Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

This is the best game with the Mario Kart formula that we've seen in many years.

In the beautiful world of Mario Kart's clones, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a surprising copy. In spite of an awful first episode, SEGA's new title manages to be efficient in many ways, gameplay related especially. Lovely, with a good sense of speed, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed get in the exclusive club of good and fun racing games. So, it's a shame that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed lacks originality.

All-Stars Racing Transformed is, by its nature, a cheery beast, but that's not to say it doesn't have teeth: some of the challenges kick back on even the middle tier of the three initially available difficulty levels, and an unlockable fourth level provides the kind of nasty yet rewarding challenges that some of the best arcade racers are loved for.

An ace little racer. [Issue#227, p.76]

Beyond its obvious appeal to Sega fans, this is a rich, bold and substantial arcade racer that demands your attention.

An easily playable though challenging kart game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed offers a ton of fun.

Should things get a bit stale, there are activities during the World Tours which luckily aren't just about racing. There's Pursuit, where you have to chase a tank while dodging the bombs it's dropping or Traffic Attack, where you have to dodge traffic on an increasingly busier road [December 2012, p.82]

Sonic's new racing adventure speeds past its predecessor and delivers a kart racer that can keep up with the best in the genre.

You won't be overwhelmed by its quality but you're almost guaranteed a good time.

A must play for Sega stalwarts, and damn good fun to boot. Mario best watch his arse. [Feb 2013, p.76]

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a feel-good game that's difficult to dislike. It may not be quite as revolutionary as its title indicates, but it's still a forward-thinking racer with some outstanding tracks. Difficulty spikes and some minor technical issues detract from its overall appeal, but this is still one of the best kart racers available on the PS3.

Sumo Digital created a game with a production value that is capable of honoring great series Sega series and a very competent racing game.

It's good to know that we can still be surprised these days. Sony's platform career is pretty much FUBAR these days, but the hedgehog with a need for speed still delivers on the racing front. It's not all that challenging, but apart from that there really isn't anything wrong with Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed.

Despite its flaws Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed is an all-around better game than it's predecessor and a great homage to Sega's glorious past. It won't convert those faithful to Mario Kart, but it surely offers some good kart racing action and a fun alternative for fans of the genre.

A fun and special race game filled with Sega nostalgia. It may be a little bit sad to think that all these special characters can nowadays only be found in a race game, but Transformed is such a good one, that it doesn't even really matter.

Sumo Digital has done a great job paying homage to Sega's legacy, but Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is more than a mere nostalgia fest, creating a polished racer in its own right with enough energy and playability to rival the Mario Kart series.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed is one of the best love letters written to Sega. It's a new reference in the genre, so one can been keen on forgetting about some of the characters of the original that disappeared in this sequel, the occasional frame-rate issue, or the loading times.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a great variation of the kart-racing theme, and it holds its own against the Mario Kart series. I'd recommend it to not only the few remaining die-hard Sega fans out there, but also anyone who's itching for a more fantastical approach to arcade racing.

Mixes some wonderfully loving nostalgia and ambitious design to create the first credible Mario Kart alternative since Crash Team Racing in 1999. Fact.

Sonic runs at full speed, now in airplanes and boats. Many different circuits and many memories can be found in this second Mario Kart from Sega. Jet Set Radio, Panzer Dragoon, Golden Axe, Samba de Amigo... a great game with a deep sense nostalgia and a nice multiplayer.

A solid and joyously colourful racer with plenty to explore, and the Transformed element is thankfully no mere add-on. Each track is well-balanced, with a variety of vehicle sections and shortcuts through the water or air. With friends and online, this shines – and there are plenty of positive comparisons to be made between this and Mario Kart.

In his second attempt at conquering the gokart genre, Sonic somewhat manages to capture the essence of greatness. The characters and stages picked from Sega's vast library are nice, and the driving (on solid ground) feels great as well. It's only a shame that neither the flying or boating are particularly smooth, and that playing solo wears out once you've seen each level once.