Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (known as Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie on the 360) is a racing game, features characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series and other Sega franchises. It is for the Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It is currently the third installment in the Sega Superstars series and was developed by Sumo Digital.

Gameplay
The game plays out like a kart racing game, with characters collecting power-ups to boost their speed or hamper their opponents. Like Sumo's previous Sega game, Sega Superstars Tennis, each character has a 'Star Move' unique to them, such as Sonic transforming into Super Sonic, that they can use against their opponents. The game will have multiplayer options for up to four players on split-screen and eight players online.

Vehicles are separated into four different categories: racing, off-road, bike and hovercraft. As the terrain on the tracks will vary, vehicles can be either assisted or hindered by the surfaces they drive upon. For example, racing-type vehicles perform best on hard surfaces such as wood or concrete, but are hampered by soft terrain such as mud, sand or snow. The opposite is true for off-road type vehicles. Hovercraft are not affected by any terrain and are able to perform multiple boosts after a jump, but they are unable to drift and have low acceleration. All of the vehicles also have their own specific engine Sega Miles that can be spent in the in-game shop to unlock additional content such as characters, tracks, art and songs.

The game will have customizable multiplayer options for up to four players on split-screen and eight players online, including Free Races and Arena Modes. There will also be Grand Prix, Time Trials and Mission mode.

The game was showcased at E3 2009, where it was stated that the final version of the game will have over 20 different characters.

Characters drive vehicles that relate to the character. Courses that appear in the game are slated to be references to various Sonic and Sega titles.

On November 25, 2009, a special press event about the game was held in France, where the DS version made its Playable Debut.

Playable Characters
At the start of the game, players can choose from Sonic, Tails, Dr. Eggman, Shadow, Amy, AiAi, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, and any console exclusive characters (Mii on the Wii, and Avatar and Banjo & Kazooie on the Xbox 360). Other characters are unlocked by purchasing them with Sega Miles.


 * * In the DS Version, these characters are replaced with Zombio, Mobo, Chuih, and Jacky Bryant.

Race Courses
{*}Studio Amigo replaces Sunshine Tour and Sun Fair replaces Rocky-Coaster.

Sonic
Sonic is the world’s fastest hedgehog, capable of running at the speed of sound (768 mph). His other abilities include a “Spin Attack”, a “Spin Dash” and his “Super Sonic” transformation which makes him indestructible and gives him the gift of run-flight. Sonic is not an expert swimmer, but is fearless – even of Dr. Eggman. Alongside his best friend Tails, Sonic runs around the world stopping Dr. Eggman’s schemes. He drives the Speed Star – a car built by his friend Tails – it helps to make a fair race as no one can beat Sonic on foot.

Ulala
Ulala was orphaned at an early age in a spaceship accident in which she was the sole survivor. She was rescued from the void of outer space by a Space Channel 5 reporter and ten years later, she’s now their top reporter. She shot to fame when she confronted the Morolians, who imprisoned humans and forced them to dance against their will. She out-danced them at the same time as presenting her Swingin’ Report Show. What a gal! Ulala races in her Astro Glider, a kind of floating pod.

AiAi
AiAi – A monkey hero, who has a destiny to marry MeeMee, and be father to a baby boy called – wait for it – Baby. In his monkey ball AiAi is fast, nimble and not too light. As the hero of the Super Monkey Ball series, he must save both Jungle Island and MeeMee from the wrath of the evil Dr. Bad-Boon. In his spare time, he likes to eat bananas, spend time with his family, play games and live easy. AiAi and friends have tried to design the fastest banana ever: his car – the Blazing Banana.

Jacky & Akira
Jacky’s a skilled race car driver and powerful martial artist. He was once seriously injured in a racing accident and took two years to recover from his injuries. During that time he discovered a mystery group was behind his crash and it was no accident. He believes this same group is responsible for the disappearance of his sister, Sarah, but will he ever learn the truth? Akira was winner of the second World Fighting Tournament. He strives for perfection and trains relentlessly. He is currently the Master at Yuki Budokan. Jacky and Akira join forces to create a formidable racing team, competing in Jacky’s muscle car Red Lightning.

Amigo
Amigo is one maraca-wielding, party-loving monkey! Along with his sister Amiga, and their friends Linda, Bingo, Bongo, Rio, Chumba and Wamba, Amigo’s life is a non-stop carnival and the more skillfully he shakes his maracas, the hotter the party gets! Amigo’s car is built into a giant maraca keep an eye on this guy, he’s likely to break out the samba at any point!

Amy
One-time leader of Team Rose, Amy and her friend Big the Cat are no strangers to speed. She is always running after Sonic, and in love with love. She’s all about competition and style which is why her car, the Pink Cabriolet, is kitted out for speed and to look good. It’s also designed to stay steady enough when she unleashes her lethal Piko-Piko Hammer.

Bonanza Bros.
Mobo and Robo are a pair of burglars who target a bank, a mansion, a casino, a mint, an art gallery and a treasury on their crime spree. With a combination of stealth and slapstick they escape with all the loot in their trusty blimp. Racing in their Get-a-Way Wagon, they’re sure to have plenty of sneaky tricks under the hood.

Dr. Eggman
Sonic’s arch-enemy, and a genius to boot, Dr. Eggman loves whipping up crazy robotic armies that look like him to help with his dastardly schemes. In his evil genius mind he dreams of creating a place called Eggmanland – and he will destroy anyone who tries to stop him. Dr. Eggman’s all-terrain vehicle, the Egg Monster, has large wheels and an extra high riding seat so he can look down on everyone he overtakes and enjoy it!

Zobio And Zobiko
He, Zobio, was a prison guard. She, Zobiko, was an inmate thrown into jail by a mad doctor. Zobio decided to break out Zobiko, so that they could start a new life together. But will either of them ever really be free? They race in their Hotrod of Horror, a turbo-charged, armor-plated monstrosity.

Ryo Hazuki
Ryo Hazuki dropped out of Yokosuka High School to embark on an epic journey to avenge his father’s seemingly senseless murder. Trained in martial arts and driven by revenge, he hunts his father’s killer, Lan Di, and seeks the Dragon Mirror that Lan Di took. Ryo can call on the help of many childhood and family friends, in particular Nozomi Harasaki who harbors a deep love for Ryo. But Ryo’s quest will always take precedence for him. Ryo’s wheels are a motorcycle he borrowed from close friend Naoyuki Ito.

Ryo Hazuki - Forklift
Ryo Hazuki dropped out of Yokosuka High School to embark on an epic journey to avenge his father’s seemingly senseless murder. Trained in martial arts and driven by revenge, he hunts his father’s killer, Lan Di, and seeks the Dragon Mirror that Lan Di took. Ryo can call on the help of many childhood and family friends, in particular Nozomi Harasaki who harbors a deep love for Ryo. But Ryo’s quest will always take precedence for him. Ryo’s ride is the Number 5 forklift truck, on loan from his part-time job.

Tails
Tails is a two-tailed yellow fox, equally at home on the ground, in the air or in the water. He’s super-smart and likes nothing better than inventing and fixing planes, cars and all things mechanical. He’s an honorable and courageous friend in the face of danger. He teams up with his best friend Sonic – and their other friends – to help save the creatures of the South Island from Dr. Eggman. Tails built his own plane, the Tornado Racer, from parts found after an attempted invasion by Dr Eggman. Its short-winged design allows it to execute sharper turns than ordinary airplanes.

Banjo & Kazooie
Banjo and Kazooie are an adventurous bear and bird duo, always on hand to thwart the schemes of their nemesis, the rhyming hag Gruntilda. Banjo himself is a big, amiable Honey Bear, polite and well-mannered – in stark contrast to the Red-Crested Breegull Kazooie who lives in his backpack. Loud, sarcastic and rude, Kazooie’s inability to keep her beak shut often lands the pair in trouble. Together they race in the Bolt Bucket, a quirky vehicle custom-built by their longstanding ally (and a real wizard in the garage) Mumbo Jumbo.

Opa-Opa
Opa-Opa is a sentient spacecraft, battling to stop the planet Menon from stealing the other planets’ currency to build a huge fortress. In winning this battle, Opa-Opa hopes to restore peace to the Fantasy Zone. Opa-Opa can hover and fly using its wings or sprout feet to walk on the ground.

Shadow
Shadow is an artificial life form, created by Dr. Eggman’s grandfather. His initial hatred of Sonic has now developed into a friendly rivalry. Like Sonic, Shadow is about speed – his acceleration and “Spin Attack” coming from his rocket skates. With Chaos Emeralds he can power up his Chaos Control and warp time and space. If he has all seven emeralds he can transform into Super Shadow – which, like Sonic, makes him invulnerable and gives him run-flight. Shadow uses a modified G.U.N. motorcycle known as the Dark Rider.

Alex Kidd
Alex Kidd spent seven years living on Mt. Eternal, on planet Aries, studying Shellcore, an ancient art of shattering rocks with bare fists. Alex is a Prince of planet Aries, son of King Thunder and twin brother of Prince Egle. Alex must stop the evil Janken the Great and his minions from usurping his father. Battles are fought with a best-of-three game of rock, paper, scissors! Alex’s vehicle of choice is his Sukopako Motorcycle – don’t underestimate this small but very nimble motorbike.

B.D. Joe
Always friendly and cheerful… that’s B.D. Joe. He’s at his happiest when he can bring a smile to the face of the customers in his ‘crazy taxi’. B.D. Joe is master of driving – and talking. But that’s not all. He can drum with just about anything and he’s not too sloppy at card tricks either – anything to help fill other peoples’ days with something a little special. He drives a customized yellow cab with the plate number ‘2HOP260’ – ‘To Hop To Go’ – see? He’s always ready to get things moving!

ChuChus
The ChuChus are cute space mice who use their super quick rockets to escape the jaws of the hungry space cats known as KapuKapus. The ChuChus race in a ChuChu Rocket, modified for maximum horizontal propulsion while comfortably seating four ChuChus for cat n’ mouse chaos in space!

Beat
Beat was a young “rudie” who ran away from home to join one of the gangs of Tokyo-to. He impressed fellow “rudies” Gum and Tab with his skating and graffiti skills in Shibuya bus station, and joined as a member of the gang, the GG’s. Beat spends his time skating around fighting for turf with rival gangs by marking his territory with graffiti and eradicating others’ tags. This attracts the attention of Police Captain Onishima and his S.W.A.T. team, who relentlessly pursue Beat and his friends. Beat drives a heavily customized street racer, with all the extras – including an extra bass system and neon under-lights!

Big The Cat
Big is a large, purple, long-eared cat. He’s laid-back, easy-going and has a gentle nature despite his prodigious strength. He loves to fish and is never without his trusty rod. He lives in the jungle near the Mystic Ruins with his best friend, Froggy, a small, green frog with a pointed tail. Big’s adventures often involve him trying to find Froggy, who has a tendency to get himself lost or swallow a chaos emerald. Big’s motorbike is called the Green Hopper. The bike may be small, but Big’s size makes sure he won’t be easily pushed around.

Billy Hatcher
Billy Hatcher’s an inquisitive boy from the human world. After saving a helpless chick from an attack by crows, Billy and his friends are transported to Morning Land by the Chicken King. With the courage bestowed upon him by the chicken elders, he dons the legendary rooster suit and embarks on a grand adventure to save Morning Land from eternal night. Billy must stop Dark Raven or the darkness will spread to the human world. Billy’s Racing Rooster car is highly maneuverable, so watch out – he may wear a rooster suit, but nobody calls this boy chicken!

Knuckles
Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald, which gives Angel Island its power to float in the sky. He is the last of the Echidnas of the island’s native people. His name comes from his powerful fists, which allow him to punch through rock and make him a skilled burrower and climber. He can also use his dreadlocks to glide for short distances. He drives a tough little all-terrain vehicle called the Land Breaker.

Metal Sonic
Created by Dr. Eggman and programmed to destroy Sonic, Metal Sonic is a robotic copy of our hero and shares many of his abilities. He can mimic Sonic's spin dash and homing attack, and thanks to the jet engine in his torso, he can beat Sonic's acceleration and equal Sonic's speed! He has extra abilities however, due to his mechanoid form. These include his Ring Spark field, telescopic limbs and a forcefield known as the Black Shield.

Avatar
The Avatar is you! It likes what you like, it wears what you wear (or wish you could wear!), and does what you tell it to. Well, most the time anyway.

The Ava-Car 720 is the Avatar's mode of transport - a sleek, custom-built kart with all the mod-cons.

Mii
Miis are cartoonish caricatures of friends or family members that can be used in some games.

The Super Zoomer is the Mii's mode of transport in this game - a sleek, custom-built kart with all the mod-cons.

Capsule Items
Note:

{ * } These items also come in sets of three as a seperate capsule item

Development
Following the release of Sega Superstars Tennis, Sumo Digital decided to do a racing title, based on their experience with recent Out Run titles. Sumo Digital executive producer, Steve Lycett, said that in an early prototype of the game, Sonic raced on foot, Dr. Eggman rode an Eggpod with legs, Tails flew in a biplane, Amy Rose drove a car, and Gilius Thunderhead, from Golden Axe, rode one of the Chickenleg creatures from the game. This version, however, was reportedly not fun to play, largely due to the varying sizes between the different characters, but also because the drift mechanic wouldn't work with racers who were on foot. According to Lycett:

"Our main problem was that all the characters were different sizes. Sonic was Sonic sized, but he was really small compared to Eggman and Gilius on their rides. Worse still was Tails Tornado – it was huge! The wings made it really wide."

It was later revised so that everyone would be in cars, bikes, or modified flyers.

The soundtrack for the game will consist of various old and new tracks from the various Sonic and Sega franchises, though it will also feature original songs by various artists including Richard Jacques. Each course will start with one track, with more being unlocked as players earn Sega Miles. The Nintendo DS version of the game will feature Musical Instrument Digital Interface versions of the tracks composed by Alister Brimble.

Planned characters
ToeJam & Earl were originally planned to be in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing as a duo driving their spaceship, but Sega could not come to terms with ToeJam & Earl Productions co-founder Greg Johnson. However, fans have called and mass-emailed Johnson for his characters' return. He has responded on the official Sega forums under the pseudonym 'Big Earl' stating "I'll give it another try and see if I can get the homies at Sega to talk again on the phone." He later mentioned that the duo will not be appearing in the retail game, since it is too late in development, but the option for including them as downloadable content is still open.

In its prototype form, Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe was a playable character who rode one of the Chickenleg monsters from the game. In his developer diary, Lycett makes it clear that this does not confirm him as a final character. This is the case with Gilius, as he did not make the cut into the final roster. Lycett has also talked about Vyse from Skies of Arcadia in an interview with Gamereactor. Segata Sanshiro was also considered as a possible character, riding a Sega Saturn, though did not end up in the roster. Early in development, Mario was considered as a Wii-exclusive addition, but Sega decided against it so as not to cause cross-contamination with its Mario and Sonic series.

Lycett has also mentioned there will be various cameo appearances from other Sega characters who didn't make it in the playable roster.

Mishaps
On the Wii and Steam versions of the game, one of the playing cards shown on the Roulette Road track, which would normally show Amy Rose, shows a picture of Sonia from Sonic Underground, adapted from a fanart of the character by deviantARTist, RianaLD. The artwork was initially used as placeholder artwork, mistaken as official artwork. Sonic Team noticed the error and requested it be fixed, however it somehow remained on the Wii and 'low-res' PC versions of the track. Lycett has offered his sincere apologies to the original artist, citing the incident as unintentional. There are plans to remove the image from PC version, although the Wii version will retain the image due to the lack of an update feature.

Theme Song
The theme song for the game is called "So Much More" sung by Bentley Jones. It is in the "So Much More" album of Bentley Jones as well. The song has different versions:


 * So Much More... (Fantazia Projekt Radio Mix)
 * So Much More... (Ballad Version)
 * So Much More... (Main Theme)

Downloadable Content
On September 22, 2009, Sega accidentally leaked top secret information from a corporate meeting with Sony Computer Entertainment America, in which it was revealed that characters from non-Sega IP were being considered as platform-exclusive DLC for the game, such as Ratchet & Clank. However, Ratchet & Clank were ruled out for whatever reason. In addition to discussing PS3-only downloadable characters, the notes also mention having characters from Rareware properties and the Fable universe, ostensibly for the Xbox 360 version of the game.

Banjo & Kazooie and the Xbox 360 Avatars have been confirmed for the Xbox 360 version. And the Mii's from the Mii Channel are on the Wii version, but these characters are on the discs and do not have to be downloaded.

It has been officially confirmed that additional characters and Tracks will be downloadable in the future. Steve Lycett of Sumo Digital, has said that NiGHTS could possibly be added as a Downloadable character, if the game is successful.

On March 25, 2010, they added a line of clothing and accessories from Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing onto the Avatar Marketplace.

On April 1, 2010, it was leaked that Metal Sonic is first true DLC character, along with the first DLC stage, based off of the Death Egg, called "Egg Hangar", but it was removed for PS3 owners due the date changed. This can be seen here. This DLC was then released for the Xbox 360 at April the 8th and for the PS3 at April the 22th, Also, Ristar, one of the most requested characters for download, makes a cameo on Egg Hangar, despite the request for him to be a playable character.

Recently Ryo: Forklift Truck, the bonus for preordering the game in Europe, has been added to the Marketplace for purchase.

Reception
GamesMaster gave the game 83% for the console versions and 70% for the DS version, calling it 'the best kart racer on 360/PS3, but not quite the Mario Kart-beater we hoped for'. Nintendo Power gave the Wii version 8/10 and the DS version 6/10. Official Nintendo Magazine gave both the DS and Wii version 75%. Computer Bild Spiele, the top videogame magazine in Germany, rated the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions a score of 2.32, which is about an A grade. The Wii version was given a 2.46 score.

JVN gave Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing a 16/20 score, which boils down to an 80% ranking. IGN gave all versions an 8.0 out of 10 giving the game as an "impressive" and said that the game is the best kart-racer on the Xbox and PS3. 1up gave the game a B+. And Game Informer gave the game 7.75 out of 10. Gamespot also gave it 8.0 out of 10, praising its responsive controls and excellent track design.

Merchandise



 * Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing 's theme is "So Much More..." and is on the So Much More Bentley Jones album.


 * The game also has released posters and stickers in the UK.


 * It has been announced that the game will have toys as well by Jazwares. The toys will be released in May. Currently, the ones that are known are Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Shadow.


 * The Wii version of the game will also feature its own WiiWheel, with "Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing" typed above the Wiimote.

Trivia

 * The game has a sound effect from Pac Man: World Rally, another racing game.
 * Ever since the game has been announced, fans have been complaining and constantly asking, "Why is Sonic in a car?" Executive producer, Steve Lycett, answered the question, and said that they originally tried making the game with Sonic and friends racing on foot instead. Size and proportion issues occurred however, and drifting was deemed impossible for characters outside of vehicles. After several attempts at tweaking the engine, it was decided that all characters should have a vehicle for easier play.
 * Banjo & Kazooie are playable in the 360 version, making it their first appearance in any Sonic or Sega game.
 * This marks Billy Hatcher's first appearance on the Xbox 360, DS, and PS3 and his second appearance on the Wii and PC.
 * This is Big the Cat`s first playable appearance in a Next-Gen game.
 * NiGHTS won't appear as a playable character but instead will take the role as the referee who flies & swings the checkered flag to start the race. Though there is a chance that NiGHTS might appear as a DLC Playable character if the game becomes popular enough.
 * An interview with Omar Woodley states that the game was previously going to have 50 characters, but for some reasons it was canceled.
 * Sonic and Billy Hatcher make the same exact pose, only mirrored, in their character art. Also, Akira & Jacky`s artwork is taken directly from Virtua Fighter 5.
 * Similar to NASCAR games, instead of a map of the track, the game has a scrolling bar at the top of the screen that shows each racer's position.
 * On the Xbox 360 boxart, instead of Tails flying to the left of Sonic, Banjo & Kazooie are racing by in the same area Tails was.
 * In the middle of the race, when Amy uses her All-Star Move, the announcer will say, "Amy unleashes her Piko hammer!" Although the hammer's real name is the Piko Piko Hammer.
 * Billy Hatcher's All-Star Move has him running on a giant egg (the one containing the Water Comb), however, in Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, he can only do this if he's wearing the circus hat (which, interestingly, looks exactly like NiGHTS' hat).
 * Oddly enough, when Shadow uses his All-Star move, Super Shadow, in the 360 version, his nose color changes from black to the same lemon-cream color as his fur, but this is just a small error on the developers' part. However, the same mistake can be seen in the game's Official All-Star Move Trailer.
 * The instruction manual for the Xbox 360 version mentions an achievement called "Wheelie Good (perform a six second wheelie)". Not only is this achievement not in the actual game, it's impossible to pull off. However, "Wheelie Good" is in the DS Version.
 * Amy's car has similarities to the car she drove in Sonic R, except for it having a different color scheme, and being less bulky (though this may have been because of the polygonal graphics used in games at the time of Sonic R's release).
 * Shadow`s bike, the Dark Rider, is the same bike he used in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) but with the Black Arms' symbol on the sides.
 * None of the voice actors' names are given in the credits, not even new voices like the announcer. However, most of the voice acting for the Sonic characters in this game were just recycled voice clips from previous Sonic games, mostly from Sonic '06. This also has its downsides with lines like Shadow saying, "Who are you and how do you know my name?" (asks this to Mephiles) at the start of a race, and Shadow also screaming, "NOOOOO!!!" (says this when falling into a chasm in Sonic '06) while clapping his hands in the winner's circle when he loses.