Sonic Rivals

n/a

Sonic Rivals
System(s): PlayStation Portable
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Supporting companies: 4Kids Productions (voice recording)
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code Rating US 2006-11-21 $? ULUS-10195 US (Greatest Hits) 20xx $? ULUS-10195GH EU (Promo) 2006 €? ULES-00622 UK 2006-12-01 £? ULES-00622 INL-U00622-UK UK (Platinum) 2007 £? ULES-00622/PL INL-U00622-PL-UK UK (Essentials) 20xx £? ULES-00622/E INL-U00622ES-UK FR 2006 €? ULES-00622 INL-U00622-FR FR (Platinum) 2007 €? ? FR (Essentials) 20xx  ? ULES-00622/E INL-U00622ES-FR DE 2006 €? ULES-00622 INL-U00622-GE DE (Essentials) 20xx  ? ULES-00622/E INL-U00622ES-GE ES 2006 €? ULES-00622 INL-U00622-SP ES (Essentials) 20xx  ? ULES-00622/E INL-U00622ES-GE IT 2006 €? ULES-00622 INL-U00622-IT IT (Essentials) 20xx  ? ULES-00622/E INL-U00622ES-IT RU (Essentials) 20xx  ?RUB ? AU 2006 $? ULES-00622 AU (Platinum) 2007 $? ? US ▼ 2009-10-01 $6.99 ULUS-10195 UK ▼ 2010-08-18 £3.69 ULES-00622 EU ▼ 2010-08-18 €4.49 ULES-00622 DE ▼ 2010-08-18 €4.49 ULES-00622 AU ▼ 2010-08-18 $6.75 ULES-00622

Sonic Rivals is a game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Backbone Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation Portable. This is the first Sonic game to be developed by a Canadian company, and the first to be released on the PSP.

Sonic Rivals starts as a competition between Sonic and Knuckles, but expands as further rivals get added to the mix, including Shadow, Silver, and Metal Sonic.

Story

One day, a mysterious landmass known as "Onyx Island" suddenly appears in the south seas as if out of nowhere. Suspecting another scheme by Dr. Eggman, Sonic and Tails head for the island to investigate, and their suspicions are proven correct when they find Eggman Nega, who has trapped Amy Rose inside a card with a special type of camera.

As Nega uses the device to trap Tails in a card too, Knuckles arrives to confront him regarding the Master Emerald, which he had also trapped in a card. As Nega flies away, both Sonic and Knuckles compete with each other to defeat him.

Shadow and Silver also arrive on Onyx Island with their own goals, with the former summoned to the island by a request for help from Eggman.

Gameplay

Sonic racing Knuckles in Forest Falls Zone.

Sonic Rivals features competitive 2.5D gameplay, as players scramble to reach the end of a level before the other players do (whether they are computer-controlled or live opponents). Players are capable of performing Boosts to clear specific obstacles when prompted (with to perform an Air Boost and to perform a Speed Boost), and players can attack each other using Power-Ups or by pressing when right behind them to shove them, or twice to leapfrog over them. It otherwise plays very much like the older titles in the series.

Single player consists of a Story Mode, in which each of the four playable characters have separate storylines, and must race each other to the finish line in each stage in order to thwart Dr. Eggman's various schemes. Multiplayer mode is played via ad-hoc, and players can customize their racers using collectible cards won in Single player, trade cards with friends, and wager cards on races.

There are six Zones to play through, each with two regular Acts. Boss battles, which have their own dedicated Acts at the end of Zones, require players to not only defeat the boss, but also prevent their rivals from defeating it before them (except for Sky Park Zone). Badniks are featured as enemies, though some are similar to those of Sonic Heroes.

Rivals features an extensive collectible card system that spans a total of 150 cards, and performing objectives throughout the game will award a player with said cards. Such tasks include getting a certain number of Rings, hitting their rival a certain number of times and getting to the goal within a certain amount of time. Each of the cards feature cameo appearances of robots, major characters, minor characters, box covers, and items from past Sonic games such as Sonic Heroes, Sonic Adventure, Shadow the Hedgehog, and even dating back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The cards themselves are used to unlock secret costumes for the characters among other things.

Characters

	Sonic the Hedgehog
	This hedgehog is the fastest living being in the universe. He's defeated Dr. Eggman to save the world numerous times, but this time he's discovered that his best friends, Tails and Amy, have been mysteriously turned into Cards. Now it's a race to take down the nefarious Dr. Eggman once and for all and free his friends!Media:SonicRivals PSP US manual.pdf His Signature Move is Sonic Boom, which gives him a burst of speed.
	Knuckles the Echidna
	The guardian of the Master Emerald, Knuckles is as tough as they come. Unfortunately, the Master Emerald has been stolen right out from under his nose and turned into a Card by Dr. Eggman. Now this renowned echidna must race to find the Master Emerald and take down the evil mastermind behind this insidious plot.Media:SonicRivals PSP US manual.pdf His Signature Move is Hammer Punch, which stuns his rival no matter where they are.
	Shadow the Hedgehog
	Shadow was created as the ultimate life form by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the greatest scientific genius of his time. Possessing the power to use the Chaos Emeralds to perform "Chaos Control," he has the ability to manipulate time and space. Summoned by Dr. Eggman via a cryptic transmission asking for his aid, Shadow encounters something strange and now it's a race to find Eggman and uncover the truth!Media:SonicRivals PSP US manual.pdf His Signature Move is Chaos Control, which temporarily slows down his rival.
	Silver the Hedgehog
	A mysterious young silver hedgehog, Silver is equipped with psychic powers that allow him to propel items through the air with the power of his mind! The only thing Silver really knows is that he is searching for someone... but for whom, and more importantly, why? Shrouded in mystery, Silver begins to chase after Dr. Eggman to find the clues that will unlock his quest.Media:SonicRivals PSP US manual.pdf His Signature Move is Psychic Control, which scrambles the controls of his rival.
	Metal Sonic
	Metal Sonic is a hidden character who is fought as a rival by the other characters during the story. He can be unlocked as a playable character by beating the game with the other four characters (in no particular order). His Signature Move is Copycat, which copies his rival's Signature Move.

Power-Ups

Players can find Power-Ups hovering in the air, and can be used by pressing . Each Power Up has an Offensive use and a Defensive use. When a player is ahead of their rival, the Power Up will be used defensively; if they are behind their rival, the Power Up will be used offensively.

Power Up	Offensive effect	Defensive effect	Zones
Fire	Rolling Fireball	Fire Shield	All
Ice	Snow Blast	Ice Cube	All
Mine	Floating Homing Mine	Stationary Mine	3+
Illusion	Confusion	Decoy Zapper Rings	4+
Wind	Shoot Tornado	Drop Tornado	3+
Ring Magnet	Ring Magnet	Ring Magnet	3+
Star	Signature Move	Signature Move	All

Unlockables

Cups

• Blue Chaos Cup: Complete all challenges for Death Yard Zone.
• Cyan Chaos Cup: Complete all challenges for Colosseum Highway Zone.
• Green Chaos Cup: Complete all challenges for Forest Falls Zone.
• Grey Chaos Cup: Complete every challenge in the game.
• Purple Chaos Cup: Complete all challenges for Meteor Base Zone.
• Red Chaos Cup: Complete all challenges for Sky Park Zone.
• Yellow Chaos Cup: Complete all challenges for Crystal Mountain Zone.

Skins

• Knuckles Skin: Complete story mode with Knuckles.
• Metal Sonic Skin: Unlock Metal Sonic.
• Shadow Skin: Complete story mode with Shadow.
• Silver Skin: Complete story mode with Silver.
• Sonic Skin: Complete story mode with Sonic.

Cards

Main article: Sonic Rivals/Card collection

Versions

Also released for

• Double Rivals Attack Pack! for the PlayStation Portable (2011)

Production credits

Main article: Sonic Rivals/Production credits

Manuals

Main article: Sonic Rivals/Manuals

Artwork

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Box art

• 
• 

Wallpaper

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Physical scans

Reception »

PlayStation Portable, US
Cover
Disc File:SonicRivals PSP US manual.pdf Manual

PlayStation Portable, US (Greatest Hits)
Cover
Disc

PlayStation Portable, EU (Promo)
Cover
Disc

PlayStation Portable, UK
Cover
Disc File:SonicRivals PSP UK manual.pdf Manual

PlayStation Portable, UK (Platinum)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, UK (PSP Essentials)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, FR
Cover

PlayStation Portable, FR (Platinum)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, FR (PSP Essentials)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, DE
Cover

PlayStation Portable, DE (PSP Essentials)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, ES
Cover

PlayStation Portable, ES (PSP Essentials)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, IT
Cover

PlayStation Portable, IT (PSP Essentials)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, RU
Cover

PlayStation Portable, RU (PSP Essentials)
Cover
Disc

PlayStation Portable, AU
Cover

PlayStation Portable, AU (Platinum)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, ZA (PSP Essentials)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, PT
Cover

PlayStation Portable, PT (PSP Essentials)
Cover

PlayStation Portable, PT (Platinum)
Cover

External links

• Sonic Rivals on PlayStation.com: US, UK
• Sonic Rivals on PlayStation Store: US, UK, AU

References

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
	2006  Sonic Rivals | Sega Genesis Collection     2007  Sonic Rivals 2     2009  Sega Fun Pack: Sonic Rivals 2 & Sega Genesis Collection     2011  Double Rivals Attack Pack!      Prototypes  Sonic Rivals 2