Pocketbike Racer

"Well worth the $4"

Well, what do you expect for a game that costs $4 plus a burger? Probably not something this fun.

Graphics: 8/10
For this cheep of a game, the graphics were actually pretty good. You will occasionally see some strange drawing issues, but all in all the graphics are well drawn and help give a feel to each of the tracks.

Sound: 6/10
These aren't bad, but they could have been much better. The music gets annoying quickly, and the gadget sound effects could have used a lot of work. This is one place where you get what you pay for.

Control: 7/10
The controls are nothing special, but they don't really hurt the game-play all that much. the power slides take a bit of time to get the hang of, but within 20 min they'll be easy. The controls respond well and never feel too complex. Not a bad job.

Game-play: 9/10
Amazingly, the game actually shines pretty brightly here. The tracks are well thought out, and the weapons are quite cool. I really liked the gadget system in this game. Instead of having a boost be its own power-up, all gadgets can be used as a boost. You see, you have a gadget meter that fills up as you go through cones. Depending on the color of the cone, more or less of that meter will fill up. Certain weapons take only a small sliver of that meter, while others take a large chunk of it. Or, at any time, you can use some of that meter as a boost. Quite a well thought out mechanic and something that I hope to see in more kart racing games.

Re-playability: 3/10(single-player), 6/10(multi-player)
Unfortunately, this game is rather small. There are only five tracks to race on, and four modes to race them. By yourself, you will get through this in a day if you try. With friends, you can keep playing, but eventually you will get tired of the same old tracks. Having unlockable bikes and modes is nice.

Overall: 7/10
For $4 this game is actually pretty good. Considering games like Mario Kart cost $50+ at release, this is quite a good deal for a fun kart racer. You're paying less than a dollar a track, and this game is good for some fun races and good laughs with your friends. Go ahead and pick it up.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/06