Sonic R-echarged

Sonic R-echarged would be the distant sequel to the original Sonic racing game Sonic R, and it would be for the most modern consoles, such as the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS Vita, and 3DS. This way, it would best be able to keep up with some of the gems that have been coming from Sonic team, like Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations.

As some of you may know, I launched a challenge for my birthday that involved doing remakes and/or sequels for horrible games that could have been good, but met with bad fortune in design. As most if not all of you probably agree, Sonic R was maybe the worst game for the Sega Saturn and among the worst in the series of Sonic games.

This is a total shame, because with the kind of fast-paced action that is the Sonic series, a racing game is something that could easily be done and even well done. The trick...is design.

It should be noted that while a Sonic racing game has been made in the form of Sonic Riders, and that concept ended up becoming a trilogy of games, although they haven't had a reputation for being all that popular. The difference with this title is that it will be on foot as opposed to on boards, thereby going with the natural theme of the series.

Story
The game starts when Eggman has once again been defeated by Sonic's incredible powers of speed, and as his latest project lay in ruins, he finds himself in a state of agony, wishing he could just match Sonic's speed and take his greatest advantage away from him. That way, he could possibly triumph over his greatest enemy.

Then, Eggman realizes...he's an evil genius! He rallies together all of his resources and designs for himself a very stylish pair of sneaker-like, complex looking shoes; but not only are they stylish, they're also functional. For you see, Eggman has designed them based around what he has observed Sonic's top speed to be. Using these sneakers, he could potentially beat Sonic at his own game - the game of speed.

Confident in his chances, Eggman sends all of Sonic's friends similar sneakers and challenges anyone who is willing to a series of races. These races are specially designed to take its participants through famous places in Sonic's history. In fact, Eggman has even designed portals in the middle of the courses that take the racers to courses in similar places.

However, he also features as tracks a series of intense and dangerous tracks, half of them being the ones from the previous game and the other half being new challenges meant to test those racing on them. All of these are part of the tournament, but it's after the completion of the classic tracks that the race takes a turn for the dangerous; after the racers leave Radiant Emerald, one of the transport ships used to bring them to the next course collided with one of the large crystals nearby the stage, and through a massive chain reaction, it unearths the parts of Metal Sonic. Last time Metal Sonic was destroyed in Sonic Generations, his parts was propelled onto the Radiant Emerald, and a massive collapse of gems buried them below the planet surface. The impact of the large crystal freed Metal Sonic's head, which then reactivated and caused the rest of Metal Sonic's body to reassemble.

Metal Sonic, now reawakened, felt his desire to face Sonic return, and he sped off in pursuit of the racers.

This storyline culminates in a confrontation between Sonic and Metal Sonic that takes place when Eggman, after losing constantly in the previous races, finally lashes out and challenges Sonic to a one-on-one race in the Ruptured Volcano. Just then, Metal Sonic arrives at the starting area and wreaks havoc, destroying Eggman's ships, ultimately sending the racers (including Eggman) off for shelter. The only one left at the track is Sonic, and when Metal Sonic lands in front of him, Sonic decides that there's nowhere else to go but into the volcano.

This can be considered the final boss of the story mode, an infinite-lap race where the object is to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds, go Supersonic, and ram into Metal Sonic before he does the same to you. Once the player succeeds, Super Sonic shoves Metal Sonic out the top of the volcano, after which they land on the ground to show down. They collide head on, and predictably enough, it ends up as a stalemate.

Just then, Sonic gets an idea; he zooms upward at full speed and into space, with Metal Sonic in hot pursuit. The two reach Radiant Emerald, where Sonic starts zooming above the surface of the planet and dodging giant crystals to evade Metal Sonic. This is the settng for one last event, and once the player manages to circle the planet surface, a final cutscene plays in which Sonic and Metal Sonic zoom upward at full speed; but then, Sonic circles back and zooms back down to the surface, almost slamming right into it, but turning at the very last second.

Metal Sonic, having brakes inferior to Sonic's, does slam into the surface and explodes.

Sonic returns to the volcano track to the relief of the others, but the intense frustration of Eggman. Eggman launches into a long monologue about how even though most of his ships had been destroyed, Sonic still had to race him; however, he turns to find Sonic holding his speed shoes. Sonic and friends then take off in the transport ship, leaving Eggman on his own once again.

Gameplay
The style of gameplay would be somewhat similar to that of the original Sonic R, but the format would be changed and certain things will play different roles. The racing style will be much like that of modern Sonic levels in Sonic Generations or the day levels of Sonic Unleashed. This time around, however, it will be a cross between those formats and the running style of Sonic R. The positioning will still be top down, but slightly closer to the character, and the pacing will be much faster, contrary to the slow waddling from the original game.

In addition, the Chaos Emeralds will no longer simply be collectibles, but will serve a definite purpose; if a character can collect them all (if a character collects one, it will regenerate for one who hasn't), he/she will go into a super Chaos Control mode where you can go two and a half times as fast for 12-15 seconds, depending on the character. Besides that, Chaos Emeralds will be hidden along the tracks, instead of having to be collected by going off in a random direction.

The gameplay in R-echarged will be noticeably action-packed and semi-hardcore, but not so complex that it takes a high caliber of gamer to play it. The primary different between this game or any other modern Sonic game is that there will be different maneuvers. For example, tight corners can be turned by drifting, or if you slide while drifting, you can go into a small, slow-motion Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity event that allows you to instantly change direction and get a momentary speed boost after pressing a combination of buttons.

Boosting will be a key action in this game, and the Boost Meter will be increased by picking up rings or by grabbing a Boost Tank, which will be an exclusive item for this game. Losing rings by running into a trap of occasional enemy will only slow you down, but this is a risk because if someone bumps into you while traveling a great deal faster than you, you'll be knocked down and therefore be set back even further. If you get hurt with no rings left, then you will be brought back to a certain spot on the course, much like in Mario Kart.

Characters
The characters in this game would be major figures from the Sonic series, and even some forgotten characters from the franchise. While the style of gameplay would be roughly the same for all of them, they would be divided into different classes, each with its own perk that reflects on the characters. These classes would be: The distribution of characters in each class will be roughly equal, and which class your character is in will not necessarily be a help or a hindrance; it will just provide you with a particular ability.
 * 1) Speed (allowing for slightly greater speed than other characters and a longer boost meter)
 * 2) Agility (allowing for slightly greater maneuvering than other characters and faster recovery from damage)
 * 3) Power (allowing for greater damage to other characters and less hindrance from running into obstacles)
 * 4) Technique (allowing for more skillful performance of actions like grinding, jumping, and doing tricks to gain speed)
 * Sonic the Hedgehog  (Class: Speed)
 * Tails the Fox (Miles Prower)(Class: Agility)
 * Knuckles the Echidna (Class: Power)
 * Shadow the Hedgehog (Class: Technique)
 * Amy Rose the Hedgehog (Class: Power)
 * Doctor Eggman (Class: Power)
 * Silver the Hedgehog (Class: Technique)
 * Cream the Rabbit (and Cheese the Chao ) (Class: Agility)
 * Mii (on Wii U and 3DS) or Avatar (on the Xbox 360) (Class: Varying, depending on player choice)
 * Rouge the Bat (Class: Agility)
 * E-123 Omega (Class: Power)
 * Blaze the Cat (Class: Technique)
 * Espio the Chameleon (Class: Technique)
 * Vector the Crocodile (Class: Power)
 * Charmy Bee  (Class: Agility)

Special Characters
Special characters are unlocked through meeting of special conditions, such as completing a certain course within a particular time frame, completing a certain number of races, setting enough personal bests, or collecting a certain amount of Chaos Emeralds or points over many races, etc. Essentially, they're just lesser-known or powerful characters as a group. There is also a condensed version of the roster that would exclude the Special Characters. This might apply to the Wii version of the game, and would almost certainly apply to the 3DS version. It may be that some of the Special Characters might stay in the game despite the simpler consoles, as there have been a good amount of characters in, for example, Mario Kart 7.
 * Metal Sonic (Class: Speed)
 * Mighty the Armadillo  (Class: Speed)
 * Big the Cat (Class: Power)
 * Tikal the Echidna (Class: Speed)
 * EggRobo (Class: Agility)
 * Gemerl (Class: Agility)
 * Marine the Raccoon (Class: Speed)
 * Jet the Hawk (Class: Speed)
 * Wave the Swallow (Class: Technique)
 * Storm the Albatross (Class: Power)

Tracks
Overall, the game should feature about 20 tracks, though the number may change later. The way I have it planned out is that the 5 tracks from the original game will be brought back in a modified state, and they will be paired up with 5 new completely original racing courses, somewhat like the Nitro Courses from Mario Kart games. This number of original courses may increase to 10 later, but 5 is the original plan.

The other 10 tracks will be ones from previous games; now, the reason some of the more famous courses from the older games aren't featured is because the original Sonic R tracks are based off of some of the better known ones, so the revised versions (the Recharged tracks) of those originals will be quite similar to those zones, and may even combine similar ones. This will also apply to the Retro tracks; if two stages are overwhelmingly similar or can believably be combined into one, they will be united into a single track, and be traveled between via portals at the end of each lap.

The songs for most of the retro tracks will be the music typical for whatever stage is being raced on. Some of these songs will be remixes (such as Rooftop Run, which will be the modern Generations mix), and some will retain their usual unchanged themes. As for the Recharged Tracks, the new stages will have new themes of their own (fitting for the nature of the level) and the default tracks for the classic Sonic R stages will be instrumental remixes for the old themes (such as "Diamond in the Sky" and "Living in the City"). However, the classic themes will be unlockable throughout the game.

Retro Tracks
(Note: Eggman's Interstellar Amusement Park will be a unique medley of stages from Sonic Colors, and its default track will be "Reach for the Stars," the game's main theme.  To avoid continuity errors, this stage will also not be part of the Story Mode; it will be unlocked upon completing the Story Mode.  In order to incorporate this, the first track of the Story Mode will be Resort Island, and then the categories will alternate, ending with Ruptured Volcano.)
 * City Escape (Sonic Adventure 2)
 * Radical Highway / Speed Highway (Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Adventure)
 * Spagonia Rooftop Run (Sonic Unleashed)
 * Casino Night Zone (Sonic 2)
 * Red Mountain / Windy Valley (Sonic Adventure)
 * Frozen Forest / Magma Rift (Sonic Free Riders)
 * Sky Sanctuary Zone (Sonic 3 &amp; Knuckles)
 * Babylon Garden (Sonic Riders)
 * Megalo Station (Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity)
 * Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park (Sonic Colors)

Recharged Tracks

 * Resort Island (crossed with Green Hill / Emerald / Seaside Hill Zone)
 * Radical City (crossed with Star Light Zone)
 * Regal Ruin (crossed with Labyrinth Zone)
 * Reactive Factory (crossed with Scrap Brain Zone)
 * Radiant Emerald 
 * Revolutionary Battle - This race would take place in the middle of a chaotic battle in space, and the fighting has a noticeable impact on the track itself.  For example, explosions would cause damage when you're on a certain part of a track at a certain moment, and flying debris can have a similar effect, but it will most likely destroy portions of the track as you go through the laps.
 * Raging Sea - This would be the primary water level of the game, and would take place at sea during a raging storm.  Part of the level would allow you to travel over water as long as you're able to boost and go fast enough not to sink.  If you go in at standard speed, you have to clear the water portion by going underwater, which is more likely to slow you down.
 * Rampant Flight - This would be a change of pace from running the entire trask, because most of the level would involve riding on flying carpets (which you can also boost with) that you mount after running up a mountain at the beginning of every lap.
 * Ruthless Jungle (crossed with Angel Island Zone) - This level would be very much inspired by Angel Island Zone from Sonic 3 and Knuckles, and the theme music for it would even be an available song for the race.  However, the jungle will be slightly more intense, realistic, and atmospheric.  It won't be deadly serious, but it will keep you slightly on edge.
 * Ruptured Volcano - This race will be the deadliest of all, and it will take place in a massive, Mustafar-like volcano.  The inside of the volcano will get slightly more unstable as the race gets closer to the end, and it will involve some platforming finesse in certain places, that is unless you find the couple of sweet shortcuts along the way, where some secrets would be located.

Items
This game's items would be as unique as possible, as I don't want them to seem like they're clones of the ones in Mario Kart games; to accentuate this, there would be fewer items than in Mario Kart, and they would bear more significance in use, meaning that they wouldn't be picked up quite as often, and could be more useful when used properly. (For those who couldn't guess, items would be picked up through item canisters like those in Sonic Riders).

The items will be:
 * Boxing Glove Rocket - This item will be a main staple in the game, and will be similar to the Red Shell from Mario Kart, but with different effects; it will home in on the targeted opponent, and will chase them quickly, but it can be dodged; if the target moves fast enough, strafes, and simply manages to evade it long enough, then the rocket will run out of fuel and disappear.  However, if it gets a hit, the target will lose rings.
 * Chaos Clock - While this item doesn't run on Chaos energy, it has a similar effect to the Chaos Control used on time; it can slow down all targets in range for a few seconds before things revert back to real time, making it perfect for a user who needs to catch up to his/her opponents.
 * Ring Shield - Inspired by the Shield items from previous Sonic games, this item gravitates rings toward its user and provides protection from one hit by item or obstacle.
 * Iblis Flame - This item acts as a temporary shield of fire that deals damage to whoever bumps into its user.  However, it provides no protection against obstacles on the track.
 * Psychokinesis - An item inspired by the powers of Silver the Hedgehog, Psychokinesis temporarily allows its user to hover upon jumping, making it useful for traversing dangerous traps or gaps.

Official Soundtrack
Like most other VG soundtracks, this houses all the music and songs from the respective games. For example, Sky Sanctuary Zone would have that same characteristic soundtrack that is the Sky Sanctuary theme.

However, this version, much like Sonic Generations, would have unlockable music that can be applied to any stage. Songs can be unlocked in a variety of ways; some songs can be unlocked by playing on a certain stage a number of times, some are unlocked by picking up R-Medallions hidden in the courses, some are unlocked by getting a certain number of Chaos Emeralds, and some are collected by finishing courses with a certain number of rings.

The list of songs would be: As you've noticed, there are many unlockable songs, so much like with the characters, the amount of songs may be reduced slightly in the handheld versions. However, most of them will remain in the game so long as they don't take up too much space in the game.
 * Angel Island Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog 3)
 * Stardust Speedway Bad Future JP (Generations mix, Sonic CD)
 * Stardust Speedway Bad Future US (Sonic CD)
 * Can You Feel the Sunshine? (Original, Sonic R)
 * Living in the City (Original, Sonic R)
 * Back in Time (Original, Sonic R)
 * Work It Out (Original, Sonic R)
 * Diamond in the Sky (Original, Sonic R)
 * Super Sonic Racing (Original and Generations, Sonic R and Sonic Generations)
 * Sky Deck (Sonic Adventure)
 * Open Your Heart (Sonic Adventure, all three major mixes)
 * Live and Learn (Sonic Adventure 2)
 * Metal Harbor (Sonic Adventure 2)
 * Green Forest (Sonic Adventure 2)
 * What I'm Made of... (Sonic Heroes)
 * I Am...All of Me (Shadow the Hedgehog)
 * His World (Sonic '06, all three major mixes)
 * Solaris Phase 2 (Sonic '06)
 * Crisis City (Sonic '06)
 * Kingdom Valley (Sonic '06)
 * Wave Ocean (Sonic '06)
 * Un-Gravitify (Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity)
 * Gigan Rocks (Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity)
 * Let the Speed Mend It (Sonic and the Secret Rings)
 * Knight of the Wind (Sonic and the Black Knight)
 * Savannah Citadel (Sonic Unleashed)
 * Endless Possibilities (Sonic Unleashed, Lyrical or Instrumental)
 * Tropical Resort (Sonic Colors)
 * Sweet Mountain (Sonic Colors)
 * Aquarium Park (Sonic Colors)
 * Asteroid Coaster (Sonic Colors)
 * Planet Wisp (Sonic Colors)
 * Terminal Velocity (Sonic Colors)
 * Nega-Wisp Armor (Sonic Colors)
 * Free (Sonic Free Riders)
 * Metropolis Speedway (Sonic Free Riders)

Sonic R-echarged: Whitney Houston Tribute
This additional soundtrack edits all the songs (mostly the ones from Sonic R) to a more soulful version "In memory of Whitney Houston, the inspiration."