Customer Reviews

Speed Racer: The Videogame

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I went into 'Speed Racer' with no real expectations. I had heard that the Wii version was fun but I had not seen anything about the DS version. I have to say I have been very impressed.

Thankfully the game does not try and recreate the movie but instead focuses on the racing by setting the game after the events of the movie. There are no movie spoilers in the game except for driver names/cars and track locations.

'Speed Racer: The Videogame' is the rare movie tie in game that is actually well done. I was a little worried that a high speed racer on the DS, based off the loose and chaotic racing seen in the movie, would be impossible but thanks to some great design choices by the developer this game really shines as the fastest racer on the DS. You really feel like your going 300 mph while wiping around curves and taking jumps. On top of that, the boost feature is really well done. It is set up in such a away that conservation is rewarded with a "zone" moment where the track in essence straightens out for you and you just blaze by your opponents. Since you can't use this feature all the time it does not become unfair but instead a strategic item that can be used to move up in rank or to make it though a particularly difficult area. The name of the game is "Speed Racer" and you most certainly get the speed part.

The game is fast but that is only a part of the game. As fast as the game is, it still controls well once you get a handle for the drifting. Unlike some other "extreme" racing games 'Speed Racer' does not have an energy bar. You can hit as many walls as you like and not suffer an explosive demise. That said, you will do much better if you avoid the walls and that is where drifting come to play. The drifting feels very loose at first but after awhile you learn how you use it and you start racing like in the movie. Is it weird at first but your car can drive sideways, backwards and at any other angle. The disadvantage of this is that you move slower. All you have to do to fix that is tap the X button and you are back driving straight. You can also do any number of spinning tricks off of ramps, half pipes or by jumping to fill your boost meter. These controls really server to recreate the sort of frantic and chaotic feeling the movie had in a manageable and fun way.

The game does have a focus on combat, but not weapons. Instead you can ram and spin into opponents or use the power of "Car Fu." Since you can't be destroyed in this game combat serves as a way to slow people down or protect your own lead. The can tap X to spin and hit opponents into wall or at certain moments press the B button to preform "Car Fu." "Car Fu" takes place in a "Zone" style mode were your sole focus is in getting you icon closer to the middle then your opponent. This mode could be really annoying but instead remains fun thanks to is limited use and strategic element. If you attack an opponent and lose and they get a boost, leaving you in the dust.

The only really complaint I have the the presentation. The game play is the main focus of the game (as is should be) and as such the menus are functional but spartan. They work but there is no polish. I hope that if this gem sees a sequel the developer have more time to make the presentation of the game a bit more polished. Until such time I am more the satisfied with having a great racing game with somewhat boring menus.


Pros:
The game promotes reply by having a good number of total track, unlockable characters and custom paint jobs for all the cars. There is also multiplayer but it requires multiple carts. Is is fast and fun and really manages to capture the spirit of the movie. Little to know pop-up in game. Great Graphics for the DS with bright and vibrant colors, good car models and a great sense of speed.

Cons:
Menus are merely functional. Music is average but not annoying. Multiplayer requires multiple carts. Tracks can be hard to tell apart. Unlockables don't feel very rewarding and provided no incentive for replay.

Conclusion:
This is the rare movie tie-in that you can fell comfortable get for yourself or giving as a gift to a fan of the movie or racing games in general. It is fast, fun and creative with a real sense of speed. With no violence it is appropriate for all ages. A real treat.

This is one video game that is child friendly or for those tech game challenged. My 5 yr old loves it. No matter what he does he doesnt die, the game just keeps him playing.

Bought this for my 6 year old daughter for her b-day and she likes it alot.Not her favorite game but she does play with it.Basically a driving game with different courses to choose from.VERY colorful and exciting.Fast paced.Recommended.

I pruchased this game for my grandson and he loves it. He is 7 1/2 and is able to understand the game and plays it very well.

Go Speed Racer Go! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I'm a copier! I had ordered this game on AMAZON and got it for 20 bucks, and I'm glad it was only 20! It is well worth the money, if it was 28 or more I would've questioned the AMAZON Sellers, but they did a great job grouping the price together and it paid off. OK, enough of that junk! Now onto the game. As another reviewere mentioned The music and the menu aren't spectacular but aren't to annoying or hard to hear\listen to. The graphics are unbeleivable and give great credit to the makers of SPEED RACER THE VIDEOGAME. If only they spent a couple more days on making it, it would've been perfect. You can play multiplayer(I don't do that, and as the same reviewer said you have to have multiple catrs, and the back of the game case says that it can be played from 1-6 players), arcade(Single race, Battle(Trying to complete certain tricks and events in a limited time), and a few others.) Also you can play WRL(WORLD RACING LEAGUE) in which you play at 3 different tracks, and by doing tricks, jumps, and stunts, you can gain more fans(With how many jumps, tricks, and stunts you do you gain more and more fans, and the more and more fans you get, you get to unlock different racers, tracks, events, and paint jobs) with it(You can't get fans to unlock things when you play single player quick race)and also you can read tutorials if you are lost(or look at the instruction booklet) and it will tell you how do do things. Here are the pros and cons:

Cons: Tracks look simlair(as another had said) and the music\menu aren't wow-outta-your-seats-like but they aren't horrid.

Pros: Great Graphics
Lots of racers and at least 3 paint jobs for each racer
Lots of fun tricks, and stunts as well as jumps( in which you do flips,etc while in the air) and are really addictive.

Also you can do CAR-FU In which you when you are close enogh behind you will press the B button(which is also displayed when you are close wnough to your opponent and you will see a white circle with a B in it telling what button to press) and you play a so called "MiniGame" in which if you press X or Y depending on the top screen what it says and if you get better than your opponent or get into the middle or very vclose to it you will hit the X or Y button and if you are successful you will send your opponent flying an you will gain a fan in WRL mode or in single player you just move ahead of your opponent and gain a position(no matter what mode you're in). If you aren't successful you will be in the dust and will be a deads ducky.

Conclusion: Great game for all ages

I still can't believe I'm playing this game! It's very fun and you can do really nice triks with the cars!

My 7 year old son got this for Christmas along with a few other DS games. This was by far his favorite. He's played it constantly since receiving it!

Every once in awhile, we see a good game come out of a license that comes to the Silver Screen. Most of the time, however, that's not the case. As much as I hate to admit it, though, I'm one of the those people who's found out the hard way by purchasing those games. I could name you a whole laundry list of games that I've bought(at full price) only to find out they were no good. Thankfully, Speed Racer: The Videogame is one of those games that was more than good..it's great.

Speed Racer: The Videogame pretty much plays like its' console counterparts by not only allowing you to race but do 'car-fu' to your opponents as well as perform stunts to earn boosts to put toward winnng each race. To be brutally honest, I enjoyed this game more than I did the console games. Why? well--first off, it looks just like the film(very psychedelic and colorful) & it runs at a smooth 60 frames per second without sacrificing detail on the tracks. It's simple to learn yet hard to master. There's lots of variety in the cars and tracks that you never get bored. The jumps are extraordinary and, for the most part, it's the best arcade racer I've played for the Nintendo DS since it was released(and that's speaking quite a bit).

The only downside to this game is its' bare-bones presentation. There's none of the bells and whistles that adorn the PS2 and Wii editions & whatnot(meaning no cutscenes or story to speak of, no 'killer' soundtrack or dialogue, just racing--Speed Racer style). That's a real shame, too, as this game could've been the 'definitive' Speed Racer game if it had. Sadly, though, it's the best movie game out of all the games made...console or handheld.

To best describe Speed Racer: The Videogame to you..it's a cross between Ridge Racer/F-Zero/Extreme-G. It's loads of fun.

If you hadn't seen Speed Racer, the movie, then- let me recommend it to you. Don't let these naysayers out there tell you the movie isn't any good because it is good. It's a very entertaining movie that captures the spirit of the old cartoon show. I just wish it had did better at the box office so we could've gotten a sequel.

I was looking for a racing game on the Nintendo DS platform and this game is very exciting. Graphics are very good, and you get the effect of actually driving at super high speeds. I actually had the sensation like I was driving faster in this game than the F-Zero on Nintendo 64 and SNES. You drive through tunnels, jump ramps and do various stunts while racing. The sound effects are very good even though the music is not too exciting.

There are only up to 5 competitors which is a little disappointing since I like more 'traffic' on the road. The speed bursts are fun and the special effects add more of a thrill to gameplay.

Gameplay is entirely through the buttons and keypad. You don't use the touch screen for gameplay. Controls are simple to learn although there is a slight learning curve "Car-Fu". The physics are realistic (you can even 'drift'), despite the fact that you don't sustain damage to your vehicle. You have the option of competing on 3 levels of difficulty, and playing by a race or 'career' mode. As you advance, you unlock more drivers and courses. The artificial intelligence of your competition is quite challenging.

This is a very entertaining game and it satisfies my 'need for speed'.