Speed Punks

You might ask: "With Crash Team Racing on the market, do I really need another cartoony racing game?" Well...maybe, since Speed Punks doesn't have the same kind of depth Crash Team Racing has-which is fine if you're in that sort of mood. Speed Punks is all about good old-fashioned power-up-filled (some nice ones by the way) cart racing, without any of the adventurey stuff attached. It's nice to be able to sit down and simply race, without having to search around for different stuff. All I need to do is pick up a couple of power-ups and come in first place. I didn't even need to power slide very much. Easy enough. I suppose when I want something more, I'll throw in CTR. Don't get me wrong, Speed Punks is a lot of fun. Instead of Crash Bandicoot critters, the game's filled with bratty kids (well, except for some of the hidden characters you open up anyway). The variety of courses the game offers is huge and beautifully detailed, and carts have natural control and physics (although, I could see the control being a little strange for people used to CTR's style). And even with all of this stuff going on, the game remains very fast throughout the one-player mode. And actually, the two- and four-player modes have very acceptable frame-rates as well. No doubt, you'll also have fun with the bonus stuff you can open up.

Crash Bandicoot Racing set the benchmark for this type of mini-cart racing game last year. Is this better? No. But for what it is. Speed Punks is a fun diversion. Better than the Chocobo Racing and Bomberman Fantasy Races of the PS racing world, that's for sure. I dig the fact that it's four-player and that you can see the initials ot the people in front of you over their heads. Why didn't I think of that? Only problem is if you hit something, you're screwed.

I don't usually get into cute racing games but Speed Punks is fun in a simplistic way. The sensation of speed and the nimble power-sliding is what won me over. The tracks are not overly long and confusing either (remember, simplicity). Power-ups are well placed, the speed boosts are effective, and the weapons work well. To top it off, multiplayer is quite functional for both two- and four-player modes. I highly recommend SP for younger players.

Unfortunately for this little racer, it's not the first PS kart game to the market. And since it's not better than CTR, I find little reason to recommend it. The tracks aren't imaginative, the weapons aren't original and the graphics are only so-so. The four-player game is fine (no complaints, nothing to write home about). Speed Punks would've scored higher if spinouts didn't flip you so far around--it takes freakin' forever to get back on the right track!