Sonic Drift 2 (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Sega CS
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1995

Sonic Drift 2 is a racing game and the sequel to the original that was released on the Sega Game Gear in 1994.

+ Courses are much more imaginative than the first game and include hazards specific to the individual themed worlds.

+ Roster has been expanded from four to seven characters, providing some longevity as you discover your favourite driver.

+ More options available to spice things up, such as having offensive-based weapons and the ability to choose your opponents.

+ Neat graphical touches such as weather effects, tunnels and a half-pipe section inspired by Sonic 2 (1992, Sega Genesis). 

- Increased difficulty from the original is welcome, but enemies are overly aggressive and aided by obvious rubber-banding.

- The tracks haven't been widened, so the same issues of cluttered raceways and problematic overtaking remain.

- Finale cut-scenes for each character are no longer included which does diminish some the game's long-term appeal.

Sonic Drift (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Sega CS
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1994

Sonic Drift is a racing game that was only released in Japan.

+ The sense of speed is fantastic and using a boost results in you teetering on the edge of control in an exhilarating fashion.

+ Each of the six worlds are taken from the original Sonic the Hedgehog (1991, Sega Genesis) which is a nice touch.

+ All four selectable drivers play very differently to each other and offer unique end credit cut-scenes to aide replayability.

+ Some excellent music on offer including a terrific version of You Can Do Anything from Sonic CD (1993, Sega CD).

- The tracks are incredibly narrow, and as a result overtaking can be unnecessarily difficult, particularly when cornering.

- The track layouts are deeply uninspired and the six themed worlds aren't brought to life in any meaningful way.

- Lack of any combat-based items leaves the gameplay feeling rather shallow, and the races themselves are very short.