GT Advance Championship Racing

"A nice mix of arcade racing and parts upgrading, but it's got some flaws. . ."

GT Advance was released not too long after the Game Boy Advance came out. It was quite a leap in the area of handheld racing games due to its depth, 3D graphics, frame-rate, arcade-like control, and speed. Most people will agree that it's still holding up to the test of time as a nice handheld racing game. You can expect to race on plenty of tracks, and compete using a plethora of speedy real-world cars which all handle a bit differently. As you progress further into the game, you can expect to unlock faster vehicles and upgrade them with a good variety of parts. When it comes to the graphics this game really shows why the Game Boy Advance is superior to the Game Boy Color-- the cars look not too far from Playstation caliber, and the simulated mode-7 3D graphics engine is akin to what you'd see on a Super Nintendo system. The presentation and music in the game are top notch. Road scenery's not very impressive though, but that's because this was a first generation GBA racing game.

GT Advance has Ridge Racer type driving physics, so don't expect a driving sim. Powersliding is a must, and it's fun if you get good at it. Track memorization is necessary on some of the later tracks because it gets very easy to hit the sides of the road (this'll slow you down in a big way) and that gets frustrating. Another negative aspect about the game is that you are racing on flat land. There are no hills to go up or down, so the scenery might get a little stale after awhile.

All in all, it's a very good game, but I wouldn't call it excellent because the scenery graphics are just so-so, and due to the fact that eventually it becomes just a little on the tedious side. If you're going get this game, spend a few extra bucks to get the Japanese version due to the battery save feature--The password system in the THQ version (U.S. version) is a big pain because of the many characters you have to enter just to get your previous game restarted. If you're concerned about the text in the Japanese version (entitled 'Advance GT'),don't worry it's in English.

Now that the newer generation racing games are starting to come out, GT Advance is no longer at the top of the heap (I have rated it with a score that reflects this). But if you want to give it a try you most likely will find it to be a worthwhile and enjoyable racing game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/02, Updated 08/07/02