SEGA All-Stars Racing

SEGA All-Stars Racing (セガオールスターズレーシング Sega Ōru-Sutāzu Rēshingu) (retroactively referred to as SEGA All-Stars Racing 1 or All-Stars Racing) is a 1997 racing game developed by Sega AM2. It is the first of the SEGA All-Stars Racing series. The player races one of twelve SEGA characters, though only eight are available at first, in various SEGA-themed race tracks. SEGA All-Stars Racing features single-player and multiplayer game modes. During the races, offensive and speed boosting power-ups can be used to gain an advantage.
Development began after the completion of Sonic 3D Blast in 1996 and took nine months to beat the then-upcoming Mario Kart 64. Sonic Team designed the race tracks, while Sega AM2 handled implementation and programming using a custom game engine. The soundtrack was composed by Richard Jacques; with tracks comprised of original tracks, most notably "Super Sonic Racing", and remixed tracks from previous Sega titles. Sega released the game for the Saturn in late 1997, for Windows the following year.
It was praised by critics for its gameplay and graphics. A successor, SEGA All-Stars Racing Burst, was released in 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast.
== Gameplay ==
SEGA All-Stars Racing is a mascot kart racing game, similar to other games in its genre like Mario Kart, Konami Krazy Racers and Crash Team Racing. Players can choose to race as one of 12 characters from various Sega franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kidd, and Fantasy Zone. Eight characters are initially available, while the other four are secret characters that become available when the player completes certain in-game objective. Characters race through various race circuits themed on different Sega franchises and collect power-ups to boost their speed or hamper their opponents. The items have a rock-paper-scissors effect, in which certain items can be used to defend against others. Also, on occasions when players get three of one item, they can choose to fire/activate them at the same time. Additional boost can be earned by successfully executing drifts (with longer drifts earning more boost), or performing tricks while in midair. Unique to this game are special abilities (called an "All-Star Move") that characters obtain to gain an advantage in the race (such as Sonic transforming into Super Sonic), which they can obtain if they are running behind in the race. How long each All-Star move lasts depends on the character's current position.
The game features a total of 12 tracks based on locations from Sonic the Hedgehog, Shinobi, Daytona USA, OutRun, After Burner, Golden Axe, Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin, Panzer Dragoon, NiGHTS into Dreams..., and Sega Rally. Each one are separated into three cups arranged by what Sega console they debuted in. 
There are four single player modes: Grand Prix, Single Race, Missions and Time Trials, while modes for split-screen multiplayer, playable with up to 4 players, include Free Race, Arena, King of the Hill, Collect the Emeralds and Capture the Chao. The game also has customizable multiplayer options for up to 8 players online (no online support for PC version).
=== Characters ===
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing features 12 playable characters, 4 of which must be unlocked through gameplay, including the game's final boss AGES, a character created specifically for SEGA All-Stars Racing.
* Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)
* Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedghog)
* Alex Kidd (Alex Kidd in Miracle World)
* NiGHTS (NiGHTS Into Dreams...)
* Wonder Boy (Wonder Boy)
* Gillius Thunderhead (Golden Axe)
* Bonanza Bros. (Bonanza Bros)
* Jacky Bryant and Akira Yuki (Virtua Fighter)
* Joe Musashi (Shinobi)
* Opa-Opa (Fantasy Zone)
* Jean-Luc (Panzer Dragoon)
* Candy (Fighting Vipers)
* AGES (SEGA All-Stars Racing)
== Development ==
After the completion of Sonic 3D Blast in 1996, Sega chose to make a brand new racing game. Initially it would have been pitched as a Sonic-focused racing game, but after some time it was later revised into a Sega-based racing game instead. It was first publicly announced as "Phase Two of Project Sonic" (with "Phase One" being Sonic Jam). 
Sonic Team designed the race tracks while SEGA AM 2 handled the game's general flow, the implementation of the tracks and programming. Each track was inspired by levels from previous Sega games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Alex Kidd. 
An early build was unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Atlanta, Georgia in June 1997, with Sega releasing screenshots of a "40% complete build" to various magazines shortly afterwards. The build would be largely the same as the final game, with the exception of minor tweaks, such as an early version of the game's final track, Race of AGES. The game's final release would be first in North America on 18 November 1997, with releases in other regions occurring in late 1997 for the Sega Saturn, and into 1998 for the PC version.
=== Music ===
The soundtrack for the game consists of various old and new tracks from the various Sonic and Sega franchises, though it also features original songs by various artists including Richard Jacques. Each course starts with one track, with more being unlocked as players earn Sega Miles. Richard had also previously worked on the soundtrack of the Sega Saturn and PC versions of Sonic 3D Blast, along with. Work on the soundtrack began in March 1997 when Jacques traveled to Japan to meet with Sonic creator Yuji Naka to discuss the musical approach to take for the game. 
The first song written was it's main theme, "Super Sonic Racing", which would be used for the game's reveal in June at E3. British singer TJ Davis provided the vocals for the song, which Naka liked so much that he requested that she be featured in both of the game's original songs. Jacques wrote all the lyrics for the songs with the intention that they would complement the on-screen action but still be appealing to someone who had never played the game. Tracks were recorded and programmed at Sega Digital Studios, and then worked on for two weeks at Metropolis Studios in London, where a week was spent on vocals, and a week was spent on producing, mixing, and finalizing the vocal tracks, while Takenobu Mitsuyoshi was brought on to remix tracks from the other Sega franchises for the rest of the game's tracks. An official soundtrack CD was released on 21 January 1998.
Category:SEGA games
Category:Crossovers
Category:Racing Games
Category:What-Ifs?