Ever since Super Mario
Kart was unleashed on the SNES in 1992 developers have tried, with
varying degrees of success, to capture the same magic that Nintendo
managed with their cute and highly enjoyable spin on the racing game
formula. When the initial bar is set so high it can be a hard act to
follow, and what ensued was a plethora of cheap imitators to the fat
plumber's crown. Sega tried themselves back in 1994 with Sonic Drift
on their Game Gear hand-held, but it was fairly poor, and was quickly
ignored (though it gained a sequel a year later). But it wasn't until
2010's excellent Sonic & Allstars Racing, developed by Sumo
Digital, that we were finally given a worthy alternative to
Nintendo's kart racer. It stuck fairly close to the template set all
those years ago, but offered such huge fan service to Sega fans that
you couldn't help but love it, flaws and all. Now Sumo have blessed
us with a follow up, Sonic & Allstars Racing Transformed, so how
does it compare to the high levels set by its predecessor?
Well the good news is that what we have here is a much improved racing title, that offers heaps more variety than before, much better drifting, a better frame rate, and even more Sega love. The bad news is that many of the characters you know and love have disappeared, or once again not made an appearance.
The Transformed part of
this new title is a reference to the fact that at certain points
during races you transform from the standard kart to either a boat,
or plane, and back again. It sounds like a simple mechanic, one
already seen in Mario Kart 7, but here it is put to much greater use.
It is also worth noting that Sumo Digital had this game in the works
when Mario Kart 7 was showcased at the E3 show, so they must have
been kicking themselves that day. However, this doesn't detract from
this game at all, as Allstars Transformed is an absolute riot to
play. The transformations are a stunning addition, each mode of
transport playing differently but all of a very high standard. The kart's handling is
wonderful, and the drifting mechanic is now easier and more
satisfying than ever, bringing to mind the smooth corner drifting
antics of Outrun 2 SP. This improvement in the driving mechanics may
be due to Sumo hiring Gareth Wilson, who worked on the excellent
Project Gotham Racing series, as lead designer. It's not just the
ground-based karts that handle well, both the water and air based
vehicles are similarly enjoyable to control, the boats bringing to
mind the turbulent water based races of Hydro Thunder Hurricane, and
the airborne sections playing like Sky Drift or Pilotwings. Often
when games try their hands at multiple styles they all lack in some
areas, but here they all feel highly polished, enjoyable, and blend
effortlessly together.
The stages themselves are one of the most important factors in any racing game, and here Sega have
really outdone themselves. Flying through the vibrant forests of
Nights, rushing down lava waterfalls in the Golden Axe mountains,
taking off from the Afterburner ship, and driving through the
beautiful village from Skies of Arcadia, only to see it destroyed by
an airborne armada, are just some of the mesmerising and epic sights
you will experience. Each stage plays perfect homage to its original
source title, and will bring back wonderful memories for anyone
familiar with the games in question. There is a truly fantastic
Outrun Bay track that sees you racing through the first level of the
arcade classic, only to find yourself suddenly morphing, mid-air,
into the boat form, to carry on across the ocean surface.
The level
of fan service here is incredible, and the developers have clearly
taken the time and effort to make every stage as special as possible. It is with some disappointment then that the character roster itself
isn't as impressive. The Bonanza Bros and Ryo are nowhere to be seen,
and new additions such as Disney's Wreck-it Ralph, and bizarrely,
real life racing driver Danica Patrick, seem extremely out of place
and reek of marketing decisions. When I first unlocked Danica I
didn't know what game she was from so I Googled her, only to find
page upon page of photos of a scantily clad female racing driver and
model. Hot? Undoubtedly. An appropriate character for a Sega kart
racer? Absolutely not. Wreck-it Ralph does a better job of fitting
in, but still feels out of place next to the known ensemble. He isn't
a particularly interesting character, and as his movie isn’t even
out yet, he is an unknown entity. It's a shame these characters were
used when others were dropped. It is also a let down that Toejam &
Earl failed to make the cut again, even with heir titles recently
re-released on XBLA & PSN. The Streets of Rage franchise is also
notably absent, as are other well known gaming heroes such as Kid
Chameleon, Vectorman, Wonder Boy, and Clockwork night, all of which
would have been a perfect fit for this gaming world. There are still some great
additions to the character roster though, which I won't spoil for you
here, but they will definitely get the nostalgia glands flowing when
you find them.
As well as the wonderfully
colourful and charming visuals, the music is also outstanding, with
Richard Jacques on remix duties managing to deliver some truly
spectacular re-imaginings of classic Sega game tracks. The Panza
Dragoon, Nights, Outrun, and Afterburner tracks spring to mind as
being excellent tributes to the original songs. It is the high
quality of the audio, along with the gorgeous visuals and the
brilliantly designed courses that all come together to make this such
a great package. The racing feels great, with the new drifting a
particular pleasure, you will be effortlessly gliding round corners
in no time, and each time it feels satisfying to pull off. Morphing
into different vehicles looks excellent, and each handles
brilliantly. I haven't had this much fun racing on water since Hydro
Thunder Hurricane.
There is a lot of content to sink your teeth into here, the main bones of the game being the Career
Mode, which offers a World tour, Grand Prix, and Time Attack mode.
The World tour has you earning stars in races, which add up to unlock
gates that block your progress, and unlock new characters. Races can
consist of your standard 'beat the rivals' mode, a Ring Chase mode
that sees you flying through rings of light, Pilotwings style. Boost
Race pits you against the clock, which stops every time you hit a
boost, Traffic has you avoiding neon cars that litter the road, and
Drift Races encourage you to drift to a certain race line in order to
earn valuable seconds. Finally there is Pursuit, which tasks you with
destroying an escaping tank with rockets you pick up on the road.
Each game type is enjoyable and adds a nice level of variety so as to
stop proceedings becoming repetitive.
Grand Prix is the more
standard mode which pits you against 9 other racers in a tournament
comprising of 4 stages. The person with the most points at the end is
the victor. There are medals to be achieved and online leaderboards,
so you will find yourself coming back to better your overall GP time.
It is a nice touch and adds longevity to the game. The time trial is
also excellent, with computer ghosts to beat as well as those of your
friends. It is one of the only games (apart from Outrun Online
Arcade) that I have actually enjoyed playing the time trial mode to
better my lap times, but this is in no small part due to the amazing
stages being infinitely replayable, just to experience them, to hear
the music, and to feel like you are part of the Sega world.
There is also a levelling
up system, whereby you earn XP for every performance, even if you
fail the challenge. Levelling up unlocks new mods for your driver
that, once selected, change the attributes of your car, and choosing
the right one for the different race types is the key to success.
The game is quite
challenging, even on the standard medium setting, but on Hard and
Expert the game can be punishingly difficult, with no room for error.
Add in the usual element of luck that comes into play with any
weapons based racer and you will find yourself struggling to gain
enough stars to unlock some of the best secrets.
The offensive items
at your disposable are a nicely thought out bunch, and satisfying to
unleash. You have forward firing fireworks and snowballs, mine-like
blowfish, a homing missile in the shape of a remote controlled toy
car, and even a defensive baseball mitt that catches projectiles
fired at you (allowing a revenge attack). There is also the nifty
'Hot Rod' that propels you forward at high speed, overheating your
engine which you must detonate before it gets too hot, the resulting
shockwave sending your opponents into a spin. Thankfully there is no
'Blue Shell' here, the weapons are fair and balanced, and can even be
avoided with a nifty barrel roll if you have impeccable timing.
Overall, Sonic &
Allstars Racing Transformed is a highly polished, and hugely
entertaining kart racer with superb tracks, characters, music and a
level of variety not usually seen in this genre. It is great in
multiplayer, both online and off (bar some occasional frame rate
drops in split screen), and with a retail price of just £24.99, is
great value for money.
The transforming mechanic
not only breathes new life into a genre that often struggles to come
up with fresh ideas, but also manages to finally topple Mario and
pals from pole position. It is both a huge improvement on the
original Allstars Racing, and the best kart racer of this generation,
though non-Sega fans may not be quite an enamoured with it.
The Good:
- Great fun and challenging
- Amazing courses and remixed music tracks that pay tribute to past games
- Decent variety of modes keep things interesting
- Great local and online multiplayer
- Awesome Sega fan service
The Bad:
- Some poor character roster decisions
- Higher difficulty levels are very frustrating
Developer : SEGA
Also available on : PS3
Price : R.R.P. £19.99
Price : R.R.P. £19.99
