SEGA have today announced that in early 2010 Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing shall be released on the Wii and DS, a game which looks to give Mario Kart a run for its money.

SEGA announced today that they are developing Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing for several consoles, including the Nintendo Wii and DS. The official press release for the game describes it as a "frantic battle to the chequered flag" as popular SEGA characters such as Sonic, AiAi and Amigo go toe-to-toe in their own customised vehicles.

The game is set to feature a variety of racing locations, such as medieval castles, rainforests, cities and many other locations from famous SEGA titles. Each of the characters available will have their own customised vehicle allowing for what is sure to be a unique game in itself. The game will feature a variety of vehicles including cars, planes and motorbikes, each customised to the racer so, for example, players choosing to be AiAi will race in a banana mobile.

“Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is no ordinary racing game. Its huge variety of characters and vehicles, plus the ability to play both online and off set it apart from other games of this type” commented Gary Knight European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe Ltd. “The team have pushed the boundaries on what you would normally expect and created a different and unique party racing title whereby you really can’t take anything for granted!”

Similar to SEGA Superstar Tennis each racer will have their own unique All Star move such as Super Sonic, Banana Blitz and Tails Tornado to ensure the race never gets dull. The game will of course feature multiplayer options and you can either compete in a four-person local game or in an eight-person race if playing online during which you will be able to use power ups and weapons to try and cross the chequered line first.

Stay tuned to N-Europe for future developments, although it is probably safe to presume SEGA will show off this title at E3 next week.