One of the most anticipated games coming out soon is Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. The new game brings together Sonic the Hedgehog, his friends, and even some of his foes to face off in vehicle-based races. The likes of Knuckles the Echidna, Big the Cat, Metal Sonic, Sage, Shadow the Hedgehog, and more will be competing in this super-speedy celebration of the franchise and its long list of iconic characters.

Recently, however, it was announced that a number of guest characters and worlds will be making their way to the game as well. Racing alongside Sonic and his pals will be Hatsune Miku, Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Joker from Persona 5, and Steve, Alex, and the Creeper from Minecraft, as well as other guest characters who will be revealed in the future. Players will also be able to race through the world of Minecraft, meaning that levels from other franchises are also probable.

While these are all really cool inclusions, it does raise the question: are the actual Sonic the Hedgehog characters being forgotten in lieu of these crossover characters? Of course, there are a lot of Sonic characters already on the roster. All the main ones are present, along with some deeper cuts like the Babylon Rogues. Plus, guest characters like Billy Hatcher from Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, AiAi from Monkey Ball, Nights from Nights Into Dreams, and even Wreck-It Ralph have been playable in previous Sonic racing games. That being said, some fans have expressed their thoughts online saying they feel like the spotlight is being taken off the Sonic franchise a bit too much.

Looking at the fact that there is seemingly a release schedule for future racers from other franchises, and it’s become the focal point of the conversation about the upcoming game, those concerns aren’t baseless. That being said, though, the game is called CROSSWORLDS. The point seems like it is to focus on crossing over with other worlds. With a title like that, the sky’s the limit with who or what could be included.

However, it is worth noting that there are fan-favorite Sonic characters who are getting the short end of the stick. The likes of Chaos, Tikal, Infinite, Mephiles, Emerl, and others are absent from the game’s roster. Sure, they’re far from major recurring characters, but a racing game is a fantastic opportunity to include these characters who don’t typically get a lot of love. Where the game is focused on the crossing over of worlds, it would be a cool way to also include characters who would otherwise be forced to remain in the “classic” Sonic games, like Fang the Sniper, Mighty the Armadillo, or Ray the Flying Squirrel. It’s meant for multiplayer fun; the overall story/canon isn’t important, so why not have these characters race with the others? 

Is it truly worth missing all these actual Sonic characters for the sake of more guest characters? Where all of the main characters are present, and the guest characters are genuinely fun inclusions that do make sense given the point of the game, it’s really not that big of a deal whatsoever. It would just feel less weird, though, if there weren’t notable absences from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds still looks like a wildly entertaining game, and should be a fun time for all who play it.

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