Sonic Drift 2

n/a

Sonic Drift 2

System(s): Sega Game Gear, Virtual Console

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega CS

Peripherals supported: Gear-to-Gear Cable

Genre: Racing^[1], Driving^[2]

Number of players: 1-2

Release	Date	RRP	Code
JP	1995-03-17^[1]	¥3,800	G-3366
US	1995-11	$?	2562
EU	1995-04^[3]^[4]	€?	2563-50
UK	1995-04^[3]^[4]	£24.99^[3]	2563-50
JP	2012-11-14^[5]	¥286 (300)^[5]	?
US	2013-07-04^[6]	$3.99^[6]	?
EU	2013-07-04^[7]	€3.99^[8]	?
UK	2013-07-04^[9]	£3.59^[8]	?
DE	2013-07-04^[10]	€3.99^[8]	?

Sonic Drift 2 (ソニックドリフト２), known as Sonic Drift Racing in Europe, is a kart racing game for the Game Gear and the sequel to Sonic Drift. It features Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Amy Rose, and Dr. Eggman from the original Sonic Drift. Newly added characters are Knuckles, Fang, and Metal Sonic. As in the last game, players race around a track collecting Rings and power-ups.

An unofficial port to the Master System was made by Shibunoa on June 1st, 2009. The conversion is currently in an early state, but is fully playable.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot.

The objective of the game is the same as its predecessor, to win the three different Chaos GPs (purple, white and blue Chaos Emerald). Each Chaos GP has six different tracks, some based on Zones from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in visual design, but mostly are new, resulting in a larger variety from the previous game. Chaos Emeralds are awarded for winning races. If Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Amy collect all six in the Blue GP, they will face Dr. 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.

Gameplay is nearly the same as the original Sonic Drift as the directional pad steers, uses Rings for a Special Ability, and the two buttons are used for acceleration and braking. Rings are lost during collisions. The AI of the game is also much smarter and it takes effort to keep the top position. The Item Boxes also are not used automatically upon being touched as in the previous game. Instead, an icon appears on the top of the screen and on the directional pad must be pressed to use the item. Only one item can be held at a time. However, the Flash and Reverse are triggered upon impact and cannot be saved. The game features the same game difficulty setting as before, however there's a new option - the choice of having obstacles or not.

The extra modes are the same as the previous game: Free Run is a practice mode in which the player can race alone on any course as well as view the best times for each course. The player can end a Free Run at any time during gameplay by pausing the game and pressing + simultaneously. Versus is a standard 2-player mode using the Gear-to-Gear Cable in which both players race each other, with a win/loss record kept only for one session. However, whereas the previous game had every course available, Sonic Drift 2 only has six courses available for Versus: Emerald Hill 1, Dark Valley 2, Death Egg, Mystic Cave, Hill Top 1 and Casino Night.

Characters

Character		Vehicle	Special Ability	Gameplay
Character		Vehicle	Special Ability	Acceleration	Speed	Handling
	Sonic	Cyclone	Speed dash (same as red monitor power-up)	High	High	Low
	Tails	MTP-02 Whirlwind S7	Jump over (same as spring power-up)	Medium	Medium	Medium
	Amy	Breeze	Toss heart (reduces other's speed)	High	Low	Medium
	Eggman	Egg Typhoon	Drop mine (same as collision)	Low	Decent	Very high
	Knuckles	Tempest	Punch if within range (same as collision), otherwise jump over (same as spring power-up).	Medium	Medium	Medium
	Fang	Marvelous Queen	Sling oil balls (same as collision)	High	High	Low
	Metal Sonic	Blue Devil	Super speed dash (more than red monitor power-up, uses three rings)	Very high	Very high	Very low

Knuckles and Metal Sonic had their names either misspelled or shortened due to space limitations: Knucles and M.Sonic.

Items

Power-ups are scattered throughout each track, with a variety of abilities. Like it was mentioned before, the power-ups cannot be accumulated and they do not respawn in each lap either.

	RingMedia:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[11] (リングMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[12])
	Collecting two Rings (or three in the case of Metal Sonic) allows the player to use their special ability.
	SpringMedia:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[13]/Jump Bane (ジャンプバネMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[12])
	These all launch the player up into the air upon collision.
	FlashMedia:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[13]/Flash Star (フラッシュスターMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[14])
	The screen flashes white for everyone. Its effect is activated immediately.
	ReverseMedia:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[13]/Reverse Ball (リバースボールMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[14])
	Steering is reversed for a short while. Its effect is activated immediately.
	Dash (Red)Media:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[11]/Dash Box (ダッシュBOXMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[14])
	Makes the player dash down the track with a momentary burst of speed, activated by pressing .
	Invincible (Blue)Media:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[11]/Muteki Box (無敵BOXMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[14])
	Makes the player invincible for a short period of time, activated by pressing . The BGM during invincibility is based on Sonic the Hedgehog 3's invincibility theme.
	Jump (Yellow)Media:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[11]/Jump Box (ジャンプBOXMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[14])
	Launches the player up into the air in the same fashion as a Spring, activated by pressing .
	Mine (Gray)Media:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf^[11]/Kirai Box (機雷BOXMedia:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf^[14])
	Slings a mine to the track and has the same effect as a collision. It is activated by pressing .

Courses

Purple Chaos GP
Emerald Hill 1	Hill Top 1	Dark Valley 1	Casino Night	Desert Road 1	Iron Ruin
White Chaos GP
Desert Road 2	Rainy Savanna	Ice Cap	Hill Top 2	Mystic Cave	Emerald Hill 2
Blue Chaos GP
Dark Valley 2	Quake Cave	Balloon Panic	Emerald Ocean	Milky Way	Death Egg

Versions

Also released on

Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut for the GameCube and PC (2003-2004)
Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 (2005)
Coleco Sonic for Coleco plug and play (2006)
Playpal Plug and Play for the Coleco Plug and play console (2006)
Tectoy Master System 3 for the Tectoy Plug and play console (2008)
Sonic PC Collection for the PC (2009)
FunPlay 20-in-1 for the Plug and Play console (2009)
Sonic Origins Plus for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Epic Games Store (2023)

Production credits

Programming

Programmer: A.Morino

Art

Artists: K.Tamura, H.Takano, A.Tezuka

Sound

Sound: M.Nagao, S.Kobayashi

Planning

Planner: N.Katoh
Director: K.Hasegawa
Producer: M.Hokoyama
Special Thanks to: T.Kosuge, S.Higashi, R.Fujimura, Y.Nishimoto, T.Ihoroi
Presented by: Sega

Source: In-game credits^[15]

Manuals

Main article: Sonic Drift 2/Manuals

Magazine articles

Main article: sega:Sonic Drift 2/Magazine articles

Promotional material

File:Strana igr 01.pdf File:Strana igr 01.pdf File:Strana igr 01.pdf

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also published in:

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</div>

Artwork

JP/US logo
EU logo
Cover artwork
Cover artwork
Sonic and Cyclone
Tails and MTP-02 Whirlwind S7
Knuckles and Tempest
Fang and Marvelous Queen
Dr. Eggman and Egg Typhoon
Metal Sonic and Blue Devil
Amy and Breeze

Additional artwork of the vehicles and characters can be found in the Japanese manual.

Physical scans

Reception »

Game Gear, JP
Cover
Cart File:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf Manual

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart File:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf Manual

Game Gear, EU
Cover
Cart File:SonicDrift2 GG EU manual.pdf Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System

Hash

Size

Build Date

Source

Comments

✔

CRC32	d6e8a305
MD5	b39d1e9a40dfd3508ee4003cd28da452
SHA-1	fe597c5cfbbc31e54f2484eb5b33c21c66cf0290

512kB

Cartridge

External links

Sega of Japan Virtual Console page
Nintendo catalogue pages: JP, US, UK

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/gamegear/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-12-07 04:57)
↑ File:Drift2 EU Boxart back.jpg
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 [cvg, issue 161, page 97 cvg, issue 161, page 97]
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 [segamaguk, issue 16, page 88 segamaguk, issue 16, page 88]
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 http://vc.sega.jp:80/3ds/drift2/ (Wayback Machine: 2012-11-15 23:06)
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 http://www.nintendo.com:80/games/detail/5Zcyf4ldxyvS4MxrFyZZRLwjDIp25ltf (Wayback Machine: 2013-07-07 10:45)
↑ https://www.nintendo.fr/Jeux/SEGA-Game-Gear/Sonic-Drift-2-774781.html (archive.today)
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 http://www.nintendolife.com:80/games/gamegear/sonic_drift_2 (Wayback Machine: 2017-09-09 21:46)
↑ https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/SEGA-Game-Gear/Sonic-Drift-2-774781.html (archive.today)
↑ https://www.nintendo.de/Spiele/SEGA-Game-Gear/Sonic-Drift-2-774781.html (archive.today)
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 ^11.3 ^11.4 File:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf, page 15
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 File:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf, page 22
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 File:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf, page 16
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 ^14.3 ^14.4 ^14.5 File:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf, page 23
↑ File:Sonic Drift 2 GG credits.pdf
↑ File:Strana_igr_02.pdf, page 87

Sonic Drift 2

Main page

Manuals
Magazine articles
Reception

Hidden content

show;hide

Levels
Vehicles

Purple Chaos GP:

White Chaos GP:

Blue Chaos GP:

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems

Demos Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) AutoDemo | Sonic & Tails Jitsuenyou Sample | Sonic Drift (demo)

Prototypes Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear prototype) | Sonic Chaos prereleases | Sonic Spinball (8-bit) prereleases | Sonic Triple Trouble prereleases | Sonic Blast prereleases

Unreleased Sonic's Edusoft

[https:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20181207045745.2Fhttps:.2F.2Fsega.jp.2Fhistory.2Fhard.2Fgamegear.2Fsoftware.html-1] 1.0 ^1.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/gamegear/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-12-07 04:57)

[:File:Drift2_EU_Boxart_back.jpg_p.7B.7B.7Bpage.7D.7D.7D-2] File:Drift2 EU Boxart back.jpg

[cvg.2C_issue_161.2C_page_97-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 [cvg, issue 161, page 97 cvg, issue 161, page 97]

[segamaguk.2C_issue_16.2C_page_88-4] 4.0 ^4.1 [segamaguk, issue 16, page 88 segamaguk, issue 16, page 88]

[http:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20121115230605.2Fhttp:.2F.2Fvc.sega.jp:80.2F3ds.2Fdrift2.2F-5] 5.0 ^5.1 http://vc.sega.jp:80/3ds/drift2/ (Wayback Machine: 2012-11-15 23:06)

[http:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20130707104529.2Fhttp:.2F.2Fwww.nintendo.com:80.2Fgames.2Fdetail.2F5Zcyf4ldxyvS4MxrFyZZRLwjDIp25ltf-6] 6.0 ^6.1 http://www.nintendo.com:80/games/detail/5Zcyf4ldxyvS4MxrFyZZRLwjDIp25ltf (Wayback Machine: 2013-07-07 10:45)

[https:.2F.2Farchive.is.2FoJkl3-7] ttps://www.nintendo.fr/Jeux/SEGA-Game-Gear/Sonic-Drift-2-774781.html (archive.today)

[http:.2F.2Fweb.archive.org.2Fweb.2F20170909214658.2Fhttp:.2F.2Fwww.nintendolife.com:80.2Fgames.2Fgamegear.2Fsonic_drift_2-8] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 http://www.nintendolife.com:80/games/gamegear/sonic_drift_2 (Wayback Machine: 2017-09-09 21:46)

[https:.2F.2Farchive.is.2FlBljY-9] ttps://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/SEGA-Game-Gear/Sonic-Drift-2-774781.html (archive.today)

[https:.2F.2Farchive.is.2F4ji0a-10] ttps://www.nintendo.de/Spiele/SEGA-Game-Gear/Sonic-Drift-2-774781.html (archive.today)

[:File:SonicDrift2_GG_US_manual.pdf_p15-11] 11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 ^11.3 ^11.4 File:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf, page 15

[:File:SonicDrift2_GG_JP_manual.pdf_p22-12] 12.0 ^12.1 File:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf, page 22

[:File:SonicDrift2_GG_US_manual.pdf_p16-13] 13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 File:SonicDrift2 GG US manual.pdf, page 16

[:File:SonicDrift2_GG_JP_manual.pdf_p23-14] 14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 ^14.3 ^14.4 ^14.5 File:SonicDrift2 GG JP manual.pdf, page 23

[:File:Sonic_Drift_2_GG_credits.pdf_p-15] File:Sonic Drift 2 GG credits.pdf

[:File:Strana_igr_02.pdf_p87-16] File:Strana_igr_02.pdf, page 87

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