Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing announced

Sega have just announced their latest game, which will be entitled Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. It has a release date of early 2010, and will be available on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.

The game will be the latest installment of the Stars series, which includes Sega Superstars and Sega Superstars Tennis. It seems the series has been renamed to include Sonic in the title, perhaps to make it more clear that everyone's favourite hedgehog is present.

Expect loops and corkscrews aplenty!

The title explains the basic premise of the game - cartoon racing with Sega's most well-known characters. Here is the official press release:

"SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA America, Inc., today announced Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, a fast and furious battle to the finish line in this supercharged racer. Developed for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the home video game system, Wii and the Nintendo DS system, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will speed into stores in early 2010.

In a frantic battle to the chequered flag, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing sees Sonic and friends speed around tracks set in mediaeval castle ramparts, lush rainforests and bustling cities, all taken from the visually rich and varied universes of Sonic and SEGA. Fan favourites such as Dr. Eggman, Tails, AiAi, Amigo and many more will join Sonic in their custom built vehicles, revving their engines and jostling to stay ahead of the pack. Each character will race around the track in cars, planes, motorbikes, and in AiAi's case - a banana mobile! Secret short cuts, swift handling and avoiding strategically placed obstacles are certainly the best way to get to the top of the podium.

"Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is no ordinary racing game. Its huge variety of characters and vehicles, plus the ability to play both online and off set it apart from other games of this type" commented Gary Knight European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe Ltd. "The team have pushed the boundaries on what you would normally expect and created a different and unique party racing title whereby you really can't take anything for granted!"

And winning is only part of the fun in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing! Each character has a specific All Star move such as Super Sonic, Banana Blitz and Tails Tornado, allowing a quick way for competitors to get back into the race! Power ups and weapons can also be collected around the tracks and used against the opposition to ensure they don't become a threat to that number one position... Players can battle it out in single or multiplayer mode, allowing up to four friends to race in frantic split-screen action, or up to eight players to compete online in the ultimate racing showdown."

A new Sega game was expected to be announced tomorrow, but it has instead been brought forward one day. The title was said to be no "huge surprise", but I certainly couldn't have predicted this. I am actually glad - I've always wanted another Sonic racer!

Sega say there will be no new announcements at E3 next week, so this is the only surprise we'll get for the time being. Anyway, you can see the trailer for All-Stars Racing here:



[Source: C+VG]