Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a Kart racing game in the same style as the MarioKart series. What makes the Sega title different from the Nintendo counterpart is that, well, it's available on the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.
Granted, the racing in the game is still relatively fun from the demo's standpoint with a well laid out track and a fun arcade style to the vehicles in the game. The major flaw here is that the racing seems far too spread out and most of the time the only thing keeping players from rotting away in the back of the pack is the special "All-Star" move that gives the racer a super boost that knocks other players out of the way. Each character does have their own unique variation but essentially it just amounts to the same thing happening, bumping players out of the way while boosting.
The graphics are actually one of the strongest parts of the demo. Each of the characters are very sharp looking and are very active in their animations while racing around the track. The environment of the Sonic course available in the demo was also very vivid and abundant in colour.
The big thing that really brings down the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing demo is that it feels like it's already been done. It is well tuned racing for the most part and the demo leaves the impression that it's very well polished, but it just feels like another MarioKart clone reskinned with Sonic and Sega characters; which, by the way, are rather obscure at times.
Another downside to the demo is that it doesn't really allow you to explore the game all too much. There are only two options available which are single player and multiplayer split screen races. Either option only allows you to race on one course that is three laps long and to use either Sonic or Banjo and Kazooie, which is an Xbox 360 exclusive character. That's all there is to it. It would be nice if there were maybe a few more playable characters like ones that use two wheeled vehicles to see if there is a difference in how they race, or even another track or two.
Banjo and Kazooie actually have a pretty cleverly designed kart based on the highly underrated Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. Where as some of the other characters have vehicles that range from interesting to tacky looking concepts.
The sound of the game is also variable. There is an interesting version of Sonic music that sounds pretty good, and the rest of the game levels probably will follow a similar canon. One thing that can be annoying is that there is an announcer in game that gets annoying and is constantly talking and saying stupid little sayings as you race.
It is surprising that Sega didn't go the Olympic route with their chracters and just feature a few in a Nintendo kart racer. But then again, this is available on two systems Mario is not. This could potentially be a good family game for those where a Wii system isn't an option, or for a hardcore Sonic or Sega character fan. Then again, I don't think there are any Sega character fans that are that hardcore. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing comes out February 23rd.
Community Forums
