A couple of months ago, Sega released Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for the Switch 1, bringing a generally solid kart racer that gave Mario Kart a run for its money. Yet, what held it back from greatness was the overall poor performance, whether you played it on Switch 1 or via backwards compatibility on Switch 2, with each system having its own visual quirks that led to a generally subpar experience. Fortunately, Sega has now put out a native Nintendo Switch 2 Edition that comfortably fixes the graphical and performance problems.

So, what exactly does the new version bring? Along with a slew of post-launch balance adjustments, some new Gadgets, and an online ranking leaderboard for the truly elite players, the headlining new feature is improved performance across the board: 1440p resolution docked and 1080p resolution portable, with a smooth 60fps for either mode when playing single player or two-player split-screen. This all comes in addition to the mix of free and paid updates that have been steadily releasing, adding new characters like SpongeBob and Joker to the lineup.

As you’d expect, the resolution and frame bumps make this feel like a new game in certain respects, as the whimsical art style and madcap action now pop in a way that the choppy frame rate and blurry resolution couldn’t do justice. Sega clearly did more than just a simple up-res job, too. I noticed many textures have been replaced with more detailed variants and there are more environmental details like foliage that help to liven up the area around the main road.

With this version, I’d honestly say that Nintendo has a competitor on Switch 2 that is at the very least equal to Mario Kart World if not better in certain respects. Though there’s no half-baked open-world mode to really drive home the comparison, the tight mechanics, smartly designed tracks, and a wealth of content all come together to make for a pretty compelling alternative, even if there’s a certain classic quality to Nintendo’s evergreen kart racer that’s hard for any other company to emulate. And also, it’s really weird that SpongeBob and Patrick don’t have any voices.

All told, I’d say that this version is certainly worth the punt if you’re invested in playing this on Nintendo platforms - the Switch 2 Edition fixes the issues that were holding this game back from being truly great. Unfortunately, owners of just the Nintendo Switch won’t benefit from these optimisation improvements, but if you already own this game and have a Switch 2, the $10 upgrade feels like a reasonable price to pay for such a notable leap over the old version. I’d suggest picking this up, if only to experience what a great kart racer not made by Nintendo can be like.

What score would you give Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)?

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