Latest news with #SonicRacing
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is getting Minecraft characters and Hatsune Miku to make sure people are "not just playing it when it comes out, having fun, and that being it"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is getting its suite of crossover characters partly to ensure that players don't think of it as a one-and-done title. Speaking to GamesRadar+ at Summer Game Fest, veteran Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka explains that the Minecraft and Yakuza crossovers that appeared in the game's most recent trailer (alongside Hatsune Miku and Persona 5's Joker) are there partly to provide a 'Hall of Fame' feel; "we wanted to make this title something that pulled from the best of our previous racing games." CrossWorlds, he says, borrows from All-Star Racing's broad selection of Sega characters, "so it's not just a Sonic universe game." But more than just providing a wide roster for the sake of it, Iizuka says that they've also been included "to make sure people are playing this game for a long time – not just playing it when it comes out, having fun, and that being it." "Really, we need to support [it] and make sure people are having fun and getting a fresh experience for as long as possible." To help with that, he drops a reminder about the Season Pass, which will help provide new content "for one year after the game launches," adding new things to the game "continually." Minecraft will be the first of those big drops, but Iizuka says that "as the year progresses, we'll have new characters coming into the race, new courses that the team is developing that will make it into the game, to make sure we have that long-time experience, and a lot of fun for players that want to continue playing." It shouldn't come as a surprise that the devs want their game to be played for as long as possible, but it's the kind of thing that isn't often said as loudly as this. New characters and courses – even those being added through a paid pass – are a pretty innocent way of expanding on a racing game, and unless you can shift a Mario Kart-esque number of copies, they're probably a good way of making sure that players do stick around for the longer haul. Whether Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds can do that with Mario Kart World lurking in the background remains to be seen, but given Iizuka's recent comments about Nintendo's new racer, he does seem to be feeling pretty confident. Check out our list of the best racing games - does Hatsune Miku deserve a spot?
Digital Trends
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds has one big advantage over Mario Kart World
At this point, I'm convinced that Mario and Sonic are destined to be forever at war. The last chapter of their friendly rivalry came in 2023 when Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Sonic Superstars launched within three days of one another. We're getting a repeat of that this summer, as the hedgehog will try to outrace Mario Kart World on September 25 with Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, his latest kart racing game. That may sound like a raw deal for the blue blur, but after playing a new slice of Crossworlds at Summer Game Fest, I actually think that the guy has one big advantage over Mario's latest game: customization. Let's take it back to the starting line. Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is a new racing game that takes plenty of clear inspiration from Mario Kart. After days of playing World nonstop, I was able to pick up the controller and know exactly what every button would do without a tutorial. There's drifting, starting boosts, drafting, items that are Mario items but not, and more. As similar as that might sounds, the actual feel of driving in Crossworlds is entirely different from Mario Kart. It's all looser, with weightless cars flying through corners. It takes me some time to adjust, as it feels a bit unwieldy at first. That doesn't stop me from eventually mastering its multi-stage drifting and ring collecting hook. Recommended Videos In our last preview during its beta, we praised Crossworlds for its creative multidimensional hook. It's a feature where the track players race on seamlessly changes to another mid-race. That idea held up here, especially thanks to some excellent track design, but it's no longer the signature feature for me. Instead, I am all-in on the way Crossworlds lets players customize their playstyle — a feature that's sorely missing from Mario Kart World. In that game, players don't make a lot of decisions when starting a race. Characters don't have stats and there's a set list of pre-built cars to select, a departure from Mario Kart 8 with its full car customization. Sonic Crossworlds restores that layer of strategy to the genre in Mario Kart's absence. Each character has base stats, and cars can be tinkered with for players that want to finely tune their cars. I had just as much fun making a perfect car for Shadow, right down to the paint job, as I have exploring Mario Kart's open world. That idea goes even deeper, though. Players can create a load out of passive bonuses, which can entirely alter their play style. A few perks can be equipped at once, and that opens the door for a lot of synergy potential. In my first Grand Prix, I made a set that was entirely built around raising my speed as high as possible. I got much more creative in my second race. I decided to focus on collecting rings, trying to stay constantly maxed out. I experimented with badges that would reduce the amount of rings I lost when getting hit, one that raised my max ring count, and others that would steal rings from my opponents. I customized my car to fit that, going all in on power with Knuckles behind the wheel. That load out gave me an entirely different way to play, as races became about smashing into enemies as much as possible rather than trying to stay away from them. That feature is filling a void that Mario Kart's more streamlined approach leaves open. I welcome the extra strategic layer on top of what's still a fairly casual racing game. The driving may not be tuned to my tastes, and the items are truly just reskinned versions of Mario's tools, but it feels like I can build something here. There's plenty of unlockables to support that idea too, as the customization menus are full of items that I can buy with tickets. It's a racing game for those who want to spend just as much time in the garage as they do on the track. I think I might be the former. Sonic Racing: Crossworlds launches on September 25 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds just got a truckload of new details with a closed network test happening this month
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has a new trailer courtesy of the State of Play presentation It'll feature dynamic courses and the return of Sonic Riders' Extreme Gear A closed network test is happening later this month Sega has just dropped a whole bunch of new information on its upcoming racing game, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. The title was fully revealed at the February 12 PlayStation State of Play presentation following its initial tease at The Game Awards 2024. The trailer itself gives plenty for Sonic fans to mull over, including race tracks based on Dinosaur Jungle (Sonic and the Secret Rings) and Metal Harbor (Sonic Adventure 2). Best of all, the trailer confirmed the return of the Extreme Gear board from Sonic Riders as a usable vehicle. Now, the official Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds website has been updated with plenty of fresh details that build upon what we saw in the State of Play trailer (which you can check out for yourself below). The return of transforming land, sea and air vehicles has been confirmed, hearkening back to the days of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed. Courses also appear to be incredibly dynamic. The racer in the lead can choose one of two Travel Rings at the start of the second lap, transporting them to one of the titular Cross Worlds. There's also an option for a 'Frenzy Gate' which seems to take players to a random location. The site also confirms that cars are customizable in terms of appearance and perks, allowing you to form a look and driving style all your own. Furthermore, a PlayStation Blog post on the game states that characters won't be tied to specific cars and instead "can race in all kinds of vehicles," a first for the Sonic Racing series. If you can't wait to play Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which still doesn't have a release date, you might be in luck. A closed network test is happening on February 21 with signups going live on February 18. The closed network test will let players race online on a variety of courses. The featured playable characters are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Cream, Eggman, Omega and Zazz. However, the trailer does show off more characters that'll be coming to the game, including Sage, Jet the Hawk, Silver, Vector and Charmy. On a final note, the PlayStation Blog post does state that "iconic characters from the Sonic and Sega universes" will feature in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. That 'Sega' part is important, as it could mean we'll also see characters from franchises like Super Monkey Ball, Samba de Amigo and potentially Nights, as was the case in past Sonic Racing titles. Nintendo Switch 2 patent suggests you'll be able to use the console upside down for some reason Elden Ring Nightreign is arriving in May and you can pre-order it now Sci-fi shooter Metal Eden might be the coolest new game from the latest State of Play
