Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car (literally meaning, "exciting Sonic patrol car") is a children's ride

Kiddie rides

A kiddie ride is a coin-operated amusement ride for small children. Kiddie rides are commonly available in amusement parks, arcades, malls, hotel game rooms and outside supermarkets and discount department stores. Less commonly, they may also appear in other venues such as restaurants, food...

 that features the video game character and corporate mascot of Sega

Sega

, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

, 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...

. It is unique because it contains a simple video game in the police-car shaped cabinet. In the game, Sonic plays the role of a police officer, patrolling the streets of a city and keeping it safe from Doctor Eggman. The game was released in December of 1991 by Sega of Japan.

Overview

Arguably one of the earliest ideas to combine a video game with a children's ride

Kiddie rides

A kiddie ride is a coin-operated amusement ride for small children. Kiddie rides are commonly available in amusement parks, arcades, malls, hotel game rooms and outside supermarkets and discount department stores. Less commonly, they may also appear in other venues such as restaurants, food...

, Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car combines a simple video game in a family-sized cabinet. The ride's interior is large, with enough space to comfortably accommodate two adults. The game is played from an overhead perspective as Sonic drives his squad car northward on an ever-scrolling city street backdrop. The steering wheel on the cabinet's dashboard controls the car's movement left and right while a nearby action button can be pressed, resulting in Sonic briefly jumping out of the car.

Movement

During gameplay, the cabinet rocks in a left-to-right manner in sync with the on-screen police car, which is controlled by a steering wheel. Buttons on the dashboard allow the player to start the game, turn the siren on and off, or make Sonic jump out of his vehicle.

Graphics and Sound

The game runs on Sega's System C-2 PCB

Printed circuit board

A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...

, which was based on Sega Mega Drive

Sega Mega Drive

The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...

 hardware. The background music in the game is from Green Hill Zone, the first level from Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)

is a seminal 16-bit 1991 platform video game developed in Japan by Sega and published for the Sega Genesis. It is the first installment in Sega's flagship Sonic the Hedgehog video game series and the first title developed by Sonic Team. The game was released in 1991 in North America, Europe, and...

. The graphics and sprites in Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car are large and look quite different from those used in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The game also contains speech samples, making this the first video game where Sonic speaks.

Plot

The game begins with Sonic providing an introductory speech, then pulling out of a police station and hopping into his patrol car. At this point the ride begins to move and the player can control Sonic's car as they please, toggling the siren on or off, or making Sonic briefly jump out of the car. Along the way, the action pauses to let a group of animals cross the road. As the ride resumes, things remain peaceful for another short period of time, then Eggman, the villain of the Sonic the hedgehog series, appears and starts shoving cars aside. The player is expected to then activate the siren and pursue him, occasionally pushing a button to make Sonic jump out of the car and injure Eggman. The steering wheel is also used to avoid bombs that Eggman periodically throws to try to slow down Sonic's car. When enough damage is done to Eggman's vehicle, it explodes, but Eggman escapes unharmed and leaves the scene hastily. If no action is taken long enough, however, Eggman will get away. Regardless of the outcome, Sonic will pull up in front of the police station and the ride/game ends after Sonic bids the player farewell.

In America

Although the cabinet is only available in Japan and is considered improper for operation outside Japan, copies have been found in the United States on various internet auctions for extremely high prices. Most are never used once purchased or are not capable of functioning.

Recently, an amusement machine vendor in Japan listed a copy of the game that is supposedly in English. It is likely that the version was developed by Sega for amusement parks that are located in areas with a considerable amount of foreign visitors. However, it could also suggest that Sega was considering exporting the game at one point.

In Asia

Working units of the game have been found in certain arcades in Asia. The arcade on the top floor of the Sogo

Sogo

Sogo Co., Ltd. is a department store chain that operates an extensive network of branches in Japan. It once owned stores in locations as diverse as Beijing in China, Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Taipei in Taiwan, Jakarta, Medan, Bandung & Surabaya in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Singapore,...

 building in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, Malaysia is known to have a working unit, costing RM1 (two tokens, one token costs RM0.50) to play. Another unit was found at an amusement arcade at a shopping mall in Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...

, Sabah

Sabah

Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...

, Malaysia. As of 2008, more units have turned up in Malaysia and the game is becoming increasingly common in amusement centers around the country. Several units can also be found in arcades in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. In Dubai

Dubai

Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

, U.A.E.

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

, there used to be at least one unit available at Magic Planet, an indoor theme park located at the Deira City Centre

Deira City Centre

Deira City Centre is a large shopping mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Located in the community of Deira, Deira City Centre was the largest mall in Dubai prior to the establishment of Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates and The Dubai Mall...

, but today another unit is now available at the Sega Republic, an indoor theme park located in Dubai Mall also their used to be one in kuwait green island park.