Despite its faults and egregiously problematic manufacturer, the Xbox 360 rests among my favorite consoles of all-time. And while it was invaluable in helping me broaden my horizons beyond the Nintendo and SEGA ecosystems, well… it was also a great venue to enjoy much of the latter’s output. I recently dug up my 360, partially to reacquaint myself with a few old favorites. One of them is 2010’s Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Revisiting it led to a surprising epiphany: its Roulette Road racecourse graces sequels Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Team Sonic Racing, and last year’s Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds; no other circuit shares that honor. What makes Roulette Road special? Nobody at Sumo Digital, the developer of those first three titles, or SEGA has ever provided an answer, so let’s crash this casino to find one ourselves!
Image: Source Gaming. Alas, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing isn’t backwards compatible on the Xbox One, so I’ll instead take screenshots of its near identical Transformed iteration. This article primarily focuses on the original, however.
Before rushing into Roulette Road, here’s a quick history lesson. In Sonic’s classic games, he’s basically a walking pinball, and it’s thrilling to abuse his momentum; skilled players can pull off daring leaps and high speeds that set Sonic apart from his competitors. Sticking him in pinball machines plays into those strengths beautifully; it’s only natural casinos became a series staple! Of course, not all of ‘em are winners; Sonic Heroes’ Casino Park and BINGO Highway—the stages Road’s based on—aren’t. Actually, every Sonic course in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (barring the Death Egg DLC) draws from Heroes. That makes sense, though; it was the series’ first true multiplatform title, one many fans are familiar with. And, hey, there’s nothing wrong with its levels aesthetically; other games, like Sonic Generations, would also successfully reimagine them. First playing All-Stars Racing, I was a little disappointed seeing Heroes score so much space, but that’s a mere nitpick, and Casino Park’s inclusion was wholly justified.
Anyway, Roulette Road is the third track in its first cup. By this point, players dashed through a simple Seaside Hill cruise and slightly less simple Billy Hatcher one. Since it’s too early to drop the training wheels, Roulette Road is also extremely approachable. It starts by funneling the racers through a straightaway and into a series of speed boosters, which propels everyone downwards… and into more boosters! Like Mario Kart, carefully pressing the acceleration button before the match starts yields a speed boost. Letting everyone reach max speed this early in a race is exciting, however; the harsh descent gestures at that classic Sonic energy.
Image: Source Gaming. In All-Stars Racing, astute racers will notice springs on the ceiling at the start of Roulette Road, teasing that they’ll drive on it soon. Since Transformed’s take on Road lacks them, it also loses this quick bit of foreshadowing.
Shortly after passing that second booster wave, the terrain levels out and the track splits in two. There’s no meaningful difference between them; both paths host two item capsules and reconverge shortly thereafter. Arrows on the track guide drivers away from the middle, whose yellow terrain’ll slow ‘em down. Only venture there if you have an item, like the Power Sneakers, All-Stars Racing’s Super Mushroom analog.
With an item in hand, everyone drives up an incline and through another batch of boosters into a fairly tight tunnel. Springs adorn the left and right walls—yes, we’re right above the starting line! In Sonic platformers, bounce pads are commonplace and propel him onward; they suit casino stages like a glove. Here, they help keep the racers clustered together. Grazing a trampoline will cause someone to get flung around, providing a comforting dash of casino chaos.
Image: Source Gaming. The first fork in the road, where skilled racers can sneak in a quick drift. The longer you drift, the faster the turbo-boost’ll be, represented in All-Stars Racing by yellow, blue, and finally orange auras. You can alternate between drifting left and right without using the boost, an essential skill at higher levels of play.
Then the straightaway starts twisting a little before segueing into a turn around a massive roulette wheel. This is a long turn, though it goes by quickly! Everyone’s gonna try to grab a goodie while drifting right. In the middle lies another row of boosters, giving everybody a nudge or the chance to recover from an item strike. And if you’re careful with your drifting, you can rev up two turbo-boosts!
That’ll even give you a head start in surviving the next section! Now, racers must contend with a winding road while casino chips fall from the sky, the most dangerous stage hazard yet. The curves here are begging you to drift, and doing so successfully is rewarded: speed boosts ensure the chips will safely ricochet off you (using a projectile item, shield, or your All-Star move accomplishes the same)! Admittedly, I initially struggled through this area, but now it’s one of my favorites in the whole game. It’s perfectly fair, and watching opponents suffer setbacks while I take the lead is gratifying!
Image: Source Gaming. Shadows depict where the chips’ll land in All-Stars Racing. Depending on how chaotic things are, though, it can be hard to keep track of them!
Disappointingly, Transformed abandons the invulnerability turbo-boosts yield, a change that’s fine elsewhere but messes with the empowering sensation this stretch instills. It compensates for that somewhat, however, by tweaking the chips themselves: stacks of them litter the road instead, making ‘em easier to plan around.
Anyway, a sharp left turn provides another opportunity to employ a turbo-boost, one that leads into more item capsules and a second, more substantial fork in the road. Whichever route you take segues into a steep turn followed by another curve in the opposite direction. Really, this is a wonderful place to practice drifting around tight corners. The outermost stretch of the tracks flaunt that yellow terrain, slowing down anyone who moves atop it—and potentially nulling the turbo-boost they’re revving. That isn’t a cruel punishment, but nobody wants to fall behind in a race, right? However, the second turns are kinder: springs adorn the walls that’ll gently push struggling racers back onto the track… or potentially into danger, if rivals are nearby. While Transformed dropping the springs doesn’t alter Road’s flow too much, this is another aspect it loses (though Transformed instead strews golden tokens throughout the track; cashing five in before a race lets you spin a roulette wheel to potentially earn a small perk).
Image: Source Gaming. Didja know that Sonic Underground frontwoman Sonia accidentally cameoed in Roulette Road? The HD versions of All-Stars Racing rectified that mistake through a patch, though doing the same on the Wii wasn’t feasible.
Which route should you take, though? Well, it largely depends where the racers are conglomerating. If Amy’s flailing her hammer down the right fork, bear left. Should Super Sonic be running amok on the left, head right. If either option’s viable, then going left is the smarter play. Why? Because that route cleanly transitions into a right turn towards the finish line, allowing for one long, seamless drift. Going down the blue road means you’ll be turning left into that right turn, forcing racers to reposition themselves.
Regardless, congrats! You’ve finished the first lap of Roulette Road! Two more to go!
Visually, Roulette Road is vibrant (even if the dimmer lighting in Transformed hurts it). Its music selection might be a tad strange, however. Casino Park and BINGO Highway’s themes are present, fittingly. But the alternatives are Sonic Rush’s “Back 2 Back,” Sonic Adventure’s “Be Cool, Be Wild, and Be Groovy,” and Sonic R’s “Super Sonic Racing.” None of them hail from casino or carnival stages, and I’d have liked to see another one score a nod here. Thankfully, this is hardly a dealbreaker; I like those tracks, and they match Roulette Road’s energy.
Image: Source Gaming. Team Sonic Racing’s rendition of Roulette Road. While Transformed retains Casino Park’s original Heroes song, the contemporary Sonic spin-offs give Road new, admittedly uneven remixes of it.
We’ve already covered Transformed’s tweaks to Roulette Road. Team Sonic Racing’s makeover is, altogether, mostly aesthetic, although a few speed boosters were added in the final stretch. Casino chip stacks still litter the middle area, giving “Power” racers a chance to earn extra Rings by, well, powering through them. In the story mode, Roulette Road debuts in the first chapter as an optional “Daredevil” mission. Carefully drifting around the checkpoints gives you bonuses, further encouraging you to practice.
In CrossWorlds, Roulette Road isn’t a full track but one of fifteen “CrossWorlds” racers may venture into during the second lap. Road’s heftiest reimagining yet, it begins just before the roulette wheel, which you actually race on now. Then, a twist: a ramp propels you up towards another road that splits into two paths—and then three! Each leads to a slot wheel, letting racers perform air tricks as the paths reconverge. Then there’s a lengthy left turn followed by a right one, echoing the end of All-Stars Racing’s Road (neither the yellow terrain nor bumpers survived the renovations, however). Indeed, it’s the end of this version, too: that leads into a portal, returning the racers to whence they came. Oh, and all four games contain mirror mode versions of Roulette Road for those who want to mess with their muscle memory.
Image: Source Gaming. Roulette Road is the third circuit in Transformed’s bonus Classic Cup. I think I first stumbled upon its CrossWorlds variant, seen here, during the second or third cup.
Time to answer my question: why has Roulette Road been given so much love? It isn’t special; Road doesn’t hide a single shortcut, it clashes with Transformed’s elaborate roller coasters, and only in CrossWorlds can players employ air tricks on it. In a sense, however, that’s what makes it special; it’s “just” a solid racecourse, a decent, no-frills sprint that urges newcomers to master drifting. Again, that’s a critical skill in these games; it’s a mechanic SEGA’s valued since Yu Suzuki’s 1986 classic Out Run, which Sumo deliberately sought to channel. Roulette Road isn’t close to being my favorite level in any game it’s in, but it’s become a likable, reliable series staple. Hopefully it’ll reappear in CrossWorlds’ inevitable sequel.
Image: Source Gaming. Yes, I spent many an evening practicing on Roulette Road, learning to strategically veer and lighten the gas to drift efficiently! Can’t remember if this is where I realized Shadow was the character I was best with, but it certainly whittled things down.
Thanks to Wolfman for helping with edits.
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