Ulala confirmed for All-Stars Racing Transformed, plus more screens and a new trailer!

What a day it has been for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed reveals! First we learned about Sky Sanctuary being a track, then a batch of new screens release confirming the return of Ulala to the racer roster as well as what appears to be a The House of the Dead Curien Mansion track. Also, a new trailer entitled “Ways to Race” shows off the many game modes including world tour, multiplayer and missions, as well as our first look at what I assume is the Shinobi track. Great news for The House of the Dead fans: the franchise is also represented as a battle arena. Also, Sonic’s Starlight Carnival, Jet Set Radio and After Burner will have their own arenas.

After the break, screens featuring Ulala and the NiGHTS track!

American Wii U owners get All-Stars Transformed two days early

Panzer Dragoon stage concept art

For anyone who is picking up a Wii U on November 18th, you’ve now got Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed to look forward to come launch day! SEGA has apparently decided to launch the Wii U version of the game two days ahead of the other releases in order to make the Wii U’s launch.

The Wii U version of the game will feature exclusive features including a rear view mirror on the Wii U pad, the ability to stream the game to the controller, and exclusive mini games and multiplayer modes such as a Monkey Ball mini game and a British Bulldog style multiplayer mode. For more information on the game, please check out our interview in the Sonic Talk podcast.

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Sonic joins Wii U launch line-up and more Transformed news!

SEGA has confirmed that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has joined the European launch line-up of the Wii U, due for release on November 30th. Given that the game is launching at the low price of $40/33£, it will be one of the lowest priced Wii U titles at launch. Also, SEGA has confirmed that the Wii U version will have a Bonus/Limited Edition just as the other versions do. Above you’ll see a new preview video for the game running on Wii U hardware. Note the awesome Toot Toot Sonic Warrior remix and Sonic’s all new All-Star Move, as revealed in yesterday’s Sonic Talk podcast.

New All-Stars Racing Transformed preview video shows off Seaside Hill on the Wii U

From the GamesRadar YouTube channel comes a preview video of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed running on the Wii U. The player notes that the frame rate isn’t the best, but at least we get a look at the new Seaside Hill track as well as the Wii U’s secondary screen. Seaside Hill, while the same location as seen in the first All-Stars Racing, has a completely new layout and is freshened up a bit thanks to the inclusion of a boating section as well as the presence of a giant mechanical squid which has tentacles that bear a striking resemblance to the boss from Sonic 2’s Oil Ocean Zone. Past interviews have also hinted at the stage having music other than the original stage music. One of the confirmed tracks being a remix of Super Sonic Racing. Meanwhile, the secondary screen shows an overhead view of the map which unfortunately distracts the player more than it assists them. Hopefully frame rate has since improved and there is an option to move the map to the television screen.

XBOX Avatars and Vita Features revealed for All-Stars Racing Transformed

More details have emerged for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, this time concerning the Playstation 3, Vita and XBOX 360 versions. Sony’s new Vita product page for the game reveals that the handheld version will support motion steering and will allow players to fire weapons and activate All-Star moves via the touchscreen. The Playstation 3 product page confirms that the game will not support 3D. As for the 360 version, the product page confirms that Avatars will return as a part of the roster and that the game will support DLC. DLC support is also confirmed on the Vita and PS3 pages. All three versions will support up to eight players online. Also of note to 360 owners, Steve Lycett has told fans that Banjo-Kazooie will not be returning. After the break, lovely screens from the 360 version!

Jet Set Radio’s Gum joins the roster of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Via Nintendo Power scans comes confirmation of another SEGA character joining the racer roster in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: Gum of Jet Set Radio. This latest reveal isn’t as exciting as, say, Vyse or Ryo in the first game. Gum has appeared in a past title in the series, SEGA Superstars Tennis, and her game already has representation by way of Beat. Having said all that, I am personally overjoyed to see Gum added to the game. “What!?” you may say, “Blasphemy! She’s taking a slot from an obscure 16-bit game or some Japanese title that nobody really knows about!”. But hear me out. For starters, the game is severely lacking in female characters, and Gum perfectly fills that role of cool gals from SEGA’s past. Secondly, if Sonic gets seven characters, and NiGHTS gets two, why can’t Jet Set Radio have a second racer? Gum herself is a very unique design, which is something you can’t say about Reala or Shadow when comparing them to other characters represented in their respective IPs. Now, I understand if this riles people up because they will now fear MeeMee of Super Monkey Ball joining the roster. But I say wait it out, we still have more than eleven reveals left. Also, Gum is awesome. Disagree? Sound off in the comments below!

Check out the Nintendo power scans here and here.

U wanna see Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Wii U screens?

SEGA has released a number of new screens for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, but this time they’re giving us some Wii U screens along with the usual 360/PS3 screens. To be honest, I see little difference between the Wii U screens and the 360 and PS3, but then again Wii U isn’t that big an upgrade so it makes sense. Anyway, enough hating on Nintendo. After the break, check out our gallery of Wii U and 360/PS3 screens!

Let’s evaluate the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed track roster, shall we?

Three months until the release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and there is still a lot we don’t know. What racers have we yet to see? How does the vehicle mod system work? Is Cream the Rabbit somewhere in the game? Thankfully, we’re not completely in the dark, as Sumo Digital and SEGA have revealed quite a bit since the game’s announcement. I thought I’d write up a short article collecting all we know of the game’s track roster. What has been announced, what has yet to be announced and what SEGA eras are getting represented? After the break, we’ll answer those questions! But not the one about Cream, sorry.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed gameplay trailer reveals After Burner track and more!

Today SEGA has released a brand new trailer for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and it’s a must watch for any SEGA fan. Not only does the game looks pretty darn sweet, but it also confirms a few more tracks including an After Burner track named “Carrier Zone” where you race around air craft carriers, a track based on Starlight Carnival of Sonic Colours fame named “Galactic Parade” and a Samba de Amigo stage based on a movie studio named “Samba Studios”. But most exciting of all, for me, is that there is a track based on Skies of Arcadia, entitled “Rogues Landing”. Consider my timbers well and truly shivered! Names for previously revealed tracks have also been named: NiGHTS will race through “Dream Valley” and the special/bonus edition of the game will feature OutRun’s “OutRun Bay”.

See if you can spot anything I’ve missed, and after the break check out the first screen of the Seaside Hill track named “Ocean View.

Sumo Digital: We’ve revealed all the Sonic characters we’re going to reveal

Sumo Digital’s Steve Lycett shared a bit of good news (or bad news, depending on who you are) at the official SEGA forums regarding additional Sonic characters as playable racers in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Steve aka S0L said:

*Dons flameproof suit*

I don’t consider this a deconfirm, but we’ve revealed all the Sonic characters we’re going to reveal that are considered playable.

*Waits for fire to start*

This means that the playable racing roster will be containing no more than seven Sonic characters: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, Metal Sonic and Shadow. Interestingly, none of the characters are from post-2001. Also, the roster contains the complete Sonic Drift roster, a near complete Sonic Drift 2 roster (replacing Fang for Shadow) and a near complete Sonic R roster (Tails Doll, Metal Knuckles and Egg Robo are absent and Super Sonic appears as Sonic’s All-Star Move). Steve’s mention of “all the Sonic characters we’re going to reveal that are considered playable” seems to imply we might see other characters by way of NPCs, stickers and vehicle upgrades. Fingers crossed for an Omochao paint scheme. Fans of Big the Cat will notice his absence, but think of it this way: the loss of Big makes the first All-Stars Racing game all the more special.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Bonus Edition appears on Amazon

Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk have updated their product pages for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed with prices, mention of a “World Tour” mode as well as a Bonus Edition. The 360, PS3, 3DS and Vita versions are listed as being a “bonus edition” of the game, but no mention is made as to what that bonus is. Given that the games are listed as “out of stock”, and pre-orders have yet to open, don’t expect a reveal of the bonus until the game is available for pre-order. The price for the 360 and PS3 version is currently $39.99, $10 less than the first All-Stars Racing game. The Vita and 3DS versions are priced at $29.99. As for World Tour mode, this is most likely the story mode in which you island hop and unlock racers. The Wii U version has yet to appear on Amazon, but a listing for it has appeared at Game.co.uk for £49.99.

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Zavvi product description reveals new All-Stars Racing Transformed gameplay details

With the release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed just four months away, online retailers have started listing the game and revealing new tidbits within the product descriptions. Zavvi has listed the game, and treats potential buyers to a rather lengthy write up that borders on being a full on article. While the product description does not reveal new racers or tracks, it does detail the game’s many modes and expands on things mentioned in past interviews. After the break, a handy bulleted list of the info as well as the full description.

Say it ain’t Joe! Shinobi track coming to All-Stars Transformed?

Courtesy of Kori from The Website of the Dead comes a photo from the title screen of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, taken at SEGA’s Arcade during Comic Con. Kori claims that this is a yet to be announced Shinobi track, and we can definitely see the resemblance to Joe’s 16-bit adventures. Sumo Digital has said that tracks will be selected, at least in the story mode, via an world map of floating islands. Each island represents a track, and this island looks very Shinobi themed. What do you all think? Is Joe getting a track to call home?

UPDATED Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed gets a release date and a new trailer

UPDATE: A US trailer has been released, revealing a US release date of November 20th, 2012. Also, we have package art for the 360, PS3, 3DS and Vita after the break.

With Comic Con comes many announcements, and not just ones pertaining to comic books. SEGA has officially announced a release date for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Trasformed, at least for the UK: November 16th, 2012. I’d guess that this means the US release date will either fall on November 13th or November 20th. Ah yes, and that lovely trailer. No real new reveals, though it does show off a bit more of the CG intro and features Sonic and friends plus Joe Musashi, Gilius Thunderhead, Vyse and other already revealed SEGA all-stars. I do like how the Panzer Dragoon track is the setting for the intro. Enjoy the trailers and mark your calendars!

NiGHTS announced as racer and track in Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed UPDATE: Video link added

Update: Watch the Summer of Sonic video here, footage begins at 1:17:40, there is also a Q&A with Sumo Digital at 0:27:30

Update 2: DiGi Valentine tells us on Twitter that the race track areas seen in the video are: Spring Valley, Gilwings Lair and Wizeman’s boss arena.

Summer of Sonic is in full swing, and Steve Lycett of Sumo Digital took the main stage to talk about Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed. The big reveal of Steve’s presentation was that NiGHTS will feature in the game as both a racer and a track. Sonic Wrecks tweeted a few details, stating that the game will have both NiGHTS and Reala, NiGHTS rival, as racers driven by a Pian (those little chubby angels). No word yet on which NiGHTS game will feature, but I’m guessing the original as it is far more popular and is rereleasing this year. Also no word on if the NiGHTS and Reala racers take up two roster slots or if they’ll be considered alternate skins of the same racer. When we hear more, we’ll share it here. This is great news for NiGHTS fans! Details after the break.