Review: Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (PS3)
I’m definitely not the most hardcore Sega fan I know, but their games have always held a special place in my heart. As someone who was born in the early 80s, I was part of the generation of gamers that grew up with Sonic. That being the case, I was a little worried about Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. I was worried that it would turn into a quick cash-in on my fondest Sega memories. Thankfully, once I got into the game, I found I had little to worry about.
Drifting is the name of the game here. Using one of the right shoulder buttons, you can drift around turns in the track, which fills up a small boost. The longer you hold the drift, the longer you’ll boost out of the corner (and you’ll need that extra speed in the higher difficulties). The sense of speed and the sense that you’re only barely hanging onto the track is fantastic.
To slow down your opponents or throw them off the track, you have a pretty serious arsenal of weapons that you can pick up. The straight-shot bombs and boxing gloves join homing rockets. You can plant rainbows that obscure another racer’s view, stars that flip the victim’s view, and orange mines you lay down behind you. An interesting addition is the All-Star weapons; when you’re falling behind in a race and need a helping hand, you have a higher chance of finding these ultra-powered and character specific weapons. Aiai (from Super Monkey Ball) calls a few of his friends to help him clear the course, while Sonic and Shadow change into their Super versions and race to the front of the course. Those are only two examples, each of the 22 (24 on some platforms) racers have their own All-Star move. I really enjoyed using one of those moves to move from the last place to a higher position, mowing down everything in your path.
The main draw for most people playing single player is likely going to be the Grand Prix mode, where you race through six different cups (with four races in each cup) across three difficulties. Thankfully, the difficulty ramps up nicely, starting you off easy and giving you a healthy challenge at the end of each difficulty. You also have the option of doing single races or time trials on any of the courses you’ve unlocked.
Where the game really shined for me was the selection of missions that you can attempt. There are 64 total missions, with a handful available when you start. Get a rating of A or higher (the highest is AAA) and you’ll unlock another. The variety in these is the best part, by far. The first mission has Amy trying to beat Sonic to the finish line, while other missions have you going through an entire Grand Prix, collecting rings and Chaos Emeralds around the track, or avoiding items around the level as Big the Cat. I had the most fun (and spent the most time) in this mode, trying to best my previous score and try to get as many AAA ratings as I could.
There are even more modes when you bring a few friends into the mix, whether you’re online or on the couch. Adding to the regular race mode, you have Battle (typical arena-based battling with weapons), Capture the Chao (capture the flag), Grab (grab Chaos Emeralds and hold onto them to build points), King of the Hill, and Knockout (elimination). The split screen works very well if you have friends in the same room and the online races I played were easy to hop into and virtually lag-free.
While you’re competing in all of these different modes you’re accruing Sega Miles, which are used in the game’s store. There you can unlock additional racers, including Ulala (from Space Channel 5), B.D. Joe (from Crazy Taxi), Mobo and Robo (from Bonanza Brothers), and even Opa-Opa, the ship from Fantasy Zone. You can also purchase different courses, along with different music for each type of track.
While Sega & Sonic All-Stars Racing may sound like a typical kart racer, it really sets itself apart with its small details. The mechanical crabs from the Sonic games are wandering around the Sonic levels, along with the famous killer whale from Sonic Adventure jumping above one of the Sonic tracks. The Jet Set Radio levels look ripped directly from the games and the Samba de Amigo levels have the same fever dream feel of the originals. Each track had that perfect Sega feel; that hard-to-define but priceless style that Sega has. I would have liked some Phantasy Star Online tracks, though, if only to run over some Rappies and exact my revenge.
It’s clear that the team working on Sega & Sonic All-Stars Racing really loved their job. The small details in the courses, the signature moves the characters do while racing, the music, and the level design all scream Sega. Even if you’re not a huge Sega fan, I highly recommend you pick this up, especially if you can get some friends together to play.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some more Sega Miles to rack up.
Man, now I have to go pick this up.