Atari Karts

"Atari's version of Mario Kart?"

Racing games on the Jaguar are few and far between to find and those that play well are even rarer to get a handle on. Games such as Club Drive and Checkered Flag are usually the ones that you can enjoy, but have some limitations. Atari Karts is a game that really doesn’t have all that many limitations, but rather has an even set of game play, control, visuals and audio to make for an impressive racing title. If you’re sick of the other, more realistic racing games on the Jaguar, then you might want to turn the key on this impressive fantasy racer.

Some of the best features that the game has to offer are the saved options such as the names of your racers and the best lap times. You will find that the game does have plenty of things for you to do and even challenges that you can undertake in order to unlock future karts to race with. However, you’ll find that the game relies on more of the same race the clock and the computer, or be defeated game play that is a standard with most games. The only thing here that Atari Karts has going for it is that the challenges are slanted to the gamer depending on how well they have played in the previous tracks with a computer adjust difficulty.

-The Game Play-

You’ll find that the game play is geared for those who have some experience in the racing game genre. For the most part, you’ll be playing through three different cups with one of seven race characters, each of which have their own set of attributes on their karts. Once you’ve figured out how to use the attributes effectively, then you’ll find that the game is simply a matter of beating your opponent to the finish line in the top four positions. If you manage to lose the race to the computer and don’t finish in the top four spots, then you’ll be forced to surrender a life and start over all over again.

Now the tracks that you race on have some pretty interesting designs to them and not only that, but they all have some hazards that sit out in front of you. You’ll find that the hazards can either be a blessing or a curse in disguise, so you will see that once you’ve run they over, you either collect a speed, traction, steering bonus or a speed, traction, steering penalty. You really won’t know what you got until after you’ve run it over, so it does fall into the luck of the draw and it does add a little to the strategy of the game once you have the penalty/bonus in your hands.

When you get into the race itself, you can run through the three different cups and finally you’ll be able to race in the Miracle Cup in order to unlock one of the four bonus characters that the game holds. Getting to that cup is something that you have to learn the control to do and with that in mind, the control really isn’t all that hard to deal with. Once you have a hold of the three-button interface, using the brake and the acceleration as well as using the bonus button is easy to do. Anyone with some racing game experience should be able to pick up the game and work with it without having to think too hard.

-The Visuals-

Visually, Atari Karts has everything going for it in the way that it presents color, speed and detail on the tracks. However, the only problem that I have with the way that it is presented is that it has little or no fine detail to it. Everything is cartoon-ish in fashion and you’ll find that the game has a childish quality to it that is a hoot to watch once you’ve gotten into the later stages. The character details all look neat and well defined, but you might want to see something with a little more realism on the track rather than a cartoon oil slick out in the middle of the road as you come up on it.

-The Audio-

If there is a place where the game fails, then it has to be with the audio that you hear throughout the game. Though the theme music is serviceable and does its job, there is nothing in the tune that will make you remember what it is five minutes after you shut the game off. Add to that the fact that the game doesn’t have a wide selection of music tracks and you’re left with the sound effects that simply don’t have anything going for them. Squeals of the tires and the puttering of the engine is pretty much everything that you have to look forward to, which could be a disappointment.

-The Verdict-

For a racing game on the Jaguar, you really don’t have many options. With Atari Karts, you have a little more fantasy thrown in with some pretty neat visuals and solid game play though the audio is a little off. With plenty of challenge on some of the more intricate bonus stages, you’ll find that your skills will be tested no matter how long you’ve been playing the genre. If you’re into the racing games and you need another one for your collection, Atari Karts is a prime candidate for the top line of the Jaguar game library.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/30/02, Updated 09/30/02