To call Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing a clone of Super Mario Kart is perhaps the simplest way to explain what the game is about. The players, however, don’t utilize well-known Nintendo characters like Mario and Bowser; instead, they employ characters from the SEGA game catalog, such as Sonic, Billy Hatcher, Dr. Eggman, and 17 other more or less well-known characters from SEGA games.
The fundamentals of the gameplay have not changed, however. In a typical race, the player must compete against seven other racers using his racing skills and one of the numerous different power-ups scattered around the track. These power-ups include a boxing glove that can shoot racers in front of him out of the way or mines that can destroy racers who are following him. Doing drifts to charge up the boost is the most crucial thing to focus on if you want to come first, given that all cars go at the same pace regardless of whose character they belong to. However, other tricks can be used to get access to a turbo-boost. However, the choice of racer and vehicle affects the All-Star-Actions open to the player. While Sonic the Hedgehog transforms into Super Sonic for a brief period, which grants him a significant amount of additional speed, Billy Hatcher scatters eggshells around the track to slow down Sonic’s pursuers. Before it can be used, the All-Star-Action must first be gathered up on the course like any other available power-ups.
The gameplay can be broken down into a variety of distinct modes. In the single-player mode, the player can participate in time trials, single races, a grand prix, or any of the many dozen missions available. These missions demand the player achieve various objectives instead of merely coming first in a race. These goals include getting to the finish line with just one lengthy drift, rolling over as many crows as possible, and getting there without breaking any pots, among many others.
This game’s multiplayer component includes a split-screen mode that supports up to four players and an online option. The PC version does not have an online feature. In addition to the standard races, players can look forward to various battle variants, such as King of the Hill and straight-up Deathmatch. Players can earn SEGA miles by completing a mission or winning a race in either the single-player or multiplayer modes of the game. These SEGA miles can then be spent in the game’s internal shop to unlock extra characters and tracks.
The added subtitle refers to the fact that the Xbox 360 release includes Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie and the SEGA characters and tunes already included in the game.
