When SEGA made the decision to put their blue hedgehog in a racing car, many wondered whether the little guy had finally hit rock bottom. After all, Sonic the hedgehog is the fastest mascot video game land has ever seen. So why the hell would SEGA lower the blue blur like this? Well, a long time ago, in a video game generation far, far away, SEGA actually released a racing game called Sonic R. In Sonic R the characters weren’t in go-carts or any other mechanical vehicles – all they relied on was their feet. Hence SEGA took the obvious steps when they originally created a unique racing game, but unfortunately (and also surprisingly) the game didn’t turn out to be as fun as expected. Fast forward to 2010 and SEGA seem to have adopted the motto, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”. So like many other video game companies, SEGA have decided to create their own kart racing game using their all-star cast.
Sumo Digital were the developers behind the DS version of this game, and you can tell right from the beginning they’ve really done their homework. Just about everything within this game is borrowed from the king of kart, Mario Kart. But, like they say, imitation is the biggest form of flattery. In-game kart mechanics, online options, character statistics and much more are all borrowed from Nintendo’s well-established kart series, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sumo Digital, unlike the many other game development teams, has been smart enough to realise that Nintendo’s kart racing series uses a tried and tested formula that should be acknowledged and embraced in order to be successful.
It becomes obvious that Sumo has drawn inspiration from the Mario Kart series as early as the first menu screen, because the first two options presented to you are the core elements of any decent kart racing game: single player and multiplayer. After this, you’ll no doubt be able to sigh with relief and search through the options on offer within these two modes. Single player mode allows players to select from Grand Prix, single race, time trial and mission mode. Grand Prix has three difficulties: easy, medium and hard, and let’s you play through a number of cups. Single race lets you play as any unlocked character on any unlocked course. Time trial is a race against the clock and Mission Mode is basically the same as Mario Kart DS’s version, giving you tasks like collecting rings or racing against a number of opponents. The multiplayer component of the game also gives players some safe and standard options. There is single card, multi-card and an online mode, the last of which allows players to verse a bunch of random people, friends or view the worldwide leader boards to see who has the best lap time for each track.
When one of these modes has been selected, you then choose a character from the SEGA cast (eg. Tails, Shenmue or Alex Kidd) and pick one of the 24 themed tracks to race on. Each character has unique stats, but the differences aren’t that noticeable unless you’re a hardcore kart racing player. The controls are spot on and Sumo Digital has nailed the power sliding and turbo technique. As for the tracks, in comparison to a game like Mario Kart or even Diddy Kong Racing DS, All-Stars Racing will no doubt leave players with mixed feelings. Some tracks (like the Sonic or Super Monkey Ball ones) feel really well designed whereas others (like the Billy Hatcher circuits) could have used with a bit more effort. The distinctive feature of each of these tracks is that they have multiple paths from start to finish. Besides this, most of the stuff Sumo Digital has done with All-Stars’ characters and tracks has all been done before in games like… (drum roll) Mario Kart. Question mark boxes have been replaced with Sonic-themed item capsules, boosting mushrooms are now Sonic boots and drift boosts are now drift turbos.
What's Sonic doing in Bowser's Castle?
Outside of the standard material, Sumo Digital has included a few different features within All-Stars. For starters, there is the license system. Over the course of the game your license is upgraded as you complete cups in the Grand Prix mode, beat ghosts in time trial and win races online. This nice little feature keeps players motivated and also even rewards them with credit, allowing them to purchase new characters, tracks and music. So rather than just unlocking things randomly, All-Stars gives players the ability to purchase what they want, when they want. Besides the license feature, during races each character is able to receive their own unique power-up which may or may not become available to them depending on their position in the race. For example, AiAi from Super Monkey Ball will get in his ball and roll around to speed up, and Ulala from Space Channel 5 has the ability to distract all her opponents from the race with some cool tunes.
In terms of visuals, this game looks quite impressive. The majority of third-party developers never seem to be able to get much power out of the DS, but Sumo Digital has done a reasonably good job. The tracks are all nice and colourful and the character models look just like their console version counter-parts. The sound is equally as pleasing. Players will hear classic lines of dialogue from characters, noises from well-known items, and catchy tunes from all of SEGA’s game series.
Oh no, it's that nightmare where I get chased by giant bananas.
As good as Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is, unfortunately, it falls short in a few areas. For starters (as far as this reviewer could tell), playing the Grand Prix mode on different difficulties doesn’t do anything. If you play through each cup on easy once, you unlock them on all of the harder difficulties as well. About the only thing you get out of playing the Grand Prix mode on a higher setting is more credit. The multiplayer modes also have a few letdowns as well. The single pack mode only allows 2 racers to verse each another and the connection is closed after every single race, meaning if you want to play more than one race you’ll have to get your mate to download the game from you again. There are no options for a set of races, which is disappointing, because Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing DS are quite generous in this area. The other multiplayer problem is in relation to the online section of the game. For some reason, only a few tracks are available to play on, and the one with the most votes is raced on. Apart from this, the options in this game aren’t quite as extensive as Mario Kart and as a result it just falls short.
Overall, Sumo Digital has done a good job on Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Sure, the title isn’t as polished as Mario Kart DS or even Diddy Kong Racing DS, but it will no doubt capture many players’ hearts because it features a brilliant line-up of SEGA characters, tracks and music. This title is highly recommended to SEGA fans and anyone else out there who is looking for a new kart racing game on the DS.
By Liam Doolan
Graphics: B+
Good enough to remind fans why they love SEGA so much.
Sound: B+
There are plenty of classic sounds and tunes from many SEGA titles within this game.
Gameplay: B+
The collection of characters and tracks within this game will satisfy any SEGA fan and will no doubt entertain any DS gamer who enjoys kart racing games. The only real let down is the lack of options on offer, especially in the multiplayer section of the game.
Overall: B+
Sumo Digital has done what many thought was impossible: created a good Mario Kart clone.
Maybe it’s just me, but I noticed a difference when I tried the different difficulties. Hard is definitely more of a challenge, which is good.
I’m really enjoying this game. I was wondering when the DS would get another decent racing game besides Mario Kart, and it’s finally arrived. This game >>>>>>>>>>>>> Diddy Kong Racing.