The courses themselves are fantastic – drawing from the best of the level designs from the various games they represent. You may be shocked to note just how far-reaching the source material is – each track is based on one of the following gameworlds: Sonic (Dreamcast era, in crazy casino, flying death fortress or wild looping beachside flavors) Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Jet Set Radio Future, Samba de Amigo, Super Monkey Ball or The House of the Dead EX (called “Curien Mansion” here). That’s right – instead of simply giving you a bunch of Sonic loops, Sumo Digital actually went through the back catalog and looked for what games might provide the coolest and most interesting tracks. The result is a wildly varied set – in both atmosphere and “feel”. Some courses are heavier on airtime and tricks, others are far trickier to navigate, with plenty of hairpin turns, and still others encourage pure speed above all else, with zippers all over the tracks and gentle curves.

The bright, sunny glow of nostalgia is evident everywhere – this is a Sega love fest of the best sort. Nowhere is this more evident than in the extended roster of playable characters. Racing earns you “Sega miles” which you use to purchase the new riders. Want Alex Kidd on an adorable motorcycle? You got ‘em. Feeling the Dreamcast love after racing through the cel-shaded streets of Shibuya? Beat from Jet Grind Radio, Ulala from Space Channel 5, the mice from ChuChu Rocket, B.D. Joe from Crazy Taxi and Ryu Hazuki from Shenmue are all on sale. Fanboy value aside – they’re also powerful racers, and I found them incredibly useful in the expert grand prix.

Multiplayer play is essential in a game like this, and Sumo Digital has once again delivered. Online races are a hoot, and you can even play 4 player split screen (locally or online) for an added Mario Kart vibe. There’s also a battle mode (ripped straight from Nintendo’s racer), which, while decent, will never replace the sheer joy of blasting the crap out of toad with a turtle shell.

The graphics and music are fantastic – these are bright, big worlds with many moving parts. The first few times through Sonic’s casino loops are almost disorienting in their craziness, but it’s always clear where you need to go. Each world’s tracks are wonderfully accurate – with all the little details lovingly rendered – from the cel-shaded neon of Jet Grind’s Tokyo-To to the ghoulish castle grounds of Curien Mansion.

The audio is excellent as well – as the music faithfully recreates the atmosphere of the source material. The only aural annoyance is the obnoxious announcer, who never seems to shut up.

This is a very tight little package. The single player mode is incredibly meaty (missions and the three levels of grand prix will keep you busy for days, easily), with plenty of unlockables and goodies, and the multiplayer racing is smooth and fun as can be. It’s a win-win for gamers with kids and Sega fans alike – finally, a Sonic game that you don’t need to be 10 years old to enjoy.