops a similar meteor. Tails suddenly realizes that the robots are after the meteorites. They decide to go to MeteorTech to solve this mystery.

The team then arrives at MeteorTech and is greeted by the Babylon Rogues. Jet tries to force Amy to hand over something called the Ark of the Cosmos but she is clueless as to what he is talking about. An alarm then sounds alerting the robots. Sonic and friends take off, leaving the Rogues in pursuit. Sonic and Jet unknowingly crash into Eggman in the main computer room of MeteorTech. When revealing himself, he reveals that he owns MeteorTech, causing his nemeses to accuse him of the robot rampage. He feigns he has no clue until he sees Sonic's meteor and is threatened by the blue hedgehog and Knuckles. Eggman reveals that his Mother computer hasn't been responding ever since he gave it a meteorite, which is why the robots are going out of control. He also says that the robot leader contains a stone. Jet remembers what he was there for, but realizes that Amy and Storm are missing. Eggman's computer shows that Storm is chasing Amy, but they are being followed by the MeteorTech robot's leader.

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles leave and find Amy at Aquatic Capital. She informs them that the robot self-destructed and Storm ran off with something that was previously inside the robot. She then says that Storm was going on about something he found in a place called "Giga" or something along those lines. Knuckles then confirms it to be the Gigan Rocks, a famous ruin among treasure hunters. The team arrives at the rocks and find the treasure gone. When Knuckles reads an ancient script, they find that Babylon Garden is a spaceship powered by the Arks of the Cosmos and that a great darkness attacked it. Eggman then flies overhead with the Babylon Rogues' airship in pursuit. Sonic then says that they should catch up.

They arrive at MeteorTech's home tower and find Jet and the Rogues waiting. Wave confirms that Crimson Tower is MeteorTech's signal tower. Storm then says that the Arks they collected were stolen by Eggman. Jet challenges Sonic, with the prize being all the Arks of the Cosmos and title of "Fastest Creature in the Universe" to whoever nabs Eggman first.

When they reach the top, Sonic and Jet enter at the same time and grab one of the two Arks he was holding. After bumping into his machine, Wave grabs the master Ark that fell out. After this, all robot operations are cancelled. Due to the five Arks being in the same place at once, it called down Babylon Garden. Seeing that he doesn't need the Arks of the Cosmos, Sonic hands all of them over to Jet. When Jet accuses Sonic of running away, Sonic states that he'll see Jet at the next World Grand Prix.

Babylon Story[]

The story begins in the Gigan Rocks when the Babylon Rogues are trying to get an Ark of the Cosmos at the Chalice. The Ark was held in a booby trap, so Jet punched in some keys on an ancient keyboard in Babylonians text. This deactivated the trap. Slowly, Jet grabbed the Ark of the Cosmos. No sooner than that, Wave saw a shooting star. There, she closed her eyes and put her hands together, making a wish. When she tells Storm what she's doing, he simply laughed, but not for long, as he saw Jet doing the same thing. Jet wished of having a power to beat him. Then, three more crashed down and caused a rumbling sound just as Storm was about to make a wish himself. This re-activated the trap, causing two boulders to come crashing down. It nearly crushed them until the Ark's power caused them to fly out of the way. Jet remarks that "his wish already came true". With this power, the Rogues escaped the ruins safely.

Back on the ship, Wave was analyzing the Ark of the Cosmos they found and explained it can charge up gravity and convert it to power the engine unit of Babylon Garden. She explains that there are five of them. Jet then orders her to create a radar to help find them. Storm then bursts in and shows a news report of a MeteorTech Mech stealing an Ark of the Cosmos from the Megalo City Museum. At seeing this, they set a course for Megalo Station. After going through Megalo Station, Jet tracks the robot to Botanical Kingdom where he destroys the robot, but loses the Ark. He searches the ground and discovers Sonic talking with the others. When Amy hugs Sonic, the Ark of the Cosmos she found (the one Jet is after) falls out. Overhearing their conversation about MeteorTech, Wave and Storm appear and Wave suggests that they go ahead of Sonic and the others to gather information on MeteorTech.

They meet Sonic and friends at MeteorTech but are cut short by guard robots. As Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jet, and Wave ride off, Storm attempts to get the Ark of the Cosmos from Amy, only to get whacked by Amy's hammer. She then escapes with Storm in pursuit. They reach the Aquatic Capital and Amy throws the Ark at Storm's face. She then insists that he find away out when they are confronted by a MeteorTech robot, SCR-HD. After scanning Storm's Ark of the Cosmos, it blows up and reveals a second Ark. Storm runs off with both Arks and returns to the airship. Jet, happy that they now have three, is cut off by Wave's description of an ancient Babylonian text. After Jet gives up on trying to figure out what the lightless black is, he discovers that the two Arks are missing. Eggman then appears outside flying away with them, having sneaked inside while the Rogues were determining what to do.

They follow Eggman to the Crimson Tower where they waited for Sonic and the others. Jet then challenges Sonic and they reach the top of the tower. After Babylon Garden is called down, Tails wondered why the Babylonians sealed the power unit in the Gigan Rocks. Tails puts all the clues together and has a realization: they can't let the Arks of the Cosmos get near Babylon Garden. The damaged SCR-HD breaks in and steals all five Arks of the Cosmos from Wave. Tails informs that the five Arks will make a giant black hole if put in Babylon Garden and that was the lightless black that attacked the divine wings. After that, Eggman declares that the power units are resonating together, causing a giant black hole to form. A scene then shows the outer part of Babylon Garden falling off transforming it into Astral Babylon, the Babylonian spaceship and creating a black hole. Sonic, Jet, and everyone else (except Eggman) rush to Astral Babylon's Mobius Strip to face SCR-HD's giant new form and disconnect the Arks of the Cosmos from the ship.

Afterwards, it shows Astral Babylon orbiting Earth. Jet and the Rogues are atop a rock in the desert looking at it. After a quick conversation, they fly off on their gear. The scene then switches to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy, in Tails' vehicle driving through Megalo City. Tails explains how the ancient Babylonians warped to Earth and left their engine unit in orbit. Then Amy theorizes that's probably why people started wishing on shooting stars. Shortly after, Sonic hears someone say his name in the tunnel. Jet rides up imposing a friendly challenge. The scene ends with Sonic and Jet racing through the tunnel marking the end of the story.

Characters[]

Image Character Biography
Sonic The Hedgehog - Artwork (1) Sonic the Hedgehog The world's fastest hedgehog is even faster when he's riding Extreme Gear![8]

Sonic is a big fan of freedom and has no tolerance for evildoers. He sometimes comes across as arrogant and short tempered, but he always does his best to help out those in trouble. Despite his easygoing nature, he tackles challenges with a fearful resolve – when the going gets tough, Sonic gets tougher![8]

ZeroGravityTailsTrick Miles "Tails" Prower His real name is "Miles Prower," but his friends just call him "Tails." This little kid fox with two tails and a heart of gold loves tinkering with machinery and his devices have helped out Sonic many times in the past. He's fairly new to the technology of Extreme Gear, but if there's a way to improve on them he'll find it![8]
Knuckles 28 Knuckles the Echidna Friend and rival of Sonic, Knuckles packs a powerful punch with his spiky fists. His hard-headed demeanor can make him gullible, but now he's wise to Dr. Eggman's trickery and quick to assume a hidden motive.[8]

Bringing his inherent aggression to the race courses, he plans to smash his way to the finish line and prove he means business![8]

Jet in ZG Jet the Hawk Known as the "Legendary Wind Rider," Jet leads the Babylon Rogues, a talented group of professional thieves. Jet's Extreme Gear skills are revered far and wide, earning him an impressive reputation.[9]

In his latest quest for treasure, he's found himself crossing paths with Sonic once again. He'll have to be quick on his Gear to avoid walking away empty-handed.[9]

Wave The Swallow - Artwork (1) Wave the Swallow Wave is a superb mechanic who takes care of all of the Babylon Rogues' Gear and provides the gang with a more level-headed viewpoint. While she's capable of fixing many things, Gear is speciality and her knowledge and experience surpass both Tails and Eggman in this area.[9]
Storm in ZG Storm the Albatross Storm is the muscle behind the Babylon Rogues' nefarious schemes and Jet's right-hand man. He's clumsy and not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he is happy to defer to Jet's superior intellect and see his orders carried out.[9]

Unsatisfied with the outcome of his previous scuffles with Knuckles, he considers their latest run-in a golden opportunity for payback.[9]

AmyRoseZeroGravity Amy Rose Amy is a ditzy young girl who spends her days head-over-heels in love; as Sonic's self-professed girlfriend, she is dedicated to tracking him down no matter how far he runs.[10]

She has a bubbly and cheerful demeanor, but likes to get her own way – by force, if need be. Her beloved Piko Piko Hammer has often proven invaluable in teaching the virtues of letting her win, and even poor Sonic is often overwhelmed by her powerful personality.[10]

Robotnik pose 27 Dr. Eggman By his own admission, he is an evil self-centered scientific genius with a passion for robotics. Despite having an IQ of 300 and unparalleled technological skills, he remains bent on turning the world into his very own "Eggman-land," unconcerned by the inconvenience it would cause the world's existing residents.[10]

The current spate of recklessly rampaging robots all across the globe bears the hallmark of another Eggman machination. Could he be behind the mayhem?[10]

Gameplay[]

Gameplay in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is largely similar to its predecessor, with characters racing on different types of hoverboards called Extreme Gear. In addition to the mechanics from the previous game, Zero Gravity adds a new gameplay system based around gravity which replaces the Air mechanics. During the race, performing tricks and other actions will increase a character's Gravity Points, or GP. If players have accrued enough GP by the time they enter certain areas of the track, they may perform one of two maneuvers which lets them enter zero gravity. A Gravity Dive will create a black hole that gives the player a boost, launching them quickly down the track; this will also displace objects in the vicinity such as cars or signs, which players can pass through to gain additional speed. Alternatively, Gravity Control will shift the gravity of the course, allowing players to reach otherwise-inaccessible areas and shortcuts. Players can also use Gravity Control to more easily maneuver around sharp corners.

Building on the upgrade system from its predecessor, Zero Gravity features a new system called "Gear Change". Once players gain a certain number of rings during a race, they can choose to activate one of their Gear Parts. Gear Parts are predetermined based on the racer's equipped Extreme Gear, and will grant bonuses and abilities when activated, such as modifying the Extreme Gear's look, higher specs, an increased GP Gauge and character type specific Gear Parts (the ability to grind in rails as a Grind character, transform into an air ride/yacht-type Gear to fly through Dash Rings scattered throughout the stage as an Air Ride character, or transform into a bike/wheel-type Gear which can smash through objects including barricaded shortcuts as a Bike character).

In addition to the boards, skates, and bikes from the previous game, Zero Gravity also introduces three new types of Extreme Gear: air rides, yachts, and wheels. New Extreme Gear can be unlocked via the in-game shop, with different Gear providing different advantages and unique abilities.

The usage of Tricks also changed. When progressing towards a ramp or ledge where it is possible to do a trick, the player must simply press the jump button. The main key is timing. The earlier the jump is applied, the slower the trick, less distance and height that is covered and the lower the Rank. When performing a trick, the player can only trick in one direction (such as only doing frontflips, or only doing backflips), unless the player successfully performs an X-Rank trick.

Controls[]

Button formation Movement
Wii PlayStation 2
Wii Remote
(sideways)
Wii Remote
(vertical)
GameCube
controller
Tilt Wii Remote Point Wii Remote Analog-Stick Left-Analog-Stick Steer
Snnwii2buttondisco WiiDSA A Button GameCube v2 Cross Jump
Directional-Pad-Down/tilt Wii Remote back Directional-Pad-Down/point Wii Remote down Gamecube X Button Circle Brake
WiiDSA Directional-Pad-Up Gamecube Y Button PSTriangleButton Activate Gear Part
Button1 WiiB SNNBGAMECUBEDISCO Square Gravity Control
Flip Wii Remote up Lgame/Rgame R1 Gravity Dive
Plus Button (Wii) START Pause

Items[]

The following items are power-up items that can be obtained from Item Boxes during a race which will grant the player bonuses or hinder the player and/or their Extreme Gear.

  • Rings: Grants a varied number of bonus Rings in. This number can be 10, 20, 30 or even 100.
  • GP Boost: Replenishes the player's GP Gauge with a varied number of Gravity Points. This number can be 30, 50, 100 or Max.
  • Magnetic Barrier: Forms a blue barrier around the player which attracts nearby Rings towards him/her.
  • High Speed: Gives the player a sudden boost of speed.
  • Speed Down: Hooks the player's Gear with a heavy ball, drastically slowing down the player and prevents usage of Gravity Actions.
  • Explosion: Launches a round bomb that rolls around the track for some time inflicting damage to any opponents the bomb touches.
  • Attack: Player's character hops off his/her Gear and runs at full speed on foot, allowing him/her to attack opponents and access special shortcuts such as Springs.
  • Colorball: Obscures the player's vision with colored paint.
  • Parts Lock: Prevents the player from activating any Gear Parts and prevents usage of Gravity Actions.

The following items appear exclusively in Survival Battle:

  • Missile: A weapon that the player can attack opponents with using Gravity Control.
  • Shield: Protects the player from one attack.
  • Hit Point: Grants one Hit Point to the player. Appears only in Sudden Death matches.
  • Explosion: Explosion works differently in Survival Battle to that of its normal gameplay counterpart. The bomb will explode after a short amount of time, damaging the holder and any other characters caught in its vicinity. The bomb can be transferred to another character using Gravity Control.

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

Image Character Gear upgrade Stats
Dash Limit Power Curve
SRZG sonic-icon Sonic the Hedgehog Grind ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
SRZG tails-icon Miles "Tails" Prower Air Ride ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
SRZG knuckles-icon Knuckles the Echidna Bike ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
SRZG amy-icon Amy Rose Grind ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
SRZG jet-icon Jet the Hawk Grind ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
SRZG storm-icon Storm the Albatross Bike ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
SRZG wave-icon Wave the Swallow Air Ride ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
SRZG eggman-icon Dr. Eggman None (Bike or Wheel only) ★★☆☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
SRZG scrhd-icon SCR-HD None (Air Ride by default) ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆
SRZG cream-icon Cream the Rabbit Air Ride ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
SRZG rouge-icon Rouge the Bat Air Ride ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
SRZG shadow-icon Shadow the Hedgehog Grind ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
SRZG silver-icon Silver the Hedgehog Air Ride ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
SRZG blaze-icon Blaze the Cat Grind ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
SRZG nights-icon Nights Air Ride ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★
SRZG amigo-icon Amigo Grind ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★★☆
SRZG billy-icon Billy Hatcher Bike ★★★☆☆ ★★★★☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
SRZG scrgp-icon SCR-GP None (Wheel by default) ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★★★ ★★★☆☆
N/A Super Sonic (Chaos Emerald) None N/A

Extreme Gear[]

Main article: Extreme Gear
WindStarZeroGravity

The game features Extreme Gear transformations, this being the Wind Star transforming.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is the second game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series to use the Extreme Gears in gameplay, the first being the game's predecessor, Sonic Riders. Like in Sonic Riders, the Extreme Gears are high-tech hoverboard vehicles that are used by the characters to ride on, but uses Gravity Points (GP) to as a fuel to perform special actions in this game rather than Air, and are the central component in the gameplay.

Like in Sonic Riders, every playable character has their own unique default Extreme Gear, which only they can use, but additional Extreme Gears can be obtained in the game by either buying them in the shop for Rings, or fulfilling certain requirements, such as completing one or more missions in Mission Mode, or completing a certain story.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity features six different types of Extreme Gear. In addition to the returning Board type, Skate type and Bike type Extreme Gears from Sonic Riders, the game introduces as well three new types of Extreme Gear in the series, namely the Yacht type, the Air Ride type and the Wheel type.

  • Board: Resembles regular boards. A basic and balanced Gear type that most characters can ride and is suited for general riding.
  • Skate: Resembles roller skates. This type of Gear tend to lack in power, but is more agile and always allows the user to grind in Grind Areas.
  • Bike: Resembles motorbikes. This type of Gear is more durable and allows characters to knock away certain objects, but is less maneuverable compared to the other types.
  • Air Ride: Resembles hovercrafts. This type of Gear allows the user to glide through midair and fly through Dash Rings.
  • Yacht: Resembles windsurf boards. This type of Gear allows to glide through the air and fly through Dash Rings and as well ride on opponents' slipstreams (different from the first game, as you only run along the slipstream) to increase speed, which somewhat makes up its low top speed.
  • Wheel: Resembles monowheels. This type allows the user to knock away heavy objects and have the ability to perform Slide Turns, but the dash from Gravity Control is shorter.

List of Extreme Gear[]

There are a total of 61 different collectible Extreme Gear that can be acquired in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, excluding SCR-GP and SCR-HD despite the fact that they also function as Gear themselves. The following Extreme Gear are listed as they appear in the Gear Gallery:

Gear No. Name Image Gear Parts User(s)
1 Blue Star Exgear bluestar Max Speed UP
Grind
GP Gauge UP
Sonic
2 Yellow Tail Exgear yellowtail Max Speed UP
Air Ride
GP Gauge UP
Tails
3 Red Rock Red Rock (Extreme Gear Select) (Sonic Riders (Zero Gravity)) Max Speed UP
Bike
GP Gauge UP
Knuckles
4 Pink Rose Ex Max Speed UP
Grind
GP Gauge UP
Amy
5 Type-J Type-J (Sonic Riders (Zero Gravity)) Max Speed UP
Grind
GP Gauge UP
Jet
6 Type-S Type-S (Extreme Gear Select) (Sonic Riders (Zero Gravity)) Max Speed UP
Bike
GP Gauge UP
Storm
7 Type-W Type-W Max Speed UP
Air Ride
GP Gauge UP
Wave
8 E-Rider Ex1 Max Speed UP
GP Gauge UP
Eggman
9 Smile Ex2 Max Speed UP
Air Ride
GP Gauge UP
Cream
10 Temptation Ex3 Max Speed UP
Air Ride
GP Gauge UP
Rouge
11 Black Shot Ex4 Max Speed UP
Grind
GP Gauge UP
Shadow
12 Psychic Wave Ex5 Max Speed UP
Air Ride
GP Gauge UP
Silver
13 Flame Lance Ex6 Max Speed UP
Grind
GP Gauge UP
Blaze
14 Night Sky Exx24 Max Speed UP
Air Ride
GP Gauge UP
Nights
15 Rhythm Machine Exx25 Max Speed UP
Grind
GP Gauge UP
Amigo
16 Power Egg Exx26 Max Speed UP
Bike
GP Gauge UP
Billy Hatcher
17 Shooting Star Ex11 Grind
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
18 Faster Exx21 Grind
Max Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
19 Fastest Exx27 Grind
Max Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
20 Turbo Star Ex10 Starting Speed UP
Starting Speed UP
Grind
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
21 Light Board Exx16 Grind
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
22 Cover S Cover S SRZG Durability UP
Starting Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
23 Cover F Exx17 Durability UP
Max Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
24 Cover P Exx18 Starting Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
25 Advantage S Exx28 Max Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
26 Advantage F AdvantageFZeroGravity Starting Speed UP
Starting Speed UP
Starting Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
27 Advantage P Exx29 Durability UP
Durability UP
Durability UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Eggman
28 Wind Star WindStar2ZeroGravity Air Ride
Max Speed UP
Yacht
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
29 Road Star Road Star SRZG Bike
Starting Speed UP
Wheel
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
30 Airship Exx14 Yacht
Max Speed UP
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
31 Wheel Custom WheelCustomZeroGravity Wheel
Starting Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
32 Omnitempus Omnitempus (Extreme Gear Select) (Sonic Riders (Zero Gravity)) Grind
Air Ride
Bike
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
33 Hyperdrive Exx31 Grind
GP Gauge UP
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
34 GC Booster Exx30 GC Boost UP
GC Boost UP
GC Boost UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
35 GC Master Exx32 GC Boost UP
GC Boost UP
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
36 Legend Exx13 Trick Rank +1
Trick Rank +1
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
37 Shinobi SRZG gear shinobi Ghost
Auto Wall-Run
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
38 Kunoichi Exx20 Ghost
Auto Wall-Run
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
39 Rail Linker RailLinkerrip Starting Speed UP
Max Speed UP
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
40 GP Accumulator ZeroGravityGPAccumulator Air Ride
GP Gain UP
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
41 Skill Booster Exx22 Starting Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Durability UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
42 G Shot Exx33 Grind
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
43 Master Off-Road MasterOff-RoadZeroGravity GP Gauge UP
Wheel
Durability UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Eggman
44 Reserve Tank Exx23 Tank
Tank
Tank
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Eggman
45 GP Tank GPTankrip GP Gauge UP
GP Gauge UP
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Eggman
46 Chaos Emerald ChaosEmeraldZeroGravity Ring Cap UP
Ring Cap UP
Magnetic Barrier
Sonic the Hedgehog
47 The Crazy Exgear crazy Ring Cap UP
Magnetic Barrier
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
48 Angel • Devil AngelDevilrip Angel/Devil Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
49 Throttle ThrottleZeroGravity Throttle
Throttle
Throttle
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
50 Money Crisis Ex12 None Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Eggman
51 Beginner Exx19 Item Rank +1
Item Rank +1
Item Rank +1
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
52 Big Bang Big bang sonic riders zero gravity None Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Eggman
53 Gambler GamblerZeroGravity Ring Cap UP
Ring Cap UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
54 Bingo Star Bingo Star SRZG - Kopi Ring Cap UP
Ring Cap UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
55 Wanted Wanted SRZG Ring Cap UP
Ring Cap UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
56 Hang-On Hang-On (Extreme Gear Select) (Sonic Riders (Zero Gravity)) BGM Change Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Eggman
57 Magic Broom Exgear airbroom Vision Trap
Parts Lock
Status Trap
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
58 Mag Mag (Board Select) Base Stats UP
Attack Time UP
GP Usage UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
59 Untouchable Exx15 Max Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Max Speed UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
60 Rainbow Rainbow (Extreme Gear Select) (Sonic Riders (Zero Gravity)) Grind
Air Ride
Bike
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher
61 Wind Catcher WindCatcherZeroGravity GP Gauge UP
GP Gauge UP
GP Gauge UP
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Jet, Storm, Wave, Cream, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Nights, Amigo, Billy Hatcher

Courses[]

There are a total of sixteen courses in the normal racing gameplay; eight areas with two tracks in each:

No. Heroes Babylon
1. Megalo Station Nightside Rush
2. Botanical Kingdom Snowy Kingdom
3. MeteorTech Premises MeteorTech Sparkworks
4. Aquatic Capital Tempest Waterway
5. Gigan Rocks Gigan Device
6. Crimson Crater Security Corridor
7. Astral Babylon Mobius Strip
8. '80s Boulevard '90s Boulevard

One notable difference from Sonic Riders is that the tracks are slightly longer and don't virtually carbon-copy each-other, like they did in the original previous. Another change is that there are sharp turns that require the use of Gravity Control or Slide Turn. As Air is no longer used as a fuel source, Air Pits were removed and there are no such equivalent objects that give the player Gravity Points. There are six tracks in the Heroes Story and seven tracks in the Babylon Story. The first four tracks are unlocked in Free Race, the other twelve tracks are unlocked once the player progresses through Story Mode.

In Survival Mode, with the exception of Survival Relay, there are six exclusive fields:

No. Survival Ball Survival Battle
1. MeteorTech Arsenal Gravity Pit
2. Botanical Cave Labyrinth
3. Megalo Junction Square Quartet

Other modes[]

Survival Mode[]

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity features the new Survival Mode, which has three special games that can be played with other players or against the computers:

  • Survival Battle entails each player to use Gravity Control in certain spots of the level to slam objects into opponents, mainly missiles. The mode consists of a rather small arena-type field where four players are to knock each other out by aiming missiles through Gravity Control.
  • Survival Ball mode is, simply put, a football game on Extreme Gear. Players score points by using Gravity Control to launch the ball through point hoops.
  • Survival Relay is basically a relay race where two-to-four players make a team(s) riding a single Extreme Gear, using it as a baton to pass on to the next character.

Development[]

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity was first announced by Sega at Games Conference 2007 for a Q1 2008 release. Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of marketing at Sega of America commented on the game's announcement, stating that the game would offer long-time Sonic fans, and newcomers alike, the adrenaline-pumping gameplay and moves that made the blue hedgehog famous, while adding a plethora of completely new elements to the Sonic world.[11]

Cast[]

Role English voice actor Japanese voice actor
Sonic the Hedgehog Jason Griffith Junichi Kanemaru
Jet the Hawk Daisuke Kishio
Shadow the Hedgehog Koji Yusa
Miles "Tails" Prower Amy Palant Ryo Hirohashi
Wave the Swallow Bella Hudson Chie Nakamura
Knuckles the Echidna Dan Green Nobutoshi Canna
Storm the Albatross Kenji Nomura
Amy Rose Lisa Ortiz Taeko Kawata
Dr. Eggman Deem Bristow (archived) Chikao Ōtsuka
Mike Pollock
Rouge the Bat Kathleen Delaney Rumi Ochiai
Silver the Hedgehog Pete Capella Daisuke Ono
Blaze the Cat Bella Hudson Nao Takamori
Cream the Rabbit Rebecca Honig Sayaka Aoki
SCR-HD Andrew Paull Kenji Nomura
SCR-GP
Master Core: ABIS
Newsreporter Dan Green Nobutoshi Canna
Mother computer Bella Hudson Chie Nakamura

Soundtrack[]

The official soundtrack for Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity was released as the album titled Zero Gravity Tracks: Sonic Riders Shooting Star Story Original Soundtrack.

Reception[]

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 58% (Wii)[12]
59.31% (PS2)
Metacritic 56% (Wii)[13]
56% (PS2)[14]
Review scores
Publication Score
Game Informer 6/10[15]
GameRevolution (Wii)[16]
GameSpot 4.5/10[17]
GamesRadar 4/10[18]
IGN 5.8/10[19]
Nintendo Life 8/10 (Wii)[20]

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity received mixed reviews from reviewers. GameRankings and Metacritic assigned the PlayStation 2 version 59.31% and 56%,[14] respectively. GameTrailers praised the game for its graphics, but lambaste the control schemes, especially the fact that the Wii version was compatible with the GameCube controller but not the Classic Controller, and saying that a "broken interface" rendered the game "almost unplayable."[21] The game has sold about 1.08 million copies worldwide as of 2015,[22] the majority of which were for the Wii.


Trivia[]

  • The obvious differences between the two versions of the game is that the PlayStation 2 version only features one controller scheme (that being the DualShock controllers), while the Wii version features three different play input styles.
  • The PlayStation 2 version includes an expanded tutorial that is missing entirely in the Wii version.
  • While the United States PlayStation 2 version has both Japanese and English voice languages in the disc, the European PlayStation 2 version completely removes the Japanese voices, and therefore the ability to switch voice language at all. Text language choices in all regional variations of the PlayStation 2 version are identical.
  • Any Extreme Gear that Storm rides is nearly twice as big as normal. This can be more easily noticed in Tag Mode, in which the other characters will be much smaller than their Gear.
  • This is Silver and Blaze's first and only playable appearance on the PlayStation 2.
  • SCR-HD is the only unlockable racer who is not unlocked in story mode.
  • This is the last game to use Deem Bristow's voice clips of Dr. Eggman, as the next game in the miniseries, Sonic Free Riders, has all of Eggman's lines recorded by Mike Pollock.
  • During cutscenes, Amy is wearing her normal dress, but during the races, she wears her racing outfit from the previous game. However, when playing as Amy in Story Mode, she is wearing her normal dress.
  • In the intermission cutscene, Amy is not there even though she participates in the race before that cutscene. She is also not present in the final boss.
  • On the cover Tails' Arc of the Cosmos is on his left hand, while in the game mode it's on the left side of his hip.
  • Shadow's artwork in this game has a striking resemblance to his Sonic Adventure 2 artwork, as it is a mirrored version of it.
  • This is the only game in the "Riders" series in which the main story doesn't take place during a World Grand Prix.
  • The Shinobi & Kunoichi Extreme Gears reference the Shinobi series by Sega and its canonical offshoot, Nightshade (called Kunoichi in Japan).
  • This is the only Sonic Riders title to not be released on a Microsoft console.
  • Despite being a member of Team Heroes, Amy is playable in the Babylon Story not the Hero Story during story races, but during Mission Mode races she is played exclusively in the Hero Story.
  • Despite the fact that the PlayStation 2 supports widescreen, the PS2 version of the game cannot be played in widescreen.
  • The SCR robots are counted as Gears, as seen at the EX Gear section at the profile select when having everything in the game.
  • This is the only game to have all six types of Extreme Gear, as Sonic Riders had three (Board, Bike and Skate) and Sonic Free Riders had two (Board and Bike).
  • Unlike the PS2 version, the Wii version depends on motion control with the remote, except if the GCN controller is being used instead.
  • Unlike the first Sonic Riders, Cream is not playable in Mission Mode. Inversely the Babylon Rogues are when they were not in the first game's Mission Mode.
  • In the Wii version, if a GameCube controller is connected to any of the Wii's GameCube controller ports, then that respective player's Wii Remote will be completely disabled, except for the HOME Button. (i.e. if it's plugged into Socket One, then Player 1's Wii Remote will be disabled; if it's in Socket Two, then Player 2's Wii Remote will be disabled, etc.) This also applies when WaveBird controller receivers are plugged in, even if the WaveBird controller has not been turned on.

Videos[]


References[]

  1. ソニックライダーズ シューティングスターストーリー (Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007.
  2. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. Nintendo. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019.
  3. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. Nintendo. Archived from the original on 5 February 2019.
  4. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (NA). IGN. Retrieved on 28 September 2019.
  5. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (UK). IGN. Retrieved on 28 September 2019.
  6. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (AUS). IGN. Retrieved on 28 September 2019.
  7. Titles by Platform: Wii. CRI Middleware. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Wii) Canadian instruction booklet, pg. 4.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Wii) Canadian instruction booklet, pg. 5.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Wii) Canadian instruction booklet, pg. 6.
  11. Bozon (23 August 2007). Sega Announces Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. IGN. Retrieved on 28 September 2019.
  12. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Wii). GameRankings.
  13. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Wii). Metacritic.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (PlayStation 2). Metacritic.
  15. Helgeson, Matt . ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COFFIN. Game Informer. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009.
  16. Parker, Tom (2 August 2008). Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity Review. GameRevolution. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015.
  17. Dodson, Joe (18 January 2008). Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity Review. GameSpot.
  18. Ryan, Paul (16 January 2008). Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity review. GamesRadar. Retrieved on 6 August 2022.
  19. Bozon (14 January 2008). Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity Review. IGN.
  20. Dickens, Anthony (24 February 2008). Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity Review. NintendoLife.
  21. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. GameTrailers (30 January 2008). Archived from the original on 4 August 2014.
  22. Game Database. VGChartz. Retrieved on 29 July 2015.

External links[]

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Main article | Scripts (Heroes, Babylon) | Staff | Glitches | Beta elements | Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off games
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