Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Coming Sep. 25, 2025

The White Cave remix from the Red Bull ad was ol' foreshadowing...(https://x.com/racecrossworlds/status/1927515297772122250?s=46&t=iD8Ot2UlRarXXEvY7uvdMw)

Anyway when it comes to the elephant in the room regarding Jet's current voice actor I need to clarifiy that this is a matter of VOICE DIRECTION and not the ACTOR HIMSELF.

Micheal Yurchak as an actor could voice Jet better with adjusted voice direction. You may not like the example below but it does show that this could be improved or otherwise adjusted further to Jason Jet if ever considered by the current voice director for the series, Jack Fletcher.

Compare:




It's the same actor, the same guy. Just different direction.

You don't have to like the example, but I'm trying to showcase range here.

If the Voice Direction is a flaw to you, then I'd just suggest emailing Jack Fletcher. He has a Contact Page anyway, or maybe that's terrible advice. What do I know, point is. Voice Direction is important.

 

Probably best remix of the game, so far.

 

Wow they sure do know how to pick some... thrilling gameplay footage for these little stage teases.

White cave is a pretty cool pick though to be honest

 

In the Beta almost all the VA was absolutely atrocious. I'm hoping they will re record the dialogue.

 

I’m gonna be honest your phrasing made me think he was involved in some controversy or other.

Honeslty I don’t even have an issue with how Jet sounds here. I guess I’d prefer the more shrill take Griffith gave him but this direction and actor still very much captures Jet’s character and I imagine the original voice probably grated on a not-insignificant amount of people.

Anyway, more extreme gear gameplay, please, I don’t feel like this clip really helps us understand what the touted boost-centric gameplay is meant to be.

 

Jet's voice in Free Riders and CrossWorlds is... fine. Tbh, his voice in the 4Kids era was only really "Griffith Sonic with a cold", and the replacement VA doesn't exactly sound worlds away from that to me. I think he could do with an entirely new voice, ala 4Kids Rouge to current Rouge or 4Kids Sonic to current Sonic. Just entirely change what he sounds like. The last time he appeared in a game with any proper dialogue was what, fucking Free Riders for Kinect in 2010 15 years ago? And the only games he's been in since then are the random Olympics games which I'm not if he's even fully playable in.

The voice director, Jack Fletcher, yeah... Been seeing his name crop up a lot lately. I'm not a fan of what he's doing for the series generally. I can say positive things, but on the whole? Nah. I'd really like to see someone else take the reigns.

 

The current guy is fine, I have no problems with him. Jason's Jet is distracting to me because it's nearly identical to his Usopp from the old 4kids One Piece dub. I think the 4kids cast in general are massively overrated by the fandom (actually, I think the Adventure cast is too), but I do agree that the direction could use some work. It's not even that it's bad per se, it just feels like Fletcher doesn't really know what he has, and is generally pushing for deliveries that fit in a comedic cartoon or even a sitcom, which Sonic isn't, even in the games with more jokes.

I don't know that random fans emailing Fletcher is the way to enact change, though. It might be better to try getting some kind of interview or discussion with him as Sonic Retro, like a group of trusted community members or site staff who can have that conversation without being embarrassing.

This is all also assuming that there isn't a load of behind-the-scenes shenanigans we're not privy to regarding recording. I know we learned not that long ago that Thornton lacked a ton of context behind what he was recording before Shadow Generations, but despite what everyone else seemed to say, his performance in that game didn't feel like a radical departure from what came before to me. It's entirely possible that the voice acting sounding a little boring is still the result of SEGA's influence somehow. I think the current cast don't necessarily need to be replaced (Deven Mack definitely has a better tone to me than Roger, though), but I would like to see Roger directed to sound more like Jason did in Black Knight, which was certainly his best performance.

 

Sonic vocal discussion tends to suck ass because:

- 4/5th of the people you're discussing this with don't know anything about these actors outside of who voices who in their hedgehog obsession

- 1/5th do know the basic concepts known as voice direction but since no one goes into these discussions to change their minds you're just wasting time trying to make a point anyway

There are people who think Roger got worse overtime, and I think that's crazy. I don't know what he was doing in London 2012 for him to do worse than in:

- Sonic LEGO Ads
- TailsTube Series
- Wreck it Ralph 2
- Sonic Free Riders
- Sonic Boom

To the point where I've pretty much forgotten what I'm supposed to be mad at in regards to his voicework for Sonic in recent memory. Especially his TailsTube material. But honestly Sonic is the most boring character to discuss for Voices so I really don't care enough.

It's more interesting to discuss literally any other character. Like I didn't know liking Cindy Amy post-Boom was somewhat controversial but it can be, but I'm lost on the plot there. I like Dave B Knuckles more and I will make a case for him if invoked. And I will die before I truly ever hate Kirk Shadow because I think he sounds hot and I have no shame in that. Even though I know if he was directed to sound closer to Saix I'd be thrilled, and it's not like Kirk HAS to be gruff when he isn't for Orbot still.

Anyway for Jack Fletcher, you could literally get a council of Sonic fans to try and have a discussion with him and you'd still have to double check if the fans you summoned know what a Voice Director even does. I could actually bother to give references and video-showcase of vocal examples, and have on two separate occasions on Twitter threads.

Anyway as for Micheal as Jet. Honestly the more I listen to it, the less I'm bothered by it. Snapcube Jet is the best Jet voice anyway so I completely understand now.

 

Well that's why I said trusted community members or site staff, people I'd hope know what they're actually talking about.

I don't even dislike Kirk as Shadow to be clear, his Batman graveliness just feels too old for the character.

 

(3:13)

(0:28)

(11:09)


Yes, both Blaine and Clay are Kirk.

Ok so I am hearing you on that, but I want to make it clear to anyone here that Kirk's voice isn't gruff as a prerequisite of the actor. All of this is recently voiced work by him. 2020-Now.
If Kirk was incapable of not sounding gravely or gruff, then how would be able to do these roles just fine.

Not to mention if we're allowed to use material from BEFORE he was casted as Shadow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=381Y374vbYY&pp=ygUQc2FpeCB2b2ljZSBjbGlwcw==
https://youtu.be/XEJ-7NvWiHI?t=117


And SURE you can make the argument of, "But that was years ago, he's gotten older!"

So here's my stance on that one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dgc9EzEvQk&pp=ygUQc2FpeCB2b2ljZSBjbGlwc9IHCQmwCQGHKiGM7w==
https://youtu.be/EoOW9hi2ijg?t=154

This is him voicing Saix in 2019, above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLlGJEcU2yQ&pp=ygUec2hhZG93IHRlbWEgc29uaWMgcmFjaW5nIHZvaWNl
This is him voicing Shadow that exact same year.

So I want to ask this - How can you go from that voicing Saix like that to Shadow like THAT without having a smidge to do with being directed to sound like...THAT. Keep in mind Sega was still in it's "Shadow needs to be an over-the-top smug prick" era still.

If he could voice in Saix in KH3 like that in 2019, what was PHYSICALLY stopping him from doing something like that for Free Riders - Team Sonic Racing? Well nothing physically, same reason that he can still voice Orbot just fine like nothing's changed. Literally what he needs is a change in direction if anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38Or6yjVaF0&pp=ygUZc2hhZG93IGZvcmNlcyB2b2ljZSBjbGlwcw=
https://youtu.be/coN_xKNg0rs?t=56
https://youtu.be/unsaA8zSb2Q?t=47
https://youtu.be/4caBaDLNhRk?t=1366

Even then I still wouldn't say he hasn't had ANYTHING going for him as Shadow.
To the point where I've even seen him rank second on Shadow VA Polls lately, behind Jason. As a David-Shadow fanatic that could bother me, but I appreciate what I can hear.

Anyway in the event that the Retro Council ever manages to interview Jack Fletcher, I demand a chair / joke

 

Roger was absolutely atrocious in Frontiers. I don't know the exact reason why. You are right i dont know how VA work functions. I like Roger. But in Frontiers he was absolutely appalling.

 

Actually Frontiers' voicework is one of the few times I can showcase insight on the Voice Direction for the Series.
Source: Unleash The Speed of Sonic And Crush The Competition With The Cast of Sonic Frontiers

 

Do you just not know what "sound" you want to hear come out of the mouths of these characters?

That information just does nothing for me. Voice direction was not guud, the voice as a consequence was not guud.

 

Well if this is about the Frontiers Clip, then yeah I can admit I should've specified it doesn't explain the why, but rather we at least got to know a bit of what that was like. Which I found interesting to mention. We don't usually get much info on the actual voice acting process in this series lately.

 

Okay again I'm not saying there's something wrong with Thornton's voice. I'm talking about his performance as Shadow, that's why I said I don't dislike him. If I thought he was incapable of doing any other voice I wouldn't have said that.

 

My bad if I came off as a tad too argumentized about this, I'm rather used to having to justify these things so I expected I had to do so here. So basically I just didn't prepare for civil discussion about Sonic when I wrote that.

 

Another CrossWorld - Galactic Parade (Transformed)

...

I understand given the Twitter QRTs / Certain YouTube comments I've seen, there is concern for this OST (Ocean View - Lap 3, Apotos, Main Theme, and Galactic Parade)

However I have a question about that, what if the winning solution at the moment is to wait?

There is still enough time between June - October for there to be another beta test, and with that comes to feedback forum. Which allowed us to write whatever we sought in it

The prior beta test did not have Extreme Gear or 150cc, there is still reason for them to do another beta test

The feedback forum in the first beta test had a section for the music in it, directly and why would they ask for music feedback if there was not opportunity to adjust it, why would they, truthfully ask?

If another beta test happens, logically then I should speak on concerns for the music. And others should as well.

And with enough people doing that, it would allow for the right motivation for change to occur. Ultimately they did develop a further speed (150cc / Super Sonic Racing Mode) afterward on the feedback for the Speed of the game, which I would argue would be vastly more difficult.

So is it possible that rather than being concerned with the recent belief of "Sonic OSTs have been falling off since Frontiers". Perhaps seeing how this all plays out and bringing this up if given the chance is a reasonable stance to take. Not saying it's mid or it's good, but just...patience?

 

Huh, Sonic Rumble is getting Sweet Mountain and CrossWorlds Galatic Parade / Starlight Carnival (again).

 

Rumble also has Starlight Carnival

 

Seems silly to think of there being a shift, Superstar’s bad tracks are Jun staying in his Sonic 4 rabbit hole and not being aided with new arrangements though he did make it work for Press Factory Act 1, Shadow Gens shifts between great and kinda annoying or boring like What I’m Made Of and the Orchestrated
All Hail Shadow for the final boss but it’s mostly great, even found Chaos Island Act 1 pretty catchy after being turned off by it’s initial reveal. Frontier’s OST has been very popular with a lot of bangers.