Arcade Games, Game News

Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Arcade Slightly Stripped Down

We’ve recently reported that Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing was spotted out in the wild in arcades, but details on the game itself were rather scarce. Thanks to forum member NiktheGreek, we have a better understanding of how much the game was changed.

And from the looks of it, the arcade version had a few parts removed from under its hood.

Anyhow! ASR Arcade. What’s there to know? Well, the game is roughly 85% done (should be ready by March), and has been tweaked slightly and cut down for the arcade. Characters not included are Knuckles, Big, Zobio and Zobiko, Alex Kidd, Opa-Opa, Mobo and Robo, and the Chu Chu Rocket lot (also the console exclusives, duh). Courses that were definitely cut include Ocean Ruin, Roulette Road, Thunder Deck, Icicle Valley, Lava Lair, Treetops, Monkey Target, Rokkaku Hill, Rocky-Coaster, Sewer Scrapes and Deadly Route. Also, none of the DLC stuff made it in.

All in all then, the game has 13 racers and 13 courses, assuming that I’ve got all the cuts correct.

Two reasons were given for these cuts. Firstly, the number of characters had to be reduced for ease of browsing within the time limit. This reason also applies to the courses, but also there was a drive to reduce drift dependency (the Super Monkey Ball courses were specifically cited here).

Grand Prix mode takes place over three courses: Sunshine Tour, Turbine Loop and Sandy Drifts. The latter was chosen for its difficulty…

Items seem mostly present and correct, though I didn’t see any Superstar attacks. They can no longer be fired backwards (they tried to implement it, but it didn’t work out with the wheel controls), but in a cute touch the item button on your wheel lights up with different colours for each item (red for speed shoes, green for shield, cycles through for the rainbow, etc.). The dynamic cabinet lighting should also reflect gameplay – for example, a player with an incoming attack will have their cabinet flash red.

Graphically, the game doesn’t hit the heights of previous Sega Amusements Europe releases, which have used the custom Europa set-up. ASR is running on the relatively weak Ringwide hardware to keep costs down, which also means the frame rate stays down at 30fps. The models mostly look fine too, but Akira and Jacky look a little… shiny.

The game is set up to allow ticket vending, which should greatly increase the game’s chances with arcade operators (who vastly prefer redemption to straight-up video games at this point in time). At EAG the game was set to give 20 tickets for the winner and 5 for runners up. There’s a ticket multiplier in effect for multiplayer races – the winner of an 8 player race would get over 100 tickets.

Other points of interest:

– Ryo Hazuki was left in to avoid fan backlash, and provide a neat secret (the forklift is in!)
– Attract mode song is “Can You Feel the Sunshine?” (this “had to be done”)
– It’s the first Western development for Ringwide

Although courses and characters were removed, the prospect of cleaning house with tickets in eight player races should make getting the awesome prizes at the ticket booth a breeze for a seasoned racer.

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20 Comments

  • Reply

    Aw, no Knuckles? He’s my main! šŸ™

  • Reply

    – Attract mode song is ā€œCan You Feel the Sunshine?ā€ (this ā€œhad to be doneā€)

    Does it brighten up your day?

    • Reply

      It’s probably that deluded lot that demanded it.
      What deluded lot? the ones that think the tails doll is more than just a one-off character for a spinoff game!

      • Reply

        *shudders*

  • Reply

    Seriously can you feel the sunshine to ATTRACT people? You’ll clear out blackpool!!(presuming they’ll be there) but what about the dlc packs? Will metal sonic be in there with the death egg stage?

    • Reply

      They’re confirmed out.

  • Reply

    Why couldn’t they used the actual theme done by Bentley Jones? And tickets in a racing arcade is actually a first in my book, not even SEGA Rally 3 did it.

    • Reply

      TJ Davis is like Sara Lee: Nobody doesn’t like her.

      • Reply

        Can’t argue with you there. Besides this is SEGA’s first arcade game since SEGA Rally 3 i believe, if not than it’s SEGA’s first Arcade Racer since.

  • Reply

    I never really like this game but why take off Knuckles and Alex Kidd!? O.o
    Their the best!

  • Reply

    Getting rid of Knuckles was a stupid idea.

  • Reply

    Who do we talk to to get Super Monkey Ball courses removed from the console game?

  • Reply

    I assume the glitches were “carried over” as well?

  • Reply

    Only if we could have one of those “arcade-exclusive” features of yore and be presented with Gillius on a beast or Axel “Hawk” Stone with a police car. XD

    • Reply

      if only šŸ™‚

  • Reply

    Can You Feel The Sunshine HAD to be done? I thihnk ill see a LITTLE loss of kids on that cursed arcade game. O.O No wonder i feel Tails Dollls haunting me again… >_<

  • Reply

    No Alex Kidd? Seriously?

  • Reply

    How do you select Hazuki’s forklift? Ā Have this on test locally and want to try it out.

  • Reply

    Getting rid of Knuckles was a stupid idea.

  • Reply

    Thereā€™s a lot of good information here.

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