Last week I expressed my disappointment at the announcement of Sega's Sonic Rivals for the Sony PlayStation Portable.  Today at E3 I had the chance to take the demo version of the game for a test race and found that my initial assumption was correct.  As a racing game it's merely average at this point, but as a platformer adventure it would be amazing.

The demo features Sonic and Shadow trying to outrun each other in a race to the goal.  There are several platforms and loops located in various spots that Sonic can use to get ahead, but they can only be reached by performing the usual stylish stunts and flips.  Furthermore, both characters have a mean slide kick that can bounce the other out of the way temporarily.  The animation is certainly fluid and the visuals are gorgeous, but it's just not much fun yet.  The race basically amounts to holding down the right half of the control pad, jumping occasionally, and watching the level speed by.

Don't just take my word for it.  See for yourself in this exclusive video clip of Sonic Rivals in motion. [WMV file, 6 MB]