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Difference between revisions of "Shadow the Hedgehog (game)"

From Sonic Retro

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Sound Effects: [[Jun Senoue]], Takashi Endoh (delfisound inc.), Tatsuya Kouzaki, [[Teruhiko Nakagawa]]<br>
 
Sound Effects: [[Jun Senoue]], Takashi Endoh (delfisound inc.), Tatsuya Kouzaki, [[Teruhiko Nakagawa]]<br>
 
Music Performance: [[Crush 40]], [[Powerman 5000]], [[Julien-K]], [[A2]], [[Magna-Fi]], [[Remix Factory]]<br>
 
Music Performance: [[Crush 40]], [[Powerman 5000]], [[Julien-K]], [[A2]], [[Magna-Fi]], [[Remix Factory]]<br>
Voice Recording Director: Eriko Kimura(TOHOKUSHINSHA)<br>
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Voice Recording Director: Eriko Kimura (TOHOKUSHINSHA)<br>
Voice Recording Producer: [[Hiroyuki Inage]](TOHOKUSHINSHA)<br>
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Voice Recording Producer: [[Hiroyuki Inage]] (TOHOKUSHINSHA)<br>
Musicians: [[Jun Senoue]], Takeshi Taneda, Toru Kawmura, [[Yutaka Minobe]], Keiichi Sugiyama, Lee Brotherion(Remix Factory)<br>
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Musicians: [[Jun Senoue]], Takeshi Taneda, Toru Kawmura, [[Yutaka Minobe]], Keiichi Sugiyama, [[Lee Brotherion]]([[Remix Factory]])<br>
 
Recording Coordinator: [[Jun Senoue]], Stan Katayama, Attic Arcade Inc., [[Keith Palmer]]<br>
 
Recording Coordinator: [[Jun Senoue]], Stan Katayama, Attic Arcade Inc., [[Keith Palmer]]<br>
 
Recording Engineers: Masahio Fukuhara, Stan Katayama, Amir Derakh<br>
 
Recording Engineers: Masahio Fukuhara, Stan Katayama, Amir Derakh<br>

Revision as of 01:02, 15 June 2008

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Shadow the Hedgehog
System(s): Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Genre: 3D Adventure

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Shadow the Hedgehog is a game starring Shadow the Hedgehog, an antihero of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was revealed at Sonic's inauguration into Walk of Game. Over 50 years ago, deep in a Military Research Space Station, Prof. Gerald Robotnik forged an experiment known as "Project Shadow" while trying to unlock the secrets of the Chaos Emeralds at the request of the Government. The experiment cumulated in "The Ultimate Life-Form"; Shadow the Hedgehog, a bio-mechanical creature with the ability to harness the mysterious power of the Chaos Emeralds in ways not thought possible. After being thought dead in Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow has returned - with amnesia. He does not understand who he is or where he's from, but he's determined to find out, be it from Black Doom, the leader of an alien race who claims he and Shadow made a pact involving the Chaos Emeralds, or from Dr. Eggman, who seemed to be experimenting on Shadow for an unknown purpose in Sonic Heroes. Or will Shadow learn his secrets from the very military organization that he swore revenge against, the G.U.N.? One thing is for sure: Everybody wants the Chaos Emeralds, and if Shadow hopes to convince any of them to talk, he's going to have to get them first.

Gameplay

Shadow must get from the start of the level to the end, as has traditionally been the case for the Sonic titles. The biggest change, however, would be his ability to use several weapons; he was shown using an MP5 submachine gun, a sword and a bazooka, among many others. The weapons can, naturally, harm opponents, but they also have the ability to break down large pieces of the level, such as tall columns. The use of weapons is optional, although there will be some levels that require their use. Shadow can still use all his moves from the previous games like the Homing Attack and Spindash. This game unique gimmick in that the player's decisions determine Shadow's future. Shadow has 3 missions in almost every level (these being Hero, Dark, and Neutral), and he can choose one to accomplish at any point in the level. The level Shadow goes to changes depending on which mission was played on the previous level. Also, Shadow now has at least two Chaos ablities, Chaos Control (light blue) and Chaos Blast (red), and gains these by killing certain targets Killing aliens and clearing debris from the game field increases the Chaos Control Gauge, and killing humans and destroying nature (trees, plants, etc.) increases the Chaos Blast Gauge.

Due to the mildly violent nature of the game, the ESRB rating was, for a time, in question. The official ESRB website originally had the game rated as T, along with GameSpot, but the official site listed E-10+. The T rating was seemingly further evidenced, however, by the fact that, at trade shows where Sega showed off the game, they asked only those 13 and older to play the title. Early builds of the game even had mild swearing in them. And the game does include two swear words. Before the game was released, Sega took out the human's blood, changed the color of alien blood from red to green, and censored the scene when a GUN soldier shoots Maria, cutting out as Maria is shot and falls to the ground. Regardless, the ESRB website later updated the rating to E-10+, thus making it unanimous. The CERO rating is "All Ages"; the OFLC classification is PG; the PEGI rating is 12+. Some have commented that the E-10+ rating is inconsistent, seeing as it is more violent and vulgar than Super Smash Bros. Melee which was rated T at a time when the E-10+ rating didn't exist.

Pre-Release Comments/First Impressions

The gaming community had strong opinions on the preview 'Shadow' videos posted on popular Internet gaming sites (such as GameSpot or IGN.com).

Many comments were made about the gun Shadow wielded. Some argue that it goes entirely against the spirit and/or gameplay mechanic of the Sonic series or that Shadow should be powerful enough that a gun would not be necessary, given that he has proclaimed himself to be the "Ultimate Life Form" in Sonic Adventure 2. Others note his technological background in defense of the weapon, from his inception to the air shoes he wears and the weapons that Eggman and Tails used in Sonic Adventure 2.

Another topic of discussion is Shadow getting a game over Sonic; after Sonic Heroes, many fans had been hoping for a new Sonic game that would take the direction that game was heading and lead it toward a more retro feel, closer to that of the original Sega Genesis games. When it was revealed that that was not the direction the new title was heading, some people were disappointed.

A rebuttal to some of the criticisms was that it was a sidestory game, and not starring Sonic himself; therefore, as it coudn't be considered a true Sonic game (much like Knuckles' Chaotix), it should be given some freedom to attempt new things without hampering the main series. Another rebuttal was that it was an early preview, and that it could have ended up significantly changed by the game's ultimate release.

Game Features

Black Doom, the game's main villain

Besides wielding weapons, Shadow can use vehicles: 4x4's, motorbikes, G.U.N. mechs, and alien crafts. As with the weapons, this spawned complaints from fans, who point out that Shadow is similar to Sonic, and thus would probably be able to run faster than most vehicles. Using the vehicles is not necessary to complete the game.

As suggested by Sega's official site for the game, though Shadow can run faster than the game's vehicles, the vehicles have many capabilities that Shadow does not have (e.g., the trailer from a pre-rendered movie from the game which sees Shadow use a motorcycle as a rolling missile, and using the vehicle to run over enemies or hit them). As in most Sonic games, the Chaos Emeralds play a big part in this game, as Shadow needs them to regain his memory and to use his ultimate Powers.

These powers, according to the developers, are the ultimate in destruction and speed. The two Chaos Powers are the heroic "Chaos Control" (lets Shadow manipulate time and space), which is used by defeating Black Arms invaders, and the evil "Chaos Blast" (creates an explosive blast of energy damaging enemies), which can be used by killing GUN soldiers and robots. Chaos Spear (a move used in Sonic Adventure 2) is only available with Super Shadow. Instead of having a linear storyline, the game has multiple path options, which is touted as the game's major selling point; the path options are also dynamic, allowing the player to change Shadow's alignment. There are a total of 10 alternate endings that can be unlocked, plus one "Final" ending which ties everything together. Although you play as Shadow, all major Sonic characters appear at points in the story, and new characters are also expected. Also, the developers of the game have done away with the old graphics engine (used since Sonic Adventure for Dreamcast) and created a new one, capable of better graphics, new special effects, and more destructive environments.

Manuals

Censorship Issues

Due to the mildly violent nature of the game, the ESRB rating was, for a time, in question. The official ESRB website originally had the game rated as T, along with GameSpot, but the official site listed E-10+. The T rating was seemingly further evidenced, however, by the fact that, at trade shows where Sega showed off the game, they asked only those 13 and older to play the title. Early builds of the game even had mild swearing in them, and the game does include two mildly offensive words (damn and hell). For the English Version of the game, Sega took out the human's blood, changed the color of alien blood from red to green, edited the word 'piss' and put 'tick' instead (Sonic says this), and censored the scene when a GUN soldier shoots Maria, cutting out as Maria is shot and falls to the ground. Regardless, the ESRB website later updated the rating to E-10+, thus making it unanimous.

Music and Remixes

Music

Recently, an album has been released entitled Lost and Found: Shadow the Hedgehog Vocal Trax. Several music tracks from the game are featured in this album, while some mixes were made to others. There is also a promotional song in Japan : a remix of m-flo's "TRIPOD BABY" track off of BEAT SPACE NINE, their latest album.

Vocal tracks

  • "I Am... All of Me" by Crush 40 (Trailer, Main Theme, Intro and Final Boss theme) A lyric in this refers to "What I'm Made Of", the theme of Metal Overlord in Sonic Heroes (Unleashed a million faces, And one by one they fall).
  • "Almost Dead" by Powerman 5000 (Dark and Pure Dark ending theme)
  • "Waking Up" by Julien-K (Neutral ending theme)
  • "E.G.G.M.A.N. Doc Robeatnix Mix" by REMIX Factory ft. Paul Shortino (Dr. Eggman's Theme)
  • "Chosen One" by A2 (Hero ending theme)
  • "All Hail Shadow" by MAGNA-FI (Pure Hero ending theme)
  • "Never Turn Back" by Crush 40 (Final ending theme)

Remixes

Since it was the game in which Shadow was introduced, many of the songs featured in Sonic Adventure 2 were remixed for Shadow the Hedgehog.

  • "Event 3" was a remix of "E.G.G.M.A.N." from Sonic Adventure 2, remixed by The Remix Factory (used during cutscenes involving Eggman, including one prerendered cutscene)
  • An extended version of that remix used before battles with the Egg Dealer. The song's true title, "E.G.G.M.A.N. Doc Robeatnix Mix" wasn't revealed until the "Shadow the Hedgehog : Lost and Found" album was released.
  • "Blue Falcon" and "Heavy Dog" as different remixes of "G.U.N. Mobile" (known as "Boss 1" in the sound test) from Sonic Adventure 2, remixed by The Remix Factory (used during boss battles after the levels The ARK and The Doom)
  • "Battle Mode" is actually the Radical Highway theme, "Vengeance Is Mine", from Sonic Adventure 2 (used during 2P matches)
  • "The ARK" as a remix of Final Rush's "Highway in the Sky" from Sonic Adventure 2 (Used during the stage called "The ARK")
  • There is also an Event song not listed in the Sound Test (called "Strategy" in the Shadow the Hedgehog Original Sound Trax) that is a remix of an Event song in Sonic Adventure 2.
  • During the Last Story cutscene in which Shadow uses the Chaos emeralds to go Super, a slower, remixed music clip of "I Am (All of Me)" plays, then seamlessly switches to a remixed music clip of "Live and Learn", the main theme of Sonic Adventure 2.

Lost tracks

In this game, a track was removed for due to copyright and licensing reasons. The song was "Who I Am" by Magna-Fi, the band who made "All Hail Shadow". Another called "Broken" by Sins of a Divine Mother was removed due to licensing reasons. [1] Instead A2 (which features members from the latter band) tracked the song "Chosen One" in its place.

Interesting Points

  • G.U.N. soldiers will occasionally call out, "Mister Yuji Naka is all right!"; Yuji Naka being the head of Sonic Team at the time the game was made.
  • The unlockable Vacuum Egg gun is (as one might guess by its design) a reference to the obscure Sonic Team game Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg.
  • The red and white platforms in Circus Park are the exact same ones seen in Carnival Night Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
  • Two of the bosses in this game are called Black Bull (a large, flying Black Arm) and the Blue Falcon (a G.U.N. mech unit). Coincidentally or otherwise, these are also the names of the racecars driven by Black Shadow and Captain Falcon in Nintendo's F-Zero series. (F-Zero GX and its arcade counterpart, F-Zero AX, were produced by Sega for Nintendo)
  • The Hero ending cutscene to Stage 1 (Westopolis) has Sonic saying "Welcome to the next level," which is Sega's slogan from the Genesis era.
  • Sometimes, G.U.N. soldiers will say things like "They got Bob!" or "They got Keith!", a supposed reference to the film Fight Club.
  • When Shadow beats Sonic, he says "Game Over, Sonic". Sonic says the same thing to Shadow when he defeats him for the second time in Sonic Adventure 2.
  • The only ally to be both a hero and a villain in this game is Eggman.
  • In the level Iron Jungle, when you meet a GUN walker, Eggman might say something about Shadow beating a Big Foot in Sonic Adventure 2. However, Shadow actually fought a walker named Hot Shot; Sonic fought the Big Foot.
  • There are 10 different possible endings to the game and 326 different paths in which to complete the game.
  • In the Sky Troops level, Shadow says "This blue sky... Staring at it from afar... Have I seen it before?". This is a reference to the Sonic Heroes level, Egg Fleet, when Shadow looks at it the same way.
  • Occasionally throughout the action stages your hear strange cricket noises, the source of which is unknown.
  • On the level called 'The ARK', the opening scene of the hall with lighted conveyor belts in the corridors and on the ceiling is a duplicate of the level Final Rush in Sonic Adventure 2 when Sonic and Shadow had their last battle in the game.
  • At the beginning of the level "Sky Troops" Eggman says he can't take over the city and build the Eggman Empire if the Black Arms destroy it. Yet, in Sonic Adventure, he was set on using Chaos to destroy the city so he could then conquer it. He said that because he feared the Black Arms would also destroy the Eggman Empire.
  • In the level 'Lava Shelter', there are miniature pipes coming out of the floor and walls usually around the volcanic defense system. They seem to be bigger replicas of the pipes in Sonic Adventure 2 that animals would hide in.
  • At the start of the stage "Circus Park", the original music for the stage can be heard. However, the music changes during the introduction. The original track is not very different, nor can it be heard in the sound test. It can only be found in the 'Lost and Found' soundtrack.
  • The Egg Breaker mech bears a striking resemblance to the Egg Emperor from Sonic Heroes. However, the Egg Emperor has a sword, and the Egg Breaker has a mace instead.
  • If Shadow is left alone for too long, he smooths out his quills, comments about the stage (occasionally, mission characters make comments) or lies down, the latter may possibly be a reference to when Sonic falls asleep if left too long in Sonic Advance.
  • When near the edge of the wall in a triangle jump like in prison island you may miss the wall and not land and fly right out of the stage.
  • There is a glitch in Expert Mode where occasionally, Vector and Rouge's voices can be heard when one reaches the power core in Digital Circuit and when one reaches the Chaos Control energy orb in Cosmic Fall.
  • The lines, "Where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald?", "Find the computer room!" and "You know what they say, the more the merrier!" have become Internet phrase fads.
  • Artificial Chaos, an enemy from Sonic Adventure 2, makes a return.
  • The name Black Doom may be a reference to the villain in Amazing Island.
  • There are a few references to another Sonic Team game, NiGHTS into Dreams. In Lethal Highway, there are a few flipping billboards (flipping as in they flip from one advertisement to another). The first two images are the European box art for NiGHTS, and NiGHTS flying, respectively

Production Credits

Executive Producer: Hisao Oguchi
Producer: Yuji Naka
Director: Takashi Iizuka
Art Director: Kazuyuki Hoshino
Lead Programmer: Takeshi Sakakinara
Lead Game Designer: Takashi Iizuka
Sound Director: Jun Senoue
Player Character Programmer: Mitsuru Takahashi
Character Designers: Kazuyuki Hoshino, Nobuhiko Honda, Takahiro Kudo
Motion System Programmer: Satoru Takeshima
Motion Designer: Atsushi Saito
Level Designers: Takashi Iizuka, Hirono Sato, Asahiko Kikuchi, Eitaro Toyoda
Action Stage Programmers: Masato Nakazawa, Kazuyuki Okada, Tomoyuki Naito
Field Art Director: Hiroshi Nishiyama
Field Artists: Michikazu Tamamura, Hiroshi Kanazawa, Takahiro Kudo
Field Object Artists: Daizo Kinoshita, Soosa Kim, Brad Wagner
Enemy Game Designer: Yu Ohmura
Enemy Artists: Kazuyuki Hoshino, Ai Ikeda
Enemy Programmer: Motoyoshi Sato
Boss Enemy Programmers: Satoru Takeshima, Mitsuru Takahashi, Tomoyuki Naito, Motoyoshi Sato
Weapon Artists: Kazuyuki Hoshino, Brad Wagner, Elena Macomber, Nobuhiko Honda
Weapon Programmer: Mitsuru Takahashi
Scenario Writer: Takashi Iizuka
Event Scene Director: Shun Miyanaga
Event Scene Artists: Atsushi Saito, Ai Ikeda
Story Event Programmer: Takeshi Sakakibara
Menu Screen Artist: Elena Macomber
Menu Screen Programmers: Takeshi Sakakibara, Satoru Takeshima
Multi Platform Programmer: Outa Sano
Visual Effect Programmer: Satoru Takeshima
Sound Effect Programmer: Masato Nakazawa
Camera System Programmer: Kazuyuki Okada
CG Movie Producer: Keith Palmer
CG Movie Director: Shun Miyanaga
CG Movie Supervisors: Takashi Iizuka, Kazuyuki Hoshino, Hiroshi Nishiyama
CG Movie Production Blur Studio Inc: Tim Miller, Leo Santos, Marlon Nowe, Dan Rice, Kirby Miller, Al Shier, Mandy Sekelsky, Sim Jason, Taylor Tuan, Ngo Cemere, Ozkurt Barrett, Meeker Sid, Moye Seung, Youb "Kull" Shin
CG Movie Production: Remi McGill, Carlos Anguiano, Wim Bien, Jeff Fowler, Mak Koyama, Davy Sab be, George Schermer, Dave Vallone, Onur Yeldan, Daniel Perez Ferrerira, Jiyoung Hong, Dan Knight, Seung Jae Lee, David Stinnett, Derron Ross, Jon Jordan
CG Movie Production: Sze Chan, Chuck Wojtkiewicz, Sean McNally, Diego Garcia, Amanda Powell, Duane Powell, Pauk Huang, Matt Newell
In-Game Movie Encode: CRI Middleware Co., LTD, Katsumi Yabuno
Lead Music Composer: Jun Senoue
Japanese Character Voices: Kouji Yusa, Ryuzaburiou Ohotomo, Jun'ichi Kanemaru, Ryo Hirohashi, Nobutoshi Kanna, Rumi Ochiai, Taeko Kawata, Taiten Kusunoki, Kenta Miyake, Yuki Masuda, Youko Teppouzuka, Yuri Shiratori, Banjyo Ginga, Yutaka Nakano, Jyunko Kitanishi, Takashi Yoshida, Sayaka Aoki, Chikao Otsuka
English Character Voices: Jason Griffith, Sean Schemmel, Bella Hudson, Andrew Rannells, Marc Thompson, Kathleen Delaney, Amy Palant, Dan Green, Lisa Ortiz, Rebecca Honig, Madeleine Blaustein, Carter Cathcart, David Wills, Amy Birnbaum, Jack Quevas, Mike Pollock
Music Composers: Yutaka Minobe (delfisound inc.), Tomoya Ohtani, Mariko Nanba
Sound Effects: Jun Senoue, Takashi Endoh (delfisound inc.), Tatsuya Kouzaki, Teruhiko Nakagawa
Music Performance: Crush 40, Powerman 5000, Julien-K, A2, Magna-Fi, Remix Factory
Voice Recording Director: Eriko Kimura (TOHOKUSHINSHA)
Voice Recording Producer: Hiroyuki Inage (TOHOKUSHINSHA)
Musicians: Jun Senoue, Takeshi Taneda, Toru Kawmura, Yutaka Minobe, Keiichi Sugiyama, Lee Brotherion(Remix Factory)
Recording Coordinator: Jun Senoue, Stan Katayama, Attic Arcade Inc., Keith Palmer
Recording Engineers: Masahio Fukuhara, Stan Katayama, Amir Derakh
Voice Recording Production: 4kids Entertainmaent. inc., Julie Rath, Kristen Thorne, Jason "Rollin" Cushing, Lee Rogers
Webtone Productions: Greg Weber
Voice Files operation: Delfisound Inc, Attic Arcade Inc.
Development Support: Shiro Maekawa, Akinori Nishiyama, Makoto Hirata

Sega Corporation

President: Hisao Oguchi
Consumer Division: Hideki Okamura, Masanao Maeda, Hiroyuki Miyazaki
Marketing: Takeshi Shimizu, Yasushi Yamashita
Public Relations: Kenichi Hashimoto, Yasushi Nagumo
Sales Promotion: Hitoshi Kurosawa
International Business & PD: Yukiko Kato, Shiko Sakai, Tatsuyuki Miyazaki
Retail Sales Manger: Toru Yasuda, Tomohiko Hayashi
Customer Relationship Management: Masahiro Ozeki, Reo Wakabayashi
TEST Department: Junichi Shimizu, Akira Nishikawa, Hiroyuki Miyano, Akinobu Koechi
QC Department: Kazuhiko Morii, Yuji Nakamura
Package & Software Manual Production: Yoshihiro Sakuta, Hisakazu Nakagawa, Masaru Kobayashi, Takashi Nishimura, Colin Restall, Tetsuya Honda

Sega of America, Inc.

COO: Naoya Tsurumi
President/COO: Simon Jeffery
Vice President Of Product Development: Bill Petro
Localization Producer: Kevin Frane
Vice President & Entertainment Marketing: Scott A. Steinberg
Senior Brand Manager: Don Mesa
Assisant Product Manager: Yosuke Moriya
Creative Service Manager: Chris Mowry
Public Relations Manager: Erica Roger
QA Project Lead: Shawn Dobbins
Assisant QA Project Lead: Josh Pfeiffer

Sega Europe, Ltd.

CEO: Naoya Tsurumi
President/COO: Mike Hayes
Creative Director: Matthew Woodley
Director Of European Marketing: Gary Knight
Head Of Brand Marketing: Helen Nicholas
European PR Manager: Lynn Daniel
Assisant Brand Manager: Claire Brummell
International Brand Manager: Ben Chalmers-Stevens
Development Director: Gary Dunn
Localization Producer: Akiko Uchida
Localization Team: Daniela Kaynert, Brigitte Nadesan, Marta Lois González, Giuseppe Rizzo
QA Manager: Mark LeBreton
QA Supervisor: Darius Sadeghian
QA Team Lead: Julie Metior
Special Thanks: Toshitsugu Kanari, Tomomi Siverman, Mizuki FriedMan, Yuji Uekawa, Masanobu Yamamoto, Awi Blaire, Teri Higgins, Klayton Vorlick, Demetrius Griffin, Sonja Levinger, Hiroki Hayashi(ESP Guitars), Michelle Silberman(LINE 6), Scott Uchida(Jim Dunlop)

Resources

Box Art

Gamecube version

PS2 version

Xbox version

Artwork

External links

Template:ShadowZones Template:SonicGamecubeGames

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
Sony PlayStation 2
 2003  Sonic Heroes     2004  Sonic Mega Collection Plus     2005  Sonic Gems Collection | Shadow the Hedgehog     2006  Sonic Riders | Sega Genesis Collection     2008  Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity | Sonic Unleashed     2009  Sega Fun Pack: Sonic Mega Collection Plus & Shadow the Hedgehog    
Xbox
 2003  Sonic Heroes     2004  Sonic Mega Collection Plus     2005  Shadow the Hedgehog | 2 in 1 Combo Pack: Sonic Heroes/Super Monkey Ball Deluxe | 2 in 1 Combo Pack: Sonic Mega Collection Plus/Super Monkey Ball Deluxe     2006  Sonic Riders