Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is Mocking Mario Kart World – Sega’s Being Petty Again
The latest Sonic Racing CrossWorlds trailer has a nineties edge and Sega’s old ‘tude. Nineties kids will remember the console wars between Sega and Nintendo. The Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo fought to be the top seller during the 16-bit era. One way Sega tried to outdo Nintendo was by adopting the slogan, “Genesis Does what Nintendon’t.” Now, they’re going back to the spirit of that old slogan.
The Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Trailer
The newest trailer for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds begins with a blurry image of what is clearly supposed to be Mario Kart World. (However, if you look closely, you can see that it looks like blurred footage of a Sonic racing game, ironically enough.) The narration says, “We all know that kart racing game. It’s great – we don’t have to show it to you.” The camera then pans to a larger screen, showing off Sonic’s new racing game, while the narrator describes the game’s features.
To further drive in the point that Mario Kart World is inferior, at the end, the narrator says, “Oh, uh, what if you want to roam around on the open road,” while a trailer struggles to get started, with a turtle creeping slowly on the road next to it. The message is clear: Mario Kart World‘s largely promoted open world is a yawn, while Sega has the more awesome racing game.
Good Fun or Pettiness?
The trailer is clearly meant as a nod to Sega’s nineties attitude. It even ends with the “SEGA!” yell that nineties kids will remember from their old commercials. It can be seen as just good fun, especially given that the Switch 2 is the fastest-selling console of all time and Sega doesn’t even make consoles anymore. Mario and Sonic have even competed together in the Super Smash Bros. and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series.
Still, any company taking a direct shot at a competitor runs the risk of coming across as petty. Sonic Racing CrossWorlds looks like it has enough unique features, like cross-dimensional racing, to set it apart from Mario Kart World, even if it doesn’t beat World‘s sales. Sega would look more confident in their product if they just let the game speak for itself instead of taking a jab at Nintendo.
Final Thoughts
I’m a Nintendo fan (though I don’t have anything against Sega), so the “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” ads have always been a tad annoying to me. Still, long-time Sega fans can probably get a laugh out of the trailer, even if it makes Sega look like it doesn’t have as much faith in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds as they would like you to believe. There will probably be plenty of people who enjoy both games, so maybe Sega doesn’t need to worry.
