Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is another high-octane racer starring the blue blur that has Sonic hop once again into a transforming race car to go hog-to-head with rivals to nab victory. Which also means that once again I have to hold my rings tight as people appear from the shadows to repeat the phrase “If Sonic is so fast, why does he need a racing car?”
It’s a very original observation, certainly not a tired one people have been making since the mid-90s when Sonic Drift first released on the Sega Game Gear. It’s also one that has an answer so obvious it’s essentially canon for whenever Sonic uses another mode of transportation. I’ll put this as simply as I can: it’s so the races remain fair on an even playing field.
Race to win
Sonic can be an arrogant character, sure. And he does love to, nay, has gotta go fast. But he’s not so mean-spirited as to laud his speed needlessly. In fact, he enjoys competition. Have you seen how much fun he’s having on the covers of the racing games? He’s grinning, having a whale of a time. This is just another exciting activity for him, and he genuinely enjoys taking part in the events across Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
In fact, it’s even been addressed before in the likes of comics. In the officially licensed, no longer printed, Archie-published run, a humorous ‘off panel’ strip nods to this being “because then it’s fair”. The comic was even written by Ian Flynn, the writer of recent games Sonic X Shadow Generations and Sonic Frontiers.
Likewise, in Sonic Riders, which focused on hoverboard ‘extreme gear’ races, Sonic is irked by Jet The Hawk (who returns here in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds alongside the boards) specifically being able to outspeed him while they’re both boarding. Though Sonic could doubtless outrun Jet The Hawk on foot while the latter stayed boarding, it simply wouldn’t be enough – he wants to prove he can still be the fastest even within the context of those rules. You can’t best your pal at Tekken 8 by saying you’re actually really good at Street Fighter 6. It just wouldn’t make sense.
Sonic Riders is helped along, of course, by a plot that revolves around Eggman orchestrating an extreme gear tournament. Sonic and friends simply have to use the boards to compete, just like how the rules of the racing in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds doubtless specify use of the transforming vehicles. If that’s not enough, both Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and Sonic & All-Star Racing Transformed feature both air and sea sections of track. Sonic can’t fly or swim. Do you want Sonic The Hedgehog to die?
Sonic has raced on-foot before. The underrated Sonic R (which I’ll note had far fewer technical issues on PC than on Sega Saturn) may be maligned by some, but it has all racers bar Amy and Eggman spinning their legs, and is technically the first fully 3D Sonic game ever. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Sonic The Hedgehog 3, of course, feature split-screen multiplayer races. Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2 on PSP are entirely based around two-dimensional races. Simply put – Sonic covets speed in all its forms, even though his penchant is for his default sprinting, and is always up for some fair and friendly competition. No, I cannot explain why Sonic doesn’t always win foot races in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Leave me alone!
Looking for more righteous Sonic takes? Here’s why Shadow the Hedgehog is peak Sonic, he’s always been peak Sonic, and after 23 years I can’t bury the truth any longer