Gallop Racer 2001

"What in the hell...."

Racing games that take the form of other vehicles or rather animals comes few and far between these days. I seem to remember a game much like this on the Play Station, in which you took control of a horse, raced it around a giant track for prize money, and then had to go and better your breed. As a general Temco game, you have a certain amount of pre and post game options that you have to choose from and not only that, but the amount of racing and skill required to get through most of the game is finger breaking and patience destroying all at once.

The game starts you out with an average horse in a series of races to win prize money and some respect. Through different races, you'll have to make your way past a pack of other horses, all of which outmatch you in speed, acceleration and breed in order to take the first place and win the prize money. If you think more along the lines of Gran Turismo, you've pretty much got the idea on what you have to do and when you have to do it! Something that is a little different from car racing games is that in order to boost your steed through the races you have to hit different buttons at the exactly the right time to get the desired effect. If you're really not paying attention, you'll end up behind the rest of the pack and you'll be staring at a start race screen again and again!

The other part of the game play will remind you of other racing type games is that feature having to purchase things or even different horses to breed and raise and turn into a first class racing horse. However, what you will find is that the options that you have and what you will be able to do are limited solely on the basis of you winning races and gaining money to use! This can be a pain in the ass in the first few races, simply because the computer AI has no qualms of making you look stupid, so the frustration level really kicks in after the first few minutes of play. Another point of interest, is the fact that you can pick and choose where and when you race these bought and bred horses plus you can bet on them and make a little more money off the track!

Control wise, the game is pretty straight forward in what you do and how you have to do it. You'll find that the game control is easier to use with the analog stick, and that the game revolves around timing and button pressing. Where it comes in as an annoyance is when you're trying to win the race and you can't press the acceleration button fast enough to whip your horse into getting a boost of quick speed. The menus and otherwise are pretty easy to scroll through and selections can be done with a simple button press and confirmation, so there is no worry about buying things that you don't need!

When you get into the visuals aspect of the game it looks and seems pretty well done with some impressive designs and colorings as well as some different weather effects. The true to life view of being behind the rest of the pack, or ahead of them really spices up the eye candy, and the camera angle is just right. However, you may find that racing on the seemingly same course isn't all that impressive and the looking at the horses asses when you're in the rear of the pack can be rather monotonous! Some of the better animations come up with the kicking of dirt from underneath the horses hooves and the dust trails in the dry conditions.

The audio is where it really fails, in which the same song and the same voice overs come through again and again without pause! Ear bleeding music in a racing game isn't my personal cup of tea, and anyone who has to listen to the annoying announcer talk over and over again after each race will probably want to put their fist through the screen! This comes as something of a low shock, but on the same token, you have to think of the type of game that it is and what it represents at the same time.

Overall though, Gallop Racers 2001 is a strange game that will leave most gamers wishing they were playing something along the lines of Gran Turismo or even Ridge Racer. If you're into the horse racing genre and like to watch that sort of stuff on television when the races go on, then you'll find this an enjoyable title worth your hard earned cash. Anyone else though, save your money and place your bets on something that you are sure will finish in first place, cause this one doesn't!

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/01, Updated 10/24/01