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[VGEsoterica]

If you think "kart racing video game" one series is obviously going to come to everyone's minds...Club Kart: European Session from Sega on the NAOMI arcade board!

haha but seriously...everyone is going to say Mario Kart. The genre is synonymous with one series and it's from Nintendo. But that didn't stop Sega from stepping up to the plate and taking a swing at glory...and they basically hit a home run on their first at bat.

The Sega universe is rife with series to take from to create an awesome universe to have a kart racing game take place in and Sega took all that history and lineage and rolled it all up into a neat kart racing package. Awesome handling, great physics, intense racing...and most importantly FUN! Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing is every bit as FUN as Mario Kart is when you have friends sitting around you racing against. (with a few drinks. Always need drinks)

Sure Sonic has been very hit or miss in the platform arena lately (more misses than hits) but in the kart racing genre? It might be Sonic's most successful series at this point in Sega's lineage.

But that got me thinking GAF...what other "we can do it too" games made entries in different genre's popularized by ONE company and succeeded? Kart racing is easy...you have stuff like Diddy Kong Racing, Crash Team Racing, etc etc...but lmk those other games you can think of that made "me too-ism" work for them

 

[ACESHIGH]

Sega all star racing transformed is the goat kart racer the way I see it.

 

[AV]

CTR was better than Mario Kart, I'll say it. Better than MK8? Maybe not.

All-Star Racing Transformed was really cool at the time too.

 

[Punished Miku]

Yep, it's amazing. Bought it for XSS as it's backwards compat. Nearly maxed it out back in the day. The combination of insane multi-drifts, plus boat, plus technical flight, plus all the Sega fan service is pretty insane.

 

[VGEsoterica]

Yep, it's amazing. Bought it for XSS as it's backwards compat. Nearly maxed it out back in the day. The combination of insane multi-drifts, plus boat, plus technical flight, plus all the Sega fan service is pretty insane.

The fan service was the best part

 

[skybaby]

Sega all star racing transformed is the goat kart racer the way I see it.

I'll miss sumo digital forever

 

[NeverYouMind]

I was bummed when all that Sega fanservice was tossed out the window with Team Sonic Racing. I did not even play the Sonic characters in All-Stars and Transformed and found most of the Sonic tracks mediocre. I would not mind another one like those two from Sumo Digital.

The next best kart racer for me is Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. It is too bad it is filled to the brim with microtransaction elements because I find Mario Kart to handle sloppy and the power ups to be far too obnoxious.

 

[Kataploom]

Sega all star racing transformed is the goat kart racer the way I see it.

It's my favorite kart game by far, less random unfair shit against winning players, which I hate from Mario kart series

 

[NeverYouMind]

As far as copying formulas, I have seen some impressive Legend of Zelda clones. Love the PC-Engine exclusive Neutopia duology myself.

 

[Saber]

For what is worth, Sonic All Star Racing 1 is a pretty solid and fun game. It has recycled of sounds sure and some itens could use a better design, but most of stages are pretty good to play and their visuals are charming. It has its own take on the karting genre, being the All-Star move. Its one my favoritle titles for X360.

 

[DaGwaphics]

Sega all star racing transformed is the goat kart racer the way I see it.

One of my favorites too. A must own if you have a series system, the fps boost really smooths it out.

 

[kunonabi]

Problem with the Sonic racers is they weren't casual friendly. If people don't know the mechanics or shortcuts then they have 0 shot at winning. This is fine for playing other people online who own the game but for a casual session with friends who dont it's just a bloodbath. Which isn't to say Mario Kart's BS isn't massively annoying in recent games but there has to be some sort of balance.

 

[AJUMP23]

Good game, but I am a Mario Kart fan. But it was a smart move by Sega to make a Kart racer.

 

[ACESHIGH]

Is there a Mario kart game with a robust campaign like CRT Diddy Kong racing or Sonic? The ones I played were pretty bare bones

 

[The Stig]

theyre both good games but I cant take the rubberbanding.

 

[RoboFu]

The first two all star racing games were awesome but some how they completely f up team racing. The track design was just nowhere as good.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Sega all star racing transformed is the goat kart racer the way I see it.

It’s definitely up there. Godly OST as well.

 

[diffusionx]

Transformed is probably the best kart racer ever. Gameplay, single player modes, track design, fan service, it’s just top notch.

 

[I Love Rock 'n' Roll]

I loved it on my hacked PS Vita!

 

[Patrick S.]

Fortnite was probably about to be shut down before it copied PUBG and its Battle Royale mode.

Saints Row is basically the only series of „GTA clones“ that went anywhere.

 

[NeverYouMind]

theyre both good games but I cant take the rubberbanding.

You can turn that off in the options menu...

 

[The Stig]

You can turn that off in the options menu...

wait........... WHAT?!

 

[The Stig]

can you turn it off in transformed? cant find the option

 

[Holammer]

Many prefer Transformed, but the first game in the series is still my favorite.
Always figured it would be better to make a cart game and to focus more on the Sonic Universe, then they did Team Sonic Racing... Oh boy.

Need a team of scientists to dissect that road kill, to figure out what went wrong.

 

[VGEsoterica]

Many prefer Transformed, but the first game in the series is still my favorite.
Always figured it would be better to make a cart game and to focus more on the Sonic Universe, then they did Team Sonic Racing... Oh boy.

Need a team of scientists to dissect that road kill, to figure out what went wrong.

Classic Sonic curse. They keep making games and somehow they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

 

[NeverYouMind]

can you turn it off in transformed? cant find the option

I checked and oddly it is exclusive to the first. Sorry for misleading you. I knew at least one of them had it but could not remember which one I used it in. Strange that a sequel would remove such an amazing feature.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Fortnite was probably about to be shut down before it copied PUBG and its Battle Royale mode.

Saints Row is basically the only series of „GTA clones“ that went anywhere.

Sleeping Dogs should have. It was so good.

 

[SegaShack]

Good times with these and the devs would take feedback and ideas on the official sega message-boards while the game was in development.

It was great to see Sega make levels and characters for series that were deep cuts.

 

[Banjo64]

Got to say I loved playing through Diddy Kong Racing DS back in the day. Never owned it on N64. Just a very pleasant campaign to go through.

 

[Banjo64]

Sega all star racing transformed is the goat kart racer the way I see it.

£3.74 on Xbox right now, tempted to pick it up. Only played the first couple of races on Vita and then dropped it.

 

[Xane]

Best Sonic game, hands down.

 

[VGEsoterica]

£3.74 on Xbox right now, tempted to pick it up. Only played the first couple of races on Vita and then dropped it.

for that price you should 100% pick it up. Whats to lose?

 

[Unknown?]

I always liked Modnation Racers, it was my favorite of the Mario Kart clones and so easy to build tracks unlike LBP. However it wasn't that successful and the LBP Karting spiritual successor wasn't nearly as good.

 

[22:22:22]

I loved Extreme G on the N64 as a preteen

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

Konami should release Goemon Kart.

 

[64bitmodels]

Racing Transformed is an amazing game and is probably the top 3 kart racers of all time. CTR is a masterpiece in fun gameplay as well...

Honestly I wish people would look beyond Mario Kart for kart racing, it's honestly not all that in comparison to a lot of competitors on the market.... well, besides DS, 64 and Wii of course

Wish more people would mention SRB2Kart as well, it's the most chaotic kart racer on the market. It's really really janky (in a good way)

 

[VGEsoterica]

Konami should release Goemon Kart.

I’d buy that. Just call it Konami Kart

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I’d buy that. Just call it Konami Kart

Goemon and Ebisumaru should have been in Super Smash Brothers.

 

[VGEsoterica]

Goemon and Ebisumaru should have been in Super Smash Brothers.

So many options

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

I loved Extreme G on the N64 as a preteen

That game had no business looking as good as it did either

 

[VGEsoterica]

That game had no business looking as good as it did either

Your username. Genius

 

[Elysion]

Not only did Crash Bandicoot get his own cart racer, he even got his own Mario Party inspired party game, Crash Bash:

But the most blatant ‚me too‘ game has to be Sony‘s Playstation All-Stars:

 

[diffusionx]

Konami should release Goemon Kart.

Krazy Racers on GBA was a pan-Konami kart racer.

 

[Pegasus Actual]

Doom -> Rise of the Triad, Duke Nukem 3D

Quake -> Unreal

Mario -> Sonic

Street Fighter 2 -> Mortal Kombat