Future Games Network -- Looney Tunes Space Race (DC)

Looney Tunes Space Race (DC)
Developed by Infogrames
Published by Melbourne House
In My Humble Opinion
Reuben Ahmed

The sweet memories of your childhood come flooding back as Dreamcast racers zoom through the cartoon world of Looney Tunes Space Race where, finally, you get to taste the fruit of that famed tree of all wondergags — Acme. You’ll speed with delight through Mel Blanc’s canyons of Mars, and joyfully twist through the craters of Chuck Jones’ Asteroid Belt. And, best of all, you’ll gleefully drop heavy cartoon objects on opponents as they race to be among the Looney Tunes elite. This fun kart racer combines simplicity with the most classically zany license — Looney Tunes Space Race offers a basic blast for Dreamcast.

In Looney Tunes Space Race you begin as one of any of the eight familiar characters in three cartoon environments, and four more that can be unlocked later. The game offers 12 tracks and over 40 events in all. The multiplayer mode allows up to four players to compete on split screens, while Race and Time Trial modes are available for the single player. Each mode makes for a thoroughly enjoyable way to pass an afternoon.

Cel–shaded graphics recreate perfectly the Looney Tunes universe of yore, and classic voice work upholds the anointed legacy of Blanc. Each character has his own special racer (a Carrot Racer, naturally, for Bugs; a cool hover chopper for Yosemite Sam; and a somewhat inexplicable Sabre Jet for Elmer Fudd), and the cartoon tracks are loopy and fun. Indeed, the tortuous tracks are so loopy that sometimes staying on them can be difficult (the control takes some getting used to), and they’re also replete with power boosts and fun little distractions in the form of gags that you can use on other players.

Looney Tunes Space Race’s gags are where things both heat up and falter a bit — the different gags range from fiendish to foolish. The clover leaf, for example, makes you impervious to outside attacks, which sounds OK but proves pretty useless. Other gags, meanwhile, are worthy of the Acme Hall of Fame: portable holes that can be placed in the road; pianos, safes, and 10–ton weights that can be dropped on your opponents; and spray cans that release lightning clouds for unlucky followers. While many of these gags are highly amusing, some are just a little too random for their own good, eliminating the need for skills. For example, players lagging behind can drop an elephant on the first–place racer. This appears to be a clever way to give slower racers a handicap, but in practice it turns out to be an annoying design flaw. The amount of time it takes to get out from under the elephant’s mass makes it possible for every other racer to overtake the unlucky victim, creating a real disincentive to be in first place. And that’s not good for a basic kart racer where coming in first is theoretically the only point.

The game’s accidental factors are compounded by the Acme crates that houses the gags. The crates aren’t specifically labeled, so you encounter the gags randomly. It would be better if you could plan your strategies by identifying the various gags and deciding the most opportune time to use them.

Finally, the game’s computer assistance enables your computer opponents to always be just seconds behind, which is frustrating, even on your best day. But in the long run, a few questionable design decisions do not a dud make, and Looney Tunes Space Race, while no paragon of originality, is a fun time. Its appeal is in the basics. Decent game mechanics placed within a historically precise recreation of the beloved Looney Tunes world makes it a good, solid racer worthy of the brand Acme. That’s indeed all, folks.