Team Sonic Racing arrived on a variety of platforms last week and we have played the game pretty extensively. To put it mildly, we haven't been that impressed. The saddest thing about that feeling is we weren't expecting to feel any differently. We thought TSR would be a distinctly average game that is nowhere near the level of Mario Kart, and that's what we got. Plus, some elements of the game feel as if they were rushed in order to get TSR out before Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled takes over our lives next month.
Thankfully, we currently live in a time where a released game doesn't necessarily have to be the final product. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, games can be patched, updated, and even completely altered after they have already been played. Fingers crossed that's what Sega has planned for TSR, otherwise, the last you'll ever hear of this game will come somewhere between now and the release of the aforementioned CTR.
The first thing Sega needs to fix, and it may have already done so by the time you read this, is the game's online issues. Most games have a few kinks to work out nowadays simply because it is possible to fix those kinks after the fact. During our first few online sessions on TSR, the game would encounter an error and end the race whenever a player dropped out. Not only was that incredibly frustrating, but it appeared to be negatively affecting our online ranking. We love the ranking idea and crave for the same thing in MK, but this issue is kinda ruining it.
Onto the more long term issues now, and the lack of connection we feel to the game -- its characters and its story. We have been playing Sonic games for almost 30 years. That should mean we are filled with the same excitement for new Sonic titles as we are when a new Mario game is released. However, that is far from being the case. So, how can Sega fix that?
Simple - by forming a stronger connection to its incredibly successful history. There was once a time when Sonic games were the most popular titles on the planet. The reason franchises such as Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon continue to enjoy so much success is because all of them have found the perfect balance between old and new. Smash Bros. Ultimate features every playable character from franchise history alongside some new faces. There are currently a staggering 802 Pokémon, yet the original 151 have never been left behind.
If you have played TSR, name a track that you felt a strong connection to right from the beginning. There probably wasn't one. However, had there been a Casino Night or Chemical Plant track, they would have instantly become our favorites. Imagine racing around a track inspired by some of Sonic's most iconic levels with the original soundtracks to the levels playing in the background. We could almost guarantee that players would not only love it but would also instantly be a lot less forgiving of TSR's other misgivings.
The good news is that we don't know what DLC there will be for TSR. The bad news is that Sega hasn't mentioned whether there will be any at all. We would strongly recommend doing so. Imagine an ad dropping in a few months time for some sort of retro DLC package. The game might even sell more copies than it did upon release. Plus, those of us who already own the game will fork out a little more for the DLC.
All of the above is almost definitely wishful thinking, but if the right person reads this, you never know. Or perhaps Sega will shock us and some game-saving DLC has been the plan all along.