Sonic Drift
Encyclopedia
The Sonic Drift games were a series of two racing games that featured characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released for the Sega Game Gear
in 1994 and 1995 respectively, and later re-released many years later in several other compilations.
video game released in Japan
only for the Sega Game Gear
on March 18, 1994. It features Sonic the Hedgehog
, Miles "Tails" Prower
, Amy Rose
, and Doctor Eggman
. Players race around a track collecting rings and power-up
s. The invincible theme of Sonic Drift is based on "Sonic - You Can Do Anything", the Japanese opening song from Sonic CD; in Sonic Drift 2, the invincible theme is from Sonic the Hedgehog 3
.
Sonic Drift establishes a few characteristics for Amy Rose
, who had her first appearance as a playable character in this game. The car she races in returns with her in future racing games Sonic R
and Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing. The instruction manual also features a picture of Amy holding an umbrella that she will later have use of in gameplay in Sonic the Fighters
.
, Fang the Sniper, and Metal Sonic, and marked the first time the last two were playable characters.
In the game, Chaos Emeralds are awarded for winning races. If Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Amy collect all six in the Blue GP, they will face Eggman in a final race around the Death Egg. If Eggman, Metal Sonic or Fang collect all six in the Blue GP, they will face Sonic in the final race.
Unlike its predecessor, this game was released internationally, and Sega Europe renamed it to Sonic Drift Racing, however, the title screen itself still used the name Sonic Drift 2.
described the game as "basically unplayable because of poor handling and a really short horizon".
and Playstation 2
, and the latter released on the Gamecube as well. They were also both included as an unlockable extra in the Gamecube port of Sonic Adventure
.
Sonic Drift 2 is scheduled to be re-released as a downloadable game for the Nintendo 3DS
eShop service.
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
in 1994 and 1995 respectively, and later re-released many years later in several other compilations.
Sonic Drift
Sonic Drift is a kart racingKart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
video game released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
only for the Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
on March 18, 1994. It features Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
, Miles "Tails" Prower
Miles "Tails" Prower
, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
, Amy Rose
Amy Rose
, known earlier as Rosy the Rascal, is a video game character who appears in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games developed by Sega's Sonic Team, debuting in Sonic CD as the third recurring protagonist. Amy Rose was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino and based on one of Kenji Terada's...
, and Doctor Eggman
Doctor Eggman
, also known by his alias , is a fictional video game character, the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series created by Sega. Dr. Eggman is a rotund, mad scientist with an IQ of 300 who plans to conquer the world in order to build his Eggman Empire and is the archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog...
. Players race around a track collecting rings and power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s. The invincible theme of Sonic Drift is based on "Sonic - You Can Do Anything", the Japanese opening song from Sonic CD; in Sonic Drift 2, the invincible theme is from Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed in the United States by members of Sonic Team working at Sega Technical Institute, and was published by Sega, debuting worldwide in the first half of 1994...
.
Sonic Drift establishes a few characteristics for Amy Rose
Amy Rose
, known earlier as Rosy the Rascal, is a video game character who appears in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games developed by Sega's Sonic Team, debuting in Sonic CD as the third recurring protagonist. Amy Rose was created by Kazuyuki Hoshino and based on one of Kenji Terada's...
, who had her first appearance as a playable character in this game. The car she races in returns with her in future racing games Sonic R
Sonic R
Sonic R is a racing game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn and PC, the latter version being ported to the GameCube and the PlayStation 2 in Sonic Gems Collection. It features characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series...
and Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing. The instruction manual also features a picture of Amy holding an umbrella that she will later have use of in gameplay in Sonic the Fighters
Sonic the Fighters
Sonic the Fighters is a fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game's original Japanese title, Sonic The Fighters, is used in North American and European releases of Sonic Gems Collection.-Plot:...
.
Sonic Drift 2
Sonic Drift 2 is the sequel to Sonic Drift. It was released in Japan for the Sega Game Gear on March 17, 1995. The European version was released that same month as Sonic Drift Racing, and the North American release in November 1995. It added three characters: KnucklesKnuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
, Fang the Sniper, and Metal Sonic, and marked the first time the last two were playable characters.
In the game, Chaos Emeralds are awarded for winning races. If Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Amy collect all six in the Blue GP, they will face Eggman in a final race around the Death Egg. If Eggman, Metal Sonic or Fang collect all six in the Blue GP, they will face Sonic in the final race.
Unlike its predecessor, this game was released internationally, and Sega Europe renamed it to Sonic Drift Racing, however, the title screen itself still used the name Sonic Drift 2.
Reception
Reception for Sonic Drift 2 has been mostly negative. GamespotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
described the game as "basically unplayable because of poor handling and a really short horizon".
Re-releases
The games have been re-released on a number of different compilations. Sonic Mega Collection Plus, and Sonic Gems Collection, both released on the XboxXbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Playstation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, and the latter released on the Gamecube as well. They were also both included as an unlockable extra in the Gamecube port of Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure
is a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
.
Sonic Drift 2 is scheduled to be re-released as a downloadable game for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
eShop service.