SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING COLLECTION

Welcome to the SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING COLLECTION! This is where SEGA's wildest dreams hit the track, bringing their iconic characters and worlds for a racing showdown that's a love letter packed with blistering speed, killer music and a lot of fanservice but it's also a story of two very different portable adventures. Let's dive in and see how these two handheld efforts stack up.

SONIC & SEGA ALL-STARS RACING COLLECTION

SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED tries to stuff everything from the home console versions onto the 3DS, and I mean everything, all the crazy characters from SONIC to weirdos like the dude from SUPER MONKEY BALL and every single track where your car turns into a boat or a plane mid lap, similar to MARIO KART 7's idea for driving mid air or underwater. The sheer amount of stuff they kept is impressive.

The actual racing is a blast when it works, drifting around corners, pulling off tricks off ramps and unleashing chaotic weapons feels just as good here. The track designs are genius, packed with secrets and fanservice for anyone who loves old SEGA games. You can race through a level based on JET SET RADIO or fly through Panzer Dragoon skies. The main Grand Prix mode is fully intact and the World Tour campaign is still there to unlock characters tho it's been stripped down a bit. They cut some of the extra challenge modes, which is a bummer because it makes the single player stuff less varied.

And here's the big unavoidable catch: the performance. Gotta be honest, the framerate is rough. It's not unplayable, but it's far from smooth. Coming from something like MARIO KART 7, it's immediately noticeable. The game chugs, especially during big track transformations or when a lot is happening on screen. You get used to it after a race or two, but it never feels good obviously.

The graphics take a major hit too, everything looks fuzzy and in low res, cool details from the console versions are gone and things like boost pads can be weirdly hard to see, it's functional but not pretty. On the flip side the music are still bangers, full console  quality remixes of classic SEGA tunes that are easily the best part of the presentation.

So, what's the final word? It's a tough one. This version has the amazing heart of the console game but it's also kinda held together by tape with performance that drags it down. If this is your only way to play it, you can still have a good time if you're patient.

But if you're after a good SEGA racing experience, SONIC & SEGA ALL-STARS RACING is a surprisingly solid choice, it's basically the original console game shrunk down to fit in your a cartridge just like its sequel and it manages to keep almost everything that made that version fun.

The racing itself feels great. The controls are tight and responsive and each character handles a bit differently, so you can find one that matches your style. It's got all the main modes too: Grand Prix cups, single races and time trials, but the real single-player star is the Mission Mode, which is packed with dozens of unique challenges that are totally different from the console version. They're tough but really addictive and they'll teach you all the advanced tricks.

They didn't skimp on the fanservice either. You get a nice roster of classic SEGA characters, the tracks are all themed around different franchises. Sure, SONIC gets the most love track wise but racing through a celshaded Tokyo-to is a blast, the music is killer too, pulling perfect tracks from those old games. There's even a shop where you spend earned miles to unlock more characters, tracks and music.

Now, it's not perfect either. It's still a DS game so the 3D graphics are jagged and simple compared to the console version but they're bright, colorful and the frame rate is mostly smooth, which is way more important. The bottom screen is used smartly for a map, which is a feature the bigger versions lacked. The big gameplay hiccup is the weapon balance, the homing missiles are way too powerful and show up constantly, which make races feel cheap when you're getting pummeled non stop in first place. There are also some occasional physics glitches where you might clip a wall and go flying, but overall, is a really faithful and competent port.

Download

Your place on the starting grid is being confirmed now. Rev up your focus and secure the competition data, the RAR file deployed in the pit lane below. Decrypt its contents, then deliver the payload directly to the root of your SD card, like hitting a boost pad that rockets you to the finish line. Furthermore, SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED is ready for deployment. Transfer the data package directly to your system, install the .CIA to drop the starting flag or scan the provided QR code and endure the download wait. The choice of entry is yours. Start your engines!

 

SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED

 

SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED (DLC)