Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (PC, DS, PS3, XBOX 360, Wii)

Release Date: 2/23/2010
Platforms:
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Gamesite: Click here
Genres: Racing
ESRB: E

Character racers have been a staple of the videogame industry ever since Nintendo pretty much created the genre with Super Mario Kart. Many publishers and developers have attempted to imagine the kart racing design with their own style and intellectual properties, but to this day Nintendo continues to hold the crown. But Sonic & SEGA All-Stars racing gives Mario Kart a run for its money with a design that has a lot of depth and tons of single and multiplayer features.

There's absolutely no question that Sumo Digital looked at Mario Kart Wii, as nearly every part of All-Stars Racing is nicked from Nintendo's design. I say that with all respect: if you're put to the task of building a racing game that revolves around a company's franchises, you're going to benefit from looking at the one game that's considered the best in its class. While SEGA's game may not have too much it can claim as "original" to the franchise, what the developer does in All-Stars Racing it does very well, turning a "me-too" project into a tightly developed racer with a lot of charm and character of its own.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing has no back-story nor does it put into context why characters from all walks of SEGA life – from Sonic the Hedgehog to Shenmue to Chu Chu Rocket – decided to have a race through environments based around the games they star in. It doesn't need it. Just like Nintendo's Super Smash Bros., All-Stars Racing is a celebration of all things the company represents. There are very, very few publishers in the videogame industry that can get away with designing a game around a legacy of recognizable franchises and characters across multiple decades. And it never feels like egotistical back-patting here, either.

Gameplay

The game is a mascot kart racing game, very similar to other games in its genre like Mario Kart, Konami Krazy Racers and Crash Team Racing. Characters race through various race circuits themed on different Sega franchises and collect power-ups to boost their speed or hamper their opponents. Additional boost can be earned by successfully executing drifts (with longer drifts earning more boost), or performing tricks while in midair. Like Sumo's previous Sega game, Sega Superstars Tennis, each character has a special ability (called an "All-Star Move") unique to them that they may use to their advantage (such as Sonic transforming into Super Sonic and AiAi riding in marbles), which they can obtain if they are running behind in the race. How long each All-Star move lasts depends on the character's current position.

Vehicles are separated into four different categories: racing, off-road, bike and hovercraft. As the terrain on the tracks will vary, vehicles can be either assisted or hindered by the surfaces they drive upon. For example, racing-type vehicles perform best on hard surfaces such aswood or concrete, but are hampered by soft terrain such as mud, sand or snow. The opposite is true for off-road type vehicles. Hovercrafts are not affected by any terrain and are able to perform multiple boosts after a jump, but they are unable to drift and have low acceleration. All of the vehicles also have their own specific engine sounds.

By playing through the game, players can earn Sega Miles that can be spent in the in-game shop to unlock additional content such as characters, tracks, art and songs.^[6] The game features a total of 24 tracks based on locations from Sonic Heroes, Super Monkey Ball,Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Jet Set Radio Future, Samba de Amigo, and The House of the Dead

The game will have customizable multiplayer options for up to four players on split-screen and eight players online (four players on DS version, no online support for PC version), including Free Race, Arena, Knockout and Capture the Chao modes. There will also be Grand Prix, Time Trials and Mission modes for single player.

The soundtrack for the game will consist of various old and new tracks from the various Sonic and Sega franchises, though it will also feature original songs by various artists includingRichard Jacques. Each course will start with one track, with more being unlocked as players earn Sega Miles. The Nintendo DS version of the game will feature MIDI versions of the tracks composed by Allister Brimble and Anthony Putson of Orchestral Media Developments. The main theme song of the game will be So Much More... by singer Bentley Jones.