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Who knew throwing around a cel shaded Daihatsu midget around a mountain pass while Eurobeat is blasted in your ears could be so... boring
I don't know how to describe this game. It's a spiritual successor to the GT advance series and my main issue (and source of enjoyment) with that game was that the cars might as well have had a single gear, because I don't recall shifting down from fifth. This stands true here as well, except now that the game is not on the Gameboy but the Cube, its shortcomings are very much exacerbated. The visual design is strong, with memorable tracks and a cel-shaded aesthetic, that albeit looks tacked on (ahem, Unbound), tracks are well made but lack in quantity, an issue made even worse by the fact that you have to compete in more than a hundred races, while only driving 10 tracks and... that's all the good things I have to say. The developers took inspiration from many avenues and ended up failing in implementing any of what made those titles memorable. A Gran Turismo without the progression, an Auto Modellista but nowhere near as stylish, an arcade racer that's not the least bit challenging. Just a complete identity crisis and the music isn't anything to write home about either. There is no reason to play this game, the novelty of the Advance titles is that you get a mini version of the thing you love, say a GIF from a TV show. Now convert that GIF into a longer, upscaled version of itself and you're left with the question of why you wouldn't just watch the real show instead.
If I had to complete the rest of the high speed class and professional class (about 20 rounds, each consisting of 3 races that are 3 laps long, probably 4 for the professional class) I would either have to be extremely patient or extremely drunk and I doubt I'm going to lose a race in this game, even while intoxicated.
I don't know how to describe this game. It's a spiritual successor to the GT advance series and my main issue (and source of enjoyment) with that game was that the cars might as well have had a single gear, because I don't recall shifting down from fifth. This stands true here as well, except now that the game is not on the Gameboy but the Cube, its shortcomings are very much exacerbated. The visual design is strong, with memorable tracks and a cel-shaded aesthetic, that albeit looks tacked on (ahem, Unbound), tracks are well made but lack in quantity, an issue made even worse by the fact that you have to compete in more than a hundred races, while only driving 10 tracks and... that's all the good things I have to say. The developers took inspiration from many avenues and ended up failing in implementing any of what made those titles memorable. A Gran Turismo without the progression, an Auto Modellista but nowhere near as stylish, an arcade racer that's not the least bit challenging. Just a complete identity crisis and the music isn't anything to write home about either. There is no reason to play this game, the novelty of the Advance titles is that you get a mini version of the thing you love, say a GIF from a TV show. Now convert that GIF into a longer, upscaled version of itself and you're left with the question of why you wouldn't just watch the real show instead.
If I had to complete the rest of the high speed class and professional class (about 20 rounds, each consisting of 3 races that are 3 laps long, probably 4 for the professional class) I would either have to be extremely patient or extremely drunk and I doubt I'm going to lose a race in this game, even while intoxicated.
I really had no idea what to expect going into this one ngl. The fact that it was a Gamecube-exclusive Japan-exclusive racing game definitely meant that this was on my radar, but as for what kind of racer it was going to be I had no idea. The cover sure as hell doesn't tell me anything, so I just assumed that this was going to be a "we have gran turismo at home" kind of a deal as that seemed popular at the time and the ol cube doesn't really have that many sim racers to call its own (despite honestly having a really nice controller for racing games).
Oh, how wrong my assumptions were.
Upon seeing the really uniquely shaded cars and colorful dreamcast-like track visuals I thought that was maybe just an aesthetic design choice, but once the first race began and my car boost started to a eurobeat tune while drifting through corners like a crazy person, I knew that I was 100% in the realm of arcade racer here. Gran Turismo for the PS2less, this game was absolutely not. If anything, this game reminds me the most of Auto Modelista, albeit not as stylized and controls just a TAD less jank. There are circuits, city streets, highway streets, and mountain courses to tackle and a variety of cups to challenge each with their own rewards and restrictions.
My only real gripes with this game come from its difficulty. It's kinda on the braindead easy side of things most of the way through the game as the AI provides little resistance and since there's no money system or anything like GT you can basically get away with picking your best qualifying car in the garage, giving it the best parts you have, and win pretty much every race in the game like that without trouble. The races also get longer as the game goes on and the soundtrack is a bit small so my initial hype definitely died down a bit by the end.
Overall it was a pleasant surprise. I think I like Auto Modelista a bit more due to it's harder committal to style but I think this game is absolutely worth a play if you are into race games. Apparently this is part of a series that originated on the GBA so perhaps I'll have to give those original portable entries a try. The world needs more colorful racing games like this out there.
Oh, how wrong my assumptions were.
Upon seeing the really uniquely shaded cars and colorful dreamcast-like track visuals I thought that was maybe just an aesthetic design choice, but once the first race began and my car boost started to a eurobeat tune while drifting through corners like a crazy person, I knew that I was 100% in the realm of arcade racer here. Gran Turismo for the PS2less, this game was absolutely not. If anything, this game reminds me the most of Auto Modelista, albeit not as stylized and controls just a TAD less jank. There are circuits, city streets, highway streets, and mountain courses to tackle and a variety of cups to challenge each with their own rewards and restrictions.
My only real gripes with this game come from its difficulty. It's kinda on the braindead easy side of things most of the way through the game as the AI provides little resistance and since there's no money system or anything like GT you can basically get away with picking your best qualifying car in the garage, giving it the best parts you have, and win pretty much every race in the game like that without trouble. The races also get longer as the game goes on and the soundtrack is a bit small so my initial hype definitely died down a bit by the end.
Overall it was a pleasant surprise. I think I like Auto Modelista a bit more due to it's harder committal to style but I think this game is absolutely worth a play if you are into race games. Apparently this is part of a series that originated on the GBA so perhaps I'll have to give those original portable entries a try. The world needs more colorful racing games like this out there.