Topic: IMPRESSIONS: Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

Could this Sega racer beat Mario Kart at its own game? These impressions come with 3 minutes of video footage from the Wii version.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=21119

 Games from Sega like Sonic Drift, Sonic R, and Sonic Riders have tried mimicking Mario Kart's formula for success, yet each has fallen short. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, developed by Sumo Digital, is Sega's latest attempt and I recently had a quick hands-on with it.    

My very first race in the game was on a course inspired by Jet Set Radio Future. The cel-shaded visuals of Jet Set Radio Future on the original Xbox are still a feast for the eyes, so I was a bit disappointed to see blurry textures and a somewhat low-polygon world appear before me as the course loaded. While the graphics for the level were disappointing, the controls were very responsive. Anybody who has played Mario Kart Wii with the steering wheel will instantly be at home with the game's controls, since they are nearly identical. Pressing up on the D-pad activates different power-ups such as bombs, while hitting either the 1 button or the B button causes your character to begin a power-slide. The biggest highlight of the Jet Set Radio Future level was observing a small section in the background that I could have sworn looked like the Yokosuka Harbor from Shenmue.    

Players who aren't happy with motion controls will be pleased to learn that the game drives just fine using the analog stick on the nunchuk.    

The most impressive level I played was a Casino Sonic the Hedgehog stage that was reminiscent of Mario Kart's Rainbow Road, featuring giant towers of playing cards, slot machines, and pool balls rolling about in a roller coaster-like contraption. The graphics for the Casino stage were high quality and the level design was inventive and fun. I am hoping that the Casino stage was one of the more polished on display, because some of the other stages were graphically underwhelming. In a House of the Dead level, the large fountain that appears in front of the famous Curien Mansion looked like it could have been pulled directly from the Sega Saturn version of the game. The course designs seemed pretty good, but possibly not up to the high standards set by the Mario Kart series.       As players complete stages they rack up Sega Miles which can be used to purchase new levels, characters, and music. Content-wise, the Wii version appears to have everything that the other editions of Sonic & Sega All-Stars will have. I decided to try to spend some of the Sega Miles I had earned, and witnessed a diverse line-up of Sega favorites available for purchase, including Alex Kidd, Big the Cat, Ryo Hazuki, the Bonanza Brothers, Opa-Opa, B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi, and even Akira Yuki and Jacky Bryant from Virtua Fighter sharing a car. In addition, I saw that Super Sonic Racing from Sonic R is an unlockable music track, along with a stage set in the Monkey Ball universe based on the Monkey Target mini-game.    

Sega is strongly catering to their fans with Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. The controls felt right, but some levels looked like they could use some work. Overall, Sonic & Sega All-Stars looks like it can be a contender.    

Check out video footage of Seaside Hill's Whale Lagoon below.    

Wii gameplay

[NWR_pap64]

I am confused. You say that the controls were smooth and responsive, yet in the video the player kept falling off the tracks every time he failed to make a turn.

Also, it's very likely that the HD versions will have prettier levels.

[NWR_Neal]

I won't lie. I'm really excited for this game.

[BeautifulShy]

I am confused. You say that the controls were smooth and responsive, yet in the video the player kept falling off the tracks every time he failed to make a turn.

Also, it's very likely that the HD versions will have prettier levels.

Pap I think the first few times the player fell off it was because he/she started his/her turn late. The last time the player fell of it was because the player ran into something and fell off.

Who played the gameplay video?

[vudu]

This doesn't look half bad.  What kind of multiplayer options are available?

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

This doesn't look half bad.  What kind of multiplayer options are available?

Four-player splitscreen and eight-player online (don't know if the two can be mixed like in Mario Kart Wii).

I'm willing to give Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing the benefit of the doubt as it looks like Sumo Digital has done a nice job with the Wii version. I'll consider it, providing there's an option to turn off that annoying commentator.

[BeautifulShy]

Just made a topic for the game.

[D_Average]

I tried the PS3 demo. I was shocked. The track, gameplay, weapons, and graphx were quite awesome. It's very challenging too, without relying on cheap weapons. You've got to race well and use drift to pull ahead.  I'll probably buy it as it may be right up there with Diddy Kong Racing. Can't wait for Mario Kart in HD.

[Mop it up]

This looks fun, but I don't know if I have room in my library for a third racing game.

[Stratos]

This looks fun, but I don't know if I have room in my library for a third racing game.

I'm sure M&M's Kart Racing could afford to move over a bit

[Mop it up]

Ha ha, I forgot about that game. Though as long as this game is better than THAT, it could be fun. I might get it sometime down the line on sale or something, but I'm in no rush. The two I was referring to were Mario Kart Wii and ExciteBots.

[broodwars]

I played the PS3 demo of this game a few days ago, and it seemed surprisingly OK (if completely derivative of Mario Kart).  It even featured the extreme rubber band AI of the Mario Kart series.     I really didn't care for the variety of games showcased with the stages, though, as they seemed to skew either Sonic or Billy Hatcher for some odd reason.  Instant FAIL for Sega not having a Skies of Arcadia or Valkyria Chronicles stage in there.

Which reminds me: I found the PS3 demo to be pretty difficult, even with the AI racers set to Beginner I could barely claw my way to second place due to a last second "**** you!" from the AI racer behind me.  How is it in the Wii version?