Developer: Melbourne House Publisher: Infogrames Release: 11/28/00 Genre: Racing
Despite its short life the Dreamcast managed to receive a few kart racing games as the genre was exploding in popularity. And to be completely honest they are all bad. They are all licensed games which is not bad in and of itself. But their design decisions reek of quick cash grab. The most interesting of the bunch and the only one sort of worth a damn is Looney Tunes: Space Race. This beauty looks like a million bucks but the intense rubber banding ruins an otherwise decent experience.
First things first Looney Tunes: Space Race looks amazing. Cel shading was still new and it was interesting to see developers push the look with each new release. Space Race is the closest a game had come to looking like an interactive cartoon, even more so than the previous Wacky Races. The art direction is fantastic with each track looking like something ripped straight out of an old Looney Tunes short. It still looks impressive today despite the lack of anti-aliasing. Add to that all-star voice casts consisting of the then current voice actors for each character and you have a game that absolutely nails its atmosphere.
Looney Tunes: Space Race does not have a campaign in the traditional sense. The race mode begins with a small set of tracks. As you win each race you earn Acme tokens and unlock new tracks as well. Acme tokens can be spent on Acme Events to unlock new characters and artwork. These events are a varied bunch that comes with special conditions. Duck has heavy objects like anvils and elephants drop from the sky every few seconds. Lucky Seven is a grueling 7 lap race. And there is even a mirror mode race which sound simple but is complex in action. In addition every so often a random character will challenge you to a one on one race. These are strictly for more Acme points and can be tough but worth it to unlock all of the game’s content.
Space Race has a heavy weapons focus to its detriment. The weapons, called gags here, run the Acme gamut from anvils, bombs, and heat seeking rockets to portable black holes. Where most kart racers pace out their item boxes Space Race has them every few feet. It sounds exciting at first but in short order you will see how annoying it is. The AI is ruthless when it comes to attacking and the problem is nearly every weapon auto targets. It is not uncommon to get hit by a rocket followed by an anvil and then falling in a hole. The attacks happen so rapidly it often feels like there is little actual racing taking place. As frustrating as it is the other element of the game that holds it back will keep you in the race: rubber banding.
It is no exaggeration to say that Looney Tunes: Space Race is a top ten contender for worst rubber banding in a video game. You must accept that no matter what the computer is almost always, always a second or two behind. No matter how well you turbo boost or take corners if you slightly graze a wall or turn too wide the entire pack will pass you. The radar is practically useless as you never see the computer less than a centimeter away. It also works in your favor; no matter how many times you get blasted you can catch up to the leader rapidly. It also means the last ten seconds of a race are all that matters and it sucks.
The only way I was able to win was pray I got the invincibility power-up in the final stretch or to reserve turbo in hopes I can hit the goal before they get me. The game’s favorite tactic is to gang up in the last few feet which always leads to a loss. The tracks are long and repeating the race in hopes you get lucky next time grows tedious fast. The long load times make it especially bad. I harp on rubber banding in racing games constantly but it has truly ruined many a potentially great game. When it is this egregious my hatred of it only grows.
I so wish the gameplay was not so frustrating. Between the large number of tracks, the numerous events, challenges, and multiplayer Looney Tunes: Space Race is a fully featured package. Short of online play I do not know what more they could add outside of a normal campaign. But the rubber banding and lack of gag balancing strip the game of its fun. I put up with it as I generally like a lot of what the game is selling. The rare times the game did not annoy me I legit had fun. But I could only tolerate it so long before I gave up. This one is fun with friends and not much else.
In Closing
Looney Tunes: Space Race comes close to being a great game. The presentation is stellar, it has plenty of content, and at times the gameplay is engaging. But the ridiculous rubber band AI and off kilter weapon balance kill the fun. I can see the good game underneath but as it is there is no way I can in good conscience recommend this game. What a damn shame.
