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.
