Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Coming Sep. 25, 2025

Beta has no options menu to adjust anything. I usually fiddle with those to get a balance that I like but no options are given here. I'd wait until the final game before sweating.

 

To anyone already engaged in the BETA for CrossWorlds, we'll be given a web survey to address our critiques and positives.

I feel like it's a worth a shot to direct issues directly to them after all.

 

Get rid of pocketing monster truck at the final stretch. If you do this, you are one of Eggmans robots.

 

Played a lot last night and liked it a lot. Gameplay feels tight, stages look beautiful (better than any Sonic level has in over a decade), course design is excellent and the customization is very neat to toy with.

My only major concern is the items. Some items are barely useful (the monster truck isn't that fast or effective beyond smashing people in a congested area) while others are horribly disruptive (the shuriken is basically a blue shell but usable on any position). The visual clutter from the items really do pile up by lap three, as well, it becomes genuinely hard to see what's going on. There's just too many items being handed out too often, and they all feel horribly imbalanced.

I really hope that is the main thing people complain about in the survey because it's the one thing keeping it from being truly great. This really is almost "Mario Kart killer" tier. Just needs a good buff n' varnish.

 

The items will be my main point of feedback so I will be fighting the good fight!

 

It doubles as being able to cut through rough terrain which is where everyone busts it out. Almost every track has a spot where you can gain several positions with it. It may not be fast, but you do shut down anyone else that had the capability of overtaking.

I've been cucked out of my boost numerous times by cutting through the terrain with a boost item, only to get caught by the guy in front of me finishing his Monster Truck transformation animation and instantly smashing.

I love last place.

 

this game humbles you a lot in many ways, I've won a few races but still haven't managed to hold 1st place for all 3 laps consistently in a race lol.

the devs saw this vid and got inspired

 

Someone mention the soundtrack please during that feedback.

 

Think it's pretty late for any major soundtrack changes. I've been listening to the tracks and they scream Ohtani-esque with the fast paced piano electroballads, but the mixing feels so weird on the choirs and keys.

 

It looks like Ohtani is not involved, but would it be really too late to fix the mixing?

 

I'm shocked nobody's brought up the cool ass Motobug car.

 

I also like sage's giganto car thats not im the demo. Hope the full game has a good mix of cool cars and silly cars like this

 

It's not either of you are wrong, but rather...if the Music is mentioned IN the Survey, then it means adjusting Music to the feedback is still an option for the team. So, if it shows up at all, it's a possibility.

 

I think the music is fine, so far? Most of my problem are with final lap ones, honestly.

 

Top 7 gives you rank points. 8 and below detracts. The amount of points you get is obviously based on placement but I'm not sure what determines the actual point amount you get. Sometimes I get 17 for placing 1st. Other times I get 15. 7 fluctuates between 1 point or 0.

You want to place in the Top 4 for the most amount of points possible. Those give above 10 points. 10th place cuts 3 points. Unless you're always coming dead last back to back, you'll slowly be able rank up.

 

Can someone on the network test please ask them to replace the "Weight" graphic with the 16 ton weight from Sonic Shuffle

 

Made it to A ranks. Ain't got time to play after tonight so I'm calling it here.

I like this game a lot. I actually like it more than the Sumo games. The short tracks and high interaction levels just gives it a very addicting hook. Cleaner presentation all around. It's not the best looking game on a technical level though. There's a lot of low detail geometry and textures scattered about if you keep your eyes open. Still, this is the cleanest looking game in the series for me.

Only major beef I have is the item design right now. There's just too many items that overlap each other. Here's laser, the item that propels you forward automatically while being untouchable. And drill, the item that propels you forward automatically while untouchable. And Monster Truck, this one has a twist! YOU propel yourself forward, but you're untouchable! There's homing punch, a projectile that automatically locks on to the opponent in front of you, but there's also Slicer, a projectile that automatically locks on to the opponent in front of you. But let's spice things up with Rocket Punch, a projectile where you can also lock on to the opponent in front of you, just give it a second. There's also some items that are just too strong and appear too frequently that just causes too much disruption from the general flow. I don't think Monster Truck is even that great of an item but when 3 of them are out of the field at the same time, you can't help but feel overwhelmed.

If they tighten up the item distributorion, variety and balance on some of them, I think they got a really good shot of making racer that doesn't die week 1

 

That's as far as I'd call the music as well "fine". It could be worse but it also could be a lot better. It's funny how SEGA finally fixed the development and polish issue with their games, but the music has become more hit or miss.

The game itself is really fun. Controls are very smooth and the tracks all look really good on a big 4k TV. Really could use more defensive items but I'm sure they'll realize that when people are sending in their suggestions when the Beta ends. Could easily see myself playing this at least once or twice a week for 2 hours at a time.

 

Another thing I really like about this game is how reserved and subtle it is with nostalgia. Instead of putting Green Hill zone in the game thet put cool digital models in E Stadium. I mean maybe they will put Green Hill but its still creative Returning stages like Metal Harbour have added stuff like the big rig bronze design while still keeping to the original theme. Wonder Museum isn't just a prop showcase of SEGA, while it does have that (like the Tails plane), it focuses on dinosaurs coming to life and organically fuses in nostalgia through using the SA2 ghosts. It's an elegance and subtlety rare for Sonic.

Then there's new tracks like Rainbow Garden which are just doing their own thing. I dig it.

 

It is sort of funny seeing the complaints about this game almost mirror the launch reception to Ring Racers (including my own) - makes me wonder how I'll feel about the chaos once I get my hands on it. I can see it being something I embrace in MP and loathe in SP... as with DRRR.

Without hands-on time to get a gist of the items and whatnot, my biggest complaint from just watching the game is easily, easily the soundtrack. Moreso because of what it could be. This is probably more about my own subjective taste in music, but in game by the Initial D team, with parts of SEGA's rhythm game team involved... where's the eurobeat? Or if that's too specific, do I need to remind SEGA that they still employ the guy who did the F-Zero GX soundtrack, let alone that he worked on a Sonic game very recently? I feel like stuff like that would be way better suited to the vibe this game's going for than the piano-heavy pieces we've got at the moment - I can't remember any of the original tracks outside of Lava Cave (and even that I think would've been a cool place to put a Galaxy Force remix...), and I'm really not feeling the remixes either. This is without even mentioning the sound mixing, which is currently pretty atrocious - it feels like I'm listening to off-screen footage, when it's direct capture!

If there was any time to make the most of SEGA's incredible sound talent, this is the time - but what I'm hearing so far is simply not it. It could be that it's early stuff, but even then, I'd hope for something higher energy for a chaotic, arcade-like experience. And the choir.midi used at every turn is actively annoying, something I really want just gone entirely from the final. The final lap version of Ocean View (You Can Do Anything) is an insult to the ASRT remix it's based on.