Sega gets back to basics with Sonic Rivals

Now that Super Mario Brothers returned back to the core 2D gameplay, maybe it’s time for Mario’s rival friend to do the same thing. In Sonic Rivals for the PSP you take control of Sonic, Shadow, Silver or Knuckles on foot without all of the jumping off the map into a bottomless pit as seen in the 3D Sonic games. Sonic Rivals does have 3D graphics, but the game is played in two dimensions. Unlike the classic Sonic titles, you won’t have the luxury of sitting around and snagging rings. Sonic Rivals is a constant one on one race to the finish. While racing you can slide tackle a rival hedgehog to pass them or take advantage of special items like ice or fire power to keep you in first place. The best thing about Sonic Rivals is that the game feels fast. We had a chance to try the game out at E3 and retro gamers will be happy to know that Rivals reverts the series back to the loop spinning high octane pinball action of the Genesis era. On the other hand Rivals is more of a racing game than a platformer. There is little exploration since you’re focus is on winning the race and not tracking down hidden items.  Look for more on Sonic Riders this fall when the game is released.