SEGA All-Stars Racing Burst

SEGA All-Stars Racing Burst (セガオールスターズレーシング加速 Sega Ōru-Sutāzu Rēshingu Kasoku lit. SEGA All-Stars Racing Accelerated) is a 1998 racing game developed by Sega AM2. It is the second of the SEGA All-Stars Racing series. The game was a launch title for the Sega Dreamcast, and the final SEGA All-Stars Racing game released for a Sega console before the company left the home console market. Sega All-Stars Racing Burst received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the character roster and major improvements from its predecessor. It quickly became a hit game, and an enhanced port for the GameCube, SEGA All-Stars Racing Re:Burst, was released in late 2001 in Japan and early 2002 in North America and Europe; it features improved textures and additional characters.
== Gameplay ==
Like the previous game, SEGA All-Stars Racing Burst is a kart racing game in which players race against each other using over 24 characters from various Sega franchises, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Puyo Puyo and Space Channel 5. It features new mechanics and improvements from the previous game.
Several varieties of weapons have been added, including explosive hot rod engines, freezing snowballs, blowfish, and swarms of wasps that appear at the front of the pack. All-Star Moves return, though these are awarded slightly differently. During races, players can collect star tokens, found scattered around the course or earned by attacking opponents, which can be spent in a slot machine between events to earn random bonuses, such as enhanced items or faster recovery from certain weapons.
The main campaign is the Career Mode which, along with returning features such as Grand Prix, Time Attack and Single Race, mainly revolves around the World Tour mode. This mode involves going through a branching series of events, ranging from standard races to various challenges, including earning time by drifting, maneuvering through traffic or fighting against large tanks. Completing these challenges on various difficulties earn stars which are used to open up new branches and unlock new characters and tracks. The game features 24 total consisting of both new tracks inspired by games like Knuckle's Chaotix, Cyber Troopers Virtual On, Metal Head, Wonder Boy, Space Harrier and Fantasy Zone, as well as returning tracks from the previous game.
=== Characters ===
SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed features 24 characters in all major versions of the game, with 12 of the cast needing to be unlocked through gameplay. Characters in bold are indicated to be exclusive to Re: Burst
* Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)
* Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedghog)
* Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog)
* Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog)
* 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)
* Ulala (Space Channel 5)
* Pudding (Space Channel 5)
* B.D Joe (Crazy Taxi)
* Amigo (Samba de Amigo)
* Neff (Altered Beast)
* Arle Nanja and Carbuncle (Puyo Puyo)
* Space Harrier (Space Harrier)
* Bowie (Shining)
* Axel Stone (Streets of Rage)
* Ristar (Ristar)
* Segata Sanshiro
== Development ==
In response to fans requesting additional characters for the sequel, game director Masamito Shiino posted on Sega's official forums, challenging them to organize a vote to nominate characters for him to recommend to Sega. Seven characters were chosen for recommendation, including Axel Stone, Bowie, Segata Sanshiro, Vectorman, ToeJam & Earl, the Centurion, and Ristar. On January 24, 1998, Lycett confirmed that one of those characters had been approved for development, later revealed to be Bowie. ToeJam & Earl, Ristar, and Vectorman would later be added to the roster of the next title, while Axel Stone and Segata Sanshiro were added to Re: Burst.
=== SEGA All-Stars Racing Re: Burst ===
In January 2001, Sega departed the console business to be a software publisher. Sonic Adventure 2 was ported to the Nintendo GameCube as SEGA All-Stars Racing Re: Burst (セガオールスターズレーシング加速 DX Sega Ōru-Sutāzu Rēshingu Kasoku Derakkusu lit. SEGA All-Stars Racing Accelerated Deluxe) on December 20, 2001. Re: Burst has more detailed textures and additional geometry, and adds multiplayer options including new items, upgrades, and exclusive characters and a new cup. These exclusive characters include Axel Stone from Streets of Rage, Ristar from his self-titled game, and Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro, while the new cup is called the GameCube Cup, consisting of Temple Trouble from Super Monkey Ball, Rogue's Landing from the then-upcoming Skies of Arcadia, Station Square from Sonic Adventure 2, and finally Pioneer 2 from Phantasy Star Online.
In Europe, Re: Burst was marketed and distributed by Infogrames, following a deal to distribute Sega's games on the GameCube and GBA.
Category:Games
Category:SEGA games
Category:Crossovers
Category:Racing Games
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