Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

It takes a particular brand of muppet to take a character like Sonic the Hedgehog and make so many spin-offs that the poor 'hog ends up spreading himself too thin in too many games. Case in point: Zero Gravity. This is the fifth racing game in a series that begin with Sonic Drift in 1994 and it suffers from poor controls and lame pin-ball environments. All we can say is: thank god for Sonic Unleashed.

You're given three controller options in Zero Gravity: hold the Wii remote forward, hold it horizontal or you can use a Gamecube controller. Yes, a Gamecube controller. This highlights how far behind the crowd the makers of this game seem to have aimed. Who exactly thought it a good idea to put Sonic in a sequel to one of the dullest spin-off games so far, Sonic Riders? Yes, Sonic zooms around on his hover-board (and motorcycle, yacht and wheel), bouncing off walls and collecting rings. Someone call 1994 - they want their ideas back.

The problems with Zero Riders begin with a tutorial that's designed to teach you controls, but actually just leaves you to stew in your own frustration until you either nail the required move by accident or hurl yourself out the nearest window. For example: the Gravity Drift. By holding down the 1 button you freeze time and can turn your character through a sharp ninety-degree turn by tilting the remote. Except it either A) hurls you into a wall anyway or B) disengages before you've completed your molasses-slow turn.

Then there's the Start Dash, where you time your initial run so that you go over the start line just as the electrical force-field goes down. Go too early and you'll get fried. Go too late and you'll be left in 8th place. Likewise, when using the Gravity Dive to fly - or even just a regular jet bike - the simple act of steering becomes the bain of your existence. You're supposed to crash into trains and vines in the air so they'll bounce you like a pinball further down the track, but again, this proves far more difficult than it should be.