Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

***Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed*** is a 2012 kart racing video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It is the sequel to *Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing* and is the fourth installment of the *Sega Superstars* series. It was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U in November 2012, for PlayStation Vita in December 2012, for Microsoft Windows in January 2013, for Nintendo 3DS in February 2013, and for iOS and Android in January 2014. The PS3 and Wii U versions of the game were released in Japan on May 15, 2014.

On 1 June 2018, the Xbox 360 version of *Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed* was made backwards-compatible on the Xbox One. Additionally, from 1 June to 15 June 2018, the game was available for free to those who had an Xbox Live Gold subscription through the "Games with Gold" program.

## Gameplay

Gameplay is similar to the game's prequel, in which players choose different settings and characters before a race. The most noticeable addition to the game is the three different modes of racing: land, sea and air. Racers' cars can now change into a plane when in the air and into a boat when on water after passing through a Transformation Gate. The Sumo Digital staff stated in some interviews before its release that *Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed* would be "proper boating, proper flying." In addition, the tracks themselves change during the race. For example, in Dragon Canyon, the bridges are destroyed by the dragons in the track's third lap, requiring changing into flight mode.

All-Star Moves return and they are collected in capsules like in *Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing*. There are new weapons, such as ice shots to freeze opponents and a baseball glove that catches an attack from behind, and giving the player that weapon. There are also seventeen new tracks, plus four favorite tracks from the previous game, similar to the retro cups in the more recent *Mario Kart* games.

Players are able to earn XP points to put towards a leveling system, which can potentially unlock vehicle mods and other items. The more XP points are collected, the better characters become on the track. Once collected enough stars from World Tour events, you can unlock Console Mods, that are found in World Tour. These mods have been chosen for characters, depending on the Console Mod unlocked.

On the loading screen before a race, there is a slot machine. Once enough All-Star Tokens are collected from previous races, players can pull the lever to try their luck. If the three slots match, a new item is obtained. The player can also win an item at the start of every lap or have an item at the beginning of the race. If not, the player does not earn anything, and can spin once more if he/she has the required number of coins. The slot machine requires five coins for a spin. The slot machine and tokens are missing from the 3DS version due to it running on a different engine.

## Stickers

Stickers are special rewards obtained after completing a certain condition in the game. Some of these Stickers also unlock Xbox 360 Achievements, PlayStation 3 and Vita Trophies and Steam Trophies/Achievements. The Wii U and 3DS versions of the game do not use an achievement system, but allows for sticker collection in the game.