Ah... Dreamcast finally gets a hot kart racer!

Preliminary Rant:
I know that most Dreamcast owners will overlook this game because of its kiddie exterior. Perhaps even more unfortunate, in the age of Pokemon and Dragonball Z, I think that many kids will also overlook it for its somewhat un-modern license, which is too bad because this game is heaps of fun.

The kart racing game is probably console gaming's most abused genre. Acquire random license, throw together a crappy kart game, repeat... Despite the multitude of cookie cutter kart racers that have cursed our consoles over the years, in my opinion, none has ever matched the fun factor of the original Super Mario Kart, the game that started it all way back in 1992.

A few months ago, a game called Wacky Races arrived on the shelves. Reviews were for the most part positive, and since I enjoyed the cartoon as a kid, I bought it with hopes that it might bring some of the magic of Super Mario Kart to my Dreamcast. Unfortunately, the game featured slippery controls, poor sense of speed, annoying powerups, uninspired track design, and as it turns out, I really didn't remember most of the characters in the game. Visually Wacky Racers looked cool due to cell-shading, but the game itself failed to hold my interest.

Enter Looney Tunes Space Race:
I first saw screenshots of this game in the 2nd issue of Official Dreamcast Magazine. The pictures looked fantastic and I eagerly looked forward to seeing the game in action. I've always been a huge fan of the Looney Tunes and was excited to see the game in action. I played a preview of this game on the latest ODCM demo disc, and even though it was unfinished and missing such elements as music and multiplayer mode, the game itself looked very promising.

An Overview:
A few days ago, I picked this up at my local Babbage's. I usually order my games online using coupons to save a few bucks, but for $29.99, you can't really complain about the price. The cover art is well done, but I had some doubts about this game after my negative reaction to Wacky Races. Melbourne House (the developer) is also a new development house so I really didn't know what to expect. Popping the game into my DC, I was immediately treated to an opening video of a hilarious Foghorn Leghorn news broadcast of the Races. At the start of the game, you are given only 4 tracks, but as you progress through the initial levels, you earn tokens to unlock "Acme Events" which offer a variety of different race modes such as a survivor-style elimination race, and a "no-gag" race where all power-ups are removed from the track. The "Challenges" mode unlocks 1-on-1 challenge matches. As you progress, different characters will challenge you to a grudge match and winning these gives you more tokens to unlock more events. Winning the events rewards you with goodies in the "Gallery." In total I believe there are 12 tracks and about 40 different events in all.

The Good:
Visually I would have to put this game towards the top 5% of my games in the Dreamcast library. Perhaps only Shenmue, Jet Grind and Soul Calibur can out "wow" Looney Tunes Space Race in terms of raw visual splendor. The attention to detail in the tracks and backgrounds is amazing, the character animation is loyal to the classic Looney Tunes style, and the vibrant color and level design is a visual treat. I highly recommend checking out replays, which look more like an episode than a game replay.

The sound effects in this game are well done. Character voices are spot-on, and the trash talking when another character bumps you off the track or tries to sabotage your vehicle will have you rolling on the floor.

Controls take a few plays to get used to, but any experienced kart game player will have it down in no time. It took me about 3 or 4 runs to keep myself from constantly falling off the tracks. While easy to pick up, the controls do have some subtleties in them. For example, when going jumping a big gap, you will want to press forward to get a slight speed boost, and pull back a bit at the end to get extra hang time.

The biggest intangible element in games is what I call, "fun factor." It's difficult to place a finger on what makes a game "fun," but Looney Tunes Space Race has it. It's simply fun to play. The rewards system keeps you coming back, the beautiful visuals and level design make you excited to unlock every new track, and its also one of those games that trancends all age groups.

The Bad:
Music in Lonney Tunes: Space Race is a bit sparse. I would like for them to have included some of the more loopy orchestral tunes from the early cartoons, but what we have here is synthesized background music that you hardly notice. It's not horrible, more like unnoticeable.

The game is also a bit easy. For an experienced gamer, you will have no problem beating the game after a few tries on each level. I think I will probably have everything unlocked by the end of the week. It's certainly not shallow, but it's no Tony Hawk 2 in terms of depth and features.

Single-player mode is smooth like butter and framerate never lags, but add a few extra players in there and you will start to see some noticeable chugging on the more intense parts of the track, like when a pack of 6 racers is fighting around a tight corner. This can be problematic at times, but its definitely still very playable.

Final Analysis:
Get this game. It's a welcome addition to any Dreamcast library. For some reason, I've noticed that the Dreamcast lacks titles that appeal to kids. When my cousin comes by to visit, I find that outside of Ready 2 Rumble, there are very few PG rated pick-up and play games that appeal to the younger audiences. Silent Scope and Ultimate Fighting Championship dont quite make the cut. Space Race is fun, visually amazing and offers a refreshing entry into the stale kart racing genre. Not quite Super Mario Kart, but it's pretty close.