I wouldn’t say it’s a top-of-the-line title by any means, but little tweaks to the formula give it an edge over others in the same field. All this is only mentioned in a tiny button prompt at the bottom of the screen – making the story seem like an afterthought within an afterthought. Pressing X to start each race or mission will actually skip the story scenes, which are instead triggered by starting a mission by hitting Square. I’m never going to expect an epic narrative from a Sonic title, but animated cutscenes would at least make the game feel more worthwhile.Īlso confusing is the fact that while moving from race to race inside the chapters of the story-based Team Adventure, story segments themselves are actually sidelined. Delivered in a visual novel style with static character images and voiceovers, it very much feels like an obligatory inclusion rather than a core element. Some extra details have been added for the characters – Sonic’s quills have a sort-of-texture instead of just being a unified blue chunk – but it falls short after the more detailed character models of Sonic Boom (or even the truly horrific live-action movie).Ī story mode, called Team Adventure, does exist and nicely provides some frame of reference as to why Sonic and company are racing in cars once more, but it’s the very definition of basic. While each track is a lovely reinterpretation of a classic zone from the series, they don’t quite feel up to par for current-gen consoles. Visually, the game is a bit of a mixed bag. It all feels very arcadey, which feels out of place for a 2019 console release. The soundtrack also feels very dated – or very Sega, depending on your perspective – feeling more like MIDI-based tracks than a properly orchestrated soundtrack.
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Worse still, the layout of the title screen and menus have the design and lag of a PS2 game, making this the worst kind of cross-generational game.
#Team sonic racing review ps3#
That said, proceedings feel more like an up-rezzed PS3 game than an entry built for today. In most races I found that all the NPC racers would suddenly explode forward and end up on par with me at the end of almost every lap, which didn’t so much make the race feel challenging as just erase the lead I’d worked for.Ĭourses are vibrant and packed with detail (especially for fans of the series) and cars are both well-rendered and interestingly customisable in booth look and colour scheme. Unfortunately, other racing staples such as rubber-banding have also been ‘optimised’. It’s a small thing, but being able to slide through almost an entire track continuously does make you feel like a master of the road.
Likewise, the game makes minor improvements on traditional mechanics that set it above even mainstays like Mario Kart, such as drift-boosting which allows you to rapidly change the direction of your drift without ‘activating’ the boost. These small tweaks really give a unique feel to the game by adding a layer of mechanics that feels complimentary rather than bolted on. Even with NPC teammates, these teamwork actions are activated regularly, typically leading to at least one or two Ultimate activations per track. When an Ultimate is activated, it provides a dramatic speed boost for all three team members, which can be extended by knocking out competitors while boosted, as well as an initial boost if multiple players activate the Ultimate simultaneously.
Various co-operative actions fill this meter - power-ups can be shared or requested between team members during a race, players can ‘skim’ past their teammates to give them a speed boost or ride in their trail to gain a slingshot speed boost or a character’s rival can be taken out to boost the Ultimate meter.
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The focus on teamwork is truly centralised, as each team – predetermined in story mode, or fully customisable in free play – has a shared “Ultimate” meter its members all contribute to. To its credit, TSR offers some interesting twists on the kart racing formula.
I went into the game optimistic and excited. A property I like (as mistreated as it has been for years), and a genre I’ve had a hankering for? Perfect. It’s been a while since I last indulged in a kart racing game, so the arrival of Team Sonic Racing was a nice surprise.
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