SEGA All-Stars Racing demo on Live

By Robert Purchese Published 8 February, 2010

Sonic! Alex Kidd! Samba! Tails.

The Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing demo is now available for download from Xbox Live Marketplace.

The file's 1GB and can be queued from the Xbox website.

We don't know what's in the sampler - there's no description offered - but assume there are one or two courses and a handful of drivers to race around them.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is a cartoon driving game clearly inspired by Mario Kart. Well-known characters have relevant special powers and the word "gloomy" has been expelled from the dictionary.

Split-screen and online multiplayer will feature in the full game, but we're not sure whether they're represented here.

Let us know what you think below.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • clearblue #1 2 years ago

    Cant't be worse than Sonic R on the Saturn, or can it??

  • FogHeart #2 2 years ago

    Please! Stop! Doing that now.

  • weejok #3 2 years ago

    I didn't notice any framerate issues, really smooth for me?

  • WinterSnowblind #4 2 years ago

    I had no framerate issues either, ran pretty smoothly for all the races I had, even during the star powers.. and including multiplayer races.

    Surprisingly enjoyable game. Every bit a Mario Kart clone, but worth checking out.
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/10 @ 16:49

  • RobotRocker #5 2 years ago

    PC Demo please.

  • The_Inquisitor #6 2 years ago

    Finally get to play with Ryo again... after all these years. *cries*

  • peteb #7 2 years ago

    Those with Frame Rate issues, which resolution are you running it at?

  • MaxHughes #8 2 years ago

    2 characters to choose from (Sonic and Banjo), 1 track. Piss pore framerate and at a file size of 1Gb it's worth it just for a laugh and that's it...

  • davymackie #9 2 years ago

    id love to see a new alex the kid game.

  • S0L #10 2 years ago

    Yet again, I get to post that the demo framerate isn't final :p

    Demo has one track, two selectable characters and two player Split-screen to try :p

    ---
    S0L
    ---

  • S0L #11 2 years ago

    In an ideal world you'd do the demo once you've finished the main game - this time as the demo had to be out first, we had to do it before the game was done. So it didn't get the benefit of the final optimisations.

    It's not ideal, but then that's life :p I'd like to have a pint that never runs out - but that's not likely to happen any time soon!

    ---
    S0L
    ---
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/10 @ 17:34

  • ryohazuki1983 #12 2 years ago

    Looking forward to playing this!

    @SPAM

    Even demos have to be tested/certified by MS. It's not just a case off uploading the code when ever anybody feels like it!

  • Stomp224 #13 2 years ago

    Wooo! Im gonna...... oh. I forgot. Im not allowed to try demos because I'm a second rate customer because don't pay a subscription. Im surprised i was even allowed onto my xbox since i cancelled my renewal. :(


    Anyway: PSN demo? or do i have to wait a week :(
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/10 @ 17:56

  • Malek86 #14 2 years ago

    @Stomp224: I hear ya. I bet MS will eventually just stop offering demos to Silver users. That will be the day when I start getting my demos off the PSN. If Sony doesn't do the same, I mean.

  • SimonM7 #15 2 years ago

    I thought it was brilliant fun, and if the framerate as stated is solid in the final version I'm all over this when it's out.

    I happened to like Riders also, but this is infinitely more approachable, and the self evident love that's gone into crafting all of the visuals, all the models, and the promises made by the track selection screen (JSRF Benten district!) has me all giddy.

    Ahhh, nostalgia, you get a bad rap but you can be so nice.

  • slimspudly #16 2 years ago

    right so this game was gettin some stink on this thread so i thought id download the demo to see what it was like for myself.

    really sega, why the hell did you bother putting out such a poor demo. the framerate was terrible, gameplay terible and seriously why does sonic have to talk yet again ! sonic should not be allowed to talk EVER and if he does in Sonic 4 then you can kind of guess that i wont be happy.

    waste of a 1gb and a waste of my time playing it, seriously guys and gals dont waste your time

    RANT OVER

  • Arcadiian #17 2 years ago

    I thought it was good. My only gripe is the commentary; I'm assuming it can be turned off in the main game. Although the handling feels a bit too rigid, like it's been designed for 5 year olds. But after the job Sumo did with SEGA Superstars Tennis I'm expecting something decent.

  • woodnotes #18 2 years ago

    Framerate issues? :(

  • Koborover #19 2 years ago

    The demo framerate reminds me of the framerate drops when playing doubles in Sega Superstars Tennis.

    Good to hear it's not final though.
    Edited by 3 at 08/02/10 @ 20:54

  • N.A.T.O #20 2 years ago

    Framerate? Who cares!

    Ryo Hazuki and the Bonanza Brothers.

    Instant purchase.

  • Markusdragon #21 2 years ago

    Bloody hell, it certainly has a sense of speed going for it...

  • smelly #22 2 years ago

    Holy crap! The frame rate is AWFUL!

    EDIT: Sorry, didnt realise this had been addressed by SOL.. But it was the first thing i noticed while playing, if i hadnt come here - i wouldnt have found out the final game isnt that bad (allegedly)
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/10 @ 22:42

  • WildFire15 #23 2 years ago

    I had no framerate issues, though it did crash once when I quit a race.
    I thought it actually played quite well.
    I'd say it's likely to be the Diddy Kong Racing of this gen, just as Modnation Racers could be thought of as the Crash Team Racing. Good, but not as good as Mario Kart.

  • metalangel #24 2 years ago

    Downloaded and played.
    -commentary is awful, in an arcade it might not matter so much but at home you can hear it all, and it's BAD.
    -framerate issues in standard def! Starting line area especially bad.
    -no explanation of game techniques - why do I want to pull tricks in midair, for example?
    -'drift' mechanic confusing, sometimes I just don't seem able to turn quickly enough no matter how carefully I start drifting.
    -sometimes I boost when I come out of a drift - how do I know when this is going to happen? And what if I don't want it to like on a hairpin?
    -everything seems there to slow you down - track design, obstacles, respawn points. I crashed on one of the jumps and respawned in a position where I could either drive straight ahead and crash again or try to swerve and hit a jump pad and be flung far enough... but off the course.
    -AI kicked my ass on all difficulty levels, it seems like one mistake and you're at the back of the pack with little chance of getting back into the running.

    I was shouting at the game that maybe Sonic would do better if he remained seated and looking straight ahead instead of constantly leaping out of his seat to do stupid gestures. Why JSRF, and not JSF too?

    It looks so bright and colourful and happy I really want to like it!

    (oh, and this isn't directed at this game specifically, but 'demo not representative of final product'? What's the point of that? So if we say the demo is shit we get told we're being unfair because it's not representative of the final game, but if we like the demo that's just fine then, is it?)

  • Dezm0nd #25 2 years ago

    The commentary is purely tongue in cheek, surely? It's cheesey on purpose to give it that arcade feeling and is totally self aware that he sounds like a total fool!

    "I'm sweating in places I didn't know that could sweat"

  • fknetwork #26 2 years ago

    "The demo framerate reminds me of the framerate drops when playing doubles in Sega Superstars Tennis."

    ^If this is true I will give it a miss as the framerate in superstar tennis was absolutely terrible, sonic unleashed also had framerate problems, a kart racer with framerate issues is a huge no no in my book.

    And for the people saying that this is just a demo, sorry but a game demo is meant to make you like the game and make you want to hand over your money for the full product, if a demo is poor I sure as hell wouldn't go buying the full game, its a chance for the developers to make us want the game, not turn us away from it!
    Edited by 1 at 09/02/10 @ 08:12

  • muscleblade #27 2 years ago

    Good graphics and sense of speed. It feels a little random if you win or loose though. Not sure about this.

  • redneon Verified Programmer, SUMO Digital #28 2 years ago

    @metalangel:

    "-no explanation of game techniques - why do I want to pull tricks in midair, for example?"

    It might have been an idea to include the tutorial in the demo, to be honest. If you pull tricks in mid-air then you boost when you land.

    "-'drift' mechanic confusing, sometimes I just don't seem able to turn quickly enough no matter how carefully I start drifting."

    The drift doesn't swing the car round like it does in Mario Kart. It's more of a boost building mechanic. You start the drift and then control it, like you do in Outrun. The longer you hold the drift for the more boost you get when you release the drift. As you're holding the drift there are three levels of boost, indicated by the flames coming out of the back of the car.

    "-everything seems there to slow you down - track design,"

    If you let go of the accelerator while you're drifting, or ease up off it, you can control the drift more around tight corners.

    Hope that helps. Just thought I should outline some of the control mechanics.

  • metalangel #29 2 years ago

    @redneon: thanks, I'll bear all that in mind. From what you say, though, the drifting thing is a bit broken as a concept. I seemed to need it to get around some bends, but I don't necessarily want to boost as I come out of that bend!

    I agree with muscleblade, winning seems to be luck more than skill. I played for quite a while and found I'd either be knocked off the track (which pretty much guarantees last place), the AI would collide with me and I'd always come off worse (the 'shortcut' jumping across the water to the little island near the end, Banjo and Kazooie landed on top of me and I had no speed and fell into the water!) and basically no matter what I did, even on easy, getting into first was all but impossible, staying there definitely was.

  • fknetwork #30 2 years ago

    Ok, just played the 360 demo and....

    The graphics are amazing, everything is so crisp and vibrant, the gameplay and handling is superb too, but the framerate is absolutely terrible putting it nicely (no screen tear though), at certain points in the track the framerate must drop to 10-12fps but at others it is a smooth 30fps, it is too unstable and really affected the enjoyment for me,

    It is such a shame as everything else looks really impressive, if they can sort the crap framerate I will buy this on day one but I have to know it is fixed first as noway i'm buying it with frame drops like that.


    I must say again, the graphics are stunning so please get it sorted!

  • FooAtari #31 2 years ago

    Just tried it.

    Looks good, and is entertaining enough, but how anyone can't see the framerate issues is lost on me.

  • Zash #32 2 years ago

    S0L,
    What would you do to make this game better? include a endless pint with a copy of this game? free sonic shoes which make you run faster or maybe a trial demo of Shenmue 3 with the ASR?

  • metalangel #33 2 years ago

    With redneon's advice, went back and tried again. I now understand how the drifting, tricks and boost work. You can also boost on the start (if you're Sonic, hold the accelerator just before the countdown says '2'). Armed with this, I managed to win. Once. I also managed to get into the lead, and be knocked all the way back into last place on the final lap. A dozen times.

    WHAT THE HELL were you guys thinking putting a reverse-the-controls powerup (in this case, it turns the screen upside-down) into this game? That sort of thing belongs in the dark ages of gaming - a relic that people mutter about with disgust.

    The game is almost entirely luck based. All too often I was in the lead only for someone to get All Star or just a pack of three rockets/fist things and knock me so hard I found myself almost at the back of the pack.

    Banjo and Kazooie, for reasons only the devs can explain, have a higher top speed than Sonic.

    There's some stupid quirk of the controls that means sometimes when I land after a jump, if I was either drifting and/or pulling tricks in midair (not sure which) I'll land and immediately be in a drift to one side. This will always result in my either plunging off the course or scraping the wall. Immediately half the pack will overtake me.

    Likewise, unless I get the S-bend (after the loop) perfect, I'll scrape the wall and lose two or three places.

    The section after the first jump (on the drawbridges) is awful, it's far too easy to fall off or - worse - clip the clamps attached to the drawbridge chains. This brings you to an instant halt.

    Sometimes, for reasons I don't understand, I'd land after a jump and my car would be embedded in the track, completely stopped. Five AI players streamed past me.

    Billy 'Fucking' Hatcher, while I was in first, smacked me with a rocket. I spun, and he immediately overtook. I retaliated with a green fist thing and it had NO EFFECT (he didn't and couldn't have had a shield but it did hit him). He then added insult to injury by firing backwards with a second rocket to spin me out again and ensure the rest of the pack would overtake me too.

    I really want to like this game. It reminds me of the glory days of the Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast. I now understand how it all works, so I'm competitive, but this is just showing me the other flaws, that the general theme seems to be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. I'll carry on to see if I'm still being a big dumbhead and these problems are just a lack of experience (seriously, though, this should be pick-up and play) or if this is destined to find its place in history between Superstars Tennis and Sonic Shuffle.