Christian Slagle

After the disappointment THAT other kart game was, I cannot believe I was more excited for a new Sonic Racing. THIS development team truly showed how to make an interesting twist to a tried-and-true formula. I would not be surprised if this turns out to be the best racing experience with Sonic yet! Courses are fun, replay-ability is actually worth your time, customization for vehicles is off the charts (good thing Tails brought a bigger chart ;), and the interactions among the roster are endearing! Of course, this game isn't perfectly polished, but really the only MAJOR issue I have with the game is being in 10th or last place and receiving only 1 wisp item. Other "complaints" I have are only nitpicks: jukebox mode is a bit limited in customizing music; would be cool to see roster have customizable outfits; a replay mode or an online spectating mode would be really nice; and/or next racing game should add bikes (especially since many want Shadow with his Dark Rider). I'm sure I'll be enjoying this game for a LOOONG time, similar to how I enjoyed Mariokart 8 Deluxe before. As for THAT other kart game, I hope it is taking notes on how to improve its design philosophy for future installments, so that both it and Sonic can compete on even footing with each other.

No customization for the outfits is the game team's biggest mistake in the outfit category. Why are the outfits locked as full sets? Why are there games out there like Monster Hunter Wilds, Tekken 8, even Mario Strikers Battle League, which all have customizable outfits ranging from adequate to awe-inspiring? And yet Mariokart- arguably the most popular gaming franchise- has developers that cannot integrate this? What frustrates me the most is the team ditched the idea of an in-game store. That could've opened opportunities for outfit parts. Better yet, outfit parts could have been collectibles in the open world. Instead, the developers focused on "dash" food items (nothing more than a copycat of the mushroom items) and limited customization to stickers on the vehicles. In other words, the team traded "engaging fun" for "useless gimmicks." Nintendo, remind me again why this game is “worth” $80 USD… I really wanted to enjoy this game, and I really wanted to enjoy the outfits. But the fact is, this Mariokart game team ruined my main (Bowser), reduced his outfits to some lackluster options when he deserved more outfits than others (still can't believe the team's horribly biased outfit distribution among the roster), and robbed me of any way to customize the outfits to what I prefer. This alone killed my hype for this game (not to mention the plenty of other flaws not included in this review). Now I’ll be avoiding all lunch item bags at all costs. Of course, if the developers somehow managed to add outfits (that are designed well) in future updates- or better yet, give me the option to customize my outfits- my rating for this game would definitely be higher. Unfortunately, Nintendo has not been the best at communication as of late, so for now, I'm afraid my final thoughts of this game are this: This Mariokart team’s 8 years of work have only shown their incompetence with design decisions and their wastefulness of what could have- and should have- been a great mix to the franchise formula. That said, I challenge the team to prove me wrong. Make outfit customization an option, or at the very least, implement it in the next mainline Mariokart game. Post 06/25 update: Sadly, Nintendo and the developers have made their position very clear that they do not care about their audience or the people they use to voice the characters. Their stupidity- let's face it; they have handled this game very immaturely- has made me lose respect for Sato, Ishikawa, Jikumaru, and their entire team. News flash, Nintendo: Stupid and Stubborn are not a great combination to keep the reputation of a franchise alive and thriving. If something doesn't bode well with your audience, you don't place them on chokehold and shove "your" way down their throats. At least, that's not what an honorable company would do. You really are becoming Disney-in all the worst ways.

It would be 5 stars, but the fact that some modes can only be played by certain characters is an incredibly stupid design choice. Like, why is Bowser, who can fight in the Imposter Bowser boss battle, NOT included in the Koopathalon or Kaboom Squad games?!? And why can ONLY Mario or Luigi do the Paratroopa minigame? Unless the developers fix this letdown in a later update, they do not deserve the last two stars.

Aside from a couple gimmicky quests and challenges that may prove too frustrating (though probably more of a personal skill cap), this game is an indescribable life experience! GOTY easily

Nothing short of Netflix's modern magnum opus!

Not a perfect game by any means, but it is VERY gripping and rivals FFVII for its depth, worldbuilding, and music score. Was excited to watch the story unfold all the way to the end. Minor spoilers, major warning: DO NOT under any circumstances sell your equipment unless you're ABSOLUTELY sure you do not need it anymore; some items are a find one, keep one only.

Pretty solid, if speedy. I think in the end, the movie just made me feel empty. Like, the visuals and idea are there, maybe a sequel can take the time to iron a few loose ends. One big question a continuation to the story could answer is (SPOILERS!!!) What did Bowser mean when he said he suffered, and did it cause him to take a dark turn?

Probably not GOTY quality (excluding ost), but for a small team pulling off a scale this immense, this game was SOOOO much fun!! Loved the interactions between the characters; makes me hopeful we'll get more of that in the future (looking @ you, Shadow). Hope SEGA will hire more people willing to develop what seems to be a strong new variable to the Sonic formula.