If the hint wasn’t explicit enough, the video’s description spells it out: “Leave the open road behind and come race on our level.”
Takashi Iizuka, producer on the Sonic series, has commented on the comparisons between the two titles but with a lot more polish than the ad. Earlier this year he acknowledged that “it looks like Nintendo did a good job” with Mario Kart World, and he has also stated that “Mario Kart World won’t have any influence” on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
Still, the commercial reads less like vicious attack and more like affectionate ribbing, thanks to its embrace of the cheesier tropes of ’90s marketing. It mimics the structure of the notorious “blast processing” ad, which famously pitted a race-ready Genesis against a beaten-up van towing a SNES playing Super Mario Kart.
Invoking “blast processing” is a cheeky choice — a marketing myth more than a technical reality, as discussed in this retrospective video — but after getting some hands-on time with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds earlier this year, Sega’s swagger isn’t entirely misplaced. We’ll have a clearer picture when Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds launches on September 25.
These are the best racing games you can play today.
Source: gamesradar.com
