Summary
Takashi Iizuka, who has led, supervised, or produced most of theSonic the Hedgehogseries sinceSonic the Hedgehog 3, had some choice words forMario Kart Worldat Summer Game Fest. While gamers are barely getting their hands on the Nintendo Switch 2, it seems that theSoniclead has some interesting thoughts onMario Kart World.
Mario Kart Worldis the latest entry to the long-running kart racer, and it’s introduced a series first, adding afree roam mode toMario Kart Worldwhere players can cruise around with friends and explore at their leisure. The title also made other improvements that take advantage of the more powerful hardware the game is on, like having the capability for up to to 24 players to play. However, its exclusivity to the Nintendo Switch 2 system is something that some have objected to.
It seems that Takashi Iizuka is one of those people. TheSonicteam lead was giving a presentation at Summer Game Fest, revealingnew details aboutSonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Sega’s own upcoming kart racer. In part of an effort to distinguish between the two titles, Iizuka stated that unlike “another kart racing game,” meaningMario Kart World,Sonic Racing: CrossWorldsis a multi-platform release game, and will have online cross-platform matchmaking, ensuring that players across different systems can still play with their friends, no matter what modern console they’re playing on. This includes Nintendo Switch owners, as the game will be releasing for that platform, as well.
As Mario Kart World Reels In Its Roster, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Goes All-Out
Mario Kart 8 Deluxewas a popular hit on the original Switch for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest excitements was the inclusion of non-Mariogame characters. Link, Isabelle, the Villager, and the Inklings were all available as racers, even before the game got its Expansion Pass. However, theMario Kart Worldrosterhas gone back to beingMario-centric, at least at launch.Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, on the other hand, is doing the opposite, adding numerous racers from Sega properties, as well as those from other companies entirely. For example,Sonic Racing: CrossWorldswill let players race asPersona 5’s Joker,Like a Dragon’s Ichiban, the iconic Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, or even asMinecraft’s Steve.
Of course, a playable roster isn’t everything in a kart racing game. Players are excited to see more and learn if the game will live up to the hype in terms of actual gameplay. WithSonic Racing: CrossWorldslanding on September 25, the interest inMario Kart Worldmay have died down enough by then for theupcoming Sega gameto see a major boom in players looking for a new kart racer.
