SUMMARY:
Released in 2000 for North America and 2001 in Europe, Looney Tunes Racing provides a comical and exciting racing game alternative to hit games, such as Mario Kart and arcade favorite Hydro Thunder.
REVIEW:
With nineteen available characters – thirteen of them need to be unlocked. Granny and Lola Bunny represent the female characters, and only Daffy Duck has a variant: Duck Dodgers. The game’s unique levels, featuring iconic arenas in Looney Tunes lore to custom carts really do make this game feel special. There are quotes from each character and reactions when they get flattened a magical anvil, hit a road bomb, or get splatted right in the face with a pie!
Predictably, this kid-friendly game doesn’t have any true plot. Multiple game modes makes the game hard to really construct a storyline around it, but that’s actually okay! Through a multitude of arenas, users have the ‘tag’ option, where one-on-one competition requires a specific number of tags (i.e. bombs, pies, etc.) in a best-of-up to seven chances format. The ‘racing’ component has even more diverse arenas, with options on laps and best-of opportunities. The trick is sabotaging your pre-selected opponents and still hit glowing green pads on the track to gain an additional (yet brief) advantage. The game really doesn’t need a story – then again, there’s no extra incentive to play this game for hours on end.
For a game this old, it shouldn’t be a shocker that the mechanics are a little wonky. Though it is outdated, there are good things about Looney Tunes Racing, too! First off, you run into these ‘tokens’ that charge up special abilities. These can charge up into abilities such as invincibility magic, throwing pies, laying down bombs, nailing opponents with an anvil, or the classic rain cloud with lightning strike. These amusing gags make the game a little more heated because it adds some extra spice. This can also be great if a player is way ahead in the lead — other players still have a (slim?) chance to get back in the game. As previously mentioned, another thing are the green speed pads that help users’ vehicles accelerate (or zip past opponents), again leveling the playing field.
In more of the gameplay aspect, games can alternate between ‘tag’ battle arenas and racetracks, in, say, a best-of-seven challenge. This helps players who may not excel in racing or tags and still be competitive. Races are your typical “Pass through this track three (or more) amount of times,” battles vs. tags where it required a limited number of hits for users to win the round. Diversity, in this aspect, makes the game less dull and can give users a break from racing or battling on the same tracks over and over. Still, only having up to two real players and no on-line capabilities makes this one feel repetitive and tedious at times.
For a Playstation 1 game, this one actually has decent graphics. The game presents each character with an iconic cart: for example, Bugs Bunny’s go-cart resembles a carrot. Even if the characters themselves have a rudimentary look (seeing them from the back), this feature still helps them stand out while giving the game a little flair, too. Though they’re a nice feature, the backgrounds look dull and often leave much to be desired. Sure, you can zoom through secret passages and find some in-joke surprises. Just don’t expect too much out of Looney Tunes Racing, and you won’t be disappointed.
There are a few basic modes in the game: Single Race, Acme Challenge, Championship, and Multi-player. Single Race lets you pick how many rounds there are, either a best of three, five, or seven. Multi-player is pretty much the same thing except you can use “Wacky” mode to give you extra challenges, which are usually speed-related. The Acme Challenge is as close to a story as there is, where you pick up artifacts to reopen Acme museum. This mode, along with Championship are how you win gold and unlock features. Both of which are one-player modes and are really only to unlock video clips, tracks, and characters. If you don’t care to skip this necessity, never fear: cheat codes can be found on-line!
For an old school Playstation game, this one can appeal to kids and parents alike. Looney Tunes Racing shows its age, but competing as or vs. Bugs Bunny and his pals should put a smile on your face.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
None.
ROSCOE’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
