Now Playing: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Sega mascots…start your engines! Sonic and the gang are back again with more racing madness. However these new races are no longer restricted to land. These races now take to the seas and into the air raising a whole new challenge as well as bringing in a much needed change of atmosphere. This is no longer just racing. This is racing…transformed and it’s a blast as I make my way to the finish. I played the heck out of the original game as I drifted through the turns and used a few well placed weapons on the competition as I took the checkered flag. This new Sega racer now takes gaming to the next level and I can’t get enough of all the fun.

PROS:

Not Watered Down With Sonic
The original game was filled with so much Sonic in terms of characters and stages that had me wondering if Sega forgot it’s own history. I cringed anytime I had to use Big the Cat in the original racer and even in Sonic Adventure. Transformed now consolidates the meaningless members of the Sonic cast and brings in more Sega franchise characters including Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe, Vyse from Skies of Arcadia, and even Joe Musashi from Shinobi. Even the stages I raced on are not watered down with Sonic and focus more on the company’s rich history which is a huge plus in my book as I fly off the aircraft carrier in the Afterburner stage, or avoiding the dragons in Panzer Dragoon.

Smooth Transformations
When I heard about the idea of transforming vehicles the first thing that popped into my head was “Oh great! Here comes the cheap gimmick.” I thought that this idea of transforming vehicles would come off as rather cheap, but I was wrong. It actually works great. None of the transformations feel “forced.” In fact each transformation works rather smoothly as I moved into different phases of the race. They even have that transforming sound almost like the Transformers themselves. There was a moment in the game where I transformed from land to air and I head the sound and a moment of silence came into play as I was flying through the air and for some strange reason I started singing “You Got The Touch” from the Transformers movie. Sorry, I was just in the moment there, but it was pretty cool.

Fun Multiplayer
Like any cart racing game multiplayer is definitely needed. The multiplayer component of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is absolutely brilliant. I had so much fun racing online with a wide variety of players as we traded paint, hit each other with weapons and all-star moves, and made our way to the finish line. I had a lobby going for hours with nobody leaving as we raced on all the tracks (the ones I had unlocked at the time that is) and had a blast. The competitive atmosphere was great. It didn’t matter how good anyone was. It was all about the spirited competition, and most of all, having fun. Great online family style community where players are not cussing in your face like some other games.

CONS:

I Miss The Original Announcer
If there’s one thing I really liked in the first game it was the announcer. Not only did he give some play-by-play commentary, but he also had some witty remarks during the race which made the game fun and exciting. Lines including “Hey guys, wake me up when you decide to start racing” gave the game a certain sense of charm and I liked it. This new announcer is not like that in any way. Sure he’ll let you know that a certain character has gone “All-Star,” but that’s about it and that’s rather disappointing.

Danica Patrick?
It’s no surprise to me that this game would have special guest characters. Banjo-Kazooie was in the first game along with the ability to race as my Xbox 360 avatar. Now I have NASCAR star Danica Patrick and Disney‘s Wreck-It Ralph. Now I can understand the inclusion of Ralph because it really ties in with the movie where he jumped into different video game worlds so this makes sense. However, Danica Patrick does not. I would have to compare her appearance in this game to the Star Wars characters (Darth Vader, Yoda, and the Secret Apprentice) in Soul Calibur IV. Sure she’s a race car driver, but she just feels a little out of place considering the company she’s in.

IN CONCLUSION

Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed is a fun sequel to the original game. There’s so much Sega history packed into one game that any fan of the company will love. It really fits in as an entertaining break from my other racing games where I use real life cars and trucks. Transformed also has plenty of replay value beyond the single player racing so that I never got bored or fall into that rut of doing the same repetitive stuff. I’m sure that there’s plenty of DLC on the horizon with new characters and stages to help keep things interesting as well. If your a fan of everything Sega then you owe it to yourself to get this game.

Developer: Sega
Platform: Xbox 360
Players: 1-10 (online multiplayer)
Price: $39.99

Now Playing: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2

Let’s see. How many Sonic games do I have now on my Xbox 360? Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic Spinball, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic CD, Sonic Adventure, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, Sonic Generations, and Sonic 4: Episode 1 (I also have it on my iPad). Man that’s a lot of Sonic games. It’s safe to assume that I’m a big Sonic the Hedgehog fan. I’ve only been playing the games since Sonic 1’s original release on the Sega Genesis. The blue blur sure is fun to have around. Now Sonic is back with a whole new adventure and this time he’s not alone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, from Sega, brings back a familiar face (other than Sonic) to the 2D platformer. That’s right…it’s Tails. In a way, Episode 2 feels like I’m playing Sonic 2 all over again except without the cool Chemical Plant Zone (I still can’t get that tune out of my head. It’s catchy). Four brand new yet familiar zones to blast process my way through and it’s fun. Sega even brought back the special stages reminiscent of Sonic 2 which held both excitement (getting the Chaos Emerald) and frustration (when Tails hit those damn bombs causing me to lose rings and lose a chance at a Chaos Emerald) at the same time. The one thing I really got a kick out of is the team up moves where Sonic and Tails would do a mid air high five and then work together to get out of a tough situation that could possibly involve dying. Let’s also not forget the bonus Episode Metal content starring Metal Sonic (you must have Episode 1 for that to work).

After playing the game last night, as well as acquiring a few achievements, the big question I had was “Why are all the reviewers trashing this game?” Sure it’s not perfect in any way, but it is a big improvement over Episode 1. I felt like Sonic was a bit faster in this version, the graphics are well improved, and the Tails team up moves bring a fresh change of pace to the game as well. However, I will agree with some of the reviewers in terms of how the invincibility power-ups are in locations where there are not any enemies to take down. I also agree about the boss battle music that seems to be on an endless loop every few seconds which gets quite annoying. Where’s Amy’s hammer when you need it most? Speaking of boss battles, these were some tough fights that require a bit of trial and error to get through on the first time, but become much easier each time you play it.

Clearly Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 is no Sonic Generations, but it is better than the Sonic the Hedgehog game released on the Xbox 360 in 2006. I’m still trying to forget that one. It’s a blast from the past, and it allows us to enjoy playing a Sonic game the way it was meant to be played…in 2D! What more can you ask for? Well, maybe Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 3 with Knuckles?

Publisher: Sega
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Players: 1 to 2 (Local or Xbox Live co-op)
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00)

T.E.C. 3001 Review: Run, Jump, Slide…Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Pros:
Full Of Obstacle Course Style Action

Cons:
Hiccups In The Jumping Mechanics
Not Much Replay Value Past Initial Playthrough

In the future, the world will look like the movie Tron and it will run on batteries. Who will run the world of the future…Energizer or Duracell? Maybe that bunny who keeps going and going is the president! OK, maybe I’m getting out of hand on this, but my opening comments sum up the look of T.E.C. 3001 on Xbox Live Indie Games. A game that combines the elements of Tron and I Robot into one game. That’s just the surface. The rest of the game…well let’s talk about that.

T.E.C. 3001, from Phoenix Game Studio, transports us to the world on the future featuring a robot on a mission to collect batteries. Each of the game’s race inspired stages will have you running, jumping, and sliding through various obstacles in order to achieve the goal. At first this concept reminded me of the bonus stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. What T.E.C. 3001 really boils down to is that this game is nothing more than a standard reflex tester as you’ll repeat some of the same maneuvers over and over again.

So here’s how it all works. Your robot will basically run on a track collecting batteries and avoiding obstacles with the goal of acquiring a certain amount of batteries and crossing the finish line as quiskly as possible. Again, just like Sonic 2. All of the running is done automatically so your main movements will be from side to side. You’ll then come up to obstacles like short walls that you can jump over, walls you slide under, and panels you can smash through. There’s also moments where the track will end and you must jump to another track. Tracks also include speed and brake pads as well as a speed gate which will have you literally running at warp speed.

There was a time while I was playing T.E.C. 3001 that I felt I was in a big budget Hollywood action movie as I would run, jump and slide through any obstacle that was in my way. Then there was the moments where I would throw my controller down in rage because I would miscalculate a jump or fell into the endless void because I missed a track. T.E.C. 3001 is the type of game that will test your patience because you’ll fail a lot when you get past the early stages. This means expect a lot of trial and error all in the name of progress.

Other than drying my patience at times, T.E.C. 3001 does have some faults. One of these issues is when it comes to jumping. There are some major hiccups in this concept. There are times, especially when I was running at high speed, that I was unable to jump at all. Instead of a routine jump I ended up like a Looney Tunes character smashing into a wall foircing me to start all over again from the beginning of the level. The game does have checkpoints, but they’re pretty stretched out. Another issue I have is with replay value. Once you find a way to finish the game there was not much reason for me to go back. Mainly this was due to the the game’s repetitive nature and frustration of finishing certain levels where I died a lot.

T.E.C. 3001 is not a terrible game, it’s more like a decent game just filled with a ton of repetitiveness which could have some people hitting the delete button after one go around. The jumping hiccups are almost enough to ruin the game, but the sheer sense of speed can help make up for it. Somehow, I can expect an update coming to help fix it. In the end, I suggest downloading the demo first before making the 240 Microsoft Point ($3.00) investment.

A big thank you goes out to Phoenix Game Studio for providing a review code for the game. Thanks again! BH

Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing Review: It’s A Sega Celebration!

Pros:
A celebration of everything Sega!
Like Mario Kart? Then you’ll love this game!

Cons:
Not enough unlockable content like the console versions
Controls can be tough early on

Review Based On Version 1.0

For a time, when it came to kart racing games with loveable video game mascots it was Mario Kart or nothing. Well the times have changed. Just last year, Sega released Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing on all consoles giving the plumber a run for his money. I currently own the Sega racing gem on my Xbox 360 with all the DLC making it a great hit with my family and friends. Now it’s come to IOS devices and while it’s a bit trimmed down from console versions I can honestly say that the game is still fun.

Now available in the App Store for the iPhone and iPad, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing brings the console action to your on the go lifestyle. The game is a celebration of everything Sega from the 1980s to today. Being the Sega fan that I am since the old Sega Master System days I would consider this title to be more than just a blast from the past. It’s fast an furious kart racing action that never gets old.

Like I stated earlier, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing is a trimmed down version of the console versions of the game. Here you’ll find 10 characters including Sonic, Tails, Beat, Ryo Hazuki, and more racing on more than a dozen Sega themed tracks from games like Sonic, Jet Set Radio, Billy Hatcher, and more. Each track is filled with crazy turns, jumps, boosts and obstacles. Just like Mario Kart, each track also features “?” boxes featuring plenty of offensive and defensive weaponry to amp up the action. Each time I would race, it became a battle with rockets and bombs flying everywhere. Of course that was not all. I also had to avoid the traffic cones or another character’s well placed rainbow that would fill up the screen.

If all the weaponry is not enough for you, let me also add that each character also has their own signature “All Star” move if they fell behind in the race. This  allows you to play catch up and take revenge on other racers. Sonic will turn into Super Sonic. Tails will use a tornado, Samba de Amigo on the maracas will start a congo just to name a few. These All Star moves are fun to watch as well as use to your own advantage and definitely seperates this game from the Mario Karts of the world.

Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing has your standard game modes including Single Race, Grand Prix and Mission modes which allow you to gain Sega Miles which allows you to unlock racers, courses to play on and upgrade that Sega license of yours. The better you do, the more miles you get. The game also features online multiplayer which I might add runs really well especially since I live in an area without a great WiFi connection.

While Sonic & Sega All Stars is a lot of fun to play, there are a couple of issues I have with it. One is the lack of unlockable content. I would really like to see more characters and tracks as future DLC. Maybe they can have it locked up so that you have another reason to use those Sega Miles you earn. I also have to get into the controls. I started out with the gyroscope and had a hard time keeping my kart on  the track. I then switched to joystick control and the experience was much simpler as I would gain better results. Either way the controls will take some time getting used to, but once you have it down the game becomes fun again.

While I feel that this is more of a bare bones experience, Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing is still a great game. Then again it’s really the only kart racing game on IOS devices. Even if it has a couple of minor issues the game still features all the fun from its console versions. If you like fast and furious kart racing action or just have a love of everything Sega, then I highly recommend getting this game.