Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing

Two parts Mario Kart to one part OutRun , Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing appropriates the gleeful, exaggerated powerslides of the latter and pilfers almost everything else from the former. It's a game with no other ambition than to ride the slipstream of Nintendo's benchmark racer – and with over 20 million sales of the Wii version alone, it's not hard to see why. That it does so reasonably successfully is a result Sega will likely be delighted with. It shares so many similarities with Nintendo's famous series that one wonders why Sega didn't go the whole (hedge)hog and name it Sonic Kart . Weapons are simple reskins of Mario Kart staples, – KO gloves replace green shells, rockets are red shells by another name – and the homage doesn't end there. Sliding around corners triggers a turbo boost, while bikes are capable of tricks on straights to compensate for their relative fragility. Racers can even pull mid-air tricks to gain a burst of speed upon landing. Stop me if you think you've played this one before. But Sega's game does have a few ideas of its own. The often amusing All-Star moves give backmarkers the chance to catch up – thankfully blue shell equivalents are absent here – while an enthusiastic commentator's interjections are informative rather than irritating. And while the action can get a little too busy at times (one track resorts to huge arrows to guide confused players), the winning blend of riotous track action and impressive fan service should appeal to long-time Sega acolytes and casual gamers alike.