Welcome race fans to the next generation of wacky races brought to you by Sega. Which of you ever wanted to take on Sonic Hedgehog on even ground? That is right- you put his Hedgehog self right behind the steering wheel where you and a bunch of other all stars can take him on in the race of ages. It’s a race dealing with bombs, zombies, banana peels and of course a…huge…butterfly smiling at you!?! Introducing Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing coming at you right now!

I know the first thing that comes to mind, “Why the hell is sonic in a car?” I believe it is the idea that we all know that Sonic is the fastest thing alive, but he probably wants to have a bit of fun and have his own vehicle like everyone else without beating them too badly. It is not all about Sonic though; do not figure the other characters that are unworthy competition.

The game modes that you will face are single player and of course multiplayer. In the single player mode you will have options in Single Race, Grand Prix, Time Trials and Missions. Each one will earn you “Sega Miles” which can be used as currency in the Shopping area where you can buy characters, courses, and music. In Missions, you have six to deal with for example “Hit Contest” where you pick up ammo and hit as many targets before time runs out and “Drift” where you drift at high speeds to get the best score. The multiplayer mode is self explanatory, play online, or of course the option of local battles within your house up to four players split screen fun.

The starting lineup of the all stars is Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, Dr. Eggman (ROBOTNICK for us older people), Shadow, AiAi, Billy Hatcher and Amigo. In later matches when you unlock more “Sega Miles” you will be able to obtain other all-stars which I will keep quiet about *cough* Akira & Jacky Bryant *cough*. This also goes for the different courses you will unlock, for example the house of the dead levels which look amazing.

On to the weapons segment of the review! When having a game like this in its whacky style, the main focus is to have crazy weapons that will slow down the opponents. The game provides you with mines, bombs, homing missiles, K.O. Gloves, high speed shoes, confusing stars and shields. My personal favorite is very rare to obtain, and that is the “All Star” weapon. This item unleashes your character’s special ability that will take out everyone on the field. The best example is Sonic’s Allstar- he gets all the chaos emeralds and goes “Super Sonic” where you have to keep hitting the action button, causing him to go faster, blasting anyone in his path. I know that is pretty cool to hear.

The graphics and controls are both well done in terms of what people are calling a “Mario Kart Clone”. I just want to get this out the way that we all know many games are clones of some other game and we know they did it first. It is all about who can improve on what came out first. I personally appreciate seeing my own skid marks on the ground when returning to the same area after the first lap or seeing another opponent’s tire marks on the ground; in a way it gives you a racing line to follow. I have to admit each vehicle does feel different when it comes to certain characters’ cars vs. bikes but not that much for you to have a tough decision. The key is to drift at the right time and being able to hold it for a long period of time to get the most out of the boost.

The little problems I have with the game are as follows: The fact that they don’t give you different vehicles geared to each character is a slight disappointment. Also the Xbox and Wii versions allow you to use avatars instead of the Sega characters in races, but I guess the PS3 “Home” characters were difficult to mod for that option.

Final Verdict: BUY. It is a great game for fans, kids and just anybody that wants to have a funny time with Sega characters. The multiplayer flows well and there is no fear of mirror matches. Plus if you have a Wii or Xbox you can use your avatars. It may be geared towards kids, but it is rated “E” for everyone so give it a shot.  All right I am up to my last lap and just got an “all-star.” As always gamers- stay frosty!

Sonic and Sega All-Stars racing was developed by Sumo Digital and distributed by Sega.  It is available for Wii, XBOX 360, PS3, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows.   The PS3 version was purchased for review.