Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (OXM rating: 7.5) didn't leave a strong mark on the weapon-centric kart-racing genre, nor was it quite as polished as its primarily influence ( Mario Kart ), but the 2010 racer did put an entertaining spin on a well-worn formula.

+ Transformation really livens up the experience, + Bigger and better tracks, plus deeper Sega references; $40 price

? Can we get an HD remake of

In the kart-racing world, Mario is the unconquered king. Some challengers (such as Crash Team Racing and Diddy Kong Racing) have come close, but ultimately, they eat the plumber's dust.

Smart designs that improve and streamline gameplay Truly overtaking Mario Kart's formula is probably impossible at this point; We're so used to its picture of what a kart racer should be that we have trouble accepting any deviations from its norm.

' Whenever Sega has released a mascot-fueled game, such as Sega Superstar Tennis, comparisons have inevitably been drawn to its Nintendo-developed counterpart. But Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is far from a poor man's Mario Kart.

Controlling the crazy vehicles feels great; Creative and varied track design that changes mid-race; Transformed vehicles feel significantly different

Certain modes and challenges are completely broken; Can feel slow at times when not boosting; Danica Patrick is out of place

Sonic gets back in the driver's seat for his stab at kart racing. How does it hold up?

+ Track design; + Slick visuals; + Great control; + Tons of content

Difficulty spikes; Motion controls feel off

Every so often you might be inclined to sit back from the hardcore "shoot this evil thing then stuff a blade up its arse in ultra-gory HD" mentality and pander to your inner child with something colourful, something that's simple to grasp and hard to master, something that, in short, won't win you...

in 1992, has slowed down significantly during its teenage years, seeing fewer releases and even fewer innovations to the original formula of power sliding, shooting items and wacky mascot races.

Sonic & All-stars Racing Transformed brings out the best in karting games.  It is able to stick up for itself and put down all those naysayers who claim every other karting game is a copycat of or not as good as Mario Kart .

Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed is not for kids. Let's just get that small caveat out of the way right here, right now. It's hard as nails and doesn't pull its punches. It's a racing game for karting purists, with three difficulty levels to choose from (four including the even harder S-class)...

The original Sonic & Allstars racing was a brilliant game that for me came out of nowhere. I assumed it would be a bad kart game but instead I got a high quality piece of software with hours of fun.

I Love this game, it takes me back to when i was younger and used to play games like diddy kong racing, Mario Kart, and so forth. This game is made with the utmost beautiful graphics and i could not stop playing until i had completed the who campaign.