Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed announced

[Gaz]

First details and videos on IGN.

I'm glad to see there's going to be a sequel. I really enjoyed the first one. My only major complaint was that there was a bit too much focus on the Sonic series but unfortunately I can't see that changing. I'm not keen on the idea of the transforming vehicles gimmick but I'm curious to see more.

[G.Silver]

I am very happy to see a Panzer Dragoon-themed racetrack.

[Crazy Penguin]

The Panzer Dragoon track looks fantastic. I imagine there'll be a NiGHTS stage as well, if they're looking at flight based games. Hopefully there'll be more franchises represented in general, particularly Mega Drive and Saturn era.

[Protodude]

Well, I liked the first one a good deal so I'll probably get this one eventually. I wonder if the transforming is optional allowing you to choose different paths. Nice to see Panzer Dragoon getting some love and I'm looking forward to other Sega franchises that weren't in the first.

[Segaholic2]

It doesn't seem like transforming will be optional, just that certain segments of each track will require certain vehicles. At least, that's the impression I got from the press release.

It sounds like they're addressing issues with the first game, especially the inability to play defensively while in the lead. And all the new confirmed additions (Vyse, Gilius, Panzer track) are exciting. Should be fun stuff.

[Esrever]

Looks great! Hope we get some Sonic themed tracks that pull from a broader array of games this time. Loved the original, otherwise. Shameless as it may have been, it was the best Mario Kart in ages.

[Cuckooguy]

I will have to play it because I'm a Skies of Arcadia nerd and (after not updating it for 2 years) have revisited and revamped my Skies of Arcadia fansite!

[Cuckooguy]

Speaking of which, I think it's a good idea that they're including water racing and air racing. One of the things that I thought was fundamentally wrong with the first one (though I never played it) was that Sonic, despite being fast, was racing in a kart. By putting the race in the water and air, it dispels that because obviously Sonic wouldn't have a way to race in the air without using a vehicle, and it also invites a myriad of other IPs to also race so a Panzer Dragoon character wouldn't feel as odd in such a game as opposed to having it in a land based racing game, same with Skies of Arcadia.

[Locit]

I hope they don't use Orta for the Panzer Dragoon racer. Does anyone else have a preference there? I want Edge and Azel on the back of the floater from the underground ruins of Uru.

Wow, looking back on it that last sentence was so hard to parse I'm not even going to spoiler it.

[Majestic Joey]

I liked orta. She is a very recognizable character. I can't remember what the characters looked like from panzer dragoon 1 and 2 (never played saga).

[Locit]

(never played saga).

And this makes you a thought criminal.

[Majestic Joey]

(never played saga).

And this makes you a thought criminal.

I couldn't afford it/too hard to find/ my Saturn is broken. I have my reasons...

[Tsuyoshi-kun]

I can one up that - I never even owned a Saturn. One of my cousins did, but all I ever played on it was Daytona USA, Virtua Cop, and Virtua Fighter 2. (He did have NiGHTS I believe, but I only listened to the CD instead of playing it because his Saturn wasn't there at the time.)

[gr4yJ4Y]

I can one up that - I never even owned a Saturn.

Me neither. Most of my play time on the Saturn has been on displays in stores.

[Locit]

I have my reasons...

And they are more than enough to convict you.

Seriously just emulate using SSF, the thing's a goddamn masterpiece.

[FlashTHD]

http://www.sonicstadium.org/2012/06/nas ... ansformed/



Speaking as someone who watches motorsports on a regular basis, the hype machine behind Danica drives me up the wall. Please just shoot me now.

[Wombatwarlord777]

Well, at the very least this game won't be such a sausage-fest.

I'm actually not miffed it was decided to add Mrs. Patrick to the game, but I really want there to be several future announcements of old SEGA characters as new playable characters. I was really looking forward to a Segata Sanshiro or Vectorman reveal today.

[G.Silver]

So... will she be driving the Hornet, at least?

[Radrappy]

I'm none too happy with this inclusion but to be fair, this somewhat guarantees more copies sold right? . . .right?

[Majestic Joey]

games have been doing the whole crossover thing way to much now. It's ok when it's like ryu vs asura or virtua fighter in DOA but putting a real life racer in a sonic game is a little weird. I'm kind of getting tired of guest stars in video games I guess.

[Wombatwarlord777]

If anybody cares at this point, Nights and Reala were confirmed as playable... vehicles, which a Nightopian and some dude in a green hat get to pilot. There's also a track containing several locations from the original Nights into Dreams, which actually looks pretty nifty, though I'm surprised there's no footage of land-bound vehicles traversing the upside-down landscape, which would be fun.

Relevant material starts at around 1:17:40.

[Crazy Penguin]

That's kind of clever. Surprised they didn't go with Claris or Elliot though. Any idea who the green hat guy is? I didn't play much of the sequel.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Y'know, if they do include Vectorman, I hope they'll just use his Genesis voice samples. It seems only fitting that he'd have an old Yamaha chip as a voice box.

I've felt SSB Brawl's not using ROB's Gyromite/Stack-Up "Up, down, open, close, [etc.]" samples was an artistic misstep. Especially since they're apparently the same (English) in all territories.

[Yami CJMErl]

SO ANYWAY, in what I can only guess as "an attempt to out-crazy crossovers with Banjo & Kazooie, MegaMan (in the comics), and Dianica Patrick", SEGA announced that Ralph (from the movie Wreck-It Ralph) will ALSO be a playable character in this game.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

SO ANYWAY

Come off it. I oughta CHARGE y'all for my musings.