N-Philes

Cartoon Network Racing

Posted March 2nd 2007 by Dan Biersdorf.

After Nintendo kick started the Wi-Fi Connection service with Mario Kart DS back in 2005, you'd think that any kart racer to follow would have online options as a standard. Mario Kart DS was first to the online scene, but it certainly had its faults, and now that Diddy Kong Racing DS has hit the masses and corrected a lot of those mistakes, it's hard to wonder who exactly would even consider purchasing Cartoon Network Racing. Sure, online gaming isn't going to make or break a game, however this is just one example of a handful of lazy game faults that cheapen the Cartoon Network Racing experience, for what it could have been at least.

Considering the success of Mario Kart DS, it's no surprise that Cartoon Network Racing borrows a lot of the same concepts in hopes to get a piece of the pie. The controls, your arsenal of weapons, and most noticeably the dual screen extras all feels very familiar to what we saw a couple years back. Imitation isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it all feels very lackluster in comparison, and the crew of has-been cartoon characters (honestly I didn't even realize Johnny Bravo was still around) doesn't exactly help the game experience either.

You'll have access to a variety of characters from numerous shows that originally made Cartoon Network's "Cartoon Cartoon!" Fridays so popular. The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter, and Cow and Chicken take the wheel as well as a slew of other characters. Once you choose your driver you'll then head out on a championship run, and by continually winning you'll unlock more levels and options. Throughout the races you'll use a wide array of weapons and gadgetry to help outrun and overrun the competition. Oil slicks, speed boosts, and missiles are the norm here and the game's item cache doesn't offer a whole lot that we haven't seen a million times before.

Where Cartoon Network Racing really attempts to differentiate itself from the other kart racers is by offering a specific weapon to each character (a la Double Dash!!) which can be used by collecting stars as you race through each course. Honestly, this is one of my biggest gripes in kart racers, as it pushes players to choose the best performers over their favorite characters. I was relieved to see this feature easily mitigated in Mario Kart DS, and to me it's a shame that Cartoon Network Racing didn't see the potential hazard here in a game geared toward licensed characters' fans.

Level design is a hit-or-miss aspect of this game. The courses aren't all bad per se, but since the levels are themed after certain TV shows some of the obstacles and environments are just plain odd frustrating. You won't find much variety within them either, it's more of just a few twist and turns here and there with a different paint of coat.

Graphics aren't exactly the game's highlight either, with murky textures and blocky 3D graphics, Cartoon Network Racing is definitely not a title that pushes the DS' power. And while the DS certainly excels in 2D visuals, a few notable games have managed to pull off the 3D graphics quite well (Mario Hoops: 3-on-3, Final Fantasy III) so there's really no excuse to see developers slump to such pathetic levels when creating a game.

Slight Pulse - This one runs out of gas quick.

Considering the market of kart racers on the Nintendo DS, it's difficult to see who would actually want this game. Mario and company are just as kid friendly (and recognizable for that matter) to the young ones, and for anyone looking for a genuinely fun experience is left with nothing in Cartoon Network Racing. That's not to say it's a terrible game -- it does offer a semi-decent racer that will leave you entertained -- but the question remains for how long. Without online play, and a quick single player mode, it won't be too long before you pawn it off to your local GameStop.

Posted in: Reviews

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