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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Racing Developer: Eidos Studios Sweden Publisher: Eidos Interactive |
Back in 1968, Wacky Races made its way to television screens and entertained many children of the time. For those that are in their
50s or older will recognize the title, but for those younger gamers looking for a fun, new racing title, this will not look like anything
familiar. Eidos Interactive took the licensing game to a whole new level by grabbing the rights to the Hanna-Barbera series. For those
that are looking to get into the action of the original Wacky Races, “Wacky Races: Crash & Dash” is sure to bring a smile to any gamers’
face, kind of. The game makes its way to the Nintendo Wii with a lot of the same charm that the show offered when first released, along
with short sequences between rounds and recognizable voiceovers by the mysterious announcer. Players will quickly discover the
large majority of the colorful characters from the series, along with their vehicles. The problem with the game is the fundamental game
play mechanics and level designs lack in variety and offer some very shallow game play overall. It doesn’t help that the exact same
experience can be had on the Nintendo DS, those who play the game on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS will see that the graphics
are nearly identical, and the Nintendo DS version is $10 cheaper.
The first thing that many players are going to realize is that the Wacky Races property is a bit dated and won’t appeal to many of today’s
younger players. For those who have been around for a while and are a fan of the children’s show from the past, or even for those who
have had the opportunity to see the reruns, “Wacky Races: Crash & Dash” successfully captures the offbeat color of the cartoons
through its in game race commentary and through a variety of short animated cut scenes that lead into a variety of mini games that
separate the race segments. Even the visual presentation, though bland, looks like the simple drawings direct from the late 60s
television show. For those who have grown to love Dick Dastardly and Muttley in their Mean Machine, the Slag Brothers, the Gruesome
Twosome or Penelope Pitstop, they will find all of these characters and about a dozen more in the game, all of which are sure to bring
back a lot of memories.
A problem with this game is the fact that is a little too simple for its own good. When it comes to the overall experience of the game, the
character, tracks and controls of the game, they are very much the same between the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii. Instead of
using the stylus, players use the nunchuk to control their vehicle of choice through the winding roads, always fighting to stay ahead of
the pack. Players are able to gain and use power ups for temporary boosts and special moves. For example, the Slag Brothers will
bring huge boulders that can be moved to smash nearby racers. All of the ten different controllable racers, Dastardly is not a playable
character, each feature unique power ups and players are able to play through a 24 track tournament over and over again, exploring the
benefits and drawbacks of each of the characters. This is a difficult task to pull because of the fact that after three races, players will
notice that the tracks start to see that they are all very similar. It all becomes very repetitive, very quickly. It is almost guaranteed that
players will want to put this game down very quickly, even though there are some redeeming qualities of the game.
To the game’s credit, the controls are very tight and the overall frame rate is very smooth. Some of the mini games that separate the
action of the races are very enjoyable. One example is Dastardly and Muttley, who are always out in front of the pack as they were in the
show, setting a variety of traps for those behind them to slow down the competition. In order to avoid these traps, players will need to
successfully complete a handful of different mini games. Though these games are fun and enjoyable, players will find that they too get
repetitive after a while. It is unfortunate that they get old so fast because they add a new element to the game that makes it more fun to
play than simply racing around a cookie cutter track.
“Wacky Races: Crash & Dash” is a bit of an odd release that seems to be geared towards a group of players that doesn’t exactly exist
for the Nintendo Wii or Nintendo DS. This can really be seen in the fact the game is based on a television series that came out in the
late 60s. If players are diehard fans of the animated series from the past, this game captures a lot of the charm of the series with this
simple yet shallow racing game. However, everything that is gained in the presentation of the cut scene segments and voiceover work
is mostly lost because of the same looking and same playing level design begins to blend together in a repetitious manner. For those
that need to play the game, the Nintendo DS is probably a better bet than the Nintendo Wii version. This is more of a game to enjoy on
the go.
50s or older will recognize the title, but for those younger gamers looking for a fun, new racing title, this will not look like anything
familiar. Eidos Interactive took the licensing game to a whole new level by grabbing the rights to the Hanna-Barbera series. For those
that are looking to get into the action of the original Wacky Races, “Wacky Races: Crash & Dash” is sure to bring a smile to any gamers’
face, kind of. The game makes its way to the Nintendo Wii with a lot of the same charm that the show offered when first released, along
with short sequences between rounds and recognizable voiceovers by the mysterious announcer. Players will quickly discover the
large majority of the colorful characters from the series, along with their vehicles. The problem with the game is the fundamental game
play mechanics and level designs lack in variety and offer some very shallow game play overall. It doesn’t help that the exact same
experience can be had on the Nintendo DS, those who play the game on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS will see that the graphics
are nearly identical, and the Nintendo DS version is $10 cheaper.
The first thing that many players are going to realize is that the Wacky Races property is a bit dated and won’t appeal to many of today’s
younger players. For those who have been around for a while and are a fan of the children’s show from the past, or even for those who
have had the opportunity to see the reruns, “Wacky Races: Crash & Dash” successfully captures the offbeat color of the cartoons
through its in game race commentary and through a variety of short animated cut scenes that lead into a variety of mini games that
separate the race segments. Even the visual presentation, though bland, looks like the simple drawings direct from the late 60s
television show. For those who have grown to love Dick Dastardly and Muttley in their Mean Machine, the Slag Brothers, the Gruesome
Twosome or Penelope Pitstop, they will find all of these characters and about a dozen more in the game, all of which are sure to bring
back a lot of memories.
A problem with this game is the fact that is a little too simple for its own good. When it comes to the overall experience of the game, the
character, tracks and controls of the game, they are very much the same between the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii. Instead of
using the stylus, players use the nunchuk to control their vehicle of choice through the winding roads, always fighting to stay ahead of
the pack. Players are able to gain and use power ups for temporary boosts and special moves. For example, the Slag Brothers will
bring huge boulders that can be moved to smash nearby racers. All of the ten different controllable racers, Dastardly is not a playable
character, each feature unique power ups and players are able to play through a 24 track tournament over and over again, exploring the
benefits and drawbacks of each of the characters. This is a difficult task to pull because of the fact that after three races, players will
notice that the tracks start to see that they are all very similar. It all becomes very repetitive, very quickly. It is almost guaranteed that
players will want to put this game down very quickly, even though there are some redeeming qualities of the game.
To the game’s credit, the controls are very tight and the overall frame rate is very smooth. Some of the mini games that separate the
action of the races are very enjoyable. One example is Dastardly and Muttley, who are always out in front of the pack as they were in the
show, setting a variety of traps for those behind them to slow down the competition. In order to avoid these traps, players will need to
successfully complete a handful of different mini games. Though these games are fun and enjoyable, players will find that they too get
repetitive after a while. It is unfortunate that they get old so fast because they add a new element to the game that makes it more fun to
play than simply racing around a cookie cutter track.
“Wacky Races: Crash & Dash” is a bit of an odd release that seems to be geared towards a group of players that doesn’t exactly exist
for the Nintendo Wii or Nintendo DS. This can really be seen in the fact the game is based on a television series that came out in the
late 60s. If players are diehard fans of the animated series from the past, this game captures a lot of the charm of the series with this
simple yet shallow racing game. However, everything that is gained in the presentation of the cut scene segments and voiceover work
is mostly lost because of the same looking and same playing level design begins to blend together in a repetitious manner. For those
that need to play the game, the Nintendo DS is probably a better bet than the Nintendo Wii version. This is more of a game to enjoy on
the go.
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