Gadget Racers

"A fun alternative to GT3"

Opening Arguments

While racing games are not necessarily my favorite genre, there are a scant few that have made it into my collection. GT3 and Mario Kart, though both different in play, stand as my all-time favorites. Gadget Racers was an impulse buy at wal-mart, where I found the game for 20 bucks. I liked the GBA version and thought ''what the hell''. So I bought it.

The Grim Reality

I love it. Simple as that. I read the two other reviews on Gamefaqs after playing the game and can honestly say that a 2 is wholly undeserved. While the game is not perfect by any means, it is hardly a bad game. It is, in fact, one of those games that is just a lot of fun to pick up and play.

Control wise, the gameplay is akin to the GT series, though not exactly on par. The first few races will make you tear your hair out, as your car handles turns like a merry-go-round. Spin outs are common. However, you do start the game with 1000 dollars which can be used to purchase a new set of high grip tires and a better steering system. This small purchase alone made the car completely capable of handling these turns with ease. With any game, breaking is a must as well on turns, at least to some degree (off-road courses are easier to simply drift into turns...). The control, in my opinion, is dead on and once your car is upgraded properly... well, let's just say you will be ahead of the game.

Graphically, the game is top-notch too, for an older game especially. Lighting effects are dramatic and the colors and bold and vibrant. The framerate is smooth and the cars look great, even when viewed in large groups. It's no GT3, but it's not supposed to be, it has a toy car look and achieves that goal well.

The music ranges from really good to really dull. There are a number of different courses and a number of different musical styles to represent different stages. You'll hear rock, pop, new age, techno... all amongst the one real downfall this game has - the sound effects. The whine of your engine is rather high, regardless of what car you have and what engine you use. This whine oftentimes overpowers the music and can be a bit annoying. That having been said, the overall sound is really quite good.

The best things about Gadget Racers is the ability to unlock parts to cars. There are over 120 parts to purchase, ranging from practical things (brakes, tires, chassis) to simply oddball items (wings, water wings, etc.). This alone makes the game worth replaying over and over again. It's a lot of fun to see what works well and for what course. A lot of it is trial and error, but after a while, it becomes almost intuition. As far as course variety, there are almost 100 different courses for you. This is a game that will keep you busy.

Closing Arguments

While the game is not perfect, it is quite, quite good, especially for the price. With countless upgrading abilities, dead-on control, outstanding graphcis, and cool courses, Gadget Racers is a game no racing fan should be without. Do yourself a favor and pick it up! Oh and the GBA version, too!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/03, Updated 03/19/03