Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Review

19 Mar 2010 at 12:23:06 by Tim McDonald
Systems used to review this title: (360)

OutRun Online Arcade was awesome. I said so last year, despite the score I gave it, and I stand by that. It's still something that pops up in my Recently Played list. It wasn't perfect, though, and one of the things it noticeably lacked was all of the collectable and unlockable stuff from OutRun: Coast 2 Coast.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is based, very clearly, on OutRun: Coast 2 Coast. It includes all of that collectable and unlockable stuff. It contains a load of different modes. It contains multiplayer – four-player local multiplayer! - and kart racing and power-ups and Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue. In terms of lazy comparisons, if you can imagine OutRun combined with a solid Mario Kart title, with all of the cars and graphics and tracks replaced by the Sega back-catalogue, you're pretty much there.

However, dear readers, I am not so lazy, and I will write more words. Whether on bikes, or cars, or flying machines, you and a bunch of other Sega characters race around incredibly colourful tracks inspired by old Sega games (including House of the Dead, Jet Set Radio, and Samba de Amigo) picking up power ups and knocking the shit out of each other.

The best bits all draw from the Sega mythology, and the game itself really reminds you of just how extensive Sega's back-catalogue is. If Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue isn't enough, then how about the ChuChus from ChuChu Rocket, or Ulala from Space Channel 5, or Robo and Mobo from Bonanza Bros.? (If you're new to the Sega catalogue, then don't worry. You can play as Sonic while we all shout about how great it is to see Beat from Jet Set Radio Future.)

These characters aren't just carbon copies of each other, either. One of the biggest joys is in seeing each character's unique All-Star attack, a supermove that pretty much guarantees that you will mess up everyone else on the track. Sonic transforms into Super Sonic. Ryo leaps off his bike and into a forklift truck. The Bonanza Bros. hop into an airship and start raining down bombs.

Not that this would mean anything if the racing mechanics were bad, but thankfully, they aren't. They're simplistic, certainly, with a focus on drifting – it's the easiest way of getting around the wide, sweeping corners, and drifting for long enough grants you a massive speed boost – but that doesn't mean they're not fun, and said wide, sweeping corners indicate that the tracks really were built with this sort of racing in mind. It's great.

Slightly more disappointing are the single-player options. Kart-racing games are rarely built for single-player, admittedly, and a good attempt has been made with the inclusion of Mission Mode to the mix, but it doesn't quite work. There's a nice selection there, certainly, with missions ranging through single races, to knocking out a certain character, to picking up a certain number of items, through the frustratingly difficult (steer a character through a maze of jars, without smashing any, under a time limit) and the cathartic (smash as many of those bloody jars as possible.) It just doesn't quite work, though. They'll entertain in short bursts, but the real joy of the game is in the multiplayer.

Here, at least, the game shines. Forget online: sit with two or three people around the console and just race, again and again and again. With the currency system lifted from OutRun: Coast 2 Coast, every race (successful or otherwise) grants more Sega Miles, which can be used to unlock more characters, courses, and backing tracks. As always, it's the perfect system. The more you play, the more you unlock, and if you're playing with friends – when the game is at its most compelling and enjoyable – you'll keep going.

That said, there are some curious unlockable omissions – like, um, everything from OutRun. Where the hell is Splash Wave? Why isn't there a track going through, say, three of OutRun's scenery styles before looping back? And while I can dream of seeing Toejam and Earl take part, or having Nights as more than just the flagman, it seems unlikely that every Sega character we could want will make an appearance. Disappointing, but it's hard to really blame Sega for not fulfilling every fan dream - except for the lack of Splash Wave, which is inexcusable.

The real question, though, is whether or not it's as good as Mario Kart. The honest answer is that it depends on which Mario Kart you're talking about. While Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing has some excellent tracks, a load of familiar and entertaining characters, and is great in multiplayer, it's not quite as perfectly pitched as the better Mario Kart titles. On the other hand, when it's compared to missteps like Mario Kart Wii, it streaks out ahead.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is an enjoyable game. It's not going to set the world on fire, and it's not the best kart racer of all time. Equally, it's not something you're going to come back to again and again in single-player. If you're looking for one of the best multiplayer kart-racing experiences on the 360, though, you've come to the right place, and if you actually recognise most of the names on the thrill of seeing them again will help you enjoy yourself a little more.

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