Team Sonic Racing - Upcoming Sonic Racing Game

[Biggs]

Soz for the length of this post.

Prediction time for levels. Don't get mad pls.

Highly likely (little chance any of these won't make it in, in some form)

• Green Hill (or that ugly "Sand Hill" abomination from Forces, ugh)
• Chemical Plant
• Studiopolis - Mania will probably get represented and if it does then there's no doubt it'll be Studiopolis. There are only 4 original stages to choose from so it's not exactly a hard prediction to make.

Chose Green Hill and Chemical Plant because they've been reused so many times in the main games to a point where they've become staples, so it would be blasphemous for Sumo not to - they weren't in the last racing games either when thinking about it, so if anything that makes them even more likely.

Likely (like, I'm sure at least half of these will make it in)

• Casino Night - has not appeared in the ASR games and was replaced by Casino Park/Bingo Highway, so this is obviously the go to for the casino level.
• Sandopolis - covers the desert trope (of which there aren't that many in the main Sonic games thinking back...) and maybe the sp00ky track trope. Also from S&K which SEGA historically has been more comfortable acknowledging.
• Death Egg
• Twinkle Park
• Speed Highway
• City Escape
• Any ARK level - the ARK levels from SA2 constitute a good third of the game. If SA2 were to have a representative other than City Escape (which it hopefully will) I think this is the most likely choice, especially since I don't think it's been remade in an ASR game yet.
• Rooftop Run
• Planet Wisp
• Aquarium Park

I imagine these ones are pretty likely given 1) their immense popularity in their respective games or iconic status in the Sonic canon 2) they're from games that aren't, you know, Sonic '06 or Shadow; basically ones that SEGA are cool with being remembered 3) they have decent potential when converted into racetracks. Opinions that diverge slightly from this noted above next to the level. Of this list I feel City Escape and Speed Highway are almost inevitable but I can't be too sure.

Toss ups (less likely but I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see a handful to return)

• Ice Cap - ridiculously popular and should be in the "likely" category. Unfortunately a Sonic 3 stage which means it will probably get shafted. This makes me want to cry.
• Sky Sanctuary - has been remade once in ASRT, but also quite popular and SEGA seems to quite like remaking this one.
• Casinopolis - the next most popular analogue after Casino Night.
• Pyramid Cave - a reasonable analogue for Sandopolis that covers the same tropes.
• Seaside Hill - it was remade twice in the ASR games, so I feel it's no longer that likely... however it's still the most popular stage in Heroes, so who knows.
• Grand Metropolis - level is pretty much designed like a racetrack from the getgo, the moving track gimmick would no doubt be an obvious idea.
• Mystic Mansion - obviously, yet again, fulfills the sp00ky mansion theme to the T, a bit like the usual mansion level in Mario Kart.
• Dragon Road - a very unique stage, quite popular, and off the bat could work very well as a racing stage, racing around the dragons etc. Think Dragon Driftway from MK8.
• Asteroid Coaster
• Tropical Resort
• Sweet Mountain - candy themed which is a popular kart racing trope
• Windy Hill - if Sonic Lost World has to be represented which is a bit of a shot in the dark imo, it'll be this level.
• Press Garden - although Sonic Mania only has 4 original levels, its popularity may lead to two stages being represented. If that's the case then I feel Press Garden is more likely than the other two given it's a very unique level compared to Mirage Saloon and I think it's a bit too soon for an end game level like Titanic Monarch to be brought back.

Included almost all of the stages from Colours here because given its theme park aesthetics are begging for racetrack treatment and relative popularity (as well as being, you know, one of the few games since 2010 which actually has original stages) - it's just hard to decide which ones will make the cut. Heroes levels also making a significant presence due to how the previous ASR games loved Heroes levels, and understandably so given how most of them are made of long, wide paths in the original game that are similar to racetracks.

Personal wants not mentioned yet - NOT PREDICTIONS, god knows if these will happen

• Spring Yard
• Star Light
• Mystic Cave
• Launch Base (imagine racing around while the Death Egg launches off in the background, or the potential to reference Big Arm and stuff like that!!!)
• Windy Valley
• Metal Harbor
• Jungle Joyride (this would be mouth-wateringly gorgeous, and imagine a night-time version!)

Some miscellaneous predictions

Given the reference to Sonic R, I think some Sonic R levels could be making a comeback, though I don't exactly know which ones and the fact this isn't a sequel puts this somewhat in doubt.

Given this is also a completely new and separate title from the other racing games, maybe some of the levels here will be more original. Rather than taking individual levels and remaking them, there could be tracks that take some broad level archetypes and then mix in a lot of individual elements from the main series levels, ala Mario Kart. This wouldn't surprise me in the slightest, especially if this is an experiment to give Sonic his own racing game identity and create sequels. I mean, assuming there will be a sequel to this game in just a few years, after just a couple games most of the more memorable levels will have been remade, probably multiple times, and you need some original levels to flesh the game out in that case. It's not like the ASR games which had a much larger pool of worlds to build upon.

[Jango]

41 minutes ago, Polkadi said:

This game can play it safe and be boring.

Or it can literally be "Fanservice: the Game" and appeal to as many Sonic fans as possible.

Which one sounds better? Because "Fanservice: the Game" would have as many characters and tracks as they can fit in. Staying safe with content is a major detriment that I'm sure SEGA and Sonic Team are aware of.

Agreed, this game could use a good dose of fan service. It was done to a T in All-Stars Racing Transformed, and I expect no less from Sumo this time.

This is the third modern Sonic racing game (modern as in the last years, not Modern Sonic as a character...), so unless this new game changes the rules again with a unique gimmick, it's """"""kinda"""""" just another mascot racer. Which isn't bad, we need something other than Mario, BUT, giving this game a great amount of references and fan service will be the best way to avoid the fatigue. Since this is now a Sonic-only racer, SEGA is already decided to corner the target audience this time, so most buyer will be Sonic fans. Appeal to these people and give the outsiders a new look into the franchise, show them that Sonic is much more than checkered hills and factories. Put unique playable characters instead of just the obvious ones. Make Chaos 0 and Tikal playable, a badnik or a Hard Boiled Heavy, someone totally out of place like the president from Sonic Adventure 2, heck make Maria or Gerald playable. If Sonic Runners is anything to go by, Sonic Team is open to fan service. Go nuts, Sumo.

[NikoS]

(i unironically want green hill that is looking a lot more like sand hill right now to be one of the tracks)

[GentlemanX]

It could also have Mighty and/or Ray as cross promotion for Sonic Mania Plus.

I don't want to rule anyone out for now. It's important to keep expectations in check though.

[Your Vest Friend]

I don't think they'd go that far for what is effectively DLC, especially when we don't know if the release of Sonic Racing is even close to Mania Plus. 

[A sonic fan]

2 hours ago, Mayor D said:

You can expect more but you won't get it.

We know it's Sonic only.

Add onto that the two worlds rule applies.

So lets assume given it's 3D it's Modern Sonic. 

So no Boom, and likely no Classic.

2 exceptions to that, Sticks + Classic Sonic.

 

So that means, you'll likely see this.

Primary: 

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles & Eggman. 

Secondary: 

Shadow, Amy, Metal Sonic, Infinite, Chaotix.

Fillers: 

Zavoc, Chaos, Big.

Wildcards

Sticks, Classic Sonic, Super Sonic (Likely tied to Sonic, not his own character).

 

I very much doubt, unless they ignore the two worlds rule, that the roster will look any different to that. Aside from maybe Blaze and Omega. That list will likely be it. 

 

Those characters are all currently active, used in recent games, used in license deals and within the last style guide. 

 

This isn't a dream list, this isn't a I hope this will be the roster, this... if they are following the rules that they're putting on everybody, this is likely the roster.

I expect silver would definitely be in there. far more popular than big zavoc or infinite

[Badnik Mechanic]

9 minutes ago, A sonic fan said:

I expect silver would definitely be in there. far more popular than big zavoc or infinite

Yes but Zavoc and Infinite are having a big marketing push right now both via first party and this party licenses. Silver is not 

[Polkadi~☆]

7 minutes ago, Mayor D said:

Yes but Zavoc and Infinite are having a big marketing push right now both via first party and this party licenses. Silver is not 

A character's marketing push is one thing.

A character's popularity is another.

If the Q&A of the Sonic SXSW panel is anything to go by, Sonic Team are well aware of how so very popular Silver is, so it'd be silly not to include him. Stop assuming only the characters SEGA choose to push are the only ones to appear in the game when this is the chance to add any and all popular characters to gain the favour of a lot of Sonic fans.

[Badnik Mechanic]

2 minutes ago, Polkadi said:

Stop assuming only the characters SEGA choose to push are the only ones to appear in the game when this is the chance to add any and all popular characters to gain the favour of a lot of Sonic fans.

The current belief is that this is a licensed game isn't it?

So as per license agreement they'll be binded by Sega's usual rules.

[Polkadi~☆]

3 minutes ago, Mayor D said:

The current belief is that this is a licensed game isn't it?

So as per license agreement they'll be binded by Sega's usual rules.

So in that case, since SEGA knows certain characters are very popular amongst many Sonic fans, we'll expect to see those characters.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

There might be a point here...if Silver wasn't in Forces. And on top of that, makes less sense to even be in Forces over the likes of more popular characters like Blaze (Blaze coming from her dimension is a lot more plausible than Silver being here randomly given he's from a different time entirely)

If anything, the hero characters featured in Forces would have the highest chances of being the first to get in.

[Dr. Detective]

2 hours ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

There might be a point here...if Silver wasn't in Forces. And on top of that, makes less sense to even be in Forces over the likes of more popular characters like Blaze (Blaze coming from her dimension is a lot more plausible than Silver being here randomly given he's from a different time entirely)

If anything, the hero characters featured in Forces would have the highest chances of being the first to get in.

Honestly, I think both the dimension thing and the time travel thing are both equally implausible. However, that's because, to this day, I still have no idea how Blaze's dimension thing works. Even reading the Wiki and watching the game cutscenes are just telling me over and over again that it's extremely hard and circumstantial to get from to and from there. Time travel I can at least wrap my head around. Although, it's never explained HOW Silver can time travel. He doesn't have a Mephiles anymore so either he used a time machine we were never told about or he has time traveling powers himself now. If he does and they never said that, I wouldn't be surprised.

Either way, both their problems with being around are equally vexing to me. It could be fixed simply by them explaining how it works but... ... they won't.

Ever.

5 hours ago, Mayor D said:

I don't believe they will add anyone.

I think that is likely to be it.

Based on Segas behaviour and their rules, unless they break them or decide to go out of the box, e.g. a Chao racer. The roster isn't likely to be that large.

Your hypothetical roster is actually more optimistic than mine. I didn't even put the Chaotix on mine. Though, I did put Silver and Blaze there.

[Sega DogTagz]

I'd be shocked if Silver didn't make the cut in a Sonic only racer. Blaze almost gets in by default due to the severe lack of female representation. The only female shoe-in is Amy. Sticks, Blaze and Rouge almost get a free pass. 2 out of the 3 bare minimum.

 

Also, worrying about different dimensions and time travel is mute unless the game wants to have a story mode or something. Chances of that be slim IMO.

[Your Vest Friend]

4 hours ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

And on top of that, makes less sense to even be in Forces over the likes of more popular characters like Blaze

Uh, the game was very skewed to Japanese audience tastes, in which case Silver far outdoes Blaze in popularity. 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

2 minutes ago, VEDJ-F said:

Uh, the game was very skewed to Japanese audience tastes, in which case Silver far outdoes Blaze in popularity. 

Then that's all the more reason why Silver would be in the base roster.

[Eurisko]

If it's a Kart Racer why would they only throw in a a few of the expected characters i.e Sonic, Tails , Amy etc.....? That isn't going to happen. Why?

Well first of all can you imagine the vocal backlash from fans at such a lacklustre cast of characters? ,plus the critics would only compare this cast to the massive amount of characters available in Mario Kart. They know this and besides this isn't 1994 and it's not a sequel to Sonic Drift  

Secondly, look at SART and the amount of racers on that game. Why would they revert to just a base few? It makes no sense. SEGA I believe now realise that these chracters new AND old are near and dear to the fans. I mean just look at what happened at SXSW we got Mighty and Ray in a game for the first time in over 20 Years!! 

Whatever this racer turns out to be I'm betting it's gonna be stuffed chock full of characters and secret chracters from the Sonic universe and lots of other fan service. 

 

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, VEDJ-F said:

Uh, the game was very skewed to Japanese audience tastes, in which case Silver far outdoes Blaze in popularity. 

Silver wasn't doing so hot over here in the States when he first appeared either. He's more popular now but, you know, 10 years and the act of being a hedgehog kind of made that an inevitability. At least when it comes to a certain number of fans.

I still say they're both a shoe-in though. Maybe I'm jaded because growing up, I wanted to see more of the Chaotix (and Omega) but after Shadow's game  they never appeared, even in multiplayer spin-offs, but Silver and Blaze did. I didn't really care about either of them in comparison at the time because I had never played Rush and Silver was... from 06 so unlocking them in Zero Gravity, the Secret Rings party mode, and the Black Knight 2-Player mode and not seeing Espio and Charmy playable in any of those Olympics titles just made me think that Silver and Blaze were obviously more popular and thus more obvious to expect an inclusion. I've said this before but my desire to see who I wanted just made me take it out on the more popular ones who I didn't know as much or care as much about. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Shadow were fine in my eyes because I already liked and grew up with them. I like to think I'm better about that now but I still do truly believe Blaze stands more of a chance than the Chaotix do.

The fact that she wasn't in Forces stuns me. Especially after Generations. It's one of the reasons why Forces baffles me so much. They have these prequel comics that are all set to explain some stuff and then the actual game acts like it's on the same scope as those other games that totally would just throw Blaze in without an explanation.

 

[Your Vest Friend]

58 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Then that's all the more reason why Silver would be in the base roster.

No argument there. Just saying that Silver's a sensible choice when it comes to Japan. 

19 minutes ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

Silver wasn't doing so hot over here in the States when he first appeared either.

I was saying the opposite of that though. 

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, VEDJ-F said:

I was saying the opposite of that though. 

Oh you were. Well in that case I'm even more convinced he's in.  

So yeah I was totally right to feel that way. Fuck me.

[Red Hot Jack]

I personally think Sumo Digital will try their best with fanservice as they usually do. 

SEGA will probably want to rip-off Mario Kart's roster so instead of the baby versions of the characters we will get the Classic versions, plus classic characters like Mighty, Ray, hopefully Nack, maybe even Heavy King, I wouldn't mind, SEGA sure wants to make money on the Mania branch now that they've seen it's successful. Boom versions are possible too but I doubt it, I can only see Sticks being present.

[Salamander]

15 hours ago, Polkadi said:

Staying safe with content is a major detriment that I'm sure SEGA and Sonic Team are aware of.

Are they really aware of it, though?  Are they really?  Their record of the past few years has been shamelessly conservative and repetitive.  The last time Sonic Team's touch was left on a racing game, the roster that resulted showed how bafflingly out-of-touch they were, too.  I absolutely believe that Sumo Digital would be willing to ask for a more nuanced and less predictable selection of characters and settings; but I have zero confidence in Sonic Team and Sega allowing it.  They're in full retreat to the core.

[Dr. Detective]

Alright, so I'm going to stop being ridiculously depressing and realistic for a moment and allow myself to indulge in what I desire to see from this game instead of what I believe the game will actually have. I'm being too much of a prickly party pooper over something that I'm admittedly, genuinely looking forward to so...

Characters: Perhaps it will just be a collection of the 6 or 7 most popular ones like I believe but in a perfect world, my desire for a roster would look something like this -

1. Sonic
2. Tails
3. Knuckles
4. Amy
5. Eggman
6. Shadow
7. Rouge
8. Omega
9. Vector
10. Charmy
11. Espio
12. Silver
13. Blaze
14. Cream
15. Big
16. Jet
17. Wave
18. Storm
19. Metal Sonic
20. Zavok (Or the Deadly Six sharing a kart together.)

Maybe Infinite as a bonus and Orbot and Cubot or Chip as joke characters but the list above is what I desire for the most part. It's nothing too out there. It really is just the standard list of main characters within the series. I'm still reluctant to believe we'll get that but that's what I hope happens.

Stages: I can't exactly list off an accurate number of stages I want to be in the game but I will at least attempt to put forth some personal favorites.

Hang Castle is an obvious favorite of mine. I love the music in it and I refuse to shut up about how cool its aesthetic is.

I love Empire City from Unleashed but I know that if they were going to go for a city level they'd most likely pick something from Station Square or City Escape again. I'm cool with whatever. 

Eggmanland is the best and it needs to be there. Driving past all those glowing, glorious Eggman faces. I might die.

There's a stage based on the Death Egg already but not one based on Space Colony Ark. I'd love one based on that considering the colors of the stages pop out that wonderful blue color in a way that makes me feel nostalgic and happy without really doing a whole much. Plus, driving through Artificial Chaos sounds like fun. 

I'd also, honestly, suggest the Black Comet but SEGA clearly wants that game forgotten. Even more so than Sonic 06 (though maybe that's only because they know 06 can't be forgotten). 

Egg Fleet and Final Fortress have already been represented but I wouldn't mind seeing it again if it meant I could drive cars off the top of one of the fishy ships, fall a ludichris amount from the sky, and land on another ship below to continue the coarse. That shit sounds like too much fun.

Also, despite the heavy disappointment I've had from Forces and how much I made fun of "City" in the last post, that concept art of Sonic standing in a burning city with a giant Death Egg Robot staring with a glowing red eye fills me with so much desire and hype even still. Even after the bloody fucking game came out, I still look at that picture and imagine something entirely different than the game we got. I wouldn't mind seeing a stage where we got to drive through that.

Really, any stage other than Green Hill or Seaside Hill (which I still love) would be fine. I wouldn't even mind it if Casino Park came back. A Chemical Plant zone is more likely to happen too but I wouldn't be as bothered by it since we've actually never had a race track based on that one yet. The instant we do, though, I'll want it gone.

How about we make a deal SEGA? I'll allow you to force Sumo Digital to include Chemical Plant if you leave all that Green/Seaside/Windy/Looking-More-Like-Sand Hills out of the game? Please?

[Red Hot Jack]

SEGA really likes to use their new characters, or recently introduced/used (see Mario & Sonic Rio), so you should definitely expect Sticks, Classic Sonic, Zavok, Zazz, Infinite, and even Mighty and Ray, and I say Nack too because he was heavily requested for ASRT, appeared in Mania recently and was part of Sonic Drift 2, I'm expecting nods to that game too.

[Eurisko]

13 minutes ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

 

Hang Castle is an obvious favorite of mine. I love the music in it and I refuse to shut up about how cool its aesthetic is.

 

Nice to see someone giving Hang Castle some love. It's a brilliantly designed stage with a a great look and great music. Always felt very Addams Family to me , beats Pumpkin Hill anyday in my book.

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, Jack the Maniac said:

SEGA really likes to use their new characters, or recently introduced/used (see Mario & Sonic Rio), so you should definitely expect Sticks, Classic Sonic, Zavok, Zazz, Infinite, and even Mighty and Ray, and I say Nack too because he was heavily requested for ASRT, appeared in Mania recently and was part of Sonic Drift 2, I'm expecting nods to that game too.

Sticks and Classic Sonic, sure. Zavok, I have on there. I was hesitant on Infinite because (for some reason) the image of him being in a kart makes me laugh. Admittedly, that's not a good reason but it's there.

Mighty and Ray isn't going to happen though. I'm confident about that.