Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity an ALMOST Worthy Sequel 

I love the character designs in this series. The ost in this game, too? Masterpiece.

Wish they'd just remaster the original Riders game already and throw in an online mode. I'd kill for that and Riders would finally get the respect and recognition it deserves.

As someone who played this on PS2, I was very upset at the time at how streamlined ZG is in comparison to Riders. Later, I learned this was because the Wii took priority (understandable), which meant that the game had to accommodate for the wiimote having significantly less buttons than a GC/Ps2 controller. While I'm not a huge fan of the controls and track layouts (a bunch of straightroads to accommodate for the lack of precision that was gimped), the track anesthetics are far above Riders. So glad you decided to look at ZG as well. While I may have been disappointed at launch, you kind of learn to appreciate ZG when knowing what came next.

I wish this series gets a CTR treatment

Regravitified made me cry in excitement… I’m having a really good day after the Nintendo E3 Direct :)

This was my very first sonic game I ever owned along with the sonic mega collection plus. I loved every minute of it. Still is one of my favorite games all time. Of course, I played the first one for the first time just this year and I much prefer that one over zero gravity but zero gravity still holds a good place in my heart. Hoping that this series comes back ones day 🙏

The opening - and ending - of Zero Gravity, with Sonic and his friends in the car, is just Radio Gaga's music video. Change my mind.

Sonic Riders Zero Gravity kinda reminded me of Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, a sequel that puts precedence on fancy turns over going fast, as if that's more fun.

I absolutely agree with you, and we can all agree that Sonic Free Riders is an UNWORTHY third game

One of my favorite sonic games indeed. The story, the design, the vsriety of characters, gears and levels. I need a new sonic riders game like this.

I love Sonic Riders Zero Gravity, I still play it till this day 💙🌀

Not going to lie this game was my childhood, and I just searched it up randomly today and I'm glad to see that people are still talking about it! I really look forward to see what other content you make in the future! And I'm going to look through your channel as well!

The fact that you mention Regravitied just puts a smile on my face. I love ZG for the base game and Regravitied just improved the game without really removing what makes the game unique compared to the first game. The community behind the 2 Sonic Riders game also supported the game really well with the tourneys and stuff, you should really check it out if you have the time.

I hope they bring the sonic riders series back with a good story like sonic adventure 2 or unleashed somday

"Catch me if you can", is in my top sonic themes of the entire franchise and I hear no one mention it for the most part. I am referring to this games remix ofc.

I ended up getting really hooked on ZG back in 2015/2016 and it became an all time favorite game of mine. For some reason, I got especially hooked on the side game modes and for a while, I spent more time playing those than actually racing. Now I wanna play it again.

Zero Gravity was my first ever Sonic game, so I'm completely biased when I say I like it more than Riders 1 😅 I greatly prefer the trick mechanics from the original riders though, I just prefer a slightly more accessible game when it comes to the racing genre...

Much better improvement compared to your other riders video I’m so glad that you used actual riders game soundtrack this time instead of some generic songs ✅✅✅ also I would’ve preferred you to quickly record a quick little voiceover for the OST forget section instead of just text without audio, but other than that it’s all good

The only design choice I didn't like in Zero Gravity was how thick they made the boards. It's like they're standing on rockets, and I'm not talking about the wisp kind. The boards got better in Free Riders but, well, you know how that game went.

Tip time! Don't just use gravity dives on the parts it tells you to! You can also use it on other straight paths, as well as shortcuts like the one in Metotech Premises. At the same time however, mind you GP, because if you use it too much and it gets emptied while your using your gravity dive, you'll slow down quite a bit. As soon as you bump in to something, use gravity drift to boost back into the game. It'll take a second or two to reach maximum speed, but it helps! Especially if you are near a boost pad, so that way you can boost as soon as you're done drifting! When you gain the ability to attack and let's say in Gigan Rocks there is a part to drift, instead of drifting, turn as hard as you can and go for the other racers. That will slow them down(as they are attacked) and you can catch up! Wanna get a lot of X rank tricks? Hold down the Plus(+) Control Pad in different directions everytime you hit a ramp In this order: Up, Left, Down, Right *OR* Up, Left, Right (You can also do Up, Right, Down, Left/Up, Right, Left as well I believe) While I will say it(probably) isn't guaranteed, if y'all wanna see them badass X rank tricks the characters do, go right ahead. It's not exactly like the old system in a way but at the same time it...kinda is? Maybe...(Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this one. It works for me about 90% of the time but I just want to make sure.) To add on to that, you can also press the Plus(+) Control Pad in different directions to see the characters do tricks in different directions. That means, if you wanna see Sonic trick and flip backwards, hold down. Wanna see him do it forwards? Hold up, so on so forth! That's all the tips I have for now. Great vid by the way, and I hope this helps not just you, but the viewers too! =D Yep, I know a lot about this game. And I love this game too!

While Zero Gravity is definitely inferior gameplay wise, I still really liked what it did bring to the table which was just more Sonic Riders lol. The vibe this game had was really cool too, and the music ohhhhhhhhhh man. The music is better than the first that I can say. I remember as a kid my game was scratched but I still played the hell out of it. This game will always hold a place in my heart, oh the memories will never be forgotten. Just hope someday we get a collection with more than just 4 measly games from the 90’s

Fun Fact: If you hold the analog stick left, right or down when you jump on a ramp you can do various different trick animation

I was honestly so surprised when I saw this video/your channel doesn't have more views/subscribers! Your videos are amazing, and I love how you're balanced in not being too cynical/pessimistic while also acknowledging flaws in Sonic stuff. It's a refreshing change from the tons of other sonic video essayists that are hypercritical and almost sarcastic about their enjoyment of the series. I can tell you really like Sonic and that's awesome! Looking forward to new stuff from you as you're able!

Riders: ZG was fun to play really.

As some one who loves game lore the riders game are fantastic

Just got the CD soundtrack for this game in the mail today at 1:14p.m. and it's the Sonic Riders Shooting Star Story Original Soundtrack ”Zero Gravity Tracks” CD and I'm listening to it while watching this! 6:47p.m. 3/12/2024

actually love the fact that they live in a futuristic city, sonic needs more of this but as well as nature since they love nature and man at first i didn’t like the sonic models but i think they’re beautiful now

I've been trying to get all of the Extreme Gear in ZG these past few days and then I see this video pop up in my recommendations. Pure coincidence or not?

Great video like always man. This was my first sonic riders and I dropped the spin off until years later till I learnt to get good at the game. I hope it comes back someday but after free riders IDK if it ever will

This is my very first impression to the Sonic franshise when I was around 3-4 years and man did I play this game ALOT with family and solo And used to play the story sooo many times, I loved the characters, the gameplay, music omg THE OST was just amazing Tho this is my childhood game that to this day I love, I do have to agree with some statements u brought up Tho I only played the 1st Riders game once cause I didn't had it, it did had a bit more flavor then the sequel, like with the speed, the dificulty and such Overall I can't get enough of this game and I hope one day Sega give Riders atleast a port Anyhow great video Nick

I played ZG a lot when I was kid on my Wii and I love it. I played the original riders too. In my eyes , it’s a worthy sequel.

As a fan of all the Sonic Riders games (yes, even Free Riders) I hope they go back to it one day. Better than another car racing game.

I dont have much to say for this one, but I too enjoyed Riders 1 more than ZG from when we played it as I didnt feel ZG had as much depth to it. I really like the CGI in this game though. Great video as always!

The music, story and cgi were great

I never got into riders due to circumstances so my intro is in ZG. That being said I can agree with you about the loss in depth in certain areas but if you play with the diving and drifting mechanic you'll find out there's a lot of neat tricks and tech hidden in this game too. In my opinion at least.

I grew up playing this one first, and honestly I prefer it. That might be because I put tons of hours into it or since it was so streamlined I could get others to try it, but this one will always be my jam

It's been so so long since I played either of them, but what I do remember is that I definitely preferred the first and felt underwhelmed with the sequel. I didn't dislike it, but it felt more stripped down and lacking in overall content. I think because back then, since I loved the first Riders as much as I did, I was really hyped to play the sequel back when the sequel was.. at least somewhat new (I almost always buy used to save money, and this was possibly used too but before many price drops hit). My expectations might've been set too high. I remember the first one oozing with charm with its playable characters, the extreme gear and the generous amount of unlockable content. I'm a sucker for games with loads of unlockable content and high replay value, but I just recall the sequel feeling... less. PLUS, the 2D animated opening to Riders (Gamecube) is hella iconic and fantastic to watch compared to whatever the sequel did. To Zero Gravity's credit, I definitely think the character models in cutscenes improved. I'd even argue I probably had a better time with Riders (Gamecube) than I did with Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed because I remember the difficulty curve being too high to unlock most of the content in that one as opposed to how it was in Riders. Plus, S&ASRT had a few.. questionable stage designs. A few stages were far too narrow for holding as many racers as it did, making for bumping the walls much more frequent in tight corners (+ the extra obstacles that weren't side walls or cliffs added to this narrow navigation). I wasn't too crazy about the non-kart controls either (especially the plane). Not to say I disliked the game, but I didn't push to complete a lot of it. Riders probably gave me that best sense of "This is what a Sonic racing game should be." regardless if I haven't played it in years.

I wish they would remaster the first sonic riders for console

I love the riders series and osts are masterpieces

I just got the CD soundtrack for this game in the mail around 2pm today! 3:07p.m. 6/22/2022

Expected a bit more depth, but it's still a decent review

Can you do Sonic And The Secret Rings next?

Wonderful video! thanks for this

Great job dude! I love the Riders games and I think you explained both perfectly! Keep it up

I grew up with both of these games and loved them both but the original was simply better cause even tho the game had no way of learning it that legit the only issue I had and simply because once u learn the controls of riding there is no real flaw of the game itself While playing SRZG is a huge step backwards in the complexity the game had I still enjoy the level design the music the beautiful stages the fun boards and everything in-between As a huge huge fan of the riders series I always say the best riders game would combine the best of both of the games cause there are a lot of highs srzg has that the OG doesn't and vice versa Regardless tho the Sonic Riders series is my favorite series in the entire sonic franchise and the OG riders is my favorite racing games of all time but it was all ruined thanks to free riders.....ugh

Great video! New sub

Make a Sonic free riders video to complete the trilogy!!

Love your channel

the first one is more fun because it's less casual friendly. but if you dont wanna invest time and get gut at it the second one is def the better choice ngl

great content my man.

Whoever decided to make Free Riders a Kinect exclusive deserve to be burned at stake.

10 HOURS LATE SQUAD WHERE YOU AT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

i used to love zero gravity as a kid but after playing the first game and coming back to play it i think the main problem with zg is that it watered down the gameplay way too much and just feels slower than the first game on the bright side tho the hoverboards have much better designs and they added silver & blaze so that was dope

The original sonic riders did have tutorials... I still have the original

Wait a video on Zero gravity in June 2021?

Let's ago!

I honestly think Regravitified makes Zero Gravity surpass the original I’m terms of gameplay. Drifting is still not quite as good as the original, but everything else basically is on top of the awesome new gravity mechanics. We need a true Riders 3 so badly.

In my opinion I think Sonic Riders Zero Gravity is the PERFECT game for people who haven't played or heard of Sonic Riders before. Sonic Riders 1 is perfect for advanced players who have played the first game and had an experience with it and world like more of a challenge, daredevils, and F-Zero GX fans. Free Riders are also for daredevil willing to break their back so a blue hedgehog and turn right. Oh and little kids cuz...well...it's the Xbox kinect.

I hate Zero G because the controls felt bad, it is slower, the skill expression was minimized, and it cut out a lot of what I enjoyed of the original. Regravitized fixed 3 of these issues and made the game super enjoyable. The fundamental issue I find with Regravitized is that so much of it is automated, You don't need to touch your controller for at least 25% of any given race in that game. And while that is great at first with how flashy and visually appealing it is, eventually I am going to return to the original Riders and just wish I had a Gravity Ring to turn instead of the inconsistent drift.

Honestly, I like ZG better for the soundtrack alone

You know super sonic can use attack shortcuts at will right?

Riders is not a different continuity it takes place in the main one

Regrav Video pleasssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee also i saw you on the ashkon video - please do regrav and TE/DX updated content

The stuff ZG removed made the game unplayable. There are more mods and replayability factors for OG SR than for ZG because of the air and trick mechanics. ZG's efforts to appeal to low-skill normies killed it.

Hehehe, sequal

Call me a basic bitch but I much prefer this to Riders 1. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Riders but Zero Gravity not only have I been playing since I was like 8 in 2012-13, I find the gameplay more fun. Yes ik Riders is more complex which I also enjoy but Zero Gravity got a more chiller gameplay loop and I love it

I acc hate the zg trick system. It's so ass man. It demands attention when it's braindead as fuck.

Sonic Riders Zero Gravity >>> Sonic Riders FIGHT ME

Sonic Free Riders when? One of the top ten anime games of all existance. The best Sonic game. Suck it, Classic and Dreamcast fans! (Seriously though, I would like to see you roast Free Riders)