Developed by:
Crystal Dynamics
Published by:
Eidos
Genre: Racing
Number of Players: 4
ESRB:
Teen
 8.1
Gameplay:.................9/10
Graphics:...................8/10
Audio:........................8/10
Replay:......................8/10
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June
22, 2002
In my opinion, the XBox had the second best console launch
of all time with the Dreamcast being my favorite. Usually launches are filled
with rush jobs and maybe 1 or 2 stand out titles. Mad Dash Racing
was one of the launch games on XBox that peaked my interest after reading a few
articles on it and downloading a few video clips. While I wasn't exactly
expecting any grade A title with it, it did however really surprise me as a very
fun and playable launch title.
First things first, Mad Dash Racing is not a port or a sequel to
the PS1 game Running Wild. They are 2 different games by 2
different developers. Got it? Ok, good.
Now then, what's the game all about? Mad Dash Racing takes place
in a cartoon like world that's run by various types of human like animals. The
story of the game has an evil ruler who's holding a contest where the
competitors must seek out pieces of a red meteor which he needs for a special
destructive device he's building. Not much of a story but what more do you want
out of a racing game?
Mad Dash Racing give you a choice of 9 main characters and a few
hidden extra's as well. The overall character design is very well done and
varies from a futuristic looking dog (sort of reminds me of Buzz Lightyear) to a
paste eating, psycho weasel in a strait jacket.
Characters fall into 3 different categories. There's Bashers, Dashers and
Gliders. Bashers are able to break through certain areas on the track with their
ability. Dashers are able to dash up certain ramps that prove too steep for
other classes. Finally, Gliders are able glide through the air to take shortcuts
and bypass various track hazards. Aside from the 3 class differences, every
character handles exactly the same.
Like most non serious racing titles, Mad Dash Racing feature a
variety of weapons and other power-ups. Nothing really spectacular, just mostly
things such as a shield that looks like a disco ball and fruit which acts like
explosives you can shoot out. Players can also pick up green meteor fragments
that are found all throughout the courses. Picking up 10 of them will gain you
the ability to use all 3 different class abilities. Watch out though, if you get
hit you'll lose meteor fragments and the extra class abilities.
The track design in Mad Dash Racing is nothing short of amazing.
Tracks are very long (about 3 and a half to 5 and a half minutes each), detailed
and are loaded with tons of shortcuts. Each of the games 9 locations range from
jungle settings and arctic courses, to a series of underwater glass tunnels. The
games development team "Bink Video" has clearly invested a ton of time
into creating these. In fact, from what I understand, the Volcano course in Mad
Dash Racing is bigger then the entire game of Gex 3.
Another cool aspect of the tracks is the different climbing and swimming
sections. Certain areas of the track come require you to rotate the analog stick
like a madman in order to swim through a water section or climb a wall. This
helps to add a little variety to the gameplay. It sort of reminds me of Pen
Pen Tricelon on the Dreamcast.
Aside from the games rather short and easy Adventure mode, You also get a Time
Attack, Stunt and a Vs mode. The Adventure mode is pretty much the main mode in
the game and has you racing against 3 other competitors to the finish. The Stunt
mode is nothing really spectacular. The only stunt you can do is simple spins in
the air. The whole idea of it is to do a certain number of spins in a certain
time limit by the end of the race. The Time Attack is pretty much the same
except you don't have to perform any stunts. The Vs is done via split screen and
runs extremely well from what I've played. I haven't tried the 3 or 4 player
modes yet, but I can imagine they run as good as possible given the small screen
space.
Now, besides the fact that every characters feels the same, my 1 and only gripe
with the game is a big one. Now, if your a gamer, what's the biggest problem
with almost every kart or cartoon style racer? Yep, rubber band AI. For those
non gamer out there, rubber band AI means that no matter how well your doing,
you can never gain any real type of lead. On the flip side, no matter how poorly
you do, you always have a chance of catching up as your opponents will seem to
slow to a near stop to allow it. I can imagine that developers like to use this
rubber band AI, to try and keep the races more intense as the pack is always so
close together. Why though? It renders all the tracks shortcuts as pretty much
useless. What's the point in taking them if their not really going to get you
ahead? In the end, it all comes down to the last 15 seconds or so of the race.
In that 15 second, it all seems to depend on your luck if you win it or lose.
Graphics 8: For a first generation game, Mad Dash Racing is
a very pretty looking one. The graphics are bright and clean and like I
mentioned, the courses are huge and packed with detail. The textures are great,
although not quite as nice as in games like Halo or DOA 3.
The characters also animate very smoothly and seem to have a cel shaded look to
them.
Now, there is 1 little problem I have with the graphics. The frame rate. The
game runs at 30 frames per second most of the time, but the frame rate tends to
slow down at times, when the screen gets loaded with action. It never drops to
anything even remotely unplayable and doesn't happen too often.
Overall, Mad Dash Racing is a very impressive looking game and I
can excuse the slight frame drops and slowdown since their not all that bad and
because this was a launch title. Lets just hope this is fixed if Eidos should
make a sequel.
Sound 8: The sound, while nothing groundbreaking, is pretty impressive.
The character voices and sound effects are very well done and fit the game
nicely. As for the music, its also well done and features a variety of licensed
artist such as Moby, Fatboy Slim and The Crystal Method. Good job on the sound.
Control 9: The control is pretty much near perfect. Things are very easy
to learn and pretty responsive as well. It shouldn't really take you more then a
few minutes to master it. My only gripe is the stick rotating in the swimming
and climbing parts. It seems to hurt my hands a little after a little while.
Thankfully these areas aren't really too common in the game. Still a minor
complaint at best and this may not bother others. I do have carpal tunnel so
that may be contributing to the problem some.
Overall, Mad Dash Racing is a really cool game that I enjoyed a lot.
Unfortunately, because of the horrid rubber band AI, I have to cut off a star
from my rating. This really hurts the game in a way it shouldn't. I prefer my
wins by skill and not dumb luck. Still, if you like this type of game and you
can find it for around $30 or less, then go ahead and pick it up. Even if the AI
bugs you, your bound to have fun exploring the games massive courses. Good job
Eidos, but if you should happen to make a sequel then lose the rubber band AI
next time. You may also want to make each character handle a little differently
to make them feel a little more unique. If they do happen to make a few changes
like that, then a sequel may give the game some real recognition and Eidos might
just have a real hit on their hands.
Scott
netjak
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