Sonic and his friends are back!
Sonic racing transformed was released not too long ago on the PS3 and Xbox 360, and just yesterday for PC. Normally, a PC port for a game released on console is a 1:1 kind of thing, no real changes from the various releases. But not with this game. SEGA and Sumo did a good job on the PC version, giving desktop players quite a few bonuses.
First and foremost, the obvious stuff is in there. Enhanced options to tweak with the controls, resolution, anti-aliasing options things like that. But, the PC port adds a few new characters to the roster, which are specifically for PC. A samurai from Shogun 2 shows up in his custom wooden…thing. Three of the characters from TF2 have their own transportation, taking turns driving it in it’s various forms. But my favorite addition has to be “The Tactician,” from the Football Manager series, a game about managing your own soccer team.
So, how is the game?
Personally, I am in love. Every little bit about the game makes me squeal with delight. From the visuals, to the music, to the crazy tracks chocked full of detail. Whether you are running through the Casino level from Sonic, flying through a major ship battle in the Skies of Arcadia level, or riding a wave of lava in the gorgeous Golden Axe track, sometimes it’s hard to keep your eyes on the road when you want to see all the little things put into this game.
The racers themselves are varied and come from all sorts of Sega Classics. My personal favorite is Vyse, from Skies of Arcadia, an old favorite of mine. Grabbing an all star power up on him, and watching his car turn into a crazy pirate ship, delivering broadsides loaded full of Blue Rogue justice to anyone on either side made me holler out loud in excitement! And each racer can level up, allowing you to swap points from various stats, taking a hit in one to improve another, until you have unlocked the racers true potential, usually giving you a stat above 5 points in one area.
Is it worth it?
Between tons of racers, challenges, achievements, and online play, Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed offers you a whole lot of bang for your buck. I’m still in the process of clearing the career mode and unlocking characters, but I’m having a blast. Whether it’s doing drift challenges, dodging holographic cars, or flying through the skies leaving giant puffer fish floating in the air, I have to say this game is awesome.
So if you are a long time SEGA fan and want to see some of your old friends, or maybe some of their old homes, hop on Steam, or Amazon, or whatever and buy this game. I don’t just recommend it, I label it as a major must buy!
