Sonic Rivals 2
Sonic Rivals 2 is a 2007 racing video game, the sequel to the 2006 game "Sonic Rivals". The game was developed by Backbone Entertainment and supervised by Sega Studio USA, for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console. "Sonic Rivals 2" was released across November and December 2007. Plot. The Chao have disappeared and Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower immediately get on the case to find them. It turns out that Eggman Nega (once again masquerading as Dr. Eggman) has stolen the Chao and concealed them inside a haunted mansion. His plan is to feed  them to an inter-dimensional beast called the "Ifrit" who needs to eat them to become invincible. After that, he plans to release the Ifrit into the world in order to destroy it. However, to open the portal to the Ifrit's world, the seven Chaos Emeralds are required. Eggman Nega secretly hires Rouge the Bat to collect the Chaos Emeralds. The Master Emerald has also gone missing (again) and Knuckles the Echidna teams up with Rouge to find it. Meanwhile, Silver the Hedgehog has returned from a now ruined future caused by the Ifrit. In order to make a  happier future, he searches for and steals the Chao that are left in order to hide them. Espio first thought that Silver was hiding Chao for a cause of evil, but Espio finds out that Silver was trying to save the world. Then, they work together to save the world. The real Dr. Eggman sends Metal Sonic to find Shadow, and tells him of Nega's plans. Nega has learned of the Ifrit by accessing Gerald Robotnik's journals, and Shadow and Metal Sonic set out to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds before he does. Eggman uses Metal Sonic as a  communication device to aid Shadow along the way. All of the teams meet up at the haunted mansion where the portal to the Ifrit's world is. Despite Rouge only collecting six of the Emeralds, the portal opens anyway and Nega dispatches his newly copy of Metal Sonic, Metal Sonic 3.0 to awaken the Ifrit. Despite possessing the minds of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge (depending on who the player plays as), the Ifrit is defeated by the other teams. Shadow and Metal Sonic destroy the Ifrit and close the portal but they and Eggman Nega are trapped in the  Ifrit's dimension. However, Metal Sonic tears his chassis open, revealing the 7th Chaos Emerald. Shadow uses the Emerald to teleport back with Metal Sonic. Nega is left trapped under some rubble. Sonic and Tails save all the Chao and bring them to a Chao Garden and relax there while Knuckles finds the Master Emerald in the Emerald Detector that he and Rouge stole from Eggman Nega. Rouge steals the Master Emerald and runs. Silver returns to what he hopes is a happy future while Espio has to answer to Vector the Crocodile who has spent their client's advanced  payment on late rental fees. Characters. "Sonic Rivals 2" features eight playable characters, including all five characters from the previous title. All characters use Homing Attack and Spin Dash to move through the levels. Collecting Rings or destroying enemies will also fill the Signature Meter; when the meter is full, players can use a character-specific Signature Move to gain an advantage. For example, Shadow's "Chaos Control" move has the ability to slow down the other player's movement for a few seconds. The character roster is split into teams of two, with each team having its own story  campaign that tells the events of the game's story from their perspective. Gameplay. "Sonic Rivals 2" has four main Single Player modes. Story Mode is the main single player mode. Players go through each of the game's battle modes and levels to advance the plot. Each zone has three acts and a boss, with the exception of the final zone. The characters are divided into four teams (Sonic and Tails, Shadow and Metal Sonic, Silver and Espio, Knuckles and Rouge) and each character has their own story. The game introduces a new mode called Free Play. In this  single player mode, players can choose any one of the eight characters and play through the zones in traditional 2D Sonic fashion. They can also try Time Attacking, or finding the ten hidden Chao in the levels. There are no opponents for this mode. This is a first for many of the characters featured. In addition, players can also try the Cup Circuit and Single Event modes. Races and battle can be customized in every aspect, and players can try to earn cards by completing challenges. There are 150 different cards to collect, and each is tied to a certain  achievement. For example, getting an S Rank in Knockout Mode unlocks a card of Mephiles the Dark. The cards themselves contain art from various older "Sonic" games, and can unlock things such as alternate suits for the characters. Unlike the first game, only one card is needed to unlock a suit; and each character has four suits instead of the original three. The cards also unlock the Cup Circuits, and Chao Detectors for the Zones. "Sonic Rivals 2" boasts a new multiplayer "Battle Mode" with six different types of competition in addition to the main race mode. These modes are  also worked into the story. The lengths of the battles can be set though the selection menus. In Knockout, each player starts with three rings. Players must knock all of the rings out of their opponent and then attack them to win. The first player to get the set number of knockouts wins. In Rings Battle, players have a set amount time to collect as many rings as possible. The player with the most rings at the end of the time limit wins. Capture the Chao is a Sonic themed version of Capture the Flag. Players must steal a set  number of Chao from their opponent's base and bring them back to their own base with their own Chao still there to win. In Laps Race, the first player to complete a set number of laps around the track wins. King of the Hill has an Omochao stationed at the top of the level with a light beam. Players earn points by simply standing under it. The first player to get the set number of points wins. Tag is a Sonic themed cross between Hot Potato and Tag. Each player has a time limit that drops when they hold  the bomb. Players pass the bomb by attacking the other player. The first player to have their time limit expire loses. Stages. Each stage has three acts and a boss, instead of the original game's two. Acts one and three are races, and act two is always a battle. In the story mode, the races may be substituted with single character missions such as "Time Attack", "Collect X Rings", and other challenges. Certain stages can be skipped in the story, depending on the character chosen. Reception. "Sonic Rivals 2" received "mixed or average reviews" from critics according to Metacritic , averaging a 60/100. In March 2009, "Sonic Rivals" was certified as part of Sony's Greatest Hits budget line, representing North American sales of at least 250,000. "Sonic Rivals 2" soon followed.