Speed Racer (Nintendo DS) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

While Japanese Animation fans will know Speed Racer from as long back as the 1960s, the majority of us have only really come into contact with the futuristic racing title due to the new Wachowski Brothers movie currently doing the rounds. You could still be forgiven for being a little in the dark though, as the movie seriously underperformed at the box office making back only a fraction of its estimated $120,000,000 budget. Racing games in the DS are hardly a rarity however as the handheld boasts a whole library of them. What may give this the edge though is its futuristic nature and, with no sight of F-Zero gracing the platform yet, this could be just what gamers have been waiting for.

Gameplay

On first inspection Speed Racer appears to be a simple futuristic racer and it's true that most of the gameplay is aimed at getting around the track as fast as possible and coming first. The twist is that it is set in the future and, as a result, you'll not only have to pull off some impossible tricks but can also indulge in a little 'Car-Fu' - we'll explain more about that later. The stunts help you build up your following. Fan numbers are important because they are directly linked to unlocking new tracks, cars and other features. Because of the tracks' design, tricks of every description are very easy to pull off but when you use them in conjunction with the controls the points really begin to stack up. Better still your car is incredibly intelligent and landing the wrong way is near impossible.

You can't win using skill and tricks alone though and creeping up on an opponent will allow you to challenge them to a bout of 'Car-Fu'. This is a bit too simple as far as battle mechanics go though as to send your opponent spinning off the track you simply have to press the 'x' or 'y' button at the correct moment. It's a shame really as this means that you are very likely to win most racers, even on hard mode, which leads to an awful sense of repetition. As a result there's an impressive array of modes to allow you to attack the gameplay in a number of different ways, including a multiplayer, but given the lack of any true challenge in the game, it's difficult to stay racing for too long.

Controls

Whilst the main controls are pretty standard there are a number of tricks and 'battles', which you'll need to perfect in order to succeed in races. Fortunately this is explained in a handy tutorial section at the main menu so there's little reason to ever read the instruction manual.

Graphics

The developers have managed to pull off an impressive 3D engine, which twists and turns through a variety of futuristic landscapes. We know the DS is capable of this but Speed Racer manages to maintain an impressive frame rate even when things get rather hectic on the track. Elsewhere there's an impressive FMV intro which, while stills probably would have worked on this occasion, this animated front end is much more satisfying.

Sound

The audio falls into the average bracket, although there is some nice voice over work on the main intro however, not only is the soundtrack which accompanies the menus forgettable, but the in-game music is completely drowned out by the sound of the car engines, which does raise the question as to why it's there in the first place.

Dual screen

Other than the impressive 3D gaming engine there's no evidence of the DS' unique features being used at all. You do though get a rather neat pictorial information set-up on the bottom screen, which lets you know just how far away you are from Pole Position.

Final comments

First appearances can be deceiving and while Speed Racer certainly looks like the classic F-Zero, it features almost none of the polish we've come to expect from this futuristic racing series. That's not to say that Speed Racer doesn't have its plus points and it looks fantastic. Unfortunately that's its main selling point as not only is the gaming very shallow it's also incredibly repetitive with tracks offering very similar driving experiences. As we mentioned earlier, there loads of racers out there so unless you absolutely loved the movie, pull over and let this one pass you by.

Pro: Looks and Sounds Great
Con: Very Easy and Repetitive.
Final score: 6.1

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