Cartoon Network Racing
SCORE: 66
Cartoon Network Racing for the PS2 aims to be for the PS2 what Mario Kart has been for Nintendo’s systems, and it attempts to do so while making use of some of Cartoon Network’s older licenses. Specifically, this game enlists the casts of Courage the Cowardly Dog, Cow and Chicken, Dexter’s Laboratory, I Am Weasel, Johnny Bravo, and The Powerpuff Girls. On the whole, the game targets kids, and manages to keep the game fairly family friendly. In fact, the game manages to present itself in a very Cartoon Network-like fashion. The use of cel-shaded graphics definitely helps the presentation: the characters and tracks look quite like the source material. Additionally, there are many voice clips that sound like they came out of their original cartoons. The character assortment has three or four characters per cartoon, and they all maintain their personality and charm. The game has several available play modes for one or two players including your basic tournament races, elimination races, battles, and ... curling? Yes, there is a two-player mode based on curling, and this is one of the game’s more original moments.
In an attempt to make the game easier for kids to play (and win), a speed advantage is given to players that are falling behind the pack. Unfortunately, that attempt backfires on players that can actually hold their own because the computer players receive the same speed advantage. In short, winning races is much more about using the powerups at just the right time to make sure that players get to first place just before the end of the race. The powerups are also troublesome because there is no plausible way to evade an opponent’s assault, and getting hit by the enemy typically puts the player in last place. The racing itself seems slow and the control is in no way tight. The physics when getting airborne amplifies these issues. There is nothing mind-blowing about the graphics, and, in fact, their colorful nature sometimes makes it exceedingly difficult to tell the drivable portions of the tracks from the walls and obstacles of the tracks. The fact that there are only a handful of tracks is disappointing.
The sounds and music are fairly uninspired, and some of the voice acting is downright annoying (though this is not the fault of the developer). One nice bonus that the developers put in the game is the ability to unlock a dozen full episodes of the various cartoons. Sadly, this is where the majority of the game’s questionable content comes from. One cartoon shows the protagonist’s rear while he is in the shower, another cartoon shows the protagonist moving out so he can watch trash television (cartoon bikini-clad women are shown on the protagonist’s screen). Other cartoons show general cartoon violence and gross-out humor. Regarding the in-game moral content, there is very little to be concerned with. The only troublesome content would be the cartoonish car violence of shooting rockets at opponents, a possible mild profanity from Johnny Bravo, a level called “Pork Butt Challenge,” and the character known as Red Guy (looks like a typical cartoon devil). All in all, Cartoon Network Racing probably isn’t worth your money.
The game is built on a nice idea,
and I really wanted to like this game, but the engine is just too sloppy
and slow for the game to be great. In spite of what all I have said, I
would really like to see a good sequel to this game. If a new engine
were set in place to fix the problems mentioned, and if more recent
Cartoon Network characters were incorporated, then I would absolutely
love to see a sequel to this game. Unfortunately, this game is lacking
as it is, and not easy to recommend to any but the most avid fans of
Cartoon Network fans.
- Kenny
Graphics: 71%
Sound: 68%
Replay/Extras: 69%
Gameplay: 60%
Family Friendly Factor: 61%
System: Playstation 2
Publisher: The Game Factory
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Mild Cartoon Violence}
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