Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Review

By Dan Whitehead Published 26 February, 2010

U kart touch this.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Is there any other game that has dominated its field so conclusively and with such tenacity? Super Mario Kart is seventeen years old yet it remains the touchstone and the benchmark for its peculiar subset of the racing genre. Crash Bandicoot came tantalisingly close to taking the plumber's crown in 1999 with Crash Team Racing, but its otherwise been a one horse (and kart) race.

What's surprising is that it's taken SEGA so long to offer up its take. Less surprising is the fact that, like so many others, it has produced something that lives almost completely in Nintendo's shadow, copying the Mario Kart template, pasting SEGA stuff over the top and doing almost nothing to move the core ideas forwards.

For the elements that are new we can thank Sumo Digital, a developer that understands SEGA racing well thanks to its loving work on the recent OutRun games and also has prior form in the "all-star" format following SEGA Superstars Tennis. Unfortunately, the bold ideas here begin and end with one word: drifting.

It's perhaps understandable that a SEGA racer would draw inspiration from the recent revival of one of the company's most beloved franchises, but what works in a time attack arcade setting doesn't necessarily fit into the specific niche of kart racing. With the game's focus firmly on how well you can curve around bends sideways, tracks are either incredibly easy or frustratingly hard depending on how well they accommodate this feature.

'Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing' Screenshot 1

The big unanswered question: why does Sonic have a car?

The Sonic-themed stages, for example, are a (passing) breeze thanks to the wide banking curves that allow you to build up loads of boost by gliding gracefully around their elliptical lines. Those based on Super Monkey Ball are pure hatred, full of short right-angled corners that jab awkwardly at handling designed to resist the handbrake turn.

Everything else is much as you'd expect. Mario's green shell projectiles are replaced with green boxing gloves, the red shells with red missiles. Traffic cones are dropped instead of banana skins, and the lightning bolt power-up is swapped for character-specific special attacks, granted to players lingering at the rear of the pack. Rev your engine at the right point and you get a starting line boost. Hit the speed pads on the track for another forwards shove. It's all warmly familiar, yet uninspiring.

Some rather limp tracks don't help matters. Nearly two decades on, I could probably still draw a map of Koopa Beach or Choco Island's sublime simplicity from memory, yet mere minutes after putting down the joypad on Sonic's effort and I can barely distinguish one overly busy course from another. With 24 to choose from, the ideas get spread too thin and the tracks all tend to favour too many random obstacles over truly ingenious design. Fiery boulders crash on top of you, banana skins spawn under your wheels, gun turrets blast you, giant balloons knock you off course, while robots, crabs and crows all wander into your path, ready to knock you out of pole position.

'Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing' Screenshot 2

What kind of evil game has an Achievement called Magical Sound Shower, but no actual OutRun music?

Outside of six Grand Prix tournaments, you can choose from time trials and missions. The former are predictable enough; the latter menu option offers 64 challenges based around the bulging SEGA cast and their various abilities. Fun to begin with, repetition sets in with the missions long before you reach the finale. Chases, battles, checkpoint and knockout races - the majority of them are fairly obvious riffs on the kart racer formula. The ones that do deviate from the norm are, sadly, rather unsuccessful.

One pits Virtua Fighter stars Jacky and Akira against a giant House of the Dead zombie in a clumsy and ill-conceived boss fight. Another finds Billy Hatcher riding his Giant Egg trying to squash enemies, but the wandering control makes it an imposition rather than a welcome break. Despite the fumbles, it's an incredibly easy marathon of levels that only starts to pose a challenge after a crude difficulty spike right near the end.

Multiplayer doesn't offer much, either. You can play against seven other racers online or with up to four in offline split-screen. Options are slim to the point of anorexia, however. Choose a course, tinker with the basics, then race. Afterwards, it's back to the lobby to choose another track. There's no option to create a tournament drawn from a playlist of the best courses, no battle modes or anything else that takes advantage of the unique and varied wacky racers.

What the game does excel at is nostalgic indulgence. For SEGA die-hards, there's inevitable appeal in a game that boasts such surreal sights as Shenmue's Ryo racing across a gigantic roulette wheel against Opa-Opa, the Bonanza Bros and Alex Kidd. You'll have unlocked all the characters and wallowed in enough SEGA branding all too soon however, and what's left is merely a pretty good karting game with a few nice flourishes, a couple of clunky design decisions and a whole garage full of Mario's leftovers.

6 / 10

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Picture of Dan.

About Dan Whitehead

Dan has been writing for Eurogamer since 2006 and specialises in RPGs, shooters and games for children. His bestest game ever is Julian Gollop's Chaos.

Read more articles from Dan by visiting the Dan Whitehead archive page.

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Comments (100) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • lucky_jim #1 2 years ago

    Pretty much what I expected. I'll probably grab this when it's stupidly cheap, as I did with Sega Superstars Tennis, and then rock back and forth weeping for the Dreamcast.

  • JonFE #2 2 years ago

    My son has been playing the demo and is asking for it - hopefully it will hit the bargain bins soon...

  • MinerWilly #3 2 years ago

    I have played demo and surprisingly I really enjoyed it , I had planned on getting Heavy Rain but have cancelled that and am now getting this instead . I love demos when I play them and despite a negative review I actually love the game . At the end of the day a review is just one guy or girls opinion , just like mine.
    I know Heavy Rain will get a lot of plaudits but its not for me , I see nothing innovative about it .

  • sfp_noodle #4 2 years ago

    'I had planned on getting Heavy Rain but have cancelled that and am now getting this instead'
    'I know Heavy Rain will get a lot of plaudits but its not for me , I see nothing innovative about it'

    u do realise how stupid tht sounds right? u planned to get heavy rain, yet changed ur mind after playing sega all star racing because of a LACK OF INNOVATION in heavy rain!?!? clearly u were attracted by its innovation otherwise why the hell wud u be planning to buy it!?
    Edited by 3 at 26/02/10 @ 00:37

  • Froggit #5 2 years ago

    Maybe it was only the promise of innovation that drew his interest to Heavy Rain, but now he's seen/read more about it he's decided it just doesn't rock his boat.
    So he's gone for somerthing equally lacking in innovation, but something he knows he'll enjoy.
    Just saying.

    Also: that poor developer dudey has been running around various forums like a headless chicken claiming that the demo framerate was only due to it's, erm, demoeyness - any word on how the final build stacks up anybody?
    i don't really care about it all that much, but I'd like to hear the end of this little adventure.

  • Cider-X #6 2 years ago

    Framerate issues not mentioned but they're very much in the full game despite Sumo promising they were fixed. No sale.

  • Lusterpurge #7 2 years ago

    The big unanswered question: why does Sonic have a car?

    Quite. How 'bout a racing game where you just use Sonic and friends running around different tracks? You don't need vehicles for this franchise. It could add elements such as ring collecting, jumping and flying (in some characters' cases) into the racing formula.

  • SimonM7 #8 2 years ago

    Well that was a completely uninformative review as I could prolly have typed this much up from the demo.

    More pressing: Framerate. Better in the final game? I've heard reports of issues with it, but is it improved over the demo?

  • NBAoz #9 2 years ago

    @ Lusterpurge
    "26/02/10 @ 01:25
    The big unanswered question: why does Sonic have a car?

    Quite. How 'bout a racing game where you just use Sonic and friends running around different tracks? You don't need vehicles for this franchise. It could add elements such as ring collecting, jumping and flying (in some characters' cases) into the racing formula. "
    ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------

    You mean like "Sonic R"?

  • SimonM7 #10 2 years ago

    The why does Sonic have a car question was prolly really topical back when Sonic Drift came out for the Game Gear.

    Let me produce this question; why do humans go skiing? They could probably run faster! How about; it's fun? Let the Hedgehog have a drive now and then for fuck's sake. Let him feel the roar of that engine on his.. er.. Blue Car make.. car.

  • Shikasama #11 2 years ago

    I want my dreamcast back :(

  • TruSmiles #12 2 years ago

    Completely fell in love with the demo, really fun game. Can't wait to play it tomorrow personally!

  • Bander #13 2 years ago

    Here's Sonic, in a car, in a game that predates Mario Kart and even Sonic the Hedgehog. Just for trivia; not really making a point with it.

    Sumo were absolutely awesome for including Scud Race tracks in OutRun 2 when everyone had assumed Sega had forgotten about the AM2 classic. It's sad that SaSASR appears to have ignored Sega's arcade racing heritage so completely, while at the same time copying Nintendo's formula. Games like Sega Hummer (arcade only) and Split/Second are a great demonstration of how racing games can be fun in original ways without resorting to the dice-roll aspect of picking up random items.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 02:18

  • Hendo #14 2 years ago

    Crash Bandicoot came tantalisingly close to taking the plumber's crown in 1999 with Crash Team Racing, but its otherwise been a one horse (and kart) race.

    Not mentioning this to be pedantic, but I would like to say that Muppet Racemania was a brilliant Mario Kart clone. Played that game about as much as Mario Kart 64!

  • cheekyjay #15 2 years ago

    Was playing the full game yesterday and feel it's a mixed bag. The drifting is actually a very rewarding system, but much as the reviewer says, ends up highlighting the infuriating design of the Monkey Ball tracks. The nostalgia factor's great, but once you've unlocked all the characters it wears a little thin, especially as the 24 courses are pretty repetitive. Almost half are loosely drawn from the Sonic franchise (half of which are Casino or mechanical themed, and the remainder have a Green Hill Zone, seaside aesthetic), with the remaining stages themed on House of The Dead, Billy Hatcher, Jet Set Radio Future (although sadly not cel-shaded), Super Monkey Ball (god I hate these few tracks), and finally the best of the bunch, Samba De Amigo. Personally, I felt as if they'd stretched themselves too thinly: where were the character-specific courses? Where was the Shenmue course, the Virtua Fighter course, the Alex Kidd course, Chu Chu Rocket, Space Channel 5, Bonanza Bros, Fantasy Zone, Banjo Kazooie (Xbox version), etc? For that matter what about other classics too - I'm sure we all have our favourites - but sadly there are no Golden Axe, Nights, Streets of Rage, Wonderboy, Panzer Dragoon, Phantasy Star, Space Harrier, or similar stages. The vehicles fit the characters well but again there are missed opportunities to include unlockable classics from the likes of VR, Outrun, Monaco GP, Afterburner, Daytona, Sega Rally. The weapons - again these simply feel generic - and in no way connected to the brand (although the individual specials are terrific). I appreciate the complexities of licensing agreements (one of the hurdles in bringing ToeJam and Earl to the game), but still feel like the game could be and do so much more...

    It's a solid, fun karting game, it's pretty despite some frame rate glitches, that offers a fun if shallow take on the Mario Kart formula, but in terms of depth and neat nostalgic touches, Smash Bros Brawl this ain't.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 04:51

  • FenderMaster #16 2 years ago

    i quite enjoyed the demo, though i guess it only had a sonic track, no evil monkey ball stuff...

    still, could be a blast with friends, or online

  • Pulsar_t #17 2 years ago

    With a metacritic of 79 EG's score seems harsh. I think I'll be going with the DS cart thankyouverymuch.

  • Freek #18 2 years ago

    With Diddy Kong Racing it was atleast a two horse race.

  • Darren #19 2 years ago

    I enjoyed the demo... well the PS3 one anyway as it didn't have the horrid framerate drops the 360 one had. Review scores are swinging between 5/10 (gamesTM) and 8/10 (GameSpot) but I always expected that anyway as Mario Kart Wii got similar scores too.

    I should be getting this game for the PC today from Amazon and it was already at a bargain bin price: £18. Granted it doesn't have online gameplay but from the sounds of EG's review I won't be missing much anyway and at almost half the price of the console versions it pushed it from "maybe not" to "hmmm, yeah... why not" as a purchase. The PC version shouldn't suffer from the framerate issues that mar the console versions either and, rare for PC games, it does feature a four-way splitscreen mode for multiplayer.

    I do wish Sumo Digital had copied the the sublime Diddy Kong Racing (later copied for Crash Team Racing on the PS) though rather than the done-to-death Mario Kart forumula because the former was certainly the better single player IMO, allowing you to explore between races and offered a themed world that didn't just seem like a collection of random locations. Mario Kart excels at multiplayer for sure but it doesn't sound like Sumo Digital have made the most of it with their game.

  • peteb #20 2 years ago

    I disagree, I bought this yesterday and it's easily an 8. For me anyway, and thats all that matters! :)

    The framerate is much better than the demo and the problems are barely noticeable, the tracks are great and the music is awesome.

    Also, the game has" Supersonic Racing" and other songs from Sonic R as unlockables.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 08:29

  • SG #21 2 years ago

    I was expecting 4-5/10 given Sega's performance of late. 6/10? Still no surprise. When DID they last make a decent game?

    How are they still alive? It's amazing to think that once upon a time these guy were Nintendo's main competitors

  • menage #22 2 years ago

    Mario Kart hasn't been up to scracth since the SNES days either (excluding the DS version). All started to go wriong with tracks so wide you barely had to steer. And fuck Blue Shells.

    I'll get this for 5 bucks.

  • jonsaan #23 2 years ago

    Your review makes it sound pretty good as it goes!

  • peteb #24 2 years ago

    Oh also, in answer to the question: "Why does Sonic have a Car?", it's actually mentioned in the game under Sonic's character bio page that the car was built for Sonic by Tails, to keep the competition fair as no-one could beat him while he's on foot.

    Fair enough!

  • lucky_jim #25 2 years ago

    I was expecting 4-5/10 given Sega's performance of late. 6/10? Still no surprise. When DID they last make a decent game?

    That's a fair point about Sonic games, but not Sega games more widely. Even if you discount the stuff they've published (but not developed) like Football Manager, Total War and Bayonetta, this gen they've still given us Virtua Tennis 3 & 2009 (and Sega Superstars Tennis), Outrun on XBLA and PSN, Virtua Fighter 5, Yakuza 3, the Bleach games on DS, the Sonic & Mario olympic games, and that's just the ones I can think of without looking anything up. Some of those are by Sumo but I consider them part of Sega anyway! :)

    Not all of those might be to your taste, but they all fall the right side of "decent" and some of them are pretty damn good.

  • Paulie_P #26 2 years ago

    Does anybody else remember Snowbo Kids on the N64 - that was a brillant Mario Kart Clone, it was better than Mario Kart 64 and Diddy Kong Racing with some inventive weapons (and some not so inventive weapons!). Would love to see it on Virtual Console.

  • RobotRocker #27 2 years ago

    Dan Whitehead hates blue skies, fun times and probably denies the Dreamcast existed. Fanboyism out of the way, actual criticism time.

    Honestly as a racing game fan and a massive fan of Mario Kart to the point where when MK Wii came out I blacked out and suddenly had a Wii with said game and No More Heroes in my possession, despite the fact I was not in anyway looking forward to MK Wii in the first place. You are wrong. Very Wrong. MK has some utterly ruthless track design that's is ridiculously hard the first few times you have a run at a track. The DS and Wii versions kinda neutered it a bit (Except Wii Rainbow Road which is an utter bastard) but if you go back to the N64 version, you start thinking how did they get away with some of it. Heck, the N64 Bowser Castle is mostly 90 degree turns and a spiral and absurdly hard to place in the top 4 the first times you run around it. Yelling about bad track design and pointing at a game which is a serial offender as the way to do it is not really a good idea.

    Also if you are knocking this game for brazen Mario Kart stealing. I want Heavy Rain knocked down for brazenly nicking the best bits from Dragons Lair, Halo 3 for the best bits from Quake, Uncharted 2 for nicking everything from other games and every single racing game for nicking from Pole Position. Its only fair.
    Edited by 2 at 26/02/10 @ 09:31

  • GrandMasterRamrod #28 2 years ago

    6!? That's far too low. I'm absolutely loving this game.

  • McBradders #29 2 years ago

    I don't really understand how you can play this without a ridiculous grin on your face. Joyless gibbons need not apply I guess.

  • kinky_mong #30 2 years ago

    the tracks all tend to favour too many random obstacles over truly ingenious design.

    This can apply to most of the courses from Mario Kart Wii as well to be fair.

    To be honest I didn't expect this to be anything but a poor knock off of Mario Kart with Sega's backlog of mostly forgettable characters, just as Superstar Tennis was a poor knock off of Virtua Tennis.

  • MaFlippinHeadHurts #31 2 years ago

    I'm getting this just off the back of the demo which I thought was briliant - thought it looked amazing too

  • rottingbadger #32 2 years ago

    Had a play of the full game yesterday evening (PS3). There are definitely frame-rate issues, but nothing that actually puts you off or causes you to screw up a turn etc. The tracks are very pretty and the time-trials and challenges put a bit more interest into the game for me too. I LOVE the fact that time-trial ghosts are downloadable to race against.

    Online was nice and lag free and although the reviews mention a lack of modes it was still good fun.

    Certainly not dissapointed with a £30 purchase, and the RRP is £10 lower than most and I wonder just how many reviews have taken this into account.

    For my two cents its definitely worth picking up if you want a mario-kart-a-like but don't own a Wii. Even better if, like me, you grew up with Sonic rather than the plumber-twins.

  • S0L #33 2 years ago

    Wow - a 6 :)

    Seems we've managed to make a marmite game!

    If you can't get around the Monkey Ball tracks - you are very obviously doing it wrong. You wouldn't believe the time we spent honing those to work nicely!

    No mention of 4 player support in splitscreen either? I can pretty much count on one hand the amount of games that allow this on PS3/360. On the extra game modes in Split-screen outside of straight races.

    No mention of the character specific special moves, that we introduced as an alternative hate inducing Blue shell, yet still allow less able players to compete.

    Or indeed mention that whilst yes, we do have a straight firing projectile and a homing projectile, there are also some very new ones for this genre, or that the weapon system actually does have a proper paper scissor stone. Gonna get missiled, pop a shild, blind fire back, use the horn area effect. Got a triple item, hold the button for alt fire modes, or push back on the stick to fire some backwards too.

    No mention that once you've mastered the drift and trick system, you can attempt to combo these into a lovely long chain and find a super satisfying race system that especially rewarded when competing for Time Trial times.

    Or the fact you can use the SEGA miles to ignore single player completely and unlock all the extra content in Multiplayer - one of the big issues that pretty much every party game going has had.

    Come on guys, we've really put the effort into making this, and we get a one page review that doesn't even cover the game features, you know the things your readers care about, or you know, spent a little effort seeing how this has a very different feel from Mario Kart.

    My review of Eurogamers review - 6/10 could try harder (sorry Dan!) :)

    ---
    S0L
    ---
    Edited by 3 at 26/02/10 @ 10:49

  • BigE0n #34 2 years ago

    Does it have a Battle Mode?

    When playing 2/3/4 player split screen is it just you versus the other 1/2/3 players or are there still computer opponents making up the rest of the pack?

    EDIT: I think Sol may have answered my question about the split screen modes can someone confirm?
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 10:45

  • S0L #35 2 years ago

    Yes, it does have Battle mode :p

    It also has Capture the Chao, Emerald Grab, King of the Hill and a few more.

    Thank you for proving my point BTW :)

    ---
    S0L
    ---

  • BigE0n #36 2 years ago

    @SOL no problem I found the review a little lack luster on useful details:
    It seems to work on the assumption that everyone has played all the Mario Karts and just compares to them, the only Mario kart's I played were the initial SNES iteration and the one on the DS, so I have no frames of reference for the N64 or Wii versions.

    I have the demo downloaded and my 2 and 5 year old boys are going to have a bash at it with me on the weekend, the eldest really enjoyed the Sega Superstars Tennis, and although not very good at the main game he got the hang of the mini games quite well and enjoyed them a lot
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 10:59

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #37 2 years ago

    its otherwise been a one horse (and kart) race.

    I'd sumbit that Diddy Kong Racing is the only game that's significantly beaten Nintendo at their own game, but whilst it was better than MK64, it arguably wasn't better than the SNES original or the GBA port.

    What's surprising is that it's taken SEGA so long to offer up its take

    Apart from Sonig Drift, Sonic R and Sonic Riders, you mean? Deah oh dear.

  • peteb #38 2 years ago

    @frod_

    The full game is actually much more life...filled?

    Thanks for adding some of the Sonic R songs S0L! :D Quick question though, are there any secret tracks or are the 24 all of them? I mean thats enough, but still, a few secret tracks would be cool. Green Hill zone perhaps? :)

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #39 2 years ago

    I think I'd like to see Black Rock's take on a Mario Kart clone. Put some weapons into Pure and you've got the basis of a cracking novelty racing game right there. And since they seem to be working exclusively with Disney, they've even got a recognisable roster of cartoon-style characters and themes.

    Come on, some producer at Disney Interactive, get that greenlit.

  • tomacwhite #40 2 years ago

    As a developer myself (nothing to do with Sumo btw) I have to say that's a pretty shitty review for a PS3/360 title. A one page review would just about be suitable for a big iPhone game, but a PS3/360 game? I find that rather insulting, regardless of the final score.

    Added to that you've not bothered to mention half of the features in the game. Was this a last minute review? Hate racing games do you? Surprised the editor let out like that.

  • GrandMasterRamrod #41 2 years ago

    Glad to see that other people are noticing the lacklustre review. I posted in the forums that I get the impression that Dan didn't play the game much and I can't remember the last time Eurogamer did a one page review.

  • RobotRocker #42 2 years ago

    I'd sumbit that Diddy Kong Racing is the only game that's significantly beaten Nintendo at their own game, but whilst it was better than MK64, it arguably wasn't better than the SNES original or the GBA port.

    If you want better than MK 64, DKR, Crash Team Racing and arguably Wacky Races on the Dreamcast/PS2 fit that bill. Looney Tunes Space Race was also quite enjoyable I may add. MK: DS was almost the zenith of the series but its wacky thumb ruining boost system and ridiculous balance was utterly annoying.

    If you want a Mario Kart to compare Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing to, I guess its MK Wii and Double Dash would be the more relevant ones. Double Dash had hilariously fun and bouncy handling that played more like an ATV/MX game than Mario Kart but the course design mostly sucked (DK Mountain and Daisy Cruiser were the only good tracks IMO) and it was seriously barebones (Holy crap I was pissed I spent €40 at the time on it). MK Wii was just too flat, almost like playing Scalectrix in places. Good course design in places but sometimes it just got bland and the items ruined most of the enjoyment since it relied on screwing a player over rather than equal levels of skill and luck.

    Back on the topic of the review. I think EG should really consider pulling this review and doing a proper two page review. Its pretty shocking just how much has been left out and Its insulting to the developers and people looking forward to the game to have it dismissed so quickly while barely going into the features of the game. I don't care if it would get a 4 or 5 on closer inspection, but EG shouldn't be unreliable and insult the readers intelligence.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 11:21

  • BigE0n #43 2 years ago

    I agree with the others this is not a full review of the game at hand, I've seen more in-depth reviews on Downloadable content, it would be nice to have a more in-depth review of the racing and the other options like battle and mini games.
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 11:24

  • Koborover #44 2 years ago

    The game deserves at least a 7 alone for having the option to turn off AI rubber-banding (the "Catch Up" toggle).
    Edited by 3 at 26/02/10 @ 11:35

  • McBradders #45 2 years ago

    @tomacwhite

    Well when they publish reviews with such helpful descriptions of things such as "piss poor" I have to wonder if the Editors are actually on holiday. I know EG isn't EDGE but in my eyes thats hardly helpful or constructive to anybody other than the writer looking for a back door to save on a few words.

  • BigE0n #46 2 years ago

    I wonder if this is going to end up like the Dragon Age Origins review where the reviewer missed vital information for the review
    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/dragon-age- origins-xbox360-review
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/dragon...[/link]
    Where they claimed you couldn't do certain menu options etc with the console version only to find out from commenter's that they had missed parts of the game set-up and control schemes out?
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 11:38

  • Cryguy #47 2 years ago

    Agree with the gist of lots of these comments - Eurogamer, I love and greatly respect your reviews normally, but for whatever reason, this one just doesn't cut it. Your final score is fine, have no problem with that, your opinion after all, but very detail-lite review overall, and a little disappointing by your usual standards.

    Hey, as SOL says, maybe it is a Marmite game. Personally I love it, I think it's great fun, the handling is top notch once you've mastered the drift/turbo mechanic, and the overall look of the game is fantastic. If you love the demo and you can afford 30 notes right now, go for it. Don't think they'll be too many disappointed purchasers if the demo cut it for you.

    And if you don't like it, no probs. Get yourselves back to Forza!
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 11:42

  • telboy007 #48 2 years ago

    I loved Sonic R, they should have done a sequel. Anyway shit games deserve a 1 page review, more like that please.

  • miiiguel #49 2 years ago

    Well, I used to be quite shocked with some reviews (everywhere) where writers miss lots of stuff, but then I thought a bit about it and I was comparing my gaming experience, which is normaly quite thorough, with one that probably has a lot of time constraints. It wasn't fair.
    Though, I still agree, this one surely doesn't meet the "olympic minimums".

  • redneon Verified Programmer, SUMO Digital #50 2 years ago

    Funnily enough, I think this game IS better than Halo.

    ZING!

  • Diogo_Ribeiro #51 2 years ago

    S0L's kinda right.

    It could just be a reviewer doesn't particularly like racing games or isn't in touch with the broader aspects of the genre. That's fine; one can appreciate a game without having to be a bookish type, with videogame history pouring out of everything he writes. But there's a difference between not enjoying a game and not even covering some basics.

    To start with, that you remember Super Mario Kart from two decades ago but don't remember SaSASR from yesterday isn't particularly telling of anything. It might be a good idea to divulge, perhaps, how long you played MK as opposed to how long you played SaSASR. I remember 1999's Alien vs. Predator better than I remember it's 2001 sequel - that by itself doesn't make the sequel forgettable. Just one I don't remember as well because I didn't spent the dozens of hours I did with the first game. And that seems to be the case here. If not, then a reworking of the sentence might benefit what you're actually trying to say. Because Mario Kart's tracks weren't always excellent, either.

    Beyond the modes not covered, something S0L mentioned, I'd also like to point out that SaSASR does have Outrun music. The first music I heard on the Test Drive was a remix from Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast. Does it have any other beside that? Can't tell since I'm trying to build up Sega Miles at my own pace and haven't unlocked everything. I have "bought" Ulala, though, which makes me feel all kinds of dirty :(

    Now, if I had to single out something that would be that some of the modes and tracks aren't very inventive (although they try to balance that with item placement and environmental hazards, the more exotic of the bunch - like shooting targets with Robotnik* - are often hampered by control issues, like Billy Hatcher steamrolling crows atop a giant egg that swivels beyond control too fast and hugs walls like superglue) and some racers aren't all that different - with enough skill, memory and the management of items, any racer is potentially top tier (but maybe that's for the best). Or how, in fact, some of the stuttering is still quite present.

    It's understandable that some will look at this as a sub-par cash-in that does little with its theme and characters. But by that logic, there's no excuse for not looking at the Mario Karts in the same way.


    *I will never bow down to the ridiculous Eggman moniker!

  • webcider #52 2 years ago

    Ay pull the plug this review doesn't really work even if the reviewer is skeptic its certainly a insult to the developer.

    I like the mission mode some of the gameplay feels a lot like Outrun however its pretty horrible there is a lack of Outrun music.
    I they just would add Pacific Breeze (Euro Mix) i would be happy.

    I like what i played of the game....

  • swissorc #53 2 years ago

    Surely this should score Higher as a PS3 or Xbox 360 game as there is no alternative. NB: ModNations is not an alternative as is it Not like mario kart it has more in common with little big planet

  • mfnick #54 2 years ago

    Hey S0L, I work basicaly in front of your offices (thats if you're a Sumo employee which im guessing from the work 'you' put in & not part of SEGA), could I come & get my Outrun 2 & Coast 2 Coast games signed as well as my 360 which also has Outrun 2 on? ;)

  • MaFlippinHeadHurts #55 2 years ago

    Not as good as Dead Space then.....which Dan also reviewed and only gave a 7!

  • redneon Verified Programmer, SUMO Digital #56 2 years ago

    @mfnick:

    You're not one of those sodding builders that are stopping me from parking every morning are you!?

  • S0L #57 2 years ago

    @mfnick - Sure pop across, we'll sort something out :p

    @Diogo_Ribeiro - Thanks for the support, but you're mistaken about the OutRun music, there's none in ASR. We're saving it for when we get to do a best of SEGA racers. Don't take that as a confirmation BTW, I keep asking SEGA, it might stick one day!

    ---
    S0L
    ---

  • Diogo_Ribeiro #58 2 years ago

    @S0L: You're welcome :) Though I should stress that I'd intervene were this any other game and that I'd write as much were I to review the game (which may still happen depending on my editor's lineup for the next months).

    Also, I could almost swear the Test Drive music is a remixed version of one of CtC's track. If that's the case, as you say, then the music has a *very* similar rhythm to it because when I heard I thought to myself, right away, "man, powersliding's so much better with Outrun music".

  • mfnick #59 2 years ago

    @Redneon - Nah mate, I work at Forgemasters. Just over the wall the builders are taking their sweet time with. Wish theyd stop singing. Tone deaf builders are the stuff of nightmares.

    @S0L - a best of SEGA racer would be bloody brilliant. Soooo many classic arcade racers to choose from. Before doing that though could you get them to let you put Daytona 2 on XBLA first? lol. I dont know how youd do it without the licence, but God ive wanted that on a home console for what feels like forever!



  • JodSUMO #60 2 years ago

    @mfnick - Have you noticed the builder's leader looks like Freddy Boswell? :)

  • Kentonio #61 2 years ago

    I wouldnt mind if the wall was actually straight! Those pillars sticking up in the middle make my OCD hurt. :(

  • Razz #62 2 years ago

    I'm very disappointed, this was supposed to be my Mario Kart 2 :/

  • RobotRocker #63 2 years ago

    Kinda expected S0L to be here but congrats on releasing the game. I dont get to play it till Easter break since my 360 is 300 miles away (literally) but I am really looking forward to it.

    Sooooooo. When can we expect the UK Resistance interview too?

    P.S. Janet, Virtua Cop(Okay, Squad. Thanks Germany) car, DLC. Please :)

  • DiamondIce #64 2 years ago

    This is a delightful game, which I wouldn't have bothered with had it not been for the demo. It is pure fun and having played nothing but 'serious' games recently, makes a nice change.

    I am interested to know if there is a better version between the 360/PS3. I have played both demo versions and the 360 seemed to suffer more from framerate issues, but the track was different, so might have put more of a strain on the system.

    Can anybody confirm which version runs better, if any?

  • Kentonio #65 2 years ago

    @RobotRocker: He is, pan up about 7 posts. ;)
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 12:41

  • RobotRocker #66 2 years ago

    @RobotRocker: He is, pan up about 7 posts. ;)

    I know he is. Thats why I was asking :p

    I wonder how UKR are going to deal with the inevitable disappointment of no Ulala upskirt shots though....

  • mfnick #67 2 years ago

    @ Jod - lol, I hadnt actually. Thats brilliant, will have to get the binoculars out later & have a look.

    BTW, who owns the GTR? Nice. Very fucking nice! Lucky git.

  • McBradders #68 2 years ago

    Sumo stalkers confirmed :o

  • LeeOMac #69 2 years ago

    wow im shocked. A 6 Really???

    I have played all mario kart games and this game comes pretty close. It could do with custom tournaments and outrun music but other than that I thought this game was at the very least a 7.

  • Kentonio #70 2 years ago

    @EarlBassett

    I knew there was a reason they didnt let me be a 3d artist! :D

  • Senate #71 2 years ago

    I have this game on Wii now - it all doesn't gel together as well as MK somehow BUT the handling is excellent and its very fast. This is a drift game where you win on skill not items. MarioKart is better but this is not bad at all.

  • jamiscool #72 2 years ago

    I really, really want to play this, but lack of online on PC version is putting me off it for now. I'll probably get it in 6 months time. Just for the Monkey Ball homages alone it sounds worth it, as those tracks and the AIAI character design make me wish that SEGA had taken that route for its normal Super Monkey Ball games.

    I think this game looks like a brilliant base to make a sequel, perhaps with by the sounds of it including less 'busy' tracks in terms of random obstacles, but a focus on more interesting design (that's just garnered from the review so I will reserve final personal judgement for when I play it).

  • CptSupermarket #73 2 years ago

    Picked this up today despite the 6, which is a very harsh mark, after a few hours play i'm leaning towards an 8 myself. Great fun, cars handle well, the full game is easier than the demo (tho that could be due to learning how to play in the demo), few framerate problems on some tracks but nothing major, ps3 version.

  • Incarta #74 2 years ago

    I enjoyed the demo, so I may grab this on the cheap anyway.

  • Arcadiian #75 2 years ago

    Played this all morning and think it's fantastic. I just wish the choice of tracks were inspired by a bigger variety of franchises. Hopefully some DLC is on the way!

  • RobotRocker #76 2 years ago

    Soooooo. Any comment from EG on this or are they standing by the review?

    Oh and Mario Kart ripped off Power Drift. AM2 Was there first, as always. :p
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/10 @ 16:24

  • Hendo #77 2 years ago

    The worst that Dan and Tom can do is brush off the feedback here as merely people angrily disagreeing with the score - they're not, they're saying that the text of the review is woefully short and doesn't go into anywhere near as much detail.
    It's a poorly written review, needs re-writing or adjusting to add more in.

  • urbannomad123 #78 2 years ago

    A strange review to say the least. Since various people from Sumo seem to be reading these posts I would just like to express my congratulations to Sumo on producing such an excellent game. I originally bought it for my kids as they were obsessed with the demo, but now I am quite enthralled too. The game has superb handling, is great fun, and possesses some of the most vibrant, colourful graphics I have have seen on the often too-grey 360. 6 out of 10? Yeah, right...

  • TruSmiles #79 2 years ago

    Having now spent the day playing this offline, online, and with a room full of game students in 4 player offline, I cannot honestly understand why Eurogamer would review it so lightly.

    I saw real frame rate problems in the demo, and have yet to see any in the full game, in any mode. Whilst the Monkey Ball levels were bloody irritating the first time I played them (Tree Top in particular) I learnt how to drift properly and play the game, making those levels some of my best ones now. Drifting is much easier if you release and tap on accelerate. I've honestly not had as much fun with any multiplayer game as this in recent years.

  • Oracle #80 2 years ago

    Played the demo and liked it a lot. Experienced it as enjoyable and fun. May well buy retail.

    Did not rate the review I've just read on this site. Calling it lightweight would be an understatement.

  • Machetazo #81 2 years ago

    This site offers it readers a more broad, open-minded range than most in terms of things that are covered and regarded on their own merit. Mr. Whitehead's shorthand assessment of this game, as mentioned omitting to acknowledge key aspects, somewhat flies in the face of that, and leads me to question whether Dan was reviewing the game from its intended positioning and peers, or instead trying to weigh it against the expectation of a more long-time gaming reader, who may not be likely to give it as much time or interest.

    My view is that this game has a lot to offer anyone that would give it a try, and I can't truly say I agree with the way this review has turned out.
    Edited by 2 at 27/02/10 @ 00:14

  • DjFlex52 #82 2 years ago

    @frod_

    What is your problem? Why the snide remarks? I can acccess from your remarks that you don't care for the game, so why do you care so much about others' legitimate gripes on the review?

    Remove the boa from out of your arse...you'll feel better ;-)

  • woosh #83 2 years ago

    This game is excellent! I'm enjoying it, I love the achievement names, like "Dreamarena" for playing a game online. Love the references!

  • GrandMasterRamrod #84 2 years ago

    @frod_:

    Yeah, you really are. You're trolling, pal. There's no cognitive argument in your posts. You're just trying to get a rise out of everyone else.

  • jidnffc #85 2 years ago

    For what it's worth, I reckon the length of a review should reflect the target audience, as a larger number of people will be more diverse and more diverse details will be needed, and the variety/length of the content to make sure all relevant facts are included.

    Therefore, AAA games tend to end up with 3 pages as loads of people are interested in them and generally they have a lot of stuff going on in them. Normal 360 games (like this one) get 2. DLC and budget games get 1 page, and Indie games get a small amount. It's a logical scale I think, and by that idea there's just not enough here.

    Just my opinion though. No flaming/trolling intended (and I think it's sad that this website's comments sections have got so bad that I need to make that obvious).
    Edited by 2 at 27/02/10 @ 11:55

  • jidnffc #86 2 years ago

    At what point did I say budget. High budget doesn't mean high quality.

    And there is variety. Modes, maps, racers, etc; people want to know about them all. Not just a page that essentially says "Not as good as Mario Kart". Just cause you're not interested in the depth doesn't mean other people aren't.

  • N.A.T.O #87 2 years ago

    Request for SOL:

    Please employ Yu Suzuki and then you guys can complete Shenmue (not just 3, but also 4, 5, and 6 as well).

    Top game by the way.

  • RobotRocker #88 2 years ago

    Actually you arent factoring in the games length and cost value either. With an indie game and iPhone game, you are normally looking at around an hour or two's worth of gameplay maximum. You also have to balance out how much of the game you want to talk about without spoiling or giving it away. Three to four paragraphs benefit the indie and iPhone games better since the review can talk about the jist of the game, what's right/wrong with it and make a recommendation without going into it and ruining any surprises. Going into a two page review for 2 hours of gameplay is overkill. Plus, smaller reviews lets more independent games be featured instead of cramming the pages with EA shovelware and attracts a bigger audience to the game. Particularly with the low entry cost.

    Now, if you were going to pay £30 for a game, wouldn't you want to know all the features and how it preforms? £30 is a big chunk of change these days and you would consult a few places, even if you were a hardcore Sega Fan, before putting down the full price or deciding to wait it out a bit. Gamespot and IGN have full featured two page reviews where they give the game a full shakedown. Doesn't matter what the score or their editorial reputation is (I know I am refrencing IGN Here), they gave the time and effort not to insult readers and give them a full evaluation of what they thought of the game.

    How would you review Tetris?

    Bramwell's review of Tetris DS is a solid two pages (Though this was before EG formatted its reviews into two pages and just stuck a wall of text up)

    [link url=http:/ /www.eurogamer.net/articles/ss_tetris_ds
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/ss_tet...[/link]

    So yeah, you can talk about a game genre seen multiple times before if the reviewer can make it interesting and talk about what it does right and wrong. The point really is that when you stick up a half size review and the developer has to put their reputation on the line to point out everything wrong and what they failed to mention in the review. There is a major problem with EG's editorial stance and EG should evaluate it.

    Also, The GamesTM review you talked about is worse since they directly compare it to Mario Kart but not which iteration. They kicked Mario Kart Wii and gave it a 6/10 so its really confusing to say how good Mario Kart is when your magazine established the previous iteration in that series was a bad game as well. Please games media, stop comparing to franchises in general, particularly Mario Kart which has a lot of variation in the quality of the individual games.

  • vizzini #89 2 years ago

    Compare and contrast some of the other reviewer's marks and you can see he might be one contradiction away from giving up gaming.
    He gave Batman Arkham Asylum 9/10, and gave his watchmen review 2/10; they are effectively the same game, but with different super heroes, and both about a 6 or 7 out of 10.

    Looking through his list, he is far more favourable to one platform, rather than being pragmatic and analytical. Even the wording of eurogamer's: “Are you interested in this game on ...” is reworded and manipulated for different games to help one platform look better than it actually is.

    I've played multiple versions of this game, and played and enjoyed many different, actual 3D karting games for many years in my 30 years of gaming, and can say that this should have been three separate reviews; one for each platform, so the 6/10 versions didn't pull the score of the 8/10 down version down. The visual quality of the best version, in 2 player split and 4 player split deserves more than 6/10 on technical merit alone.

    This all reads like the bull**** reviews that said Double Dash on the cube was rubbish, when it is still the yardstick by which all other karting games should aspire; including the poor local multiplayer of Mario kart Wii.

    The only problems with this game I can find are: Loading times between tracks, and poor menus for quickly select a track(see double dash for how it is done).

    It also doesn't have an install option, which would have alleviated part of the loading of a different track in 4 player split.

    I also don't like bikes and tricks being included in karting titles, but given you can choose to drive a kart; that is only a partial irritation.

    All in all this review is limp in my opinion, and the game at its' best quality, is excellent for this generation (8/10), longevity being the only concern.

    Maybe ModNation racers will be a 10/10, to completely replace Double Dash on Cube.
    Edited by 1 at 27/02/10 @ 14:27

  • jidnffc #90 2 years ago

    @frod_
    Apologies, I wasn't aware it had an official definition like that. I just use it to mean really top drawer game, regardless of budget. Dante's Inferno for example cost £shitloads but is an average game so I wouldn't consider that AAA.

    My mistake though.

  • Ryze #91 2 years ago

    Before I finish reading the rest of the article, or even reading the comments, I'll comment that Both Sonic Drift and Sonic R have come previously from Sega.

    Neither were even anywhere near approaching Mario Kart's greatness.

  • RobotRocker #92 2 years ago

    Neither were even anywhere near approaching Mario Kart's greatness.

    Which Mario Kart though? You cant just compare it to the franchise since the quality of the games vary.

  • metalangel #93 2 years ago

    I've been told the full version is a lot better by someone who also told me the full version of Crackdown was better than its demo (which I also didn't like) (and he was right) so will look at getting this after all!

    But if Sonic's in a car made for him by Tails, he might want to smack Tails in the chops as his car isn't the fastest - in the demo, at least, B+K's was!

  • smelly #94 2 years ago

    Demo sucked balls. Sorry - no sale.


    I hear that the demo isnt from completed game code.. but that's not my problem - as a consumer, i've played the demo and it put me off buying it.

  • Ryze #95 2 years ago

    Super Mario Kart.

    Crap review text, by the way. Too many holes, considering that PS3 and 360 don't have much in the way of Kart racers.

    No problem with the verdict, but it's not a very informative review, and how far did I have to read before I posted the first correction?

    I can see why the Sega fanboys aren't happy.

    Review quality gets 3/10, I'm afraid Dan.

  • TruSmiles #96 2 years ago

    Ryze, I think the poor quality of the review is why gaming fans aren't happy, let alone Sega fans.

  • Johnhost #97 2 years ago

    I think the review here is too harsh. It is true that Mario Kart pioneered this genre and indeed Sonic has pretty much copied it. But is that a bad thing?

    What we have here folks is a good Sega all star kart racer. It is the first kart racer with Avatars and includes Banjo as well! It has very solid online play and loads of room for DLC.

    The 360 is finally offering good family fare that is going to keep all ages busy for years!

  • vizzini #98 2 years ago

    The game looks and plays well on the 360 and PS3, but the game is better looking in all modes on the PS3 and the only way to play 4 player split screen; if you happen to have both systems a large TV or projector/receiver and of course friends.

    The real benefit of the 360 version is that it installs the game to avoid DVD drive access, which helps knock a small amount of time of the loading times (which are too long in both versions).

    Given the number of games that seem to have similar loading patterns on the Ps3 to this game; with a spinning iconic in the top or bottom right corner (Gow3, Uncharted 2, Virtua Tennis 2009 for a start), my guess is that this game looks better on the Ps3 because it is built with Sony's Phyre Engine; or large parts of the engine under the hood, and that's why Eurogamer didn't want to review each version seperately.

    Sumo digital/Sega really need to start thinking about an install option for ps3 as well, or find a way round the inconvenient loading times for both systems; “Sonic Says, loading screens for party games is time wasted x4”.

  • Bander #99 2 years ago

    "Oh and Mario Kart ripped off Power Drift. AM2 Was there first, as always. :p"

    Yup.

    Nintendo added power-ups, but that's the aspect of kart games I like the least anyway.

  • smelly #100 2 years ago

    SEVEN negatives for saying i didnt like the demo?

    Sheesh guys - are the only messages allowed ones which say "this it the bestest thing EVA"?