I'm not writing this review for those of you who have played every kart racer out there or are big Sonic fans already(read the other reviews for the nitty gritty stuff). I'm writing it for the benefit of those new(ish) to kart racing who may be on the fence about this game.

My perspective is this . . . I've never really been into kart racing/racing games and haven't played many Sonic games. This game has been on sale lately for cheap and will be again and people kept telling me to get it, that I'd like it, that it's really good. Well a lot of people say a lot of things and I was pretty sure this would be a game I played a few times and then moved on to other better games in my backlog . . .

NOT SO, This IS one of the BETTER games and it's GREAT FUN ! ! !
The graphics and animations are superb, steering is simple, and it's easy to learn and play even if you don't really know what you're doing. There are 3 difficulty levels to start out with (Expert is initially locked) and the game runs smooth as silk. Throughout courses your racing car can transform into a boat or a flying plane which is different for each character you play and the vehicles handle differently depending on the terrain. On the tracks you can pickup interesting power-ups that can help you win races even if you aren't the fastest racer on the track. I began with "Easy" so I could get the hang of the course layout and learn about drifting, using the power-ups and doing barrel rolls. This is the most fun I've had in a long time.

Some facts:
1. This game can be easy or hard depending on how you choose to play it.
2. The power-ups are fun to use and have cool animations. The tracks have hidden areas to discover. You collect coins to be later used in the casino slot machines.
3. Good game for kids & adults & the variety of karts includes something for everyone (not too kiddy, even tanks--yes, even tanks can fly)
4. It can be played in local co-op with up to 4 players on a split screen.
5. You can also play online against other players (not really something for beginners)
6. There is a .pdf file on Steam that explains the controls & pickups and what they do.
7. The game has full controller support (I use a wired Xbox 360 controller)
8. This is the kind of game where you can play for just 10 minutes or hours if you like.
9. This is really a strategy kart racer where you must learn to use the boost zones/pads, drifting, do stunts to gain boosts, and pick the right time to use certain power-ups.
10. To really excel at this game, especially at the higher levels takes practice. Winning and losing races isn't just a matter of luck. You have to want to be good and put in the work to get there. On the other hand, if you don't feel driven to be the best of the best this game is just good, clean, casual fun.

Still Struggling With This Game? Pick up the DLC Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: Metal Sonic & Outrun DLC [Online Game Code] for this game to get a new character, Metal Sonic who is maxed out which has ALL HIS MODS AUTOMATICALLY UNLOCKED which will help you win more races.
Mods are upgrades to a character's vehicle in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed that change the statistics of the vehicle. Mods are unlocked by leveling up the characters which are unlocked in World Tour with stars earned from beating missions. Examples of some of the mods are:

--Standard: The basic Mod of the character which comes automatically.
--Balanced: A Mod that evenly balances statistics.
--Speed: A Mod that increases the maximum speed of the vehicle.
--Handling: A Mod that increases the handling of the vehicle.
--Acceleration: A Mod that increases the acceleration of the vehicle.
--Boost: A Mod that increases the boost power of the vehicle.
--ALL STAR

If you're unsure about this game, but think you might be interested in a kart racer, this game it top-notch; superbly crafted, visually stunning, and with intuitive gameplay. Before I avoided racing games and now I realize if you find the right one, you will love kart racing. The initial ease of play will draw you into this game but your competitive instincts may urge you on to learn the tricks to being #1. Highly recommended!

UPDATE 8-29-13: On 8-31-13 this game was on sale for $7.49. Today's $5.99 price is a great deal.
UPDATE 12-24-13: Was on sale for the holidays for $4.99

I'm a 30 year old die-hard Nintendo fan that never owned a single SEGA console. Sure, I've played a few games here and there over the years, but I honestly have no idea what's going on in the SEGA Universe. I feel like it's important to tell you this, because even though I have no attachment to the characters or themes in this game, I FREAKING LOVE IT!

It runs great, even on my dinosaur of a PC (1.8GHz Core 2 Duo, GeForce 550Ti). Fire up the 360 controllers and it's a blast to play with a few friends. My only complaint is that the item selection feels a little lackluster. I guess nothing compares to firing a blue turtle shell at your friends.

I can't recommend this kart racer enough. It's a worthy competitor to Mario Kart, and the PC port feels spectacular. BUY IT.

The first Sonic & Sega All Star Racing was a great racing game but overall stuck a little too closely to the Mario Kart formula. This game is a whole new level. Now, I've been gaming for probably around 25 years now so Sega was something I grew up with. Sonic & All Star Racing Transformed is a huge shot of nostalgia. The graphics are amazing on the PC and it doesn't take a lot to run it 60fps which is much better than the console version. In fact, I originally bought the 360 version because the PC version didn't have an official launch date at the time. The 360 version is a good game in its own right but going from 30fps(and below) to a solid 60fps makes this feel like a completely different game. Land, air or sea, the controls are fantastic. The tracks are extremely imaginative and fun. Online needs some work with the netcode, but it is fun as well. Also, a rarity in PC games, this game supports 4 player split screen multiplayer. Having recently played Mario Kart 7, I can honestly say this game is much, much better. I really don't feel Mario Kart is even trying to evolve anymore while this game sets the bar in kart racing and arcade racing games in general.

I'm a PC exclusive gamer (meaning that don't care to buy a console these days). I have played games like Mario Kart before in the past but the PC lacked in that area until 'Pac-Man World Rally' came out (I love that game, so awesome).

Anyways, this game is just as enjoyable and I'm so happy to have it on the PC. The race tracks are very well designed but some of them are near impossible to complete first place on 'hard' setting. Unlockable characters feels beneficial.

DLC for this game is worthless though. All I've seen was just adding new characters when it should be added track packs. Come on SEGA, don't be like EA because PC gamers seriously hate that.

Anyways, if you like games like Mario Kart then you will love this.

First off, it's a great port - The game runs and look really good. My only nitpick would be that the UI is obviously made for gamepad in mind, and that the detailed graphical settings menu is in the game launcher, but hey.

The game itself is really good. It's fun to play with friends and by yourself. Didn't try the online multiplayer so I can't really say anything about that.

If you like Kart games, get it, it's good.

I'm playing this on a 6 year old Athlon x64 6000 with a GeForce 240 (albeit with the GDDR 5 ram) and it looks and plays great. It's nice to finally see online play, and I was surprised to find Wreak-It Ralph playable in the PC version (On Steam at least).

If I had a complaint I'd say the difficulty is a little too high for a cart racer :). The game has a definite learning curve. Probably the most confusing thing is that you pretty much drift constantly, because that's how you build up 'boost', e.g. you drift a bit, left off on the drift, and get a burst of speed.

Also, a tutorial level or two would be nice. There's lots of mechanics here, it's a much more complete game than the last Mario Kart I played ( Mario Kart DS ).

If you like arcade racers get this as soon as you can.

I used to be a diehard Sega fan, and was one of the first buyers of the Sega Genesis with Altered Beast for 200 dollars at ToysRUs. There weren't any Electronics Boutiques, Gamestops or even an Amazon for that matter. I loved certain characters and hated others. I despised Sonic, but loved the little midget from Golden Axe and Shinobi. I loved the Dreamcast especially with Jet Grind Radio and Crazy Taxi. I went to the arcade and played the sit down version of Daytona USA and Outrun. Do you remember how fun that was? I downloaded Afterburner for the PS3 after enjoying many hours of that as well. Finally, I purchased Samba de Amigo for the Wii. All of these characters are in this game, but the courses are much better than the demo that I downloaded for the Playstation Store. I really wasn't that impressed with it. I then downloaded the free trial from Steam and was blown away. I immediately purchased it, as well as the Outrun course. If you have a high end graphics card and CPU, I definitely suggest playing this game at the highest settings. I used to get headaches when playing these types of games for hours, but with a solid frame rate, everything seems to flow a lot better than ever before. Much better than advertised! Yes, this download DOES support using an XBox 360 controller.