Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is better than it's predecessor in every way.
Where controls and general gameplay are concerned it has been improved and isn't that difficult to get used to. First of all the Air Gauge has been scrapped which in the original proved annoying as it would run out alot. Instead in this game there is a Gravity Points meter which works in a similar fashion only it is just used for special tricks rather than fuel which runs out quickly just by doing nothing. The Gravity Points meter isn't to difficult to get used to as it pumps when you perform good jumps and then you let rip the Gravity Dive or Gravity Control. In the original there was a level up system where you would collect a certain amount of rings and then your board would be upgraded to ride faster and other features. This feature is repeated in this game but the players board would transform in a certain way depending on it's attributes. This is improved as in the last game you would lose the level up if you were to fall off the track but in this game you keep your upgrade to make things less annoying. The game can also be played with the Wii remote held sideways, normally or with a GameCube controller. The GameCube controller is most probably the easiest to play with and that way you notice the true differences between this and the original.
The level designs are another significant improvement in this game as they have been made longer and more interesting in general. This time all of the Babylon courses are alot more unique in layout than the Hero ones as they all have different track shapes and shortcuts. Each course has many ways of getting to the finish that each race itself is made more unique and fresh.
The character roster has been topped up with addition of Blaze and Silver, AiAi and Ulala have been replaced by Amigo and Billy Hatcher and the robots from before have been replaced by 2 MeteorTech robots to suit the game more and keep it new. People who like this and used to like the classic games will be in for a treat as the 80's and 90's Boulevard stages are packed with cameos of old memories from that respected decade and also the addition of NiGHTS, Amigo and Billy Hatcher will treat those furthermore. With this the visuals are really good as the futuristic environments look magnificent.
The replay value is also very good as once you complete the story mode there are alot of missions available and theres the World Grand Prix to win which helps with collecting new boards. Although there is good replay value the story is just as short as ever and doesn't take a long time to complete because of it's length and difficulty. The story mode mirrors the last game as you play as Team Sonic in the Hero story in missions that take place on 6 different tracks and then you play through the Babylon story with the same amount of stages but then after that you face Master Core: ABIS. This boss battle wasn't too bad but was far to easy to defeat as the boss itself didn't do that much to you except the odd meteor strike which was quite tricky but easy if you play as a power character. This battle was more of a race than anything saying that but was still easy to complete.
Finally the soundtrack in the game was excellent as the main vocal themes were very well performed. But also the music within the races was very good as the tracks themselves all had good music which suited them but also when you activate a gravity trick it changes to become slightly more epic.