Sonic R-The Character FAQ - Guide for Sonic R

SONIC R
The Character FAQ
For Sega Saturn and PC

Written by Chaz5000
E-Mail [email protected]


Legal Information:
This Walkthrough is to be found only at GameFAQs.com at the moment.It is 
Copyright 2001 Chaz5000.
DO NOT DISTRIBUTE THIS WALKTHROUGH AT ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!
Sonic R is copyright Sega and Traveler's Tales.

Current Version:
Version 1.00:First version of my first Character FAQ.  Contains a list of 
EVERY character in Sonic R, how to get them, what they're good for, and
how to do their special moves.


-----------------THE NORMAL CHARACTERS-----------------------
Sonic the Hedgehog:
DESCRIPTION:Sonic is the hero of the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games, 
but is a mediocre character in this game.  He is the fastest of the normal 
characters, and has a pretty good jump ability also.  However, his 
acceleration AND his turning stink terribly!  I don't like him much, because
none of the courses have enough straightaways to allow him to reach his top 
speed, and his handling stinks when you're fast.  I don't find him to be a
good character, at least not for me.

HOW TO GET HIM:You don't have to do anything to get Sonic-he's one of the 
characters you don't have to unlock.

WHAT COURSES IS HE GOOD FOR?
  Depending on your skill and anticipation of turns, Sonic can do well on the
following courses:
Resort Island
Radiant Emerald
He can easily beat the following special characters to unlock them:
Egg-Robo/Metal Robotnik
Puppet Tails
Metal Sonic/Mecha Sonic

SONIC'S SPECIAL MOVES:
Jumping:Use the action key to jump. While in mid-air, press the action key 
again for a Double Jump.  Direct the direction of the jump by using the 
direction keys.
Spin Dash:Press the direction key DOWN while running for a Spin Dash, then 
hold the direction key UP to continue dashing.  Another method is to press 
the direction key DOWN while standing still to crouch, then press the 
acceleration key. 
 
 
Miles "Tails" Prower:
DESCRIPTION:Tails has been Sonic's sidekick since Sonic 2.  He is a good 
character in this game, and can easily beat Sonic on a curvy course like 
Radical City.  He has good acceleration, good jumping ability, and an 
excellent grip on the road to boot.  He can even fly!

HOW TO GET HIM:You don't have to do anything to get Tails-he's one of the 
characters you don't have to unlock.

WHAT COURSES IS HE GOOD FOR?
  Depending on your skill (And how well you know the shortcuts), Tails can 
do well on the following courses:
Resort Island
Regal Ruin   
He can easily beat the following special characters to unlock them:
Egg-Robo/Metal Robotnik
Puppet Tails

TAILS' SPECIAL MOVES:
Flying:Use the action key to jump. While in mid-air, press the action key 
again to fly.  Direct the direction of the flight by using the direction 
keys.
Spin Dash:Press the direction key DOWN while running for a Spin Dash, then 
hold the direction key UP to continue dashing.  Another method is to press 
the direction key DOWN while standing still to crouch, then press the 
acceleration key. 


Knuckles the Echidna:
DESCRIPTION:Knuckles was introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as a semi-bad 
guy, but has changed since then.  When Robotnik stole the master emerald in
Sonic and Knuckles, Knuckles started working on Sonic's side.  Not much is 
known about him, outside of him being 15 years old during Sonic 3, and that
he likes grapes.  In Sonic R, he is(in my opinion) the BEST normal racer in 
the game!  He has good speed, good grip, good turning, and a good jump 
ability.  He can even glide!  His only drawback is his slow acceleration, but
that isn't a very big drawback.  I recommend him for most players.

HOW TO GET HIM:You don't have to do anything to get Knuckles-he's one of the 
characters you don't have to unlock.

WHAT COURSES IS HE GOOD FOR?
  Depending on your skill, Knux can do well on all of the courses.
He can easily beat the following special characters to unlock them:
Egg-Robo/Metal Robotnik
Puppet Tails
Metal Sonic/Mecha Sonic

KNUCKLES' SPECIAL MOVES:
Gliding:Use the action key to jump. While in mid-air, press the action key 
again for to fly.  Direct the glide by using the direction keys.
Spin Dash:Press the direction key DOWN while running for a Spin Dash, then 
hold the direction key UP to continue dashing.  Another method is to press 
the direction key DOWN while standing still to crouch, then press the 
acceleration key. 



Amy the Hedgehog:
DESCRIPTION:Amy first appeared in Sonic CD, where she was kidnapped by Metal
Sonic.  If you play as her for very long at all, you'll begin to wish that 
Metal Sonic would kidnap her again!  She has an EXTREMELY low top speed, she
has terrible cornering, an awful grip, and she can't even jump!  She has 
fast acceleration, but what's the point with a top speed of barely anything.
Even her Turbo-Boost makes you only slightly faster than Knuckles at top
speed.  Her only useful feature is her ability to hover over water.  Use this
to your advantage by setting the weather to rain.

HOW TO GET HER:You don't have to do anything to get Amy-she's one of the 
characters you don't have to unlock. 

WHAT COURSES IS SHE GOOD FOR?
None of them, and she'd have a hard time unlocking anyone but Egg-Robo.

AMY'S SPECIAL MOVES:
Water Hovering:You don't need to do anything to hover over water-it's 
automatic.
Turbo Boost:Press the action key when a tire shows up at the top of the 
screen.


Doctor Ivo Robotnik:
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Robotnik has been around since Sonic 1.  He has tried to 
outwit Sonic for years, and has almost succeeded more than a couple times.
In Sonic R, he has a few useful features.  He goes as fast as Tails and 
faster than Amy.  He has excellent cornering, and good acceleration.  He can
hover over water, which allows him to take several shortcuts.  He even gets
Homing Missiles to slow down opponents!  However, he can't jump, and has
terrible grip.  I recommend him for watery levels, if you have the weather
set to rain.

HOW TO GET HIM:You have to beat all of the levels in first place to unlock 
him.  This means you need all of the Chaos Emeralds, just so that Radiant
Emerald zone is unlocked.

WHAT COURSES IS HE GOOD FOR?
  Robotnik is good for the following courses IF you know the shortcuts AND 
are a skilled player. 
Resort Island
Reactive Factory
Radical City
He can easily beat the following special characters to unlock them:
Egg-Robo/Metal Robotnik
Puppet Tails

ROBOTNIK'S SPECIAL MOVES:
Hovering:Hovering is automatic.
Homing Missiles:If you have at least ten rings, wait until a target appears
in your crosshairs, then press the action key.


--------------------------HIDDEN CHARACTERS------------------------------
Metal Sonic/Mecha Sonic:
DESCRIPTION:Metal Sonic first appeared in Sonic 2, as the second-to-final 
boss.  He came back in Sonic CD, and did something really wise:He kidnapped
Amy.  The last we saw of this guy(until now) was in Sonic and Knuckles, where
he was destroyed by Knuckles and left in the ruins of Sky Sanctuary.  In the
game, he is the first character you unlock.  He has a great top speed, and
the best jump in the game, but he also has lousy acceleration, and horible 
turning.  I recommend you leave him alone:Knuckles is better than this guy.

HOW TO GET HIM:You need to get all the coins in Resort Island, and beat him 
in a one-on-one challenge.

WHAT COURSES IS HE GOOD FOR?
  Metal Sonic is good for the following courses:
Radiant Emerald
Radical City
He can easily beat the following special characters to unlock them:
Egg-Robo/Metal Robotnik
Puppet Tails

METAL SONIC'S SPECIAL MOVES:
High Jump:Press the action key.


Puppet Tails:
DESCRIPTION:Puppet Tails was created especially for this game.  He is a doll
version of Tails.  His top speed is only slightly faster than that of Tails,
but he can hover over water without slowing down, unlike Amy and Doctor 
Robotnik.  He has a poor grip, and a mediocre jump, but I like him.  I beat
Resort Island in one minute fifteen seconds, averaging only twenty-five 
seconds per lap.  I even beat Metal Knuckles in the one-on-one challenge by
using Puppet Tails.  I recommend him for good players-he can be a lot of fun!

HOW TO GET HIM:You need to get all the coins in Radical City, and beat him 
in a one-on-one challenge.

WHAT COURSES IS HE GOOD FOR?
  Puppet Tails is good for the following courses:
Resort Island
Radical City
Regal Ruin
Reactive Factory
He can easily beat all of the special characters to unlock them:

PUPPET TAILS' SPECIAL MOVES:
Hover-Jump:Press the action button.
Water-Hover:You don't need to do anything to hover over water-it is 
automatic.


Egg-Robo/Metal Robotnik
DESCRIPTION:Everyone's favourite badnik from Sky Sanctuary zone of Sonic and
Knuckles is back, and still stinks badly.  He has a lousy top speed, can't 
hover, has only mediocre turning and acceleration.  His only positive trait
is his homing-mine gun.  Don't play as this guy unless you want a MAJOR 
challenge.

HOW TO GET HIM:You need to get all the coins in Regal Ruin, and beat him 
in a one-on-one challenge.

WHAT COURSES IS HE GOOD FOR?
None of them.  And he might beat Puppet Tails in a challenge, but only if 
he's lucky.

EGG-ROBO'S SPECIAL MOVE:
Homing Mine:If you have at least ten rings, wait until a target appears
in your crosshairs, then press the action key.


Metal Knuckles/Mecha Knuckles:
DESCRIPTION:Metal Knuckles is another new character for Sonic R.  He is my
favourite character.  He has awesome turning, a fast top speed, good 
acceleration, and can glide.  His only downside is his bad grip.  Otherwise,
he is a _PERFECT_ character!

HOW TO GET HIM:You need to get all the coins in Reactive Factory, and beat 
him in a one-on-one challenge.

WHAT COURSES IF HE GOOD FOR?
All of them, and he can probably beat any character in a one-on-one 
challenge!

METAL KNUCKLES' SPECIAL MOVE:
Glide:Use the action key to jump. While in mid-air, press the action key 
again for to fly.  Direct the glide by using the direction keys.


Super Sonic:
DESCRIPTION:Super Sonic is simply Sonic with all the Chaos Emeralds.  He 
has a great top speed, good acceleration, and pretty good turning.  He's 
okay, but I still prefer Metal Knuckles, just for the glide.

HOW TO GET HIM:Get all the Chaos Emeralds.

WHAT COURSES IF HE GOOD FOR?
All of them, and he can probably beat any character in a one-on-one 
challenge!

SUPER SONIC'S SPECIAL MOVE:
Water Hovering:Super Sonic is SO fast, he can walk right over water!