![]() ![]() Fans will love hearing their old favorites (as well as a few unexpected ones) retooled for Team Sonic Racing. The soundtrack also deserves a special shout out, the main theme in itself rather catchy but it’s the remixes of old Sonic tunes that truly shine. Sure, it’s slightly disappointing that the game runs at only 30 frames per second (unlike the 60 on other systems) but it’s an understandable choice given the Switch’s limitations and the commendable, energetic visuals on display. Better still is the fact you can tackle every race and mission with two other players locally.Ī big question I had coming into Team Sonic Racing was how it would perform on the Switch and overall, I have to say I’m impressed. I’ve always enjoyed when kart racers branch out beyond standard Grand Prix options (going as far back as Diddy Kong Racing) and Team Adventure definitely delivers. ![]() Peppered throughout you’ll also come across individual challenges that will see you shooting targets, collecting rings, taking out Eggman’s robots and drifting past slaloms in hopes of reaching medal rewarding scores. ![]() While the tale being told in Team Adventure mode is rather unremarkable, it’s the variety in race types that keeps you engaged across its seven-chapter span. Team-based events come in the form of standard races, four-track Grand Prix events as well as elimination contests. Lastly is Team Adventure which acts as the game’s campaign/story mode. It seems like a weird omission and hopefully something SEGA will patch in at a later date. Oddly online racing offers race types not available locally such as King of the Hill (the player in first place slowly gains points), Vampire (where you use Violet Void Wisps to steal rings from other racers to gain speed) and Boost Race (item boxes will only award White Boost Wisps). ![]() You’re also able to take the race online although my experience has felt a little vacant in terms of players with getting a full room of twelve not the easiest of tasks. Your typical Grand Prix, exhibition and time trial modes are all present and accounted for the former two playable with up to four players locally. Maybe this is more of an annoyance for me because I’m such a big fan of the series but when nine of your twenty-one tracks are returning ‘favorites’ you can’t help but feel a tad letdown you’ll be revisiting nearly as many zones as you are discovering. The Sonic the Hedgehog series is one packed with plenty of memorable and unique zones and to see the likes of Seaside Hill, Casino Park and Final Fortress returning once again (after appearing in both previous All-Stars titles) means it’s hard to be surprised and excited in the same way you are when racing on debuting locales like Sandopolis of Sonic & Knuckles fame and Spagonia from Sonic Unleashed. Racing through the game’s twenty-one racetracks has left me feeling slightly disappointed and a large part of that is due to the rather uninspired selection of locations on display. Of course, if you prefer a more individual experience then the team options can be switched off. Does it leave the same impact as Sonic & All-Star Racing Transformed’s morphing vehicles? Not quite but it’s exciting to see Sumo Digital try a new angle with the series, one that proves fruitful in its own unique way. It’s a real rush to have your combined efforts pay off whether it’s simply helping jump-start a teammate whose fallen prey to a Wisp attack, coordinating your movements to earn skimboosts or transferring a spare item with your partner whom might be lagging at the back of the pack. While the racing itself feels great in its own right, it’s the orchestrating of all these team-based actions that helps Team Sonic Racing truly stand out. The variety is plentiful if somewhat intimidating at first but thanks to the color coding of each Wisp it won’t take you too long to get your head around what they each do. The orange rocket Wisps for example fire forwards (in a green shell-like fashion) while the blue cube Wisps can be left behind in hopes of blocking someone (much like a banana peel). Based around the Wisp characters from Sonic Colours you’ll have plenty of chances to take out your opponents. It wouldn’t be a kart racer without an arsenal of items at your disposal and, fortunately, Team Sonic Racing doesn’t disappoint. Both All-Stars Racing titles dipped back into some of SEGA’s lesser known and weirder characters whereas here with the focus purely of the blue hedgehog’s cast the picks definitely feel fairly safe and less exciting. It’s also rather disappointing to see someone so throwaway like Zavok make the cut while others like Ray, Mighty and the rest of the Chaotix crew missing. The modest list of characters included are decent enough albeit rather predictable. ![]()
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