Fantastic Kart Game
I love Kart racing games. Obviously my fanboyishness for the genre began with the original Mario Kart for the SNES, and since then, it has become the standard for all Kart games. Many have emulated the concept with either complete failure or minimal success. Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, in my opinion, is a success. The basic function of the game is a 8 character cart race. The elements of prize boxes are around (which are basically all knock offs of Mario Kart weapons) which you use to attack or defend. An added element is the All Star weapon, which is different for each character. Some of these are bland, which basically turns your character into a bulldozer. My favorite though is Samba Di Amigos All Star attack, which has him collect all characters he touches into a conga line, and then attacks them all leaving them in the dust. The All Star attack can help a racer who is behind the pack, but overall actually acquiring the all star move seems random at best. There are speed pads on the tracks which give a turbo boost, also drifting and performing mid air tricks (essentially tapping the drift button while in air) also provide boost, which can keep a race very interesting. Aside from the usual Gran Prix mode, there is a mission mode which has 64 different missions. You burn through every character and get graded on very different tasks, such a coin collecting and target destroying. This keeps the game fresh and interesting. There is also a time trial mode where you can race against the best times for each track across the globe. In addition there are online races, which are fun and easy to access with hardly any lag. The game is fun to play solo or with friends, and it will keep your interest for a long time. The tracks are interesting and by no means boring, but they are all based on some obscure games. Does anyone really remember Billy Hatcher or Samba Di Amigo that much? It seems like the franchises Sega would like to promote more take a backseat or don't show up at all (Streets of Rage? Golden Axe?) So while the cast may have more to be desired, it is really the only complaint I have about this game. Considering you can find this game for under $20now I highly suggest picking it up.
