There's no classic Sonic, or characters from the IDW or Archie Comics series. Robotnik, the adorable Chaos (four to one car!) and the main baddie from Sonic Lost World. Whereas previous games dug through the depths of SEGA history to include everyone from Alex Kidd to guest characters Banjo & Kazooie, Team Sonic Racing doesn't even really delve deep into Sonic's own history. This customization is taken a step further in the form of racing mods, bonafide loot boxes that offer buffs to racers, and cosmetic upgrades for the entire cast's vehicles.Īside from the big three of the Sonic universe, the cast also includes the likes of Amy Rose, Silver the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Dr. Speed racers get boost bonuses, technique racers can maintain speeds across all terrain types and power racers can break through obstacles and stage hazards without slowing down. On the Sonic team, the blue blur is a "Speed" type, Tails is a "Technique" type and Knuckles is a "Power" type, a split carried across the game's other five teams. RELATED: Sonic the Hedgehog Delayed Over Character Design OutcryĬharacters are broken up into squads of three, groupings based loosely on Sonic the Hedgehog canon, with each team having a role filled by a specialized character. Instead of cars and courses changing shape and racing across the sky, sea and land, the hook for Team Sonic Racing is right there in the name - team. Instead, the entire cast is made up of Sonic the Hedgehog and his closest friends and enemies. There's no Ryo from Shenmue riding a forklift, or Billy Hatcher (you know, from that one game) in a giant egg car. This Sumo Digital-developed follow-up to Transformed casts off the weird and wonderful SEGA history packed into the previous game. Team Sonic Racing doesn't really do any of that. Racing games have long been a part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, from the early incarnations of games like Sonic R to the more recent (and well-loved) Sonic & SEGA: All-Stars Racing Transformed. Every one of these games realized the competition they were up against in the form of the Mario Kart franchise, and therefor chose to do something wholly unique and infinitely more interesting with every title. Team Sonic Racing shouldn't be as uneven as it is, given the genre's long-standing role in the franchise.