History VideoGame / SonicRiders

* TheBadGuyWins: Dr. Eggman [[spoiler:manages to get the treasure]] in ''Sonic Riders''. He doesn't like what happens, however, and calls it a day.

As of 2022, there are 3 games in the series - ''Sonic Riders'' (for {{UsefulNotes/GameCube}}, {{UsefulNotes/PlayStation 2}}, and {{UsefulNotes/Xbox}}), ''VideoGame/SonicRidersZeroGravity'' (for {{UsefulNotes/Wii}} and {{UsefulNotes/PlayStation 2}}), and ''Sonic Free Riders'' (only for {{UsefulNotes/Xbox 360}}).

As of 2021, there are 3 games in the series - ''Sonic Riders'' (for {{UsefulNotes/GameCube}}, {{UsefulNotes/PlayStation 2}}, and {{UsefulNotes/Xbox}}), ''VideoGame/SonicRidersZeroGravity'' (for {{UsefulNotes/Wii}} and {{UsefulNotes/PlayStation 2}}), and ''Sonic Free Riders'' (only for {{UsefulNotes/Xbox 360}}).

As of 2021, there are 3 games in the series - ''Sonic Riders'' (for {{UsefulNotes/GameCube}}, {{UsefulNotes/PlayStation 2}}, and {{UsefulNotes/Xbox}}), ''Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity'' (for {{UsefulNotes/Wii}} and {{UsefulNotes/PlayStation 2}}), and ''Sonic Free Riders'' (only for {{UsefulNotes/Xbox 360}}).

JustForFun/TheOneWith hoverboard racing!

* SpeedDemon: The lyrics to "Free", the game's theme song, reference the joy of racing:

* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay:
** The gear you unlock for beating the story mode of the first game has weaker stats than most of the stuff you already have. But considering it's just a prototype to begin with and the technology has had hundreds of years to catch up, is it really surprising there's better stuff out there? Heck, it's lucky the darn thing flies at all.
** By the time of ''Zero Gravity'', Knuckles has finally stopped falling for Dr. Eggman's lies and is even the first to call him out when he claims innocent on the newest scheme. While he has believed a guy who has openly plotted world domination a little too much, there's only so many times you can fall for the same trick before you catch on.
** Wave is shown to be far superior to Gear manufacturing and building than both Tails or Eggman, two of the smartest guys in the Sonic world. This makes perfect scene when you realize Wave has been working with the tech all her life while both Tails and Eggman had only learned it even existed just before the first game.
** While Sonic is able to pick up the basics of Extreme Gear riding almost instantly thanks to his natural athleticism and getting his hands on a high quality gear made specifically to be extra stable, the moment Jet moves in to attack him, he ends up eating both crow and the pavement in spectacular fashion because he has no idea how to defend himself.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Eggman annoument in the opening of the first game includes this gem: "Not just a race... But a special race, to see who is the fastest." So... what is the difference between a regular race and a special race?

-->'''Eggman''': It's not just a race, but a special race to see who's the fastest!

TheOneWith hoverboard racing!

** Team Dark lacks their usual "power" character, Omega. It's never explained why about his absence, but [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 another game]] suggest he doesn't tag along with them frequently.

* GrindBoots: Speed-types can hop onto rails and grind across them, which not only restores Air/GP, but also moves faster than regular boarding and generally takes you through shortcuts. In ''Zero Gravity'', some boards can access Gear Changes that let them Grind when they cannot do so otherwise.

* RealityEnsues:
** The gear you unlock for beating the story mode of the first game has weaker stats than most of the stuff you already have. But considering it's just a prototype to begin with and the technology has had hundreds of years to catch up, is it really surprising there's better stuff out there? Heck, it's lucky the darn thing flies at all.
** By the time of ''Zero Gravity'', Knuckles has finally stopped falling for Dr. Eggman's lies and is even the first to call him out when he claims innocent on the newest scheme. While he has believed a guy who has openly plotted world domination a little too much, there's only so many times you can fall for the same trick before you catch on.
** Wave is shown to be far superior to Gear manufacturing and building than both Tails or Eggman, two of the smartest guys in the Sonic world. This makes perfect scene when you realize Wave has been working with the tech all her life while both Tails and Eggman had only learned it even existed just before the first game.
** While Sonic is able to pick up the basics of Extreme Gear riding almost instantly thanks to his natural athleticism and getting his hands on a high quality gear made specifically to be extra stable, the moment Jet moves in to attack him, he ends up eating both crow and the pavement in spectacular fashion because he has no idea how to defend himself.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonic_riders_coverart.png:Try to Keep Up!]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonic_riders_coverart.png]]

As of 2021, there are 3 games in the series - ''Sonic Riders'', ''Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity'', and ''Sonic Free Riders''.

There are currently 3 games in the series - ''Sonic Riders'', ''Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity'', and ''Sonic Free Riders''.

* RocksFallEveryoneDies: The booby-trapped Gravity Ring Shrine in the beginning of the Babylon Rogues' story in ''Zero Gravity'', and Master Core: ABIS' third lap attack in the same game (he pulls in and throws flaming meteoroids at the player).

* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: In the original game, after playing through the Babylon Story as the Babylon Rogues, you retake control of Sonic for the final battle.

* GeniusBonus: The Kutta–Joukowski theorem that Tails mentions when asked about how gears work is a real theorem relating to aerodynamics.

* ShapedLikeItself: How Doctor Robotnik announces the Tournament, in the first game.
-->'''Doctor Robotnik''': It's not just a race, but a special race to see who's the fastest!

--> "Even without wings, I can still fly!"
---> — '''''Sonic the Hedgehog'''''

** Team Dark lacks their usual "power" character, Omega. It's never explained why about his absence, but [[Videogame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 another game]] suggest he doesn't tag along with them frequently.
** Team Rose is missing their third member Big The Cat, with Vector The Crocodile filling in.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: The Blue Star II from the first game, which Tails hands to Sonic right before the final race of the Team Sonic Story in order to give him the edge over Jet.

** Thanks to the [[GravityScrew nature of the racetracks in Zero Gravity,]] a shift in the gravitational pull as you fall will often times be just enough to toss you to safety if you were to whiff smaller jumps and even some big jumps that cover a relatively small horizontal distance.

* BackgroundMusicOverride: The ''[[VideoGame/HangOn Hang-On]]'' and ''Super Hang-On'' bikes will replace the background music of the track you are racing on with themes from their respective games.

* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:The Genie in the first game, Master Core: ABIS in ''Zero Gravity'', and Metal Sonic in ''Free Riders''.]] The former two switch into UnexpectedGameplayChange by forcing you to actually deal damage to the boss to end the race.

* SelfImposedChallenge:
** In ''Zero Gravity'', it is entirely possible to win a race as Super Sonic without ever actually becoming Super Sonic, due to the fact that without any Rings, Super Sonic is treated as Sonic on foot, who, despite having a far lower top speed than most Extreme Gear, is capable of accessing any Spring shortcut that would normally require a Boost item. This also works on the handful of other boards that eat Rings to use.
** The same feat can be performed in the original Sonic Riders by using either a ring eating gear or by turning off all items and pit-stops and equipping a gear that's incapable of replenishing it's air through normal means(The Cannonball skates work best for this) and then burning off all your air using tornadoes and drifts. Depending on the level and character type matching, some races can be won VERY handily on foot.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: ''Zero Gravity'' can feel like this compared to the original title, largely due to the simplification[[note]]Tricks now only require you to press the button with proper timing and hold a direction, while Turbulence was reduced to appearing in very few stages with limited use[[/note]], revision[[note]]Boost was reduced to a ComebackMechanic power-up that appears more often for players in last place and is the only way to access shortcuts, Typing was changed to be based on the EX Gear instead of the character chosen[[/note]], or outright removal of some features[[note]]The Air system was removed, allowing characters to fly indefinitely, which also removed the ability to generate Tornados[[/note]]. At this point, the game largely deals with the player's skill, their ability to overcome the AI (which was also toned down from the original), and their ability to juggle the few new Gravity mechanics.

--->'''Doctor Robotnik''': It's not just a race, but a special race to see who's the fastest!

* ShoutOut[=/=]TheCameo:

* TookALevelInKindness: The Babylon Rogues are still arrogant, but far less condescending towards their rivals in Free Riders. Jet even compliments Shadow and Rouge on their skills.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: The Blue Star II from the first game, which Tails hands to Sonic right before the final race of the Team Sonic Story in order to give him the edge over Jet.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The Kutta–Joukowski theorem that Tails mentions when asked about how gears work is a real theorem relating to aerodynamics.

** In Zero Gravity, the computer ramped their cheating up to the point that [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules it's easy to assume they're playing an entirely different game.]] In certain sections of the track, the computer racers will very noticeably have their speed suddenly explode up to speeds between 190 and 250 in mere seconds without any help and maintain that speed until they hit an obstacle or are otherwise obstructed. It gets to the point that with in some races against some characters ([[LastLousyPoint like the Meteor Tech robot you can only obtain by beating him]]) the race can easily become a LuckBasedMission.
** CPU racers in Sonic Freeriders will typically use five kick-boosts in a row for every one the player uses with no apparent drawbacks or consequence despite the steep consumption rates for boosts. Somewhat subverted in that them doing so doesn't really give them that much of an advantage over the player as consecutive kick-boosts don't stack and the course layout is such that they'll run out of open road long before they can ride out their boost to it's full extent.

** Succeeded in Zero gravity by the Untouchable gear. It holds the same stats as the Fastest gear, but whereas the Fastest is equipped two max speed-up gear parts and a rail grinding gear part, The Untouchable has [[UpToEleven nothing but max speed-up parts.]] It takes forever to accelerate, possesses pretty much no ability to turn and it's speed will sink like a stone if you look at it funny, but if you can get it up to speed, wow can it fly!

** In the Mobius Strip track in ''Zero Gravity'', as per the plot, everyone is stripped of their gravity powers and the Arcs Of the Cosmos are absent from their character models. Even the bonus characters who don't participate in the story lack them if they're on the course.

** The theme song for Zero Gravity: Un-Gravitify manages to hide one. During the second chorus, the line "Ride and let go, In light in which sun drowns." and later on, "Through light in which sun drowns, don't stand down, Break through." is a blatant reference to [[spoiler: the Lightless Black, the black hole that the Arcs of the Cosmos created when they resonate together.]]

** Semi-averted in the Babylon story mode wherein you [[DayInTheLimelight play as Amy Rose for the Meteo(r) Tech Sparkworks stage.]] While in the previous Sonic Riders, Amy would be in her racing outfit whenever she was a part of the gameplay regardless of what she was wearing in the story, [[OneSceneWonder in this particular race]] she is instead wearing her regular dress and boots, making it the ONLY time the player is able to race as her in this form of dress.
* GetBackHereBoss: Aside from the final bosses of the first two games, which involve chasing down and then charging into the boss, there are a handful of missions in Zero Gravity that involve your character, locked into Charge Mode, being tasked with chasing down overpowered foes to beat on them. While it's incredibly difficult to keep up with the overpowered foes, the object layouts are changed to simply throw you around corners and up walls so you don't have to rely on Gravity control, which leads to [[BestLevelEver an exhilarating high-speed joyride through the tracks that ends up looking a lot more like a mainstream Sonic game.]]

** During the original game's opening cutscene, Sonic is attacked by the Babylon Rogues while chasing after them. As he tries to get up, Jet exclaims, "So, you're supposed to be the [[WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM fastest thing alive]]?"

* LighterAndSofter: The Riders games are very lighthearted in tone compared with the main games. Compare Eggman in the main games of the era ([[Videgame/ShadowTheHedgehog fighting a war against an alien invasion]], [[Videogame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 trying to capture a deity that could destroy time itself]]) with the Riders incarnations, which despite being ObviouslyEvil, is presented as a goof with simpler goals than world domination.