Specifically played via the Sonic Gems Collection on Gamecube. Seeing the graphics are obviously touched up from the original Saturn release, I assume the version on GC is a port of the PC remaster?

Decided to finally log this after roping in a drunk, unsuspecting friend into playing several races with me. Sonic R has little to offer in terms of replayability and deciphering its cryptic unlocks. Races are confusing crash courses through winding mazes, attempting to control what feels like an oiled-up grandpa going face-first down a slip-n-slide. Needless to say, the core ethos of "speed over everything else" in Sonic does not lend itself to a satisfying racing game; at least in this first attempt.

As everyone and their dog knows, the soundtrack is phenomenal, though it's drowned out in-game with the awful running/engine noises. Sonic R only retains its relevancy in recent years because of that sountrack, the fact the development studio behind the game went on to create the wildly successful line of Lego games of the 00s, and this was technically the first time Sonic was playable in full 3D; there isn't much else to offer, otherwise.

I will play Sonic R again in the future whenever I have over the friend who played this a ton as a child. I'll more than likely put in some effort for the unlocks at that point, but who knows when that'll be?

(Played on the Sonic Gems Collection)

I genuinely like this game a lot honestly. It's a great concept of a racing game within the franchise of sonic, pitting the characters in a sprint against each other to become first. It is also very charming in that aspect to see characters such as Robotnik using a machine to traverse the stages.

Stages: I think the stage designs are enjoyable with great set pieces that stand out, I feel a stage I did have an issue with is regal ruin, where I was very unsure if I collected the chaos emerald or not and ended up missing it because of no visual cue so I had to go back.

Characters: as mentioned above the characters in this title are extra charming and have their own special abilities, examples of this are Sonic having a double jump, knuckles a glide ability and tails being able to fly. It really adds new approaches to the level.

Movement: At least on the version I played, I think the movement was quick to get adjusted towards. The times I had issues with it is when I had to do really sharp turns to try to access a short-cut such as the reactive factories elevator

Soundtrack: THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS TITLE. The soundtrack absolutely bops with iconic tracks that we still see being featured in titles including the blue hedgehog, such as Team Sonic racing to Smash Bros as well as the Olympic Games series.

Overall: I think this is a fun title, not large in content size by any means, there are some hiccups in regards to layout when collecting the items to 100% the game but if you want to just race on a track with a good tune this game provides.

I literally can’t believe I wasted 3 hours of my worthless life completing Sonic R. And I both hated and loved every single moment of it. I’ll try to explain why this game has become a guilty pleasure for myself and many others:

Soundtrack
Let’s get the most obvious thing out of the way: Sonic R’s soundtrack is the most over-the-top, dramatic romance album I’ve ever listened to in a video game, let alone a racing game. It’s hilariously out of place, and it has absolutely no right to pop off this hard; but dear god the music is phenomenal.
Richard Jacques reprises his role as the sound composer after 3D Blast Saturn, and his wildly imaginative compositions are backed up by the passionate, soulful vocals provided by TJ Davis. The end result was some incredibly raw vocal tracks that rival the likes of My Hope Will Never Die, like the main theme, Super Sonic Racing, as well as Living in the City, Diamond in the Sky, Number One, and the now infamous Can You Feel the Sunshine.
The lyrics in these songs barely fit the motif of the stages at all, Can You Feel the Sunshine in particular having zero association with a fucking Resort Island, but that won’t stop you from bopping your head off to them anyways. Arguably the best thing to come out of this game, and this is a universally-agreed fact.

Graphics
Honestly, for a game originally on the Saturn, Sonic R looks stunning. The character models are well animated and the environments have their own unique appeal to them. Radiant Emerald on the Saturn in particular has a shimmering, dazzling track that is translucent and fascinating to look at, which is a shame considering that was removed from later versions of the game. The PC ports do end up adding different weather effects to each course, however, giving some variety to the limited amount of tracks in the game.

Content
This is one of the more disappointing aspects of Sonic R, and I can totally see why. Gran Turismo had 11 tracks. Mario Kart 64 and Crash Team Racing had 16 tracks. Sonic R has *5*. Granted, all these courses were well designed (more on that later), but the overall lack of variety leaves more to be desired from such a game. There’s 9 characters playable in Sonic R, with 5 of them being unlockable by completing tasks in the Grand Prix, but their abilities are so unbalanced that half of the cast is rendered unplayable. Really, you should only pick Sonic and Knuckles or their metal counterparts if you want a real shot at winning races, because the others are borderline unusable and attempting to do so is like SEGA trying to outsell the Playstation. Super Sonic, on the other hand, completely breaks the damn game and using him is a fucking cheat code. There’s also a time attack and a battle mode, but other than that there really is nothing more to this game.

Oh, and also, ironically, Amy, arguably the slowest and most useless character in the game, is the character of choice if you want to beat the game in the fastest time possible. That’s because her car can clip out of bounds, leading to some courses being broken to the point where entire laps can be completed in less than 3 seconds.

Level Design
OK, can we actually take the time to admire the amount of effort put in by the devs to make the courses in this game as detailed as possible? There are tons of shortcuts and secret pathways leading to collectibles scattered throughout each course, making each run through the track more interesting as you plan your route across 3 laps to optimally collect everything while still being fast enough to win the race. Collecting all 5 coins on the first 4 tracks and finishing at least 2nd unlocks a race against that course’s secret character, while obtaining all 7 Chaos Emeralds unlocks Super Sonic, so I’d say your reward for having thorough knowledge of the game offers satisfying rewards and payoff. Once that’s over, you can then turn your attention to optimizing your races using various shortcuts and tricks in order to gradually bring down your time. Admittedly, after reaching that point the tracks often tend to be boring and repetitive, but it's that initial hunt for the coins and Chaos Emeralds that makes Sonic R somewhat worthwhile. However…

Controls
Right. So even I have to admit that the controls of Sonic R are absolute fucking dogwater. The level design, while remarkable, sometimes contains insanely tight turns that require extreme precision to complete, but they’re virtually impossible due to how atrocious your turning speed is. Personally I forgo using the D-Pad/Analog Stick to move and just use the B button to accelerate and the triggers to turn. But how the fuck was I supposed to know to brake by pressing both triggers? Considering the abundance of buttons at your disposal on a keyboard, a Saturn analog stick controller and a modern controller, it baffles me how the brakes couldn’t just be mapped onto a single face button. Another problem with Sonic R is that it controls decently when you’re moving fast, but remotely attempting to turn while not running kills me inside. It’s actually so slow and imprecise that sometimes you end up killing off your chances of winning a race because you accidentally miss a gate/coin. Also, why the fuck is the Spin Dash dogshit? It’s barely faster than accelerating on foot, and attempting to spin basically kills all your momentum, it’s disgusting. This is perhaps the biggest reason why Sonic R doesn’t hold up well compared to the likes of MK and CTR, which is a shame, really, because I like the concept of Sonic characters competing against each other in a footrace.

Sideshow - The (Barebone) Story Detail I Kinda Liked
So turns out Sonic R has a plot! Apparently the entire game takes place in a World Grand Prix that Sonic joins when he learns that Dr. Eggman has also chosen to participate. Eggman, having learnt that the Chaos Emeralds were hidden on the 4 tracks of the Grand Prix, intentionally joined the race to lure his enemies into following suit so they can find the emeralds for him. And once they did so, he’d simply steal them for himself. It’s a clever bit of writing for the character, and would go on to be the basis of most of Eggman’s plan in Sonic Adventure. Another neat thing to note is that Sonic initially had no interest in taking part in the World Grand Prix, but Tails on the other hand was because he ‘wanted to test himself against others’. Hmm…

Verdict
Sonic R has a ton of cool concepts in its level design, while also boasting great graphics and a superb soundtrack, but overall the experience is brought down by a severe lack of content and some of the worst controls ever perceived in a racing game. Unfortunately, 3 hours of me attempting to master this game has made me fall for its natural charm, and now I’m good at the game. Fuck.

6/10, you’ll hate it and you’ll also love it, and you'll find yourself feeling the sunshine as it brightens up your day.

In many ways the work of a critic is easy. They risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgement.
Some thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.
But, the bitter truth critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than the criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the weird.
The world is often unkind to new and strange ideas. The strange needs friends.
Last week I experienced something hated upon, an abnormal game made in an unconventional development time. To say that both the game and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about video games, is a gross understatement-- they have rocked me to my core.
In the past I have made no secret of my respect for Sumo Digital’s famous game: “Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing Transformed”. But I realize only now do I truly understand what Traveller's Takes meant. Not everyone can become a great developer, but a great developer can come from anywhere.
It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the mixed now cooking at SEGA who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the weirdest game company in the world.
I will be returning to Sonic R soon, hungry for more.
short ass game lmao 😂😂😂

Okay, and how much of the budget should go to the music?
All of it.
Excuse me?
ALL OF IT.
O-Okay, you're the boss...

sonic
corrida
onde vc tem que correr
mais que seus oponentes
sonic d corrida