Game:

Sonic R (1997)

Duration: 43:51

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92

#sonic #sonicthehedgehog #sega #segasaturn

If there is one genre that seemed like Sonic would, by default, have the upper hand on Mario, it would be the racing genre. Sonic is a character after all that is built around his speed. Taking the series and adapting it into a racing game seems like it should have had minimal bumps in the translation....However......

Depressingly, Sonic R was the only exclusive Sonic game released on the Sega Saturn, with the two other Saturn Sonics, Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Jam, being a port and a compilation of the Genesis Sonic titles, respectively. The Sega Saturn was certainly a powerful console but the lack of a next generation Sonic game, left it wanting in comparison to it's PlayStation and Nintendo 64 rivals. And Sonic R unfortunately failed to live up to expectations. As much as I love Sonic games, the game feels bland and unfinished with hardly any power ups, only FIVE courses, and it takes a lot of time to get used to the slippery controls (in my opinion).

Having said that, there is an interesting attempt at adding an exploration element into the mix. As in the classic Sonic games, rings are scattered about everywhere, with their purpose this time around being unlocking doors that lead to shortcuts and hidden items. Each of the four starting stages houses one or two Chaos Emeralds, and five Sonic Coins. Chaos Emeralds and claim first place, you get to keep the emeralds (Collecting all seven Emeralds unlocks Super Sonic as usual) Meanwhile, if you can collect all five coins on a stage in a single race, and get in at least third place, you’ll race one of the robot doppelgängers. Beat the metallic lookalike in their race and you unlock them. Another element of Sonic R that I will admit is good is the soundtrack by Richard Jacques. But when you put the entire product together and put it next to racing games of the time like Mario Kart 64 or Diddy Kong Racing, it simply does not compete.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the 100% playthrough!

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