Sonic put his feet on hold and took up 4 wheels in Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing. Sega made a kart racer that is on the same level with the famous Mario Kart. Sonic, tails, kunckles and gang with famous character from sega titles debute in kart racer. Exclusive to the 360 version, Banjo and Kazooie also joins the fun. The question is does Sonic and the crew have what it takes in the Kart Games?
Anyone who has played Mario Kart will play this game with ease. SSASR has plenty of items at your disposal, ranging from basic ammunition such as punch gloves that fly straight or behind, red seeker missile, and explosive road cones to halt your competition. A special item is given to each character, unique to from their game. An example is Sonic gathering the 7 chaos emeralds and transforms to Super Sonic , going twice as fast through out the track for a short period. Lighter characters excel at maneuvering, big characters with hulking machines are speed kings and middle sizes karts are well rounded. However there is a huge character balance issue, the characters who use bikes have a slight advantage over the rest of the characters because of their wheelie boosts which seem to be heavily exploited online. With that being said, overall SSARS is a blast to play.
SSASR is the best looking Kart Racer to date. Super vibrant colors, great lighting and special effect are plentiful here. Certain stages like the Sonic theme and Samba de Amigo stages are bright and shiny very colorful. The character models all received a great touch of detail. The Vehicles in the game are also nicely desiged, Eggman’s “Egg Monster” although simple, is impressive to see none the less.
Nostalgic chimes and tunes will bring gamers back to the early days. Each stage will the ability to use old school songs from that Sega game stage. Some sound affects to the game are actually kind of bland and lack any really punch to them. When utilizing weapons in the game, the impact is weak, the classic tunes will be the primary target for your ears while your racing through the course.Their is however a race announcer, which is new to a kart racer. Adding another layer of immersion that is surprisingly well and gives SSASR more of that wacky kart feeling.
The game has plenty of variety with single player challenges like Grand prix, time trials, and missions for specific characters. The multiplayer experience is good as well, split screen or online play can be done. Online play is easy to navigate and runs just as smooth the single player. Also, for doing well in racing (or complementary gift for losing) you can earn Sega miles that can be use to purchase more characters, soundtracks, or stages. A co-op grandprix would have been a nice addition but for its first run not surprising that it is not included.
Sonic & Sega All Star Racing is a fun game. Many similarities to Mario Kart but that’s not a bad thing. It has its own little charms that stand out from MarioKart, but it pays homage to high grade quality Kart Racing that Mario Kart is known for. Plenty of modes to play, Nostalgic tracks, characters, Chimes and great racing, SSASR is a great racing experience. Sonic may be the fastest, but with 4 wheels he’s got competition.
Overall= 8.0
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I like the Mario Kart game because it is more challenging as you get to the next level.,;’