Chocobo Racing

by Square Enix

Product Details

• ASIN: B000038AAS
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,076 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review
Combining the action/adventure and racing genres, Chocobo Racing follows in the footsteps of popular "car-toon" titles Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart. While the cutesy bird character Chocobo lacks the mainstream notoriety of Mario or Crash, the kooky creature will likely appeal to fans of the popular Final Fantasy series. Chocobo makes a successful flight from sidekick to star in this quirky racer, which features seven competing cartoon characters including White Mage, Mog, and Golem.

All of the racing characters possess special powers and unique tracks designed around their personas. Chocobo Racing contains five challenging racing modes, including grand prix (four-track tournament), time attack, versus (two-player racing), relay race, and story mode. We were particularly intrigued by the story mode, which places Chocobo in an old-fashioned pop-up storybook as he aims to collect several scattered blue crystals.

We also liked the high replay value of this game. For example, a racing victory may reward players with the ability to customize a character. Chocobo Racing is far from a sophisticated racer--and, in fact, that is part of the appeal. This is an easy game to learn, so younger players can pick up a controller and play with little trouble. Still, plenty of challenges hide in the detailed tracks, which are filled with time-zapping traps and treacherous curves. --Carrie Bell

Pros:

• Diverse tracks and characters
• Will appeal to fans of Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart

Cons:

• Weak steering and vehicle control
• Cartoon theme may not appeal to die-hard racing fans
• Not compatible with multiplayer adapter, so simultaneous racing is limited to 2 players

GameSpot Review
In an increasingly unwelcome trend, mascot-based racing games seem to be popping up almost as frequently as snowboarding games, and with about as much success. Sure, the original Mario Kart was a enough of a blast that Nintendo decided to make a graphically superior, gameplay-inferior version in MK64. Then came Diddy Kong Racing (boring), Sonic R (OK, but at least it was in full 3D), Rockman Battle & Chase (yawn), Bomberman Fantasy Race (ick), and now, Chocobo Racing for the PlayStation. Apparently, there is no stone that Square is willing to leave unturned, because this game is nothing more than a tired rehash of almost everything that's come before it.

Perhaps encouraged by the Chocobo mini-racing game found in Final Fantasy VII, Square decided to go the full monty by developing a full-on racing game featuring the eponymous Chocobo and his Final Fantasy cohorts (Mog and a slew of monsters and wizards anyone familiar with Final Fantasy will recognize). Nothing like the oft-rumored Chocobo de Battle, Chocobo Racing features a strong lineup of gameplay features that will certainly give gamers fair value. GP mode, story mode, relay mode, time attack, etc. flesh out the available options. You start the game (any mode will do) by picking your character. Then, from a preset list, you must pick a skill (speed burst, angel wings, fireballs, etc.), which you can use in the race when the appropriate meter fills up. During the course of the race, power-ups lie in rows across the track, much like the power-ups found in Mario Kart 64. If you choose not to use them immediately, you can scoop up more than one and carry them in a chain behind you as you race. Other track elements like ice patches will impede your progress should you run across one.

While all of this sounds like good clean fun, it should be noted that Chocobo Racing is as boring as it gets. At no point during this game do you really feel compelled to keep racing. You've done all this before, and usually you've done it better than this. The graphics are a second-generation blend of 3D backgrounds and 2D sprites, and the characters are not nearly as well-animated or good-looking as those in Mario Kart 64. The track suffers from some pretty serious draw-in problems, although the game does maintain a consistent frame rate. Special effects and sprites pixelate badly when viewed close up, and the whole game reeks of a "me too" effort. For those interested in the two-player functions, you should be warned that while the game manages to look decent during split-screen racing, it isn't much fun simply because of a lack of urgency that permeates the whole game. Track design is unnecessarily complicated at times, presumably to offer challenge, but it's really just bad track design. This is exacerbated by the fact that the controls are iffy and don't offer the right feedback for a game with such poor track design. In its defense, there is a vehicle-edit option that lets you customize your "car" to your liking. Secret characters like Cloud Strife, Squall Leonhart, and other Final Fantasy stalwarts await your discovery.

Overall, this game is really a wasted effort on Square's part because it could have been so much more. In fact, the more one plays this game, the more its flaws become apparent. This is a lame abuse of the license when it could have been kick-ass, with a virtual horse-breeder and jockeys riding polygonal Chocobos. Instead, this is just a really poor game. Please, rent first before committing to a purchase. --James Mielke
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute, fun, and chocobos!, April 9, 2002

By	A. M. Landaker (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you enjoyed chocobo racing in Final Fantasy VII, or if you like cuteness, this racing game is for you! The characters are all very adorable (and may be familiar to fans of the Final Fantasy series), but the game is also a lot of fun for groups.

- The graphics are about average in the racing, to above average in the movies.
- The controls are responsive and adequate.
- The game is well-balanced, with easy modes for less experienced players, and hard modes. The story mode is a little cheesy, but fun nonetheless.
- The music and sounds blend in with the game well.
- You can get this game very cheap, compared to other racing games.
- It is a lot of fun to race against other players (unfortunately, more than 2 human players are not supported), but the AI of the game is also challenging.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DONT LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE, February 22, 2005

A Kid's Review

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Some people think this game isnt fun at all.Those people are all wrong.They dont know what fun is!And there are more than 8 characters.There are about 15 or 16.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fun, January 22, 2003

By	Jessie Cheong (Canada) - See all my reviews

The characters are cute and it is fun playing for all ages. It can be quite addictive. There are short cuts to beat the other players but you will have to discover them yourself.