Whatever the reason, it makes no sense at all. Why couldn't Sumo Digital (and by extension, Sega themselves) so something similar to Sega Superstars Tennis where you have a "mission" mode that unlocks various characters, etc as you play it? Maybe one or more people at Sega or Sumo Digital thought that only the "older" "hardcore" players would be the only ones "dedicated" enough to try to unlock everything (i.e., while the "younger" "less experienced" players would just accept what they have)? It's both inconvenient, and time consuming.
![sonic team billy hatcher sonic stadium forums sonic team billy hatcher sonic stadium forums](https://i.pinimg.com/280x280_RS/8a/0c/c9/8a0cc92d1f112e27dae70085f899a7f8.jpg)
This is exactly what I didn't like about F-Zero GX (developed by Amusement Vision, another Sega developer with its "tickets"), or Sonic Riders (developed by the part of Sonic Team that used to be "United Game Artists" with its "rings"). In this case, it comes from potentially having to play race after race after race after race (in other words, "farming") in order to have enough currency to "unlock" everything by "buying" it. To me, this holds potential for the game to have "fake longevity" in which a game resorts to cheap tricks in order to "encourage" you to play the game longer. Additionally, you'll need this currency to buy tracks from Championship Mode to use in other modes. It mentions that additional characters (i.e., outside ones available from the start) will have to be "bought" using an in-game currency called "Sega Miles", which are won by playing the game.
![sonic team billy hatcher sonic stadium forums sonic team billy hatcher sonic stadium forums](https://images.nintendolife.com/6961cc5f96d66/1280x720.jpg)
![sonic team billy hatcher sonic stadium forums sonic team billy hatcher sonic stadium forums](https://www.sonicstadium.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/46EE4F2D-BABD-439A-818F-29513FFD5E49-895x375.png)
I just read the the review in the newest issue of Nintendo Power, and I'm a little worried about something.