Article by: FinalGamer 3/5/2010 8:04:35 AM
(Let's make some CARAAAAAAAZEH MONEH-oh wait wrong game)
[i]CLASSIC GAMING[/i]
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Platformer
Year: 2010
System: Xbox 360/Wii/PS3/DS/Windows/Mobile
Nowadays whenever we have some kind of mascot racing game, there will inevitably be the words "Mario Kart" mentioned by everyone, usually followed by the words "rip-off". But a lot of things can be considered rip-offs if we think of rip-offs also as using a system that just works in another game.
Dead Space can be a rip-off of Resident Evil 4 with its over-shoulder aiming, and The Simpsons' Road Rage can be a rip-off of Crazy Taxi, because it totally fucking is. But on the note of racing, sometimes a rip-off, or inspiration, can actually work. So how do Sega take on the Mario Kart idea for their own characters.
Story - Many years ago, the chaos emeralds ordained that the fastest one alive would be considered the true champion of the Sega worlds. So characters from all over ordain in a race to truly see who is the true Sega champion-oh fuck I can't keep going, it's a RACING GAME goddamnit, what story do you want!?!?
Seriously, you're in cars or on bikes, you race through different levels, you try to get to 1st place, it's not even a story, though it is better than anything Ian Flynnn ever wrote. (Note, this idea has been stolen in future by Ian Flynn).
(Banjo reminisces wistfully on when he had a car less like a failed shop project back in his first game, Diddy Kong Racing)
Graphics - Well, depending on which version you bought, clearly there will be a difference, but here we go. The 360 version which I played has very good graphics, the stages are miraculous and hold up to nearly F-Zero level graphics which are pretty awesome. The stages all vary of course in how good they look but generally the best ones are the Samba De Amigo and Casino Park stages.
The former for being so incredibly colourful and vivid like a freaking Deviantart picture (a good quirky one that is that actually makes you smile) and the latter for being complexingly bedazzled with an array of fantastic lights.
The character models are very good too, they look pretty much their original selves as you'd expect from the smoothened Ryo Hazuki to the big-headed Janken mofo himself Alex Kidd, right down to the block-headed Banjo-Kazooie who look absolutely perfect from their Nuts & Bolts game.
Then there's your Avatar/Mii who will pretty much be exactly as he/she is from the NXE/Wii Channel. Seriously, mine had a kilt...it wasn't pretty to see him jump in the air.
The only stages that look less stellar are the House of the Dead levels where the zombies look rather clay-like, but this is made up for by the impressive lighting. The Wii version carries up more of a shine in graphical terms by having everything look...oddly shiny, like the glint of the sun on a freshly wrapped easter egg.
Gameplay - Now we come down to the real thing. Obviously the main part is racing, in which you enter the grand prix, try to accumulate the most points by reaching as high a position as you can, and winning out of four races in each cup over three difficulty levels (so yes, exactly like Mario Kart). Then there are the drivers themselves.
("Let's make some CARAAAAAAAZEH MONEH-awww shit wrong game.")
Unlike the weight classes of Mario Kart, each driver has four gauges of Speed, Acceleration, Handling and Turbo Boost.
Speed is how fast they can stay at a constant, Acceleration is how fast they can zip out the starting line, Handling is how well they turn and Turbo Boost is how powerful they can boost, which is insultingly easy, at least on the 360 version.
Boosting can be done in a number of ways. Accelerating at the right time at the start, running over a boost pad, doing tricks in the air or drifting, which you will be doing a LOT because it's incredibly easy to do so, and you can increase your boost by up to three times for the most effect.
So each racer does have a unique feel. Some are slow in speed but with powerful boost, some barely crawl out the gate but then they really speed up.
Then there are the weapons. Most of them are really obvious ripoffs such as the Rocket Punch/Green Shell (hits out and shoots around the track), the Red Rocket/Red Shell (homing attack), the Rainbow/Blooper (obscures vision), the Confusing Star (turns your view upside down), The Shield from Sonic 3, and the Cones (which act like mines). Also, your attacks can help deflect others aiming for you.
However, one defining brilliant idea that separates this from Mario Kart? No fucking blue shell. Yes, for once, they decided to not punish a good player, and do the complete opposite that Nintendo SHOULD be doing. Help weaker players, with the All-Star Move.
(This is the soooong written for the raciiiing
This is the chaaaase, Ryo and Keeeen!
He TRIIIED to kill me with a forkliiiift)
(Olé!)
Each character has an All-Star Move which makes them invincible and speeds through the track allowing them to batter enemies through. Sonic has Super Sonic, Amy has her Piko Hammer, Ryo Hazuki has A MOTHERFUCKING FORKLIFT, and so on.
Each one offers a different strategy, some more offensive than others, but the All-Star Move is special in another way. The more you suck, the more likely you will get it. So yes, the game HELPS you if you're sucking at it.
So suck it Mario, AND FUCK YOUR BLUE SHELL YOU PASTA-SHITTING CUNT OF A SORE WINNER!
Lastly there are Missions and Shopping. Missions are basically doing specific things in a time limit like collect all the rings or win a race against someone, nothing problematic, and in fact improved from the missions of Sega Superstars Tennis because you are now given a counter of your score in the mission to tell you how well you do, all the way up to AAA.
Shopping is of course where you buy your music, race courses for other non-Grand Prix modes, and unlockable characters, which you buy with Sega Miles from doing missions and finishing races.
Music/Sound - Largely the music is borrowed from the various franchises of the racetracks. Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Monkey Ball, House of the Dead, Billy Hatcher, Samba de Amigo and Jet Set Radio Future. A few are taken right from Sega Superstars Tennis but most of them are pretty much excellent pieces (especially the Jet Set Radio Future sound set, it is just fucking awesome). But there are two problems I have with the audio in this game.
(Gentleman, start your pants-shitting!)
Firstly, they have not one, but TWO songs from Sonic R. You remember that game? That abomination of a fuckhole mess that dared to be a Sonic game, or a racing game even? That game with the most confusing layout in the history of racing games, the absolute worst controls to the equivalent of prison soap with melted butter?
Yes, THAT game with the ear-raping J-pop soundtrack, and they pick TWO songs. The best...and the worst of that set. Thankfully you can choose which song to play before starting the race, so thank god for that.
Secondly, probably the biggest reason more people don't buy this game. The commentator. Oh god he is fucking terrible. I honestly was unsure of buying this game just because of this absolute fuckwit. But then I found the greatest thing ever.
YOU CAN TURN HIM OFF. Now you have no reason to be unsure of your choice to buy this or not, cuz the first thing I did was go to the options and turn that fucker off quicker than telling your date about your medical history.
So, there you have it. Yes, this game is trying to be Mario Kart, but it's doing quite well, because at the very least it has NO MOTHERFUCKING BLUE SHELLS, it's actually more entertaining and it has a great amount of fan service for Sega fans in terms of several characters.
If you're a big enough Sega fan and enjoy Mario Kart or racing games in general, go for it. It's nothing special, but it does a good job.
Fun and Innovation - 3
Replayability - 4
Gameplay - 3
Presentation - 3