Long-time rivals Mario and Sonic may have buried the hatchet recently with their Olympic outings but there’s still a spirit of competition between the two mascots. Sonic has taken to the track before in an effort to out-drag his adversary, but can this latest effort push Mario Kart Wii off the top step of the podium? Our in-depth commentary of the action will reveal all.
Given Sonic’s proclivity for speed it’s somewhat puzzling that he’s so far failed to star in a racing title worthy of his name. Granted, there have been some encouraging efforts – Sonic R on the Sega Saturn being one such example – but on the whole, the blue hedgehog has been stuck at the back of the grid while Nintendo’s Mario Kart series improves with every passing season.
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing represents the company’s most concerted effort yet to topple the chubby Italian plumber from his lofty perch and with super-skilful UK studio Sumo Digital at the helm it certainly comes very close to achieving its aim.
Read our Half Minute Hero for Sony PSP review now
To brand this “Mario Kart with Sega characters” might seem a little lazy but it’s actually a very accurate description; so much of Mario’s racing repertoire is cheekily borrowed by Sonic and his pals that one has to wonder if Nintendo’s legal department should consider litigation.
Still, imitation aside Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is extremely well put together; the visuals are bold and colourful, with each racer displaying a tremendous amount of animation and oodles of personality. The courses are similarly gorgeous, taking their cues from several of Sega’s more illustrious franchises, like House of the Dead, Jet Set Radio and, of course, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Control in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is handled either using the bundled steering wheel attachment or a traditional pad-based method. Tilt control is fun when you’re playing with friends but for better precision you’ll want to adopt the motion-less option.
Just as is the case in Mario Kart winning each race is as much about the weapons you have as it is about clean driving; popping the toy capsules dotted around the track gives you a random item. Some of these are offensive in nature and others defensive, with the most desirable pick-up being the titular All-Star, which gives your character unstoppable powers and an awesome speed boost.
Sadly Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing runs out of gas when it comes to multiplayer options; while online play is available it’s limited in scope and unduly hampered by Nintendo’s poxy “Friends Code” framework. Combine these issues with a distinct lack of creativity and it’s hard to recommend this over Mario’s racing adventure, but if you’re a hardcore Sega fan and are hankering for an alternative choice then this is definitely worth adding to your garage.
