Sonic The Hedgehog

Info The 'hog with the 'tude is back to lay the smackdown on Eggman's bots, and along with his famous speed he brings along many of the moves he had in Sonic 3 and Sonic Adventure 2, as well as an all new one. Spin Dash Sonic's very first special move. Press Down to crouch, then hit A to rev up the spin. Keep tapping A to increase power. Let go of Down to release. Insta-Shield A move learned in Sonic 3, Sonic's Insta-Shield increases the area of Sonic's Spin Attack. Tap A while jumping to perform the move. Note that, unlike in Sonic 3, Sonic can't dodge projectiles with this move. Jump Dash A new move to Sonic's arsenal, the Jump Dash propels Sonic forward while in mid-jump. Tap either Left or Right 2 times to launch Sonic in that direction. You may find it useful if you need to reach a far-off ledge and you lack the space for a running start. Grind Picked up in SA2, the Grind move has Sonic bearing down on rails with style. Truth is, you won't have too much use for the Grind in this game other than to catch some out-of-reach rings. To perform the Grind, you must first be traveling at a walk's pace. Jump and time your landing so that you hit the horizontal railing while holding Forward. If all goes well, Sonic will start to grind. Continue holding Forward to increase speed. If you still have A pressed when you reach the end of the rail, you'll be launched high into the air. Sonic Somersault Carried over from SA2, the Somersault is used mainly to blow past badniks who may get in your path. Tap B once to start the Somersault. Tap B again to continue into a forward flip. At this point you can tap B to finish with a slide attack, or tap A to jump out of the move, effectively canceling it. This is useful if you find that the slide will end up taking you over a cliff's edge.

Miles "Tails" Prower

Info I don't think I have to tell you that wherever Sonic goes, whatever danger he faces, Tails is right there beside him, ready to lend a hand if necessary. Here unfortunately, Tails' game is a solo effort (unless you utilize a special code to team him up w/ Sonic). Thankfully, because of his best feature, Flight Mode, his game also ends up the easiest overall. Of course, the developers saw fit to include some other moves as well. Flight Mode Tails just wouldn't be Tails without this little technique. Tap A while in mid-jump to perform the move. Continually tapping A will cause you to ascend. Stop tapping A to slowly float back down to earth. Use this move to get around all sorts of obstacles, and make reaching the Special Springs easier. After awhile, Tails will tire and begin to fall down automatically. Spin Dash Picked up from Sonic, Tails can also perform the Spin Dash. Press Down, then tap A to rev up. Release Down to shoot forward. Tail Attack From Sonic Adventure, Tails uses his...um...tails to slash at nearby badniks. Tap B to perform. Swim Since Tails technically can't fly underwater (duh), he swims to make up for it. Tap A while in mid-jump to swim. Again, like Flight Mode, Tails will tire from dog-paddling and start to sink after several seconds.

Knuckles The Echidna

Info Rad Red returns to Earth to help Sonic in his battle against Dr. Eggman. Little does he know, Eggman's creations are beginning to infest Angel Island, his home in the sky. Knuckles retains all his moves from Sonic & Knuckles and some he picked up in Sonic Adventure 2, making him an excellent character to pick. He handles exactly like Sonic except for his own signature moves in place of Sonic's. Knuckles Punch Attack Straight from SA2, Knuckles' Punch-Punch-Uppercut combo lays the competition flat on their backs (if they don't explode first). Tap B to punch, tap B again to followup with the other fist, then tap B a final time to perform an uppercut (shou-ryu-ken!). Spin Dash Knuckles has learned to do his own version of Sonic's Spin Dash. Press and hold Down to crouch, then tap A to rev up your spin. Release Down to dart forward. Glide Attack First seen in Sonic & Knuckles, the Glide Attack enables Knuckles' to drift through the air. Unlike flying, Gliding is affected by gravity, so you'll continue to descend slowly until to touch the ground. While in mid-jump, press and hold A to Glide. Use the D-pad to steer Left or Right. At any time, let go of A to drop down from the Glide. You can crash into Badniks while Gliding. Wall Climb Along with his Glide Attack, Knuckles can also attach to any vertical surface and, using his knuckles, climb up or down. While next to a wall, press and hold A while in mid-jump to grab onto the surface. Gliding into a wall will perform the same function. While still holding A you can use Up or Down on the D-pad to guide Knuckles in said direction. When you reach the top of the wall, Knuckles will automatically reach over onto the edge and pull himself up. Swimming and Treading Water Knuckles retains his ability to swim from SA2. When first jumping into water, Knuckles will float to the surface. You can tread water simply by pushing Left or Right. Tap Down to dive underwater. At this point you can't go back to treading water unless you jump out of the water first. While underwater, Knuckles can perform his swimming motion (which replaces his Glide Attack) by pressing and holding A while in mid-jump.

Amy Rose

Info In this outing, Amy returns as a playable character. She retains all her moves from Sonic Adventure with some variations, and even introduces some new moves. She's also the only other character besides Sonic who can grind rails (although you really can't call it "grinding" when you use your tushy, can you?). Amy lacks the ability to perform the Spin Attack, which means no spinning jumps, no rolling into a ball form while running, and NO Spin Dash. Ouch. This makes her the hardest character to come to grips with for seasoned Sonic players. Fortunately she makes up for it with increased jump distance and her Pico-Pico Hammer, with which she can perform some interesting moves. Hammer Attack Amy's magical hammer (has to be, it just appears out of nowhere!) can be used as a direct attack. Tap B to strike once, and tap B again to followup with another one. It's slow but effective. You can also use it to strike springs, throwing Amy up MUCH higher than the spring normally would if jumped on. Spinning Hammer Attack Amy swings her hammer while in mid-air to catch her foes off-guard. There are two variations: Tap B while in mid-jump to do a vertical spin (you'll be using this one the most), or press and hold Down while tapping B to do a horizontal spin. It'll continue until Amy hits the ground (this one you probably won't be using much at all). Hammer Jump Just like in SA, Amy uses her hammer to launch herself high into the air. Hold Down to crouch and press B to do it. Quick Hop and Slide Attack In place of a Spin Dash, Amy performs a short but fast forward jump. Use this repeatedly to scale steep inclines and to gain speed in a short amount of time. Press Down to crouch, then tap A to spring forward. However, if you tap B while Amy's doing the move, she'll employ a painful-looking face-first slide that can bust up badniks that get in the way. Slide Amy can also utilize the rails found throughout the zones much like Sonic can, but rather than grinding them with her boots, she slides down them on her butt! Hilarious. Just like Sonic, approach the start of a railing, jump and time your landing so that you touch the railing while coming down and holding Forward. Continue to hold Forward to gain speed, and if you still have the jump button pressed Amy will launch herself off the rail when she reaches the end.