Sonic R Review by BiohazardNL Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/2003 There are 3 Sonic games on Sega's Saturn. Sonic Jam and Sonic 3d didn't actually bring anything new to Sega's 32-bit console, but Sonic R was really something different. Graphics The graphics of course can't compare to the racing games we know now (Gran Turismo and the likes), but back then (1997, PAL Release) the graphics were actually pretty good if you compare them to other Saturn games. The levels are designed in a very colorful manner, and there's quite a big area to explore. The frame-rate was constant, and it never troubled me. Music And then the Music. I always have liked the different music tracks in Sonic R. Tracks like ''Super Sonic Racing'' and ''Can you feel the sunshine'' always had a certain appeal for me. The sound effects however, are not anything special. I never heard the characters express anything during the race. The controls of the game are okay, and they are very easy to learn. If you play just 1 or 2 races, you should have no problems playing the rest of the game. However, sometimes the corners can be a bit of a problem (for me anyway). Gameplay On with the gameplay. One of the best features in Sonic R is the fact that you can complete a lap in pretty much any way you want. You are not tied to a certain route, there are several shortcuts and certain passages you can only go through by depositing some coins. But here's the bad thing... The game is very slow, even with Sonic. Since Sonic R qualifies as a arcade-like racing game, you would expect to be able to use attacks or something like that. Sadly, those are not available in the game. However, there are some power-ups you can pick up. The game is pretty easy too. You can easily finish the first four races in first place. A cool aspect is that you can unlock new courses and new characters, such as Robotnik and Super Sonic. A real multi-player support is left out. You can only race head to head with 1 other friend, which can become quite boring if you play for several hours. And, due to the fact that the game is relatively easy, Sonic R doesn't have much replay-value. But that doesn't mean that is isn't a fun game to play. If you can pick it up for a fair price (around 30 USD), I would certainly recommend it.