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Cartoon Network Racing
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Graphics & Sound:
Cartoon Network Racing is an interesting title, namely for the fact it seemingly combines the beloved action of Mario Kart with that of many of my favorite characters from the always entertaining Cartoon Network... sans the Powerpuff Girls of course. It is published by the Euro-American Game Factory, and Eutechnyx, makers of such games as Big Mutha Truckers, Fast and the Furious and a host of other decent racing titles.
Visually, I was expecting more from this particular medium trying to emulate a lot of cartoony characters. The lack of detail in the models, from the cars to the personas themselves, just clearly lack the graphic power worthy of a late-gen PS2 game. At times, you may grow fond of the colorfully and unique cel-shaded textures, but they often portray the visuals in an overly blocky and angular manner. The same can be said of the lackluster tracks, with a lot of bland, generic visuals in the backgrounds - nothing really eye-catching here. Some of the locales are pretty goofy compared to your standard Gran Turismo simulation, complete with castles, temples, ruins, giant plants, a huge pinball machine and more zany creations. Now… by looking at screenshots, you may think these aren’t half bad graphics, but once they are set in motion, it isn’t so forgiving. For one, the animations tend to stutter at times, perhaps an issue with frame rates more than artist error, but these do distract again and again. Lastly, one of the worst crimes a racing developer can commit is to overlook the crucial element of the racing genre - sense of speed. Cartoon Network Racing never really grabs you with any authentic sense of flying by at a heart-racing pace, careening around corners and so forth.
On the sound side of things, we are left wanting more yet again. Many of the theme songs from the various shows are present here, so that’s kinda neat for true aficionados, but they just aren’t conveyed in a very impressive manner. And frankly, they start to grate on your nerves after awhile… I’m not sure they are supposed to be used that often. Along with this, you get a few voice effects that do the original characters somewhat justice. Finally, the array of sound effects sounds pretty dang generic, and the drone of your kart can really test your patience too boot.
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Gameplay:
Basically, Cartoon Network Racing lets you control six different characters: Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, I am Weasel, and Cow and Chicken. Sadly, no Deathklok, SeaLab2021 or other more “adult” themed fare. At any rate, this is a decent chance to have some fun with several different characters …but is the actual gameplay all that enjoyable?
There are a few basic modes in the game - Quick Race, Cartoon Eliminator and Tournament. The only mode that needs some explanation is Cartoon Eliminator, a sort of “king of the hill” of racing, i.e. if you are last after a lap, you are punted from the competition, until only one racer remains and takes home the glory. As you progress in the game, new tracks and circuits will open up to you, accompanied by a pretty nifty cut scene-esque clip filling you in on the basics of each show. Later on, you can unlock more and more clips (and even whole shows), via another tournament mode. In all, over 26 tracks are included in one way or another - not too shabby. More isn’t always a good thing, though. Your various vehicles are rated in different categories from speed, handling or acceleration, via a familiar star rating scale. Sadly, not many of these racers feel a whole lot different, unlike how Bowser was pretty clumsy in the immortal Mario Kart, as compared to the Princess or Toad. Perhaps it is a tad unfair to compare such a cherished game to this present title, but the developers seemed to borrow so many elements from the latter game that it’s only fair to contrast them at times.
As I said before in the graphics department, many of these levels try and incorporate environmental effects and other nifty tweaks, but ultimately come away feeling shoddy. The constant rifling through items to fire at your opponents (such things as oil slicks, rockets and more) really distract from the racing aspects. You will constantly be upstaged by your opponents, and it seems like whoever gets the last hit in before the finish line will be the victor, instead of using masterful positioning, keen offensive/defensive weapon usage, and general track awareness to secure your position. So while this may make for some exciting first time races, perhaps thinking the A.I. is a stalwart competitor, the player soon realizes that it is just an exercise in luck and frustration to win anything. Thankfully, in some of the later tracks, the computer does seem to wise up a little, but by then, you have probably turned off your PS2 in revulsion.
But wait…. there are a few saving graces in this title. First, the interesting co-drive option throws in some interesting “power-moves”, such as invincibility, super speed, flight and more to help seal the deal. By keying on when to use these moves, it adds a little variety to the sheer monotony of trying to dodge obstacles, enemy projectiles, and trying to stay on the track itself. Secondly, a myriad of shortcuts are presented across all the locales, and while they are a no brainer on which path to really take, they add a different twist on how get from point A to B, and for a younger audience, should be rather neat the first few times through.
Lastly, there are no online modes to speak of. However, there is co-op play available, letting one player drive while your buddy aims and shoots, as well as several battle modes versus said friend. These are alright and add some variety and replay value, but are inherently plagued by the sub-par gameplay mentioned before. |
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Difficulty:
Cartoon Network Racing caters to the pre-teen gamer, so many folks older than this with several years of gaming under their belt, will be downright bored by this simplistic title. The way there is no particular rhyme or reason on race outcomes can frustrate the best gamer, however, so be patient in this regard. The younger ones may be hard pressed to unlock all the cartoon clips as well, as the difficulty does seem to ramp up in the later stages of tournament play.
I just wish they could have straightened out the wonky A.I. behavior, something that leads you to second guess your own abilities. Overall though, this title isn’t very difficult to get a hang of, after all, it’s just a battle/kart racer seen and done many times before.
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Game Mechanics:
Being a racing game, it is extremely important the developers have ironed out the controls, as anything less than spot on controls will leave the user with a sour experience. Unfortunately (as you could have guessed…), I have some bad news to report. First, the steering and general sense of physics is just off; everything feels like it is on ice or floaty, whichever makes more sense to you. These aren’t huge, lumbering machines, yet they handle like a crummy riding lawnmower around corners, while hardly breaking any speed records in the process. A host of other issues crop up here as well, from clipping into other drivers, corners and whatnot, to the pesky aspect of drifting, that it is hard to nail down at first.
Ultimately, Cartoon Network Racing is another game marketed to prey upon the fans of popular media, in this case some pretty trendy cartoons on a cable channel, married to the classic Go-Kart videogame formula. Unfortunately, this particular recipe is missing some crucial ingredients such as enjoyable gameplay, responsive feel and control of the vehicles, and solid presentation values. It would just be best if you stuck to your TV set and DVDs to get your Cartoon Network fix, and pass on this forgettable title. |
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-Tybo, GameVortex Communications AKA Tyler Whitney |
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