Video Game Review (Posted on 11-18-2018)

No matter what kind of video gamer you are, we all have played at least one racing game. It's hard to imagine knowing someone who has never played Super Mario Kart or at least played the Daytona series. Along comes a game for the Game Boy that isn't just a racing game, but a racing game driving a Jeep! Growing up, my parents suggested that a Jeep Cherokee would be the best first car for me to drive. I never got to, but racing with a Jeep? I don't know about that.

The introductory music of the game sounds like something from an Atari game or, heck, even a Sega Genesis game. Anyway, you enter in your player name as normal, then you move on to the next screen which features the Game Set-Up. The options are as follows:

Difficulty level..[Novice / Intermediate / Pro]

Speed....[km/h / mph]

Steering...[Left / Right]

Track map...[On / Off]

Chevrons...[On / Off]

Position Flash..[On / Off]

You'll find that a two-player option is possible via Game Link (what are the odds of two players having/owning this game?). Then you have the choice whether you want this race as "Practice" or to play the official racing season with either a Short, an Intermediate or a Championship race. For Practice Season, the race options are as follows: Arch Canyon, Maine Mountains, Hole in the Track, Lost Coast and Cajun Jamboree. Whichever you choose, you get more information about the race track and the conditions from the track itself to the weather.

Time to race! Starting at the 20^th position, your goal is to finish the race in 1^st place position, or at least in the 10^th position to advance to the next race. Playing this game prior to review, it's harder than it seems. The controls are a bit weird—press the directional pad too hard and the jeep makes a sharp turn, but pressing the pad gently doesn't nudge the jeep slightly. The jeep reacts when it can but isn't as responsive as it should be, as sometimes pressing the D-pad gently could make the jeep veer past the track! While you can get used to it, there's no question it will become a frustrating experience. Sure, it depends on the race track being played but that's a tough excuse to accept when the controls are this wonky. There's no music playing during the race which should make you focus on claiming your goal a little better, despite some players wanting music as an option. The sound effects are what it is but is so-so at best. The graphics are fine, however the motion of the game seem like it's a slideshow than actual video-like movement.

Here's a table of the race tracks of the Short season under Practice:

Arch Canyon	Maine Mountains	Hole in the Rock	Lost Coast	Cajun Jamboree
Location: San Juan County, UTAH Practice 5 Laps of 1.395 Km Dry desert roads Fast track with some hills and no hazards	Location: Bethel, MAINE Practice 5 Laps of 1.147 Km Good dry roads with fast corners few hills with no hazards	Location: Blanding, UTAH Practice 5 Laps of 1.400 Km Dry Desert roads with 3 sharp corners few hills and no hazards	Location: CALIFORNIA Eureka & Fort Bragg Practice 5 Laps of 1.457 Km Good dry roads with rocks in road in one part of track gentle rolling hills	Location: LOUISIANA St. Francisville 5 Laps of 1.023 Km Good roads bumpy track, sharp bends but no hazards rolling hills

Here's Intermediate:

Adirondack Trails	Palo Duro Canyon	Mohawk Trail	Pine Ridge
Location: NEW YORK Lewis County 5 Laps of 1.488 Km Dry desert roads sharp bends with rocks in the road 1 very steep hill	Location: Amarillo TEXAS 6 Laps of 1.188 Km Dry desert roads sharp bends and rocks in the road no big hills	Location: Charlemont MASSACHUSETTS 7 Laps of 1.079 Km Wet roads with 2 very sharp bends but no hazards almost flat track	Location: CALIFORNIA Shaver Lake 6 Laps of 1.160 Km Good dry roads sharp bends, bumpy track, gentle hill lanes closed

Then I failed to qualify for the final race. Continuing on, I decided to give the Championship race a try and have only raced in this:

French Lick
Location: INDIANA French Lick 4 Laps of 1.274 Km Dry roads with 2 very sharp bends gentle rolling hills but no hazards

That Championship race was very tough, and only having four laps to get to at least the 10^th position really posed a challenge.

The Short races were easy, thus showing my completed finish here. Other than that, it gets challenging in the upper races and that's about it.

I'm quite underwhelmed at the game overall, despite the flaws and the racing challenges given. The controls never did it for me, as controls are crucial for intense games like racing. The graphical motion also weren't done as well as I would like, but this is for the Game Boy so only so much could've been done.

It's an okay game, but not one you'll remember as the years go by. I'd recommend another racing title or stick with the racing games for the consoles that require connection to a TV.

Personalizing your gifts is something I also recommend. Do so today at Warner Bros's offical online shop at WBShop.com:



© 2008-2018 written and reviewed personally by Kris Caballero.

Video Game Ratings

Our Rating:
55% 45%

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