Interview Reveals There’s a Story Behind It
Most everything needs to have a story, so it seems. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, apparently, will be no different.
Whereas competing fare such as Mario Kart allow players to jump right into the action, an overlooked interview conducted at E3 by Gamespot’s Homer Rabara suggests ASR will be quite different. Though asked in a roundabout fashion, the question was similar to those many in the community asked upon first sight: Why is Sonic, the purported fastest thing alive limiting himself to the confines of a car?
Though much of the video interview below will be old news to most, it is in the middle of the Q&A that will all but confirm what will distinguish ASR from other quick racers: the inclusion of some storyline. Whether that will extend to a full blown story mode cannot quite be confirmed yet, and we’ll have to wait and see what develops:
In light of this allusion, we want to know if you think a storyline is even necessary in the context of this game, and whether having one will change your perception on ASR’s overall quality and direction. Sound off in the comments section. Thanks go out to Osnic, who didn’t overlook this video and in fact sent it in via our News Tips system.
Loading ...
I think a story would be awesome, Riders had one. Though in my opinion the concept of Riders is much cooler than this one.
Gonna watch the video now and comment again later ^.^
Hi everyone! I’m 17, I’m Italian, and I am a huge fan of Sonic
. I’m following tssz from 2 years but this is my first post. Glad to meet all of you guys, this site is great!
About the game,
it seems promising…let’s hope for some good characters…also I hope that there will be the option to change veichles for the characters, Sonic would be great in a motorbike!!
Hmm….Well I would rather prefer a Riders 3. This has just now caught my attention of maybe purchasing the game
where did my post go? I said there is no sound so i can`t hear it
hmm all part of the storyline hey? Maybe Eggman does something to Sonic’s shoes, aren’t they the reason he goes so fast? Or can he just run fast…. some fan I am I can’t even remember. I’m sure there was something about the sneakers.
Or maybe the storyline is just “I wanna win at every genre so I’m gonna hav a crack at racing just for kicks.”
It would be cool it it were more Riders Zero Grav style, with an actual purpose rather than just a Sonicified Mario Kart.
hmm good so there is going to be wifi races instead of stupid wifi rankings anyway Riders is a good game but many ppl dont enjoy like they say its to hard to control the character and all and the story line to them isnt simple the storyline is actually simple and ok still waiting for Knuckles Metal Sonic and NIGHTS but anyway i am finding it surprising that Metal Sonic has made a return like not many ppl were buying Sonic Rivals series games so ya but one thing i wonder how would Metal Sonic look if he was in a game like Sonic Unleashed o.o please Sega make SU 2 for 2011 as the new anniversity of Sonic
@Tails: yes his shoes make him run fast and also prevent friction burn. well actually just the last one. Sonic can zoom at high speed with out shoes but will ripp his feet open by burning them. owch… NO! HIS SHOES MAKE HIM FAST! there,
Yeah! Storyline! Perfect! Another tyhing that will make this game better then Mario Kart. Finally Sonic comes with his own awsome racing game that is a lot better then Mario Kart!
Storyline is awsome!
And about the riders stuf. Riders is awsome! I hope Jet comes with his board in ASR!
SONIC RULES! Storyline! Cool! I’m so happy! I don’t know! I’m just so happy for this storyline thing. It’s that special but… yeah! Storyline! Incredible!
Hi people, first of all…HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
… now talking about ASR, I agree with @Mr. Werehog 
I thinkg this will be a unic game, and that will be a surprise of us all Sonic Rules!
Happy Birthday SONIC
I never had any doubt that there wouldn’t be a story line, Sonic R, Riders, and Zero Gravity all had one (haven’t played drift/drift 2 in a while so can’t remember if those had one).
As for the Sonic using a car and everything said so far I’m kinda leaning towards a Sonic Labyrinth story where Robotnik replaces Sonic’s shoes with leaded ones forcing him to move at a slower pace.
Is a storyline necessary? Not really, but I see no reason why such would detract from the overall quality of the game, so it matters not to me if S&SASR has a story.
Up until this point, I thought the most likely reason that Sonic is in a car is that it is a vehicle racing game, and while Sonic could run, just like how a Grand Prix driver could use a gun to kill the other drivers, it is against the fundamental rules of the game in question to do so.
This is to say that the question that I have read, so frequently by Sonic fans (though not in your post), “why does Sonic need a car?” is poorly phrased; Sonic does not need a car, but Sonic uses a car in a vehicle racing game as part of the rules for taking part in it.
@blueblur & TailstheHedgehog
Whether Sonic’s shoes make him run fast, prevent friction burns or both, depends on which of the many canons is being used. It’s a similar thing as to whether Sonic is from South Island or Nebraska. One should not really trouble oneself with such a matter as Sega have already flown from canons more often than David “Cannonball” Smith Sr.!
A storyline? NEAT!
@SonicLegends
Online multiplayer was already confirmed, but never said it’s on the Wii. It could be that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions have online multiplayer, and the Wii and DS versions don’t.
A story? Now THIS is interesting…
Dany992: Hehe, I forgot to say welcome to you! Welcome to the comments on TSSZ news!
And now with all the ASR stuff.I was actually really suprised when I heard about a story. The tennis game didn’t have one right?
But this will be a cool game. Much better then Mario Kart Wii if it will be as good as it looks now.
Hehe, I always campare this game with Mario Kart. It’s just that that I like that Sonic gives Mario challange for once!
A story? I’m fine with that, just no final boss with HP while fighting other players at the same time, please. >_<
@Dany992: Ciao! Come va? Hope all is well!
@me^2: I second that. For a racing game, is there really an urgent need for a storyline? My experience with racing games is as follows: One is with friends. One and one’s friends have consumed much in the way of (non)alcoholic beverages. One and one’s friends decide it will be almost too funny to play a racing game. The next hour or two are spent crashing, cursing and laughing. The end.
That interviewer is so corny.
Well, we might as well say Billy Hatcher, and Online Play is confirmed…
Hey…All you have to do to make this storyline great is make sonic and the people from jet set radio react to each other…and you got a game..
It’s probably just a racing tournament, and he’s not allowed to run.
This game doesn’t really need a big story. Just something basic and fun.
I wonder if there are cutscenes… If it is: Cool!
I can see this cutscene in the game : Sonic comes in his car & then Shadow asks “Why the hell are you in a car ?” then Sonic replys “Why the heck are you on a motorcycle ?” that would be funny to see that cutscene in the game
I can’t believe people are saying placing a storyline in this game would make it automatically superior to Mario Kart. Really? REALLY?! XD
Why exactly does a RACING GAME need some storyline? There wasn’t any explanation on why a who bunch of Mario characters raced one another or some deep story behind the participants of Gran Turismo. Most people don’t give a rat’s ass about that. It’s pointless and Sumo should concentrate more on making the game playable than injecting any plot.
A storyline i won’t mind. But please god, don’t let there be a story mode…
@Dany992: Yo. @Moururi: Why not? @Everyone else: Hellz yeah I want a story line! I just want to see how they’ll manipulate each character to interact with each other ( Sonic: Long Time No Se- *Gets punched by Nights* ) . But if I do get the game I”m gonna spend the time pissing people of online by crashing into them….. or the Super Sonic middle finger. Whatever works.
@Andrew Chantler : I’m fine thanks!
glad to hear some italian lines 
I’m fine with a Story. I don’t really care, the important thing is that the game is fun, right.
And lol, they seemed to have fun when they talk to each other.
Anyway, I don’t think this will be like Mario Kart, I hope this game isn’t alla bout items. I hate items, it’s not real racing. I prefer “Burnout”.
Just look at Mario Kart you’re 1st and yor nearly at the finish line and then someone throws a stupid shell on your ass! AND THEN YOU WON’T BE 1ST! MAYBE 3RD OR 5TH OCH WHATEVER!
That sucks…
Something that I’ve been seeing for a while since this game’s been revealed is that people are getting upset that Sonic is… in a car. Why is everyone so bent out of shape over Sonic in a car? It’s a racing game, that’s all that really needs to be known for it to make sense. For all we know, even he realizes how unfair to the rest it would be if he just smoked everyone on-foot just because he has the ability to. Then it wouldn’t be a racing game to see who’s the best, it’d just be a competition to see who was less-suckier-than-Sonic than the rest.
Plus, it’s… it’s just a game. Right? :b Don’t get me wrong, I’m as much a fan of Sonic as the next fan, but… I don’t really see a reason to get so worked up about such things as if Sonic’s in a car, or if Sonic’s slower than Mario in an olympic game. It’s just game mechanics, they’re presented merely for us to have fun with them, and they aren’t anything close to resembling a personal attack. S’just a game, y’know? So let’s just have fun with something like this, and stop getting so worked up to find out a logical reason behind why Sonic’s drivin’.
He’s done it before for Drift. He’s doing it again now. :b No big deal.
As for a story -explaining- why things are how they are… I don’t really find it necessary, given my opinion up above, but… hey, whatever they wanna do.
You don’t need a storyline for something so trivial. If you know Sonic’s character, you know he likes a challenge. There’s no challenge if he races on foot, and I’m sure that’d be cheating. Sonic’s no cheater.
If this game does have a story mode. Sumo must add Ryo (Shenmue) and Sakura Shinguji (Sakura Taisen) in the game. That would complete a fan boy’s dream.
Storyline is good and gives the game something more then just racing. That’s just cool! I want cut scenes!!!
Moururi : A story line is a story mode
I meant to say a story mode would be fine (that’s why I still like Crash Team Racing over any Mario Kart: story and boss races), but they don’t need it just to explain why Sonic’s in a car.
Saying Sonic’s shoes are the reason he goes fast is like saying Mario’s cap is the reason he jumps so high, his shoes just don’t burn, unlike his old shoes, where if he goes too fast they burn up.
Dark Prowl : Mario Kart never had a story mode & Mario Kart DS had bosses only in Mission Mode
Sonic fans aren’t mad that Sonic is a car. Sonic fans are mad that this game is coming out after ’98.
Ok, so now I guess we’ll have a reason to have Sonic driving instead of running. Sounds good to me.
@Edwin: There’s a colon after it says Mario Kart. And though MKDS is great I still love CTR much more. And the more recent Tag Team Racing was hella fun as well.
But back to ASR, I hope the story doesn’t feature another stupid/silly MacGuffin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_device#MacGuffins_and_related_matters), but knowing Sega it probably will.
@ Crazee: Nice.
@ Dark Prowl: I don’t think it’ll be a serious storyline, I think it’s just a racing tournament, and they all gotta have cars. That’s the only thing I can think of.
Looks like a nice game, nothing too special. If it has a storyline, I hope it’s worth it. The dialogue better be witty and funny, a la making fun of the fact that Sonic’s in a car and Shadow’s on a bike. Why not? If SEGA/Sumo Digital can make fun of themselves a little, then we can all have some more fun out of the experience.
Just make sure not to skimp on the controls for graphics and storyline/dialogue. We need a good game, not a good movie.
treleus : read my cutscene idea up above
I wonder what evils Dr Eggman has planned for Sonic to make him drive a car? I mean in one game he forced Sonic to wear slow down shoes.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/joystick/shortlist.php
Sonic Unleashed made it to the shortlist of the Golden Joystick awards…somehow. For a fair few categories too. Well it’s there, so vote vote vote!
I guess a story would increase the replay value a bit.
@Dany992: You’re welcome! That’s all I know in Italian! I have my colleague at work to thank!
It’s funny how they “can’t confirm Tails” while he’s on the monitor in the background.
I hate ignorant people
1 its a sega game not sonic.
2 its a racing game, sonics in a car get over it.
3. stop demending sonic this and that
story line would be great though.