It’s been a turbulent life for poor old Sonic. A career stretching various genres across myriad platforms, and not one of them has ever really recaptured that classic mojo from his 16-bit days.

The ’hog can run, probably better than any other character in the annals of videogames. Playing to his strengths is when you get the best from Sonic. When you start clouding his poor little head with mountainous lines of text, clunky fighting engines and fishing mini-games, that’s when he starts contracting nasty migraines.

Sonic Rivals 2 is a game that epitomises perfectly the life struggle of Sega’s eponymous hero. It’s a game that feels a little all over the place; a dizzying rollercoaster of highs and lows.

The main game consists of six zones, split into four acts, and each follows the exact same pattern: two races interlaced with one frustrating battle game – a roster of either ‘Blind Fighting’, ‘Pass the Bomb: Frustration Edition’ or ‘Ring Collection Challenge’ (which is just too easy to even call a challenge) – before ending in an awkward boss fight. The skittish nature of the characters mean that these sections are as frustrating as trying to spur two bashful fleas into making love on an icy pavement by whispering poetry to them from the top of the Empire State building.

The racing sections are the game’s real high points though, truly exhilarating stuff, stretching over vast stages and quirky themed zones with elements that spring you every which way imaginable. Sure, you can argue that the gameplay predominately consists of holding right on the D-pad until you stick to an obstacle, or that the computer AI is questionable at best, and power-ups and character specials don’t really feel like they’re doing you any kind of benefit during the races. But all of the classic Sonic elements are there; it’s just that the game likes to make you work for them.

With twice as many characters as the original game – each with their own story mode and unlockable signature cup – the game certainly doesn’t shirk on longevity or features. It’s just a shame the new tweaks to the game, rather than add variety, seem to have caused Sonic to drop the ball yet again. Next time just look to sharpen the racing, buddy; it’s what you’re good at.

Stuart Hunt