Disney's Herbie Rescue Rally
Score: 60% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Disney Interactive Developer: Climax Entertainment Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Racing/ Racing (Arcade)/ Racing (Kart)
Graphics & Sound: This is the type of joint that gives licensed games a bad name. Everything about Disney's Herbie Rescue Rally for DS is mediocre. The graphics and design of the game are a pure rip of the last few successful kart titles that have hit the market. Nothing else evokes the quality of a kart racer that people are actually excited about playing. The cars other than Herbie have bland design and the tracks are nothing to write home about. Mediocre sound and music top off the package. The lack of good track design is a shame because we can forgive so many other things in a racing game... but not track design. The last kart game I played for the DS was not a spectacular show of graphics, but it did have some very creative tracks with lots of neat shortcuts and fun, stimulating visuals. When a racing game can't provide a more exciting experience than this, we have some problems.
Gameplay: The format of Herbie Rescue Rally isn't totally wrong, but it is totally played out. To give credit where it's due, I like the fact that there are super power-ups that trigger "Herbie moments." The normal power-ups include oil slicks, shooting tires, reverse steering, and two or three you could probably guess from playing other kart racing titles. A "Cheer Boost" power-up uses the DS microphone to trigger boost according to the level of volume in the room. You can scream into the microphone as the manual recommends to create more boost. I can already see parents reaching to wring their children's necks over this "neat" feature... Several race options exist for single-player and multiplayer modes. Up to four players can race, which is cool. The Story Mode includes some snazzy still cartoons with talk-bubbles to glue the racing segments together. Racing here will teach you the game and unlock content for other modes. The Tournament Mode opens up more of the game but mostly exists to test your racing skills. A Quick Play Mode offers you a chance to run on courses you've unlocked in the other modes or race with different cars. The other cars don't feel radically different than Herbie, so you may not find them all that compelling. You can select from a few different race types that stress quick results or collecting power-ups.
Difficulty: Herbie Rescue Rally doesn't feel broken as a racing game and it does offer some challenge. The biggest obstacle you'll face after a few hours, however, is finding interest in the stale gameplay. Without adequate depth in the tracks and the different modes available, you start to feel like you're playing the same track over and over again. Competitors seem aggressive from the beginning and have this weird ability to stick to your front bumper when you are trying to pass them. The sides of the track also seem to have this ability. Additionally, the controls are a bit awkwardly placed for some actions.
Game Mechanics: Just a few aspects of the game involve the touchscreen, which is disappointing. The super power-ups include touchscreen actions in order to get the full effect of the boost. Otherwise, there is almost nothing going on in the touch department. The placement of the boost button isn't convenient, because you have to let up on the gas or have big, fat fingers like me. Setting up multiplayer games is easy, but you won't hold your friends' attention for very long. The lackluster performance this game puts in makes it hardly worth a mention, unless some kid in the house is a bona-fide Herbie nut. Disney has been doing such a nice job bringing licensed games to market, which makes this so much more disappointing.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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