When we attended Sega’s booth for our gameplay tour we made the decision to split up and cover as much as we could. While doing so I found myself strangely attracted to a wall of TVs that were playing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. I have always enjoyed a good kart racer, and after watching a few people play I couldn’t help but sit down in the rumble chair and race on two of the three tracks available for play.
When looking at the title of SEGA’s latest kart game, the word “Transformed” plays a very important role. Sonic and friends now have the ability to transform their karts to suit specific sections of a track. You’ll race on land, water, and in the air. To accomplish these racing feats your kart transforms into a vehicle that will suit your racing environment. There is no doubt that many who are reading this may want to compare this aspect to Mario Kart 7, but to do so would be unfair, given that SEGA’s kart racer is more involved when racing in these new environments.
If you played Mario Kart 7, you know that you raced underwater and you hang-glided in the air for brief moments. In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, there are large sections of each track that force you to race on land, water, or in the air. These sections are very involved as well as they are not brief little interludes in the track you are racing on and you have to adjust your racing tactics as each section changes. This is a kart racer that really does show how you can implement so many different types of racing on one single track. It was refreshing to have such changes in racing occur during the three lap races.
The three tracks that were available were quite different from one another. The tracks were all based on well-established franchises. The first one was based on the Panzer Dragon franchise as you raced in a canyon like setting with a river in the level. The second track was based on Super Monkey Ball and was a tropical setting with beautiful clear water running down specific areas. Finally, the third track was based on Golden Axe and had you racing in a darker environment with flowing lava and raised roadways. During my time with the game I chose to race on the tracks based on Super Monkey Ball and Golden Axe.
What was noticeable in both tracks that I raced was the contrast in levels. While the Golden Axe track was dark, with the majority of the racing occurring inside a mountain, the Super Monkey Ball track was bright and vibrant, with lots of use of lively colours. Both of these tracks had multiple routes as well, so you were not just stuck racing the same track configuration over and over. While I was racing on the Golden Axe track, the developer who was manning the demo station pointed out how the track actually changed each lap, as earthquakes and lava changed the setting. On my last lap one section turned into a flying section as the track itself had been destroyed in this one area. As for the Super Monkey Ball track, although there was no destruction, there were ample choices to take short cuts and find the quickest route through. All in all track designs look pretty darn good and I think that many racing fans should appreciate the different vehicles and track sections, as well as the fact there are multiple routes as well.
Given that you will have to pilot different vehicles throughout each race, I am happy to say that each one handles differently. Your land-based vehicle does not handle the same as your water based vehicle, and none of them handle the same as your air based vehicle. If I had one complaint with the vehicle handling at this time it was that they all felt a little too loose during my time with the game. The developer admitted that he was aware of this complaint and that the game still has some time to go before final release, so they will be looking into addressing this.
One neat feature was every time you launched your vehicle off a jump, or while your air vehicle was in mid-air, you could do a flip for a little added boost. Do three of these flips in a row and you get a max-boost bonus. Of course there are boost pads on the track as well, including some in the air for those times when you are above the track racing. And what would a kart racer be without any special weapons. There are plenty of those available to use during each and every race. My favourite was launching snowballs at my opponents, both in front and in back of me.
There is an amazing choice of characters to choose from in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed including Sonic, Tails, Knuckle or Amy to BD Joe (Crazy Taxi), Amigo (Samba De Amigo), AiAi (Super Monkey Ball), Vyse (Arcadia), and Gilius Thunderhead (Golden Axe) to name a few. Of course each vehicle they use is specific to the game they star in. As their vehicles morph (e.g. land, water, air) you’ll find that they continue their character specific look but with new features that allow float on water or fly through the air. Any SEGA fan will no doubt be giddy with delight from what characters they can choose from and what vehicles they will get to drive as a result of their choice.
Visually speaking I was taken back with how good this game looks. The graphics are second to none when it comes to kart racers. Course design is amazing and the graphics engine that is being employed for the game only enhances this. From great explosions, solid special effects, to long draw distances and a fabulous and varying colour palette for each level, I think many will be impressed. My favourite of the three tracks available to play on the show floor was the Super Monkey Ball track with amazing colours, clear blue water, and a great tropical/Aztec like setting.
I didn’t get to hear too much sound given we were not provided headphones and the booth area was quite loud. From the odd sound that I did hear, music was solid and sound effects were appropriate for a kart racer. I only wish I had a set of headphones on for this demo 🙁 .
Overall I find myself very stoked for this kart racer. Although I enjoy the Mario Kart games, I find myself looking for another kart racer that takes the kart formula and goes one step futher; Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed seems to be that one game in the genre that that may just do this given its look, features, and franchise characters. The only thing that worries me is the control, but the game is not yet finished and the dev-team recognizes this concern.
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is set to release in Q4 of 2012 on not only the PS3, but the Xbox 360, 3DS and Wii U, so I am thinking you’ll see it this holiday season . Until then feel free to check out the Official Trailer below, along with some screenshots.
E3 Trailer:
Screenshots:
