The arcade world of kart racing, involving famous characters of our gaming pastimes, is an inevitable path developers take to extend their popular franchises. But has SEGA’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, really transformed the niche kart racing genre to fend off the likes of Nintendo’s Mario Kart?
Jumping right into the game you’re welcomed into a 3D cartoon world of elaborate race courses. With creatively designed layouts inspired by SEGA games from the past, which ever diversifies your racing experience whether it is by road, water or air. Race tracks constantly transform, so knowing what to expect around the corner is almost impossible.
As you boost down a runway, your cart falls off a cliff, then transforms into a jet and you keep attacking the course in the air! Being unaware of upcoming terrain changes or impending danger is arcade racing bliss.
The handling of the character influenced vehicles is easy to master and a pleasure to drive. The simple mechanics of the vehicles make cornering a breeze and drifting a piece-of-cake. During a race your vehicle will automatically transform between a normal racetrack car to a race boat and even an aerobatic aeroplane.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
With each change in terrain, the vehicles take on brand new handling characteristics which seem realistic and match the transformation pretty accurately. Earning XP by racing with different characters and tracks opens up new possibilities which then let you “modify” the vehicle dynamics.
Pity, there was a lack of information when starting out, with no tutorials teaching where your specific buttons are placed, and instead opting for a “quick tip” during loading screens. However this can be overcome by simply navigating to your Controls Configuration Settings in the Option Menu.
A major disappointment for me was the lack of interactive support with Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect; which could have added to the game overall.
To keep things enthralling, races feature a full spectrum of fun and engaging elements; dodging invading bee swarms, crazy ramps, loops and hidden “power-ups” are just to name a few.
Sonic isn’t all about racing skill but also strategy, with hidden “power-ups” scattered along the track. Taking down opponents is easy and effective. These power-ups could be used for attacking an opponent or defending your current position. To add to the crazy racing antics, weapon attacks range from ice missiles to exploding fish; you never know what you might find.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
All being from the SEGA family, characters are familiar – for the most part – starting with the popular and lovable Sonic, Tails and AiAi to the not so familiar ones like Joe Musashi. As you progress throughout your career all 29 characters and their corresponding vehicles are unlocked.
Multiplayer has fun elements where racing online creates a nostalgic experience of sitting in an arcade challenging other kids to a race. Another brilliant feature was the inclusion of 4-player split screen mode. This can create a real fun but competitive experience in your household.
This is obviously what kart racing is all about. With the right balance of entertainment and fun, SEGA’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is true to the genre. There might be some graphical glitches along the way but this does nothing to hamper the fun you can share with the whole family.
