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This thread has been linked to the game 'Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing'.
Every so often a game will come along that surprises me and has so much going for it, that it’s extremely tough to keep my review short enough and to the point. Then I sit and I begin to think that if a game has me so giddy and so drawn in then why not one of these few times just go a little overboard on the word count. I think you can see where Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is going to fall in terms of quality.
While many gamers out there who take a look at this will likely compare it to Mario Kart (a game that defined the genre) and brush it off as a poor imitation, I believe that it has actually taken the formula and tweaked it ever so slightly to provide a more enjoyable experience. “But how?” I hear you cry?
Pick a famous Sega character, choose a track and make it across the finish line before anyone else. It’s clear that Mario Kart was the inspiration here. From the tricks and wacky tracks right down to the drifting and weapons, it all reeks of the red plumber... and you know what, that’s just fine.
Racers will likely appeal to anyone. Sonic and friends will keep both younger gamers and fans of the blue blur happy, while unexpected appearances from Ryo of the Shenmue series and B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi will please fans who have stuck by Sega from the get go. Each have their own ride with a series of varying stats. Heavier racers have a faster top speed but poor handling, while smaller riders have a fast acceleration but slower top speed. Each have their own good and bad points and it actually pays to try everyone out.
The controls are extremely simple yet not so much that the experience feels boring. Right trigger to accelerate and the A button to fire any weapons. It’s the drifting that can make or break this kind of game and luckily everything feels just right here. Longer drifts are rewarded with longer boosts and when thrown in with mid air stunts, combining the two can result in some especially speedy moments. Originally Sumo Digital were planning on keeping weapons out of the game but since Sega had their say, they’re now in. I have to admit Sega were right on this one. They definitely add some excitement to the mix without becoming too overpowering (a la Mario Kart Wii) Green boxing gloves shoot straight, red rockets scout in on players... you can see some similarities I’m sure. However there are some new weapons that are quite fun like the shooting star where a players screen becomes inverted when hit. What are unique to the game though are the All-Star moves. These are unique special abilities that each character can get when lagging behind the pack. These usually amount to them speeding up and hitting others out of the way for a limited amount of time. Sonic for example will turn into Super Sonic, Eggman will spout several rocket launchers and Ryo will jump into his trusty forklift. They can even out the playing field while once again not feeling like it’s unfair to others.
Feature wise the game definitely offers more than enough to sink your teeth into. While none of them are exactly new to a racer, they definitely provide enough fun and variation to stop things becoming too stale. You can tackle the Grand Prix, race for the best time in the excellently implemented time trial or just race for fun applying your own settings. Then there are the sixty four missions to beat that range from drifting as much as possible to shooting as many crabs as you can with boxing gloves. They are a great inclusion that provides some variety and more importantly a decent challenge. To round things off nicely there is the multiplayer mode. Split screen is a great addition since the 360 seems all too often to dismiss this feature and opt for just online. Sometimes you just can’t beat the look you get to see on a friends face when you beat them for the sixth time. Online is also included and lets you race up to seven other players on any of the twenty four tracks. For those who like to unlock bonuses, fear not there are new songs, racers and tracks to purchase with “Miles” earned from playing the game. Bottom line is, Sumo Digital have thrown in pretty much everything you can think of.
Just upon looking at the opening movie, you can tell a lot of care has gone into making this game. From the rich history it takes inspiration from to the amount of things to see and do Sumo Digital have gone the extra mile and then some. Thanks to the extra power of the 360, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is definitely the prettiest karting game out there. The characters themselves all look great right down to their unique vehicles ranging from motorbikes and simple cars to aeroplanes and quad-bikes. Seeing your character taunt another as they speed by not only looks awesome but gives the game character which easily trumps that of Mario’s Wii attempt. The tracks too have so much going on in them that at times it will all become a little too much, for example during some of the Samba De Amigo stages where you will experience a whole new kind of bright and colourful. Sound wise each character has a few yells and phrases but it’s the soundtrack that really shines. Each of the eight themed worlds have around four or five music tracks that can be played in the background, and are all ripped straight from the games they came from. Jet Set Radio, Monkey Ball etc... Missing out on tunes from great games like Outrun or Crazy Taxi seems like a weird thing to do, but what you have here is still a solid selection. Overall the entire look and presentation of the game is absolutely incredible.
The game isn’t perfect though. For one while the range of characters is vast and impressive, the tracks themselves stretch to just six franchises, and of the twenty four tracks available, nine of them are from Sonic Heroes! While each of the tracks do feel significantly different from the other, it feels like a clearly missed opportunity when you think about how fun it could have been racing around on a constantly environmentally changing Outrun track or on a brand new Shenmue themed race. Secondly the online (which is still great fun and very smooth running) lacks the fun battle modes and even dismisses the All-Star moves altogether too. Again another missed opportunity, but the split screen (which is rare on the 360) is a nice bonus. Finally, and this is nitpicking, Grand Prix cannot be played in multiplayer. There isn’t even an option to create a playlist of tracks and instead you’re thrown back to the menu. Like I said I’m just being picky. When all is said and done though, the few low points in the game feel a lot less of a blow thanks to the overall quality and attention clearly paid to the creation of the game.
It’s only natural for a gamer to see Mario as the man when it comes to go-karting and blasting friends with weapons. However I don’t know about you, but Mario Kart on the Wii felt a little too familiar and way too luck based for my liking which was a shame since the online features were the best on the console to date. Now though it seems Sumo Digital have delivered a rival karter that in my opinion takes the crown from the red plumber by catering for casuals, the hardcore, SEGA fans, racing fans... and just about any sort of fan out there. A true gem.
While many gamers out there who take a look at this will likely compare it to Mario Kart (a game that defined the genre) and brush it off as a poor imitation, I believe that it has actually taken the formula and tweaked it ever so slightly to provide a more enjoyable experience. “But how?” I hear you cry?
Pick a famous Sega character, choose a track and make it across the finish line before anyone else. It’s clear that Mario Kart was the inspiration here. From the tricks and wacky tracks right down to the drifting and weapons, it all reeks of the red plumber... and you know what, that’s just fine.
Racers will likely appeal to anyone. Sonic and friends will keep both younger gamers and fans of the blue blur happy, while unexpected appearances from Ryo of the Shenmue series and B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi will please fans who have stuck by Sega from the get go. Each have their own ride with a series of varying stats. Heavier racers have a faster top speed but poor handling, while smaller riders have a fast acceleration but slower top speed. Each have their own good and bad points and it actually pays to try everyone out.
The controls are extremely simple yet not so much that the experience feels boring. Right trigger to accelerate and the A button to fire any weapons. It’s the drifting that can make or break this kind of game and luckily everything feels just right here. Longer drifts are rewarded with longer boosts and when thrown in with mid air stunts, combining the two can result in some especially speedy moments. Originally Sumo Digital were planning on keeping weapons out of the game but since Sega had their say, they’re now in. I have to admit Sega were right on this one. They definitely add some excitement to the mix without becoming too overpowering (a la Mario Kart Wii) Green boxing gloves shoot straight, red rockets scout in on players... you can see some similarities I’m sure. However there are some new weapons that are quite fun like the shooting star where a players screen becomes inverted when hit. What are unique to the game though are the All-Star moves. These are unique special abilities that each character can get when lagging behind the pack. These usually amount to them speeding up and hitting others out of the way for a limited amount of time. Sonic for example will turn into Super Sonic, Eggman will spout several rocket launchers and Ryo will jump into his trusty forklift. They can even out the playing field while once again not feeling like it’s unfair to others.
Feature wise the game definitely offers more than enough to sink your teeth into. While none of them are exactly new to a racer, they definitely provide enough fun and variation to stop things becoming too stale. You can tackle the Grand Prix, race for the best time in the excellently implemented time trial or just race for fun applying your own settings. Then there are the sixty four missions to beat that range from drifting as much as possible to shooting as many crabs as you can with boxing gloves. They are a great inclusion that provides some variety and more importantly a decent challenge. To round things off nicely there is the multiplayer mode. Split screen is a great addition since the 360 seems all too often to dismiss this feature and opt for just online. Sometimes you just can’t beat the look you get to see on a friends face when you beat them for the sixth time. Online is also included and lets you race up to seven other players on any of the twenty four tracks. For those who like to unlock bonuses, fear not there are new songs, racers and tracks to purchase with “Miles” earned from playing the game. Bottom line is, Sumo Digital have thrown in pretty much everything you can think of.
Just upon looking at the opening movie, you can tell a lot of care has gone into making this game. From the rich history it takes inspiration from to the amount of things to see and do Sumo Digital have gone the extra mile and then some. Thanks to the extra power of the 360, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is definitely the prettiest karting game out there. The characters themselves all look great right down to their unique vehicles ranging from motorbikes and simple cars to aeroplanes and quad-bikes. Seeing your character taunt another as they speed by not only looks awesome but gives the game character which easily trumps that of Mario’s Wii attempt. The tracks too have so much going on in them that at times it will all become a little too much, for example during some of the Samba De Amigo stages where you will experience a whole new kind of bright and colourful. Sound wise each character has a few yells and phrases but it’s the soundtrack that really shines. Each of the eight themed worlds have around four or five music tracks that can be played in the background, and are all ripped straight from the games they came from. Jet Set Radio, Monkey Ball etc... Missing out on tunes from great games like Outrun or Crazy Taxi seems like a weird thing to do, but what you have here is still a solid selection. Overall the entire look and presentation of the game is absolutely incredible.
The game isn’t perfect though. For one while the range of characters is vast and impressive, the tracks themselves stretch to just six franchises, and of the twenty four tracks available, nine of them are from Sonic Heroes! While each of the tracks do feel significantly different from the other, it feels like a clearly missed opportunity when you think about how fun it could have been racing around on a constantly environmentally changing Outrun track or on a brand new Shenmue themed race. Secondly the online (which is still great fun and very smooth running) lacks the fun battle modes and even dismisses the All-Star moves altogether too. Again another missed opportunity, but the split screen (which is rare on the 360) is a nice bonus. Finally, and this is nitpicking, Grand Prix cannot be played in multiplayer. There isn’t even an option to create a playlist of tracks and instead you’re thrown back to the menu. Like I said I’m just being picky. When all is said and done though, the few low points in the game feel a lot less of a blow thanks to the overall quality and attention clearly paid to the creation of the game.
It’s only natural for a gamer to see Mario as the man when it comes to go-karting and blasting friends with weapons. However I don’t know about you, but Mario Kart on the Wii felt a little too familiar and way too luck based for my liking which was a shame since the online features were the best on the console to date. Now though it seems Sumo Digital have delivered a rival karter that in my opinion takes the crown from the red plumber by catering for casuals, the hardcore, SEGA fans, racing fans... and just about any sort of fan out there. A true gem.
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Every so often a game will come along that surprises me and has so much going for it, that it’s extremely tough to keep my review short enough and to the point. Then I sit and I begin to think that if a game has me so giddy and so drawn in then why not one of these few times just go a little overboard on the word count. I think you can see where Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is going to fall in terms of quality.
While many gamers out there who take a look at this will likely compare it to Mario Kart (a game that defined the genre) and brush it off as a poor imitation, I believe that it has actually taken the formula and tweaked it ever so slightly to provide a more enjoyable experience. “But how?” I hear you cry?
Pick a famous Sega character, choose a track and make it across the finish line before anyone else. It’s clear that Mario Kart was the inspiration here. From the tricks and wacky tracks right down to the drifting and weapons, it all reeks of the red plumber... and you know what, that’s just fine.
Racers will likely appeal to anyone. Sonic and friends will keep both younger gamers and fans of the blue blur happy, while unexpected appearances from Ryo of the Shenmue series and B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi will please fans who have stuck by Sega from the get go. Each have their own ride with a series of varying stats. Heavier racers have a faster top speed but poor handling, while smaller riders have a fast acceleration but slower top speed. Each have their own good and bad points and it actually pays to try everyone out.
The controls are extremely simple yet not so much that the experience feels boring. Right trigger to accelerate and the A button to fire any weapons. It’s the drifting that can make or break this kind of game and luckily everything feels just right here. Longer drifts are rewarded with longer boosts and when thrown in with mid air stunts, combining the two can result in some especially speedy moments. Originally Sumo Digital were planning on keeping weapons out of the game but since Sega had their say, they’re now in. I have to admit Sega were right on this one. They definitely add some excitement to the mix without becoming too overpowering (a la Mario Kart Wii) Green boxing gloves shoot straight, red rockets scout in on players... you can see some similarities I’m sure. However there are some new weapons that are quite fun like the shooting star where a players screen becomes inverted when hit. What are unique to the game though are the All-Star moves. These are unique special abilities that each character can get when lagging behind the pack. These usually amount to them speeding up and hitting others out of the way for a limited amount of time. Sonic for example will turn into Super Sonic, Eggman will spout several rocket launchers and Ryo will jump into his trusty forklift. They can even out the playing field while once again not feeling like it’s unfair to others.
Feature wise the game definitely offers more than enough to sink your teeth into. While none of them are exactly new to a racer, they definitely provide enough fun and variation to stop things becoming too stale. You can tackle the Grand Prix, race for the best time in the excellently implemented time trial or just race for fun applying your own settings. Then there are the sixty four missions to beat that range from drifting as much as possible to shooting as many crabs as you can with boxing gloves. They are a great inclusion that provides some variety and more importantly a decent challenge. To round things off nicely there is the multiplayer mode. Split screen is a great addition since the 360 seems all too often to dismiss this feature and opt for just online. Sometimes you just can’t beat the look you get to see on a friends face when you beat them for the sixth time. Online is also included and lets you race up to seven other players on any of the twenty four tracks. For those who like to unlock bonuses, fear not there are new songs, racers and tracks to purchase with “Miles” earned from playing the game. Bottom line is, Sumo Digital have thrown in pretty much everything you can think of.
Just upon looking at the opening movie, you can tell a lot of care has gone into making this game. From the rich history it takes inspiration from to the amount of things to see and do Sumo Digital have gone the extra mile and then some. Thanks to the extra power of the 360, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is definitely the prettiest karting game out there. The characters themselves all look great right down to their unique vehicles ranging from motorbikes and simple cars to aeroplanes and quad-bikes. Seeing your character taunt another as they speed by not only looks awesome but gives the game character which easily trumps that of Mario’s Wii attempt. The tracks too have so much going on in them that at times it will all become a little too much, for example during some of the Samba De Amigo stages where you will experience a whole new kind of bright and colourful. Sound wise each character has a few yells and phrases but it’s the soundtrack that really shines. Each of the eight themed worlds have around four or five music tracks that can be played in the background, and are all ripped straight from the games they came from. Jet Set Radio, Monkey Ball etc... Missing out on tunes from great games like Outrun or Crazy Taxi seems like a weird thing to do, but what you have here is still a solid selection. Overall the entire look and presentation of the game is absolutely incredible.
The game isn’t perfect though. For one while the range of characters is vast and impressive, the tracks themselves stretch to just six franchises, and of the twenty four tracks available, nine of them are from Sonic Heroes! While each of the tracks do feel significantly different from the other, it feels like a clearly missed opportunity when you think about how fun it could have been racing around on a constantly environmentally changing Outrun track or on a brand new Shenmue themed race. Secondly the online (which is still great fun and very smooth running) lacks the fun battle modes and even dismisses the All-Star moves altogether too. Again another missed opportunity, but the split screen (which is rare on the 360) is a nice bonus. Finally, and this is nitpicking, Grand Prix cannot be played in multiplayer. There isn’t even an option to create a playlist of tracks and instead you’re thrown back to the menu. Like I said I’m just being picky. When all is said and done though, the few low points in the game feel a lot less of a blow thanks to the overall quality and attention clearly paid to the creation of the game.
It’s only natural for a gamer to see Mario as the man when it comes to go-karting and blasting friends with weapons. However I don’t know about you, but Mario Kart on the Wii felt a little too familiar and way too luck based for my liking which was a shame since the online features were the best on the console to date. Now though it seems Sumo Digital have delivered a rival karter that in my opinion takes the crown from the red plumber by catering for casuals, the hardcore, SEGA fans, racing fans... and just about any sort of fan out there. A true gem.
While many gamers out there who take a look at this will likely compare it to Mario Kart (a game that defined the genre) and brush it off as a poor imitation, I believe that it has actually taken the formula and tweaked it ever so slightly to provide a more enjoyable experience. “But how?” I hear you cry?
Pick a famous Sega character, choose a track and make it across the finish line before anyone else. It’s clear that Mario Kart was the inspiration here. From the tricks and wacky tracks right down to the drifting and weapons, it all reeks of the red plumber... and you know what, that’s just fine.
Racers will likely appeal to anyone. Sonic and friends will keep both younger gamers and fans of the blue blur happy, while unexpected appearances from Ryo of the Shenmue series and B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi will please fans who have stuck by Sega from the get go. Each have their own ride with a series of varying stats. Heavier racers have a faster top speed but poor handling, while smaller riders have a fast acceleration but slower top speed. Each have their own good and bad points and it actually pays to try everyone out.
The controls are extremely simple yet not so much that the experience feels boring. Right trigger to accelerate and the A button to fire any weapons. It’s the drifting that can make or break this kind of game and luckily everything feels just right here. Longer drifts are rewarded with longer boosts and when thrown in with mid air stunts, combining the two can result in some especially speedy moments. Originally Sumo Digital were planning on keeping weapons out of the game but since Sega had their say, they’re now in. I have to admit Sega were right on this one. They definitely add some excitement to the mix without becoming too overpowering (a la Mario Kart Wii) Green boxing gloves shoot straight, red rockets scout in on players... you can see some similarities I’m sure. However there are some new weapons that are quite fun like the shooting star where a players screen becomes inverted when hit. What are unique to the game though are the All-Star moves. These are unique special abilities that each character can get when lagging behind the pack. These usually amount to them speeding up and hitting others out of the way for a limited amount of time. Sonic for example will turn into Super Sonic, Eggman will spout several rocket launchers and Ryo will jump into his trusty forklift. They can even out the playing field while once again not feeling like it’s unfair to others.
Feature wise the game definitely offers more than enough to sink your teeth into. While none of them are exactly new to a racer, they definitely provide enough fun and variation to stop things becoming too stale. You can tackle the Grand Prix, race for the best time in the excellently implemented time trial or just race for fun applying your own settings. Then there are the sixty four missions to beat that range from drifting as much as possible to shooting as many crabs as you can with boxing gloves. They are a great inclusion that provides some variety and more importantly a decent challenge. To round things off nicely there is the multiplayer mode. Split screen is a great addition since the 360 seems all too often to dismiss this feature and opt for just online. Sometimes you just can’t beat the look you get to see on a friends face when you beat them for the sixth time. Online is also included and lets you race up to seven other players on any of the twenty four tracks. For those who like to unlock bonuses, fear not there are new songs, racers and tracks to purchase with “Miles” earned from playing the game. Bottom line is, Sumo Digital have thrown in pretty much everything you can think of.
Just upon looking at the opening movie, you can tell a lot of care has gone into making this game. From the rich history it takes inspiration from to the amount of things to see and do Sumo Digital have gone the extra mile and then some. Thanks to the extra power of the 360, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is definitely the prettiest karting game out there. The characters themselves all look great right down to their unique vehicles ranging from motorbikes and simple cars to aeroplanes and quad-bikes. Seeing your character taunt another as they speed by not only looks awesome but gives the game character which easily trumps that of Mario’s Wii attempt. The tracks too have so much going on in them that at times it will all become a little too much, for example during some of the Samba De Amigo stages where you will experience a whole new kind of bright and colourful. Sound wise each character has a few yells and phrases but it’s the soundtrack that really shines. Each of the eight themed worlds have around four or five music tracks that can be played in the background, and are all ripped straight from the games they came from. Jet Set Radio, Monkey Ball etc... Missing out on tunes from great games like Outrun or Crazy Taxi seems like a weird thing to do, but what you have here is still a solid selection. Overall the entire look and presentation of the game is absolutely incredible.
The game isn’t perfect though. For one while the range of characters is vast and impressive, the tracks themselves stretch to just six franchises, and of the twenty four tracks available, nine of them are from Sonic Heroes! While each of the tracks do feel significantly different from the other, it feels like a clearly missed opportunity when you think about how fun it could have been racing around on a constantly environmentally changing Outrun track or on a brand new Shenmue themed race. Secondly the online (which is still great fun and very smooth running) lacks the fun battle modes and even dismisses the All-Star moves altogether too. Again another missed opportunity, but the split screen (which is rare on the 360) is a nice bonus. Finally, and this is nitpicking, Grand Prix cannot be played in multiplayer. There isn’t even an option to create a playlist of tracks and instead you’re thrown back to the menu. Like I said I’m just being picky. When all is said and done though, the few low points in the game feel a lot less of a blow thanks to the overall quality and attention clearly paid to the creation of the game.
It’s only natural for a gamer to see Mario as the man when it comes to go-karting and blasting friends with weapons. However I don’t know about you, but Mario Kart on the Wii felt a little too familiar and way too luck based for my liking which was a shame since the online features were the best on the console to date. Now though it seems Sumo Digital have delivered a rival karter that in my opinion takes the crown from the red plumber by catering for casuals, the hardcore, SEGA fans, racing fans... and just about any sort of fan out there. A true gem.