Background:
I have always been a big Sonic the Hedgehog fan, and when
I found out there was a Sonic Racing game, I wanted it. I waited for a while
for the price to drop, and finally picked it up on Amazon from their "Late
Summer Deals" sales for six dollars. I've been playing the game for about
15 or so hours, so I think I have a decently good feel for the game, and I
thought I'd share my thoughts about it.
Gameplay:
First off, you'll notice that this game doesn't include
JUST characters from the Sonic series. Heavy from Team Fortress, Ralph from
Wreck it Ralph, characters from Sega's old game Jet Set Radio, and Aiai from
Super Monkey Ball all appear as characters that can be played. There are a
total of 28 racers, so you'll hopefully never feel that you are racing the same
nine racers over and over again. The controls feel very comfortable, but the
game doesn't have an option to view the controls. Each character has their own
kart that has their own stats. I prefer this in comparison to being able to
pick various vehicles because then the characters have no real value; they're
just for show. The karts stats are divided into a couple of categories; Speed,
Acceleration, Handling, Drift, and All Star. All Star is basically a unique
ability that each character has. It adds a little bit of flavor to the game,
but they are pretty unpredictable in the sense that you can get them at any
point in a race.
 |
| Different Mods allow for different increases in stats, and decreases as well! |
Plot:
The game has a pretty basic career mode, but it gives the
player the ability to see the various types of races the game has to offer such
as the basic race, the traffic attack, versus, boost race, and battles. The
first mode is world tour mode, and in here, you complete the various types of
races in order to obtain stars; a form of progression for the game. The stars
main purpose is to unlock characters, and progress through the world tour. To
unlock them, you race selecting one off three difficulties. Each difficulty
will be increasingly harder, but more stars will be offered if a harder
difficulty is selected. The variety of races make the game last longer, and
they make you really think about what type of vehicle you should use for each
type of competition. You would want to use a kart with really good handling for
drift races, but good handling won't serve you too much in the sprint races,
where you need all out speed and boost. The overall World Tour would take a
while to complete, but it does keep you busy for a while.
Features:
Minus the World Tour, there is the grand prix mode, where
four levels are mixed together, and your main goal is to get first place. There
are various cups within the Grand Prix, and more can be unlocked as you unlock
more levels and stages within the World Tour. Like most racing games, there is
a Time Trials mode where you race a Staff Ghost. A Staff Ghost is essentially
the CPU, and your goal is to beat him or her using only one boost, and whatever
shortcuts you can fine. I find these time trials to be entertaining, but they
can get frustrating at times. The final mode within Career would be the single
player race in which you can race on levels you have already unlocked, against
characters you have already unlocked. It's fun for one on one racing
Like most kart games, Sonic & All-Stars Racing
Transformed has boxes that racers can drive through to obtain various items
that they can use to protect themselves and attack the enemy. There are about
ten different items that you can choose from. The Blowfish can be used to set
as a mine behind you, and it can also be launched in front of you. Ice shards
can be used to freeze and halt the enemy momentarily, and the glove can be used
to physically catch an enemy's attack and shoot it back at them. Firework is a
type of angled projectile that can be launched at enemies, but they can also be
launched at walls to ricochet and hit enemies. There is also a boost power up,
but that is pretty self explanatory. Another type of pickup is the
Chrome/Drone, which is an RC car that homes in on an enemy. The Swarm is a
pretty cool power up in my opinion. It send a swarm of gigantic bees to the
front of the pack and they clutter up the roads, causing the racers to crash
into them. They can be avoided, but they are harder to avoid then one might
think. Probably the most important pickup is the All-Star. This pickup lets the
racer activate their special ability. This ability makes them invincible, but
what they can physically do in All Star mode varies between each character. For
example, Football Manager can launch large soccer ball projectiles at the
enemy, while Shogun can launch a large streak of missiles in front of him. The
game has very interesting pickups, and they make the game ten times more
competitive and fun!
There are a total of 28 racers in this game, giving you
various options to pick with their unique stats and abilities. What really sets
this game apart from other kart racing games are the mods you can unlock, and
the fact that you're character can travel on land, air, and water. Each
character can be leveled up, and with each level they unlock a mod. The mod can
be a balance mode, acceleration mod, speed mod etc., and it changes the stats
of your character. It usually changes two stats at the least, possibly three,
and it really adds a new level of depth to the game. The races themselves span
across various levels from various video games. There are levels and characters
from Jet Set Radio, NiGHTS, Total War: Shogun, and more. Even characters from
Team Fortress make an appearance in this medley of All Star Racers. The races
change each lap, giving you new obstacles to worry about such as a ramp being
destroyed, forcing you to race part of the level within the water. The air and
water action within the game is surprisingly pretty solid. I really enjoyed
flying in the air and then seamlessly gliding back into kart form. Each kart
transforms depending on what terrain they are on. For example, the Shogun will
have a Oriental themed kart, and a dragon boat for water travel, and a bi-plane
like vehicle for air travel.
It should also be noted that this game supports Co-Op.
You can plug in another Xbox 360 controller into your PC if you are not already
using one, and race with your friends locally on your laptop! You can connect
your laptop to a TV or monitor via HDMI and then race like that as well for a
better experience. This feature alone makes the game worth it because you can
game with friends and family without everyone having to own the game or wait
turns to play single player. It was a fantastic addition to the game and it
makes playing the game all the more enjoyable. The overall mechanics and
features of the game are fantastic and fit perfectly into the kart racing
genre. I'd give this game a solid 9/10.
