Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: Bonus Edition

Game review by Mark Raby, Common Sense Media
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: Bonus Edition Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 9+

SEGA stars come to the track to race and wreak silly havoc.

Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii U, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Windows, Xbox 360 2012
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 5 reviews

Kids say

age 8+

Based on 9 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: Bonus Edition is a racing game in which players can choose to race as one of several characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise. There is a story mode in which players race through all of the courses to prove their mettle as a star racer, but the main mode in the game is just freestyle racing. The game is best when played with friends. There are some cartoon-themed items that allow players to "attack" one another during races, but this is presented in a very whimsical fashion. There is also one level in which spider creatures emit green fluids when hit; and the word "damn" appears in the dialogue.

Community Reviews

nuenjins
nuenjins Adult
January 15, 2018
age 12+

Gimmicky racer is ok, but more jarring and not as kid friendly as it's predecessor.

As a sequel game, this offering is not as friendly to younger players as it has more of a leaning curve than the original, more so than just an average Kart style racing game. Each vehicle has 3 different modes of car, aircraft and boat perspectively that take place after passing through a certain ring causing the transformation to trigger. The boat and car are not as jarring but the aircraft changes the controls a bit with the up and down pitching making for an added dynamic from the simple right, left racing controls of the boat and car versions. This does NOT ruin the game, but perhaps bumps the age of playability up some compared to a more simple, straightforward cart racer. Depending on your preference, the constant 'changes' can either break up the monotony or ruin the pace of each race. this feature also causes a player to fall behind if they fail to pass through the ring in aircraft mode, making your vehicle reset further back and most likely losing your current position in the race. This weapons based battle racer is otherwise average and up to snuff for the genre, but this feature will either make or break your tolerance of the game. The fact that there was never a follow up game to this one may very well attest to the overall theme versus age appropriate playability of the game in general. As a family that has had younger kids from 8 to 13 years of age at the time, this was probably one of our least favorite and forgettable racers that we ever owned, even recommending the original version over this one. Or, for that matter, for anyone NOT owning a Nintendo to check out the 'non kinect' version of Joy Ride or the more realistic Blur which are both multiplayer, split screen racers in the 'cart' style playability theme.
ChrisH.
ChrisH. Adult
November 25, 2014
age 13+

This title has:

Easy to play/use
See all 5 parent reviews

What’s It About?

SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED: BONUS EDITION is a racing game featuring iconic video game mascot Sonic the Hedgehog and several of his friends -- and enemies. Players race through a series of long, winding race tracks filled with twists and turns. In the Wii U version, they can keep track of where they are on the course by looking at the map on the GamePad. There is also a multiplayer mode where one player uses the GamePad and everyone else uses regular controllers. Players can choose to participate in freestyle races, or work their way through a story mode in which they compete to win races against computer-controlled opponents on every one of the race tracks.

Is It Any Good?

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: Bonus Edition is a fun extension to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Anyone familiar with the series will notice that the race tracks are all very representative of typical "Sonic" environments, paying homage to various games throughout the franchise's history. The tracks are all very well designed, with some that are essentially basic loops while others have challenging series of twists and turns. The use of the GamePad controller on the Wii U is also well executed, giving players the change to have two different perspectives on the race, and also allowing up to five players in multiplayer mode (four players on a split-screen TV and one player on the GamePad). The single-player experience is somewhat lacking, but those who enjoy playing video games with friends will no doubt have a great time with this game, Sonic fan or not.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the cartoon weapons in this game. Do you think this is violent or just part of the competition?

  • If you could be the best in the world at something, what would it be and why?

  • Have you had difficulty winning any of the races? What did you do to improve?

Game Details

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