Any developer working on a mascot kart racing game knows that there's one title their game will always be compared to. That isn't to say that Mario Kart is untouchable; merely that it represents the genre benchmark, the standard that all others have to aspire to. Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing made a decent fist of taking Nintendo head-on two years ago: though it fell just short, the game proved popular enough for its struggling publisher to bankroll a sequel. SEGA & All-Stars Racing Transformed is its name, it's coming later this year, and we spent a bit of time putting it through its paces at Sumo Digital's Sheffield home.

If the game was unlikely to escape Mario Kart comparisons in the first place, its new central mechanic makes it impossible not to discuss the similarities. As with Mario Kart 7, Transformed doesn't just restrict its vehicles to the track, instead sending them skidding across water and soaring into the sky. Sumo's game had already been conceived before Nintendo's E3 conference, and the developer watched in horror at the airborne and aquatic sequences in the trailer. SEGA had been all but gazumped by its former rival.

In practice, however, the two games play quite differently. In fact Transformed has the edge in one very obvious regard. In Mario Kart 7, plunging beneath the waves made little meaningful difference to how the game played; this was merely a cosmetic change. Similarly, gliding, while more involved than underwater racing, wasn't so much about flying as falling with style. Hit the water here, however, and you'll immediately notice tweaks to the handling – it's closer to something like Hydro Thunder Hurricane than a land-based arcade racer. And on the occasions you zoom above the track, there's a fully-fledged flight model, as you guide your now-winged vehicle through floating boost gates. Better still, there's a brief pause and satisfying mechanical whirrs and clunks as your kart morphs into its new form, in a manner reminiscent of a certain Hasbro toy franchise. Robotniks in disguise, anyone?



Whether you're travelling across land or sea, or through the air, there's a robust and convincing physics model that generates a sense of weight all too rare among racers of this kind. Handling is still that same blend of Mario Kart and OutRun, but with a little more heft to it – perhaps down to the involvement of lead designer Gareth Wilson, who worked on Blur and Project Gotham Racing during his time at Bizarre Creations. The water may not cause you as many problems as in something like Wave Race – in fact, occasionally you'll be able to trick off waves for a boost - but you'll still need to watch out for whirlpools that can slow you down or drag you under.

Indeed, it isn't just the vehicles to which the Transformed of the title refers, as roads you raced on in the first lap may have crumbled into the water by the second, while elsewhere terrain steepens to form ramps that send you skyward. These scripted events aren't a match for the explosive destruction of something like Split/Second, but they help keep you on your toes, and the effect further invigorates the already smartly-designed tracks.

The two stages we played through were packed with shortcuts and alternative routes. A Panzer Dragoon-themed course naturally has you spending a fair bit of time in the air, while the Monkey Ball track allows you the choice of winding, narrow, barrier-free strips of track up above, or the wider stretches below that are slower but easier to negotiate. One particularly neat touch is a shortcut which sends you leaping onto a numbered target lifted from the Monkey Target mini-game. Sumo has been careful to ensure that the tracks fit the IP, though in the case of Monkey Ball, the studio had to get special permission from SEGA Japan to include water, before then entering into discussions about how water should behave in the Monkey Ball universe. It's heartening to witness that kind of meticulous focus on fine detail, and Sumo's near-fanboyish enthusiasm for the characters and worlds featured here show that these SEGA favourites are in safe hands.

If the track design is easy to admire, the graphical overhaul is even more attention-grabbing. Sumo is using a bespoke engine for Transformed, and the improvements over its predecessor are startling. It still has those same glorious SEGA blue skies, but there's much more detail in both environments and vehicles, while the whole thing runs at an exhilarating pace. Even in its unfinished state, this demonstrates surprisingly strong production values for a kart racer, and the graphics can only improve between now and its autumn release.

As for the soundtrack, popular composer Richard Jacques has contributed a number of tracks that remix classic SEGA tunes from yesteryear, while some players will be delighted to learn that the polarising commentator from the first game has been removed. Instead, an announcer only occasionally interjects to relay the most important race information, while crowds clap, cheer and chant the name of their favourite racer.



Which brings us to the character roster, and there are a few surprise names on there. Naturally, there are some familiar faces, too – Sonic obviously returns, though this time he's driving a Koenigsegg-style supercar, part of a conscious decision by Sumo to make the vehicles a little cooler. But Dreamcast owners will be particular thrilled to see Skies of Arcadia's Vyse, in a vehicle based on the Delphinus. Golden Axe's Gilius Thunderhead – who was originally planned for inclusion in the original – gets to ride a Ray Harryhausen-esque bronze creature that morphs into a turtle and an eagle. We're sworn to secrecy on the later stages, but suffice to say anyone who didn't think the first game was enough of a SEGA love-in is in for a treat. The fan service here is phenomenal, and the final unlockable in particular is one that will delight long-term Sega acolytes.

Other aspects have been refined, so now instead of SEGA miles you earn points for your chosen character that feed into a levelling system, unlocking various trinkets and vehicle mods. Though the focus is still on split-screen multiplayer, there are now online races, supporting up to eight players, with a range of modes and options to customise your race experience. For lone players, there's an extensive Story mode with 16 new tracks spread across a number of different SEGA worlds, represented here by floating islands. Four favourites from the original game also return, including Jet Set Radio Future's Shibuya and the Death Egg track which was released as downloadable content.

There are plenty more secrets to be revealed, no doubt, but even at this stage, Transformed is bigger and better-looking than the original and with a neat central hook that has a significant impact on the way the game plays. If rest can live up to what we've seen so far, then Mario might finally have a genuine challenger to his karting crown.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation VIta, Nintendo 3DS and PC Digital Download sometime late in 2012.

These 27 characters will be unlocked in a new single-player adventure mode which is "inspired by games like Mario Galaxy," he says. "There's a feeling of starting at one place and unlocking characters, rescuing them as you progress through the game and different game modes... I thought the original game was a fantastic driving experience but maybe lacked a little bit in meta-game type stuff - progression and things like that."

Progression doesn't stop there, as each character can be levelled up through five ranks. Filling up the All-Star gauge with on-track moves earns you XP as well as granting access to your character's All-Star power; each level unlocks stickers and achievements as well as perk-style vehicle mods which can be equipped to alter the handling characteristics of your favourite characters. There's no difference between these in the demo build, but Wilson intends them to be pronounced - "I want to tune the stats quite hard, actually, [so] there's some genuine differences to them," he says.

Sega's investment also encompasses new rendering and physics engines (created "with future platforms in mind," says Wilson - but no, he can't confirm or deny a Wii U release)

In addition to Vyse from Skies of Arcadia and Gillius from Golden Axe being revealed this morning, TSSZ has learned from this source that Ristar and Vectorman were also playable characters based on a build received.  We are also told this game may be very Dreamcast centric, with Ryo Hazuki making a return to the game and perhaps gracing the cover when sold in stores.  The source also tells TSSZ that the NiGHTS franchise should be included in some form, and while we’re not certain to what extent, it should be more than a flagman role. We also know characters like Bayonetta, Kazuma from Yakuza, Joe Mushashi from Shinobi, and some classic Phantasy Star and Valkyria Chronicles representation were also considered, but we do not know what of that, if any, made the cut.  We are leaning toward unlikely, as the source made clear that Sega of Europe wants to market this toward kids.  We also know there was a push to include Kirby in the Nintendo versions, which Nintendo would not sign off on.

wait joe musashi from shinobi, i am a fan of ninjas so i can reconsider what joe musashi is going to drive once he's been confirmed

There are several Sonic characters already, and they're the ones that are the most recognizable and have appeared in the most games. Let's not drag the bottom of the barrel for Silver and Omega (Blaze is cool but she doesn't need to be in).

What about when it gets to Flying parts.

JOE FUCKING MUSASHI.

Game Trailers just revealed that Nascar driver Danica Patrick will be in All-Stars Racing Transformed. Remember her from that one SEGA game? Wait, she’s not a SEGA character. But she is racing in a SEGA branded racer which will be revealed at SEGA’s E3 booth. Danica and her SEGA branded Nascar will, in turn, be in the game. I’ll admit, it’s really freakin’ weird, but it does feel very much like when Pepsiman appeared in AM2′s Fighting Vipers. Which is a good, if not odd, thing.

You know, when they pitched us the idea we went 'The fans will go wild...' I think they didn't get what we meant from that though

End of the day she hasn't replaced any SEGA characters, she's an extra and we're very happy with the vehicle design we've done for her, which incidentally isn't the one you might think it is

http://i.imgur.com/xvbUv.gif

http://www.tssznews.com/2012/07/14/ralph-from-disneys-wreck-it-ralph-confirmed-playable-in-asr-transformed/

The Bonus edition of the thrilling new racing experience from SEGA will contain a brand-new track and character plus various collectable items and will be available as pre-order while supplies last.

The exclusive OutRun Bay track contains all the standard race modes found in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, plus challenges and time trials specific to the track. This time though, the whole race is transformed as you get to speed across the gorgeous shimmering blue ocean as well as the roads in a spectacular level inspired by SEGA’s classic arcade racer OutRun. Sonic the Hedgehog’s popular rival Metal Sonic explodes on to the tracks in the exclusive Metal Sonic Mod Pack in the Bonus Edition of the game; this prototype levitation vehicle was crafted purely to race – and race it must! In addition to the track and character, an Emoticon Sticker Pack can also be found in the Bonus Edition. These collectables are found throughout the game and are given as rewards for skilful play, high scores and more.

There will be Limited Edition for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed in Europe. More details will follow soon.

The Wii U version shoots to provide the definitive local multiplayer experience.


Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on Wii U will include extensive GamePad functionality and a number of asymmetric multiplayer modes, lead designer Gareth Wilson revealed in an interview with Nintendo Gamer.

The Wii U GamePad has multiple uses during races. By default, the controller's screen will display a map showing the positions of each racer and where they are along the course. However, the player can also touch a racer's icon to get a real-time stream of the chosen racer's perspective, and if they lift the GamePad in line with the TV, the display will change to a rear-view mirror.

On top of this, the local multiplayer portion of the game has been greatly expanded for the Wii U version. Five-player splitscreen is confirmed, with four players sharing the TV as normal while a fifth player joins the action, viewing the GamePad. Additionally, there will be several Wii U-exclusive Battle Arenas, which are asymmetrical multiplayer modes that bear a certain resemblance to the games in Nintendo Land.

For example, in the Super Monkey Ball arena, players with Wii Remotes must drive around in their vehicles and collect bananas, while the player with the GamePad controls AiAi in his monkey ball and aims to squash the racers by rolling into them. There will also be a Shinobi arena, in which the GamePad holder, using directions on the screen, plays as Joe Musashi and has to chase the other players and tag them, turning them each into a Shinobi.

Finally, it has been announced that the Wii U version would be sold in two different editions. Those who pay a little extra for the Bonus Edition will receive Metal Sonic as a playable character and a bonus racetrack based on the classic Sega arcade game, OutRun.

In the interview, Wilson stated that although the game was not originally designed as a Wii U title, the team at Sumo Digital has worked hard to add in as many console-specific features as possible.

"Well, because it’s a multi-platform title, we couldn’t design the game entirely around the Wii U. In fact, the game was in production before the Wii U was announced. So what we tried to do was add features which complement the game in the best way we can," said Wilson.

"It’s been quite experimental for us – I think if we had the time over again we’d do a better job of it to be totally honest, but it’s all brand new hardware so we’re just trying stuff out as best we can."

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed launches day-and-date with the Wii U on November 18 in North America, and November 30 in Europe.

NG – So is there anyone else you wanted in this sequel but couldn’t sort out?

GW - Well, there are a few that just didn’t work. I quite fancied the idea of Ecco the Dolphin but that would only work on the water – what’s he meant to do when he ends up on the road, does he have a little car? Can you put a dolphin on a bike?

Sonic Colours - Galactic Parade

Somehow, those Team Fortress characters in this game surprise me more than Danica Patrick.

I thought it was stated somewhere that he was only for the WiiU version? Unless it's like the Pac-Man/Megaman thing for Street Fighter X Tekken for Xbox where they were technically on the disc, but weren't going to be playable.

I believe the list below is everyone that was taken out of the game for this one.

Big the Cat
Billy Hatcher (surprising too since there is a Billy Hatcher stage)
Zobio and Zobiko (I still which they did a House of the Dead Overkill car)
Ryo Hazuki
Jacky and Akira
Mobo and Robo
The ChuChu Rocket car
Opa Opa
Banjo and Kazooie

I will say that so far I can't say I've found any stage that I dislike, my fave ones so far are the Shinobi, Jet Set Radio and After Burner stages.

I believe the list below is everyone that was taken out of the game for this one.

Ryo Hazuki

You're kidding right? This game is MAD INSANE HARD. Even harder than F-Zero GX.

Try playing Hard mode next time. The AI blatantly cheats in this game.

Anyway afaik the characters that they removed from the first game are the ones with dual characters and characters that won't fit with the transforming system of the game like Opa-Opa.