Sonic's first attempt to rival Mario Kart falls short due to a lack of options and bland track design
To begin with, there are only 4 characters to choose from in the whole game; Sonic, Tails, Amy and Dr. Robotnik. Each one has their own vehicle including Sonic in a red sports car, Tails in what seems to be a formula 1 race car, Amy in a convertible, and Robotnik in his eggmobile. All 4 characters pretty much play the same except for slight special moves like Sonic's speed boost, Tails can jump over everyone, Amy reduces the other's speed and Robotnik can lay mines.
The only real option is the chaos gp in which you choose between green, yellow or red but all 3 of them have the same six stages and I haven't noticed much of a difference in difficulty. The tracks themselves are named and modeled after the six zones in the original Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis but they are poorly made and boring. First of all, like Super Mario Kart, the game is split in half; the map on top and you control the character on the bottom. The biggest problem is turning corners can get annoying as they come up out of nowhere at the last second. There are signs to warn you of an upcoming turn but even then it's difficult to prepare. Other than that, the tracks are just bland. There's no obstacles except for the side of the tracks and it's just "turn right......now turn left" with nothing exciting. You earn points for every race you win (3 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd and 0 for 4th) and the one with the most points by the end of the gp wins. Yeah, that's about it. There's a multiplayer which I haven't played yet and a free run in which you just race the tracks by yourself.
There are only 3 items on the whole track. The ring, which allows you to use your character's special move, a spring that allows you to bounce in the air and hop over your opponents, a speed boost and invincibility. There are no offensive items to use against your opponents except Robotnik's mines.
The graphics are alright, the character models look nice and it's got a decent use of color for a Game Gear game. There are hills and structures in the background to look like different stages in Sonic 1 but the ground outside the track is just a large flat gradient of a certain color which looks boring along with the tracks. Plus, the upcoming turns are also hard to see as I've said. The music is "meh" but very forgettable.
It's not the worst kart racing game, but it's boring and it may just very well be Sonic's worst racing game. Sonic Drift offers no variety, no replay value after about 20-30 minutes and suffers from bland track design and a lack of effort. If you wish to play a Mario Kart clone, I would recommend you give Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing a try as that game is great, or even Sonic Riders. You won't find much fun in Sonic Drift.