Previews// Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

Levels are designed so you don’t get bored either. I found myself quickly drifting around a hillside in Sonic’s Seaside Hill track, only to come out of the bend and drive along the beach before hitting a corkscrew twist that had the camera following me the whole way around. Another Sonic stage, Casino Park, had more taxing corners to drift into and threw me on crap tables and pinball machines, while Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg’s Blizzard Castle had multiple pits to avoid as well as massive eggs rolling around.

Multiple routes are found on many of the courses as well, I was told, with one obvious example being a shortcut in Blizzard Castle that was off to the right and off one of the bridges I was driving on. There are many weapons that can help you get ahead too, and unfortunately these seemed to be rather generic-looking missiles and cartoonish mines rather than anything inspired from a past SEGA classic.

What is more interesting is the special moves each character possesses, mentioned earlier. If you’re falling behind in a race or getting battered about a bit, you get a chance to obtain a unique power that can allow you to plough opponents in each character’s signature way. Sonic can turn into Super Sonic and blast his way through the crowd, while Billy Hatcher runs on top of a huge egg, flattening all in his path. Amigo forms a conga line, forcing everyone to get behind him, and Amy Rose has a massive hammer that she swings around.

It’s a last-chance attempt at clawing back to the top, essentially, but the beauty is that this is no ‘blue shell’ one-hit winning wonder. Using the ‘All-Star’ ability, you can bounce from an 8th position to something like 4th, but if your opponents are savvy they can limit the effect your moves have on them, and some moves require some skill in executing.

With all the features put together, the multiplayer matches I played through with Mr. SEGA Man were very enjoyable and above all, interesting. The balancing has yet to be finalised, but already it seems clear that Sumo intend to make this a level playing field for all players - taking shortcuts, for example, won’t always get you that far ahead if others are better dashing round the long route. Speaking of multiplayer, the PS3 version I played offers four-player split-screen and eight-player online (like the Xbox 360 and Wii counterparts), while the DS has a four-player multicart option (no word on single cart download yet).

SEGA and Sumo are prepping this to be the ultimate in fan-service to their loyal followers - every time you race or take part in one of the game’s many modes (from Grand Prix to Missions, Time Trials, multiplayer Battles and Single races) you earn SEGA Miles, which can be spent in a ‘Shopping’ menu for character bios and various other items of “fanboy goodness.” It’s enough to get die-hard fans in a franzy - and it has; rumours are rife as to what the rest of the lineup and features will include. But as it stands right now, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is already sounding - and playing - like a recipe for success.