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.