Sonic Riders (lost build of cancelled Game Boy Advance port of racing game; 2006)

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Sonic riders game boy advance 2006 by sonicloud1213 df5sdpk-fullview.jpg

Fan made cover art of the port.

Status: Lost

Sonic Riders is a racing video game developed by Sonic Team and Now Production and published by Sega that was initially released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and Windows in 2006. The game is a racing spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, and features players controlling various different Sonic characters as they race each other using a series of anti-gravity equipped vehicles referred to as "Extreme Gear". The game was released to a mixed response from critics, who praised the visuals and soundtrack while criticizing the controls and gameplay, but would go on to be a commercial success, later spawning two sequels; Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008) and Sonic Free Riders (2010).

But alongside the released versions of the original game, an additional port of it was also in development that would ultimately be cancelled. This version of the game, intended for release on the Game Boy Advance, was developed by Backbone Entertainment, who would later go on to develop the Sonic Rivals racing game series,[1] and was developed under a tight schedule in order for its release to coincide with both the release of the game's console counterparts and the 15th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Due to the hardware limitations of the Game Boy Advance, emulating the intense, full 3D racing experience of the console versions on such a platform would be impossible, with the port instead opting to be a sprite-based racer running on a game engine similar to that of Out Run.

But it was this 2D art style that would be the game's undoing, as, upon viewing the project, Sega of Japan insisted that some 3D elements would need to be added. Rewriting the game's engine and adding in the necessary features while still maintaining the required production schedule would prove to be an impossibility, with the Game Boy Advance port of Sonic Riders ultimately going unreleased as a result.[2][3] To date, no footage or stills from the port have surfaced, with mentions of the port in the portfolios of various animators currently being the only proof of its existence.[4]

Gallery

  • Title screen from the port.

    Title screen from the port.

  • Flag animation from the port.

    Flag animation from the port.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Article about the port on Sonic Stadium. Retrieved 25 Jan '23
  2. ↑ Page about the port on Sonic Retro. Retrieved 25 Jan '23
  3. ↑ Archived portfolio of animator Keith Erickson that mentions the port. Retrieved 25 Jan '23
  4. ↑ Resume of animator Arvin Bautista that mentions the port. Retrieved 25 Jan '23
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