New Famitsu article for Team Sonic Racing (game description and features

[Red Hot Jack]

Quote

What is “Team Sonic Racing”?

“Team Sonic Racing” is the first title for team racing in Sonic series, in which the players can experience racing with high speed that is characteristic to the series.

Players can choose different types of characters and freely customize the racing cars with various parts. Find you own racing style with the best machine and skillful teamwork!

Team Racing System

This game’s characteristic is the team race system in which the players race for the best rank in a team. Whenever you play the game by yourself, with your friends, or compete with worldwide users through network, you will be in a team of three to reach the best team position.

Cooperation with your teammates is the key to the victory. Share the joy of victory with them!

*Conventional singles races are also available.

Co-op Skills for the Teamwork

Followings are the skills that can be executed as a team. By cooperating and using these team skills, the team will fill up the Ultimate Gauge. When this gauge is full, the Ultimate Boost, a powerful boost that speeds up all team members, can be used.

[Touch Dash/Skim Boost]: Pass by a teammate who is slowing down to give more speed!

[Line Boost/Slingshot]: Boost up by driving in a teammate’s slipstream!

[Item Box Transfer]: Transfer items with your teammates anywhere on the course!

[Rival Takedown]: Fill up the Ultimate Gauge by taking down your rivals marked with red!

[Ultimate Boost]: Strong boost for the player and the teammates!

Characters

Many characters from Sonic series will be playable. This time we introduce the characters from Team Sonic, Team Dark and Team Rose. The three characters for a team can be chosen freely, so players can combine any types together.

 [Team Sonic]

Speed Type: Sonic

Power Type: Knuckles

Technique Type: Tails

 [Team Dark]

Speed Type: Shadow

Power Type: Omega

Technique Type: Rouge

 [Team Rose]

Speed Type: Amy

Power Type: Big

Technique Type: Chao

Racing Car Types & Customization

There will be three types of racing cars according to the selected characters. The machines’ appearance and functions can be customized with parts unlocked by playing the game. Cover the weakness or power up the strength; customize the way you want!

Item: “Wisp”

“Wisp” from Sonic series will appear as items to heat up the race. Wisps obtained from item boxes on the course have different abilities: attacking the leading racer, interfering all cars of the race, a very powerful one that makes a victory from behind possible – there will be 14 Wisp types in total.

Various Game Modes

The game will have many offline modes that can be enjoyed even when playing alone. Please look forward to further information.

[Team Adventure Mode] Enjoy the story mode with a brand new scenario. Also for local multiplayer.

[Grand Prix Mode] Compete to be the best team through 4 courses.

[Exhibition Mode] Customize the rules and settings for the race freely.

[Time Trial] Beat your own best time.

[Challenge Mode] Online Multiplayer with up to 12 players with different rules.

Various Racing Courses

Starting with Wisp Circuit that was introduced, the game will include many courses inspired from stages of Sonic series but also unique courses.

New information includes:

> Team Rose (revealed on Sonic's birthday)

> Vehicles Customization as unlockables

> Grand Prix Mode (4 races cup)

> Free Team creation

> Unique courses not from the past

> Conventional races are also available

I hope the latter isn't a mistranslation.

https://www.famitsu.com/news/201806/27159804.html

[Salamander]

1 hour ago, Drifting Jack said:

The three characters for a team can be chosen freely, so players can combine any types together.

People have been quite concerned about this, so it's good to have it down in black and white.

[Dr. Detective]

1 hour ago, FFWF said:

People have been quite concerned about this, so it's good to have it down in black and white.

Aaron Webber said that was possible in one of the interviews this site had a while back I think. Though to be fair, he did say not to quote him because there was a chance they might have changed it. If this is all true, it looks like they haven't.

The thing I'm actually zeroing in on is this though.

Quote

*Conventional singles races are also available.

Does this mean what I think it means...?!

[Alex2Beta]

I honestly look forward to this game, even if it's a SUMO racer with only Sonic characters and l'm also optimistic about the team mechanics and stuff, but I really hope that part about "Conventional singles races" isn't talking about offline play with CPU team mates and it actually means a race mode without teams period - if so, then HELL YES.

[Shaun Shikeishuu]

Being able to choose who you want for your team is great. And single races is even greater if true.

[RedFox99]

I'm really hoping that we can get more character confirmations soon.

[blueblur98]

>customizable teams

YES.

>traditional racing

YES!

[jgcatindig]

well, time to form the Archie v Rivals squads!

 

Amy, Sonic, Tails v Shadow, Knuckles, Silver(pls.)

[Kittea]

All this info is good news if true especially the custom teams and conventional racing mode ^^ What I'm hoping for is DLC characters ^^ 

If we were to get extra characters I wonder if they'd be added as new teams or just one character at a time? If they were to add them as teams them aside from the obvious choice of the Babylon Rogues and Eggman + Metal Sonic + maybe Zavok or Chaos (couldn't really think of a decent 3rd option) which other characters would make a good team?

I bet Cream is just the flag waver or something lol

[Roger_van_der_weide]

Oh hey, finally some good news. Several of them.
And I guess the customization explains why some cars look generic.

[jgcatindig]

2 hours ago, Shiroi said:

I bet Cream is just the flag waver or something lol

I don't see a flag bearer pod anywhere in the demo footage... 

2 hours ago, Shiroi said:

All this info is good news if true especially the custom teams and conventional racing mode ^^ What I'm hoping for is DLC characters ^^ 

If we were to get extra characters I wonder if they'd be added as new teams or just one character at a time? If they were to add them as teams them aside from the obvious choice of the Babylon Rogues and Eggman + Metal Sonic + maybe Zavok or Chaos (couldn't really think of a decent 3rd option) which other characters would make a good team?

...Infinite sits in a corner yelling "I'm.  Not.  Sloooooow!!!  Raaaaagh! "

[Jango]

I'll believe it when I see it. This article is either mistranslated or the PR team at E3 don't know the game they're supposed to be advertising :V

[Red Hot Jack]

25 minutes ago, Jango said:

I'll believe it when I see it. This article is either mistranslated or the PR team at E3 don't know the game they're supposed to be advertising :V

I think that Sega rep was told only what was announced honestly. I think Iizuka confirmed those features in other interviews too.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

31 minutes ago, Jango said:

I'll believe it when I see it. This article is either mistranslated or the PR team at E3 don't know the game they're supposed to be advertising :V

Where's the logic in that? Because there's good news? I mean, it would make less sense for those features to not be included anyway.

[Red Hot Jack]

5 minutes ago, Jovahexeon Pirate Ridley said:

Where's the logic in that? Because there's good news? I mean, it would make less sense for those features to not be included anyway.

Eh, people in general don't have much faith, even if it's Sumo in this case, it's hard to believe good news or hope sometimes. Not my personal mindset, but I can understand.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

7 minutes ago, Drifting Jack said:

Eh, people in general don't have much faith, even if it's Sumo in this case, it's hard to believe good news or hope sometimes. Not my personal mindset, but I can understand.

Having lack of faith is one thing, but stretching to the point of trying to claim mis-translation on confirmation of things is a bit lousy.

I can get some worries about it possibly being a slight mis-translation, but trying to claim this must be a mis-translation is pushing it into silliness. I mean, if it is a mis-translation then, one must wonder what the similar connotation would actually mean. A deconfirmation?

And trying to claim the PR time are unintentionally lying to the point where they don't know what game they're selling is ludicrous. There's no way they'd give definitive answers like the ones they've given if they didn't know. That's borderline conspiracy talk.

[RedFox99]

1 hour ago, Jango said:

I'll believe it when I see it. This article is either mistranslated or the PR team at E3 don't know the game they're supposed to be advertising :V

Seems like a jump to conclusion, don't you think? 

[jgcatindig]

@Jovahexeon Pirate Ridley

@Drifting Jack 

Probably a case of too good to be true. Not that I can blame some people.

[expansivelovestories]

22 hours ago, Alex2Beta said:

I honestly look forward to this game, even if it's a SUMO racer with only Sonic characters and l'm also optimistic about the team mechanics and stuff, but I really hope that part about "Conventional singles races" isn't talking about offline play with CPU team mates and it actually means a race mode without teams period - if so, then HELL YES.

It does seem that it will be an excellent game as many had been hoping!  And, there is some chance of a sequel, maybe for the 30th anniversary!   That is to say, any ideas and characters, also zones/tracks, that are not included in this one may still have a chance to appear in just a few years!

[Ajavalo]

I'm thinking this is gonna be an unpopular opinion, but I don't see and have never seen what's the point of everyone asking for the option to do solo races.

If they allowed individual racing in the main game mode or modes (which I suppose won't be the case), that would defeat the whole point of this game's existence.

And, in non-main game modes such as exhibition and maybe Time Attack, I've always viewed the option as unnecesary because you CAN race solo whenever you want:  you just ignore your AI teammates and gas ahead; the results screen shows the positions, so you will know if you've been first. Having a dedicated option is nice, but nothing to make a big fuss about, IMHO.

Something I would want to get addressed is whether you will be able to choose the "competence" of the AI teammates, it makes more sense.

[Jango]

5 hours ago, Jovahexeon Pirate Ridley said:

Where's the logic in that? Because there's good news? I mean, it would make less sense for those features to not be included anyway.

The simple logic of seeing believing. 

[RedFox99]

55 minutes ago, Jango said:

The simple logic of seeing believing. 

Well, the issue is that your assuming that good news regarding a Modern sonic game is an error rather than being neutral about.

[Tracker_TD]

5 hours ago, Ajavalo said:

I'm thinking this is gonna be an unpopular opinion, but I don't see and have never seen what's the point of everyone asking for the option to do solo races.

If they allowed individual racing in the main game mode or modes (which I suppose won't be the case), that would defeat the whole point of this game's existence.

And, in non-main game modes such as exhibition and maybe Time Attack, I've always viewed the option as unnecesary because you CAN race solo whenever you want:  you just ignore your AI teammates and gas ahead; the results screen shows the positions, so you will know if you've been first. Having a dedicated option is nice, but nothing to make a big fuss about, IMHO.

Something I would want to get addressed is whether you will be able to choose the "competence" of the AI teammates, it makes more sense.

You can ignore the teams, but even if you get first place you can get dragged down in the rankings by the potentially shit performance of your teammates. Hence wanting solo driving. 

I also don't see why there'd be a setting for AI teammate competence, because who on earth wouldn't just said that thing to "really competent?" 

[Mad Convoy]

45 minutes ago, Tracker_TD said:

I also don't see why there'd be a setting for AI teammate competence, because who on earth wouldn't just said that thing to "really competent?" 

To be fair, I love doing crappy car challenges in Mario Kart, where I find the worst combinations of character and customizations I can think of then try to win a grand prix with them. It lets me have a laugh trying the more pointless/terrible options and the replay videos are comedy gold in their own right (plus it is satisfying to own a bunch of 150cc CPUs with a crapmobile).

I appreciate the option at least as I may want to attempt something similar in TSR at some point, though I agree that most people are only going to go for really competent.

---
Hey, this article has addressed most of my concerns. I'm glad that there's conventional kart racing as an option-- I overall like the team gameplay mechanic, but it is far from perfect so I like having a more tried and true option to go to if online team racing has kept giving me annoying teammates or something. (No seriously, I wanna run a timer to see how long it takes for me to find a troll that just sits at the start line knowing that they're dragging the whole team down. With how the team racing mechanic is structured, I've no doubt its gonna happen at least sometimes online.)

Also playable Omega! Not new news, I know, but still... I like being able to play as Omega! (Though if "WORTHLESS CONSUMER MODELS." is not in his banter options at all, I will be very disappointed. :V)

And ooh, story mode. Here's hoping its good this time around-- if Sonic Riders can have a good comedic story in 2006, this game can too.

[Ajavalo]

14 hours ago, Tracker_TD said:

You can ignore the teams, but even if you get first place you can get dragged down in the rankings by the potentially shit performance of your teammates. Hence wanting solo driving.

Well, since I rarely ever pay attention to rankings, I had completely forgotten about them *facepalm*. I'm going to create a new topic for this matter, because nobody has AFAIK yet talked about how will time attacks and online rankings be handled to accomodate the team aspect!

13 hours ago, Mad Convoy said:

To be fair, I love doing crappy car challenges in Mario Kart, where I find the worst combinations of character and customizations I can think of then try to win a grand prix with them. It lets me have a laugh trying the more pointless/terrible options and the replay videos are comedy gold in their own right (plus it is satisfying to own a bunch of 150cc CPUs with a crapmobile).

I appreciate the option at least as I may want to attempt something similar in TSR at some point, though I agree that most people are only going to go for really competent.

(Also responding to Tracker)

The thing about AI "competence" would be a similar matter to the one above: adapting difficulty settings to the team aspect. I'm going to add this to the new topic.