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Monday 21st<\/sup> December 2009<\/strong> \u2013 SEGA\u00ae Europe Ltd., SEGA\u00ae of America, Inc. and Microsoft today announced an exciting new partnership for Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing\u2122.<\/em>\u00a0 For the first time ever in a racing game for the Xbox 360\u00ae video game and entertainment system, you will be able to jump in to the game in the form of your Avatar and race against your favourite Sonic & SEGA characters.\u00a0 In yet another addition to the character roster and exclusive to the Xbox 360 version, Banjo and Kazooie will make a welcome return to the console and take to the starting grid in their Bolt Bucket all terrain vehicle!<\/p>\n Working closely with the Rare Studio to bring the popular characters to life, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing<\/em> sees Banjo and Kazooie taking their place on the starting grid alongside classic SEGA characters such as Sonic, AiAi, Amy, Knuckles and Ryo Hazuki.\u00a0 As well as mastering the drift system to get the best out of the tracks, and picking up \u00a0weapons such as Sonic speed boots and homing rockets along the way, Banjo and his faithful sidekick Kazooie will be able to unleash their own unique All-Star move in a bid to cross the finish line in pole position!<\/p>\n Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing<\/em> will also be the first racing game for the Xbox 360 to feature fully playable Avatars.\u00a0 Have you ever pictured yourself speeding around the lush green hills of Sonic\u2019s Seaside Hill Zone?\u00a0 Or wondered how you\u2019d look rolling around the levels of Super Monkey Ball?\u00a0 Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing<\/em> will allow your Avatar to hop in to the All-Stars Racing \u201cAvacar\u201d and put your pedal to the metal around SEGA world inspired tracks!\u00a0 If you find yourself towards the back of the race, or taking hits from everyone\u2019s weapons, it\u2019s your friends that will come to your rescue in the Avatar All-Star move, with recognisable faces from your Xbox LIVE Friends List offering a helping hand!<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very excited to see Banjo and Kazooie back on the screen racing against these great SEGA characters\u201d said Shintaro Kanaoya, Head of Business Strategy and Development at Rare.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re also very proud to see the Xbox 360 Avatars, which were conceived of and developed at Rare, incorporated into the game and allowing players to put themselves in the driving seat.\u00a0 The project has been an excellent collaboration between Rare and SEGA, and we\u2019re looking forward to its retail release and tearing around the tracks!\u201d<\/p>\n David McLean, Regional Director, Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft, says; \u201cAvatar characters are proving increasingly popular to the Xbox 360 owner and the ability to bring them to life as fully playable characters is not only an exciting concept to bring to Australia, it\u2019s a world exclusive! It\u2019s even more thrilling to be launching this activity with such a big title, especially when it heralds the return of Banjo & Kazooie to the platform.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSEGA are proud to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Microsoft to incorporate characters as big as Banjo and Kazooie in the Xbox 360 version of the game,\u201d commented Darren Macbeth, Managing Director SEGA Australia. \u201cWe are dedicated to continue to work with first party publishers to bring the best there is to offer to gamers and to individual platforms and having truly playable Avatars for the first time in a game is testimony to our commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing<\/em> sees Sonic and friends speed around tracks set in medieval castle ramparts, lush rainforests and bustling cities, all taken from the visually rich and varied universes of Sonic and SEGA.\u00a0 Are you gonna be faster than Sonic?<\/p>\n Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing featuring Banjo Kazooie<\/em> will be in stores Early 2010.\u00a0 For more information please visit www.sega.com\/sonicracing<\/a> or for press assets please visit www.sega-press.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n About SEGA\u00ae Europe Ltd.:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n SEGA\u00ae Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA\u00ae Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe\u2019s web site is located at www.sega.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n About SEGA\u00ae of America Inc<\/span><\/strong>.:<\/p>\n SEGA\u00ae of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA\u00ae Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home.\u00a0 The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.\u00a0 SEGA of America\u2019s Web site is located at www.sega.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BANJO -KAZOOIE & PLAYABLE AVATARS CONFIRMED FOR SONIC & SEGA ALL-STARS RACING \u00a0 Monday 21st December 2009 \u2013 SEGA\u00ae Europe Ltd., SEGA\u00ae of America, Inc. and Microsoft today announced an exciting new partnership for Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing\u2122.\u00a0 For the first time ever in a racing game for the Xbox 360\u00ae video game and<\/p>\n