And we were on such a role too. Heading into the holidays, the
last eight games reviewed here at Game Over had all scored over
75%, that is until Woody Woodpecker and his pals zoomed out of
Konami to ruin Christmas for everybody. Ok, maybe I'm
exaggerating a little, but this game is as bad as Woody
Woodpecker's laugh is annoying. It's hard to believe that the
creators of such highly acclaimed titles as Castlevania and Metal
Gear Solid could come up with such dull and unimaginative
games as The Grinch and Woody Woodpecker Racing, but here
you have it. Amongst its numerous downfalls, Woody Woodpecker
Racing's greatest flaw is the fact it misses its target audience
completely due to the ridiculously difficult gameplay.
Woody Woodpecker Racing is the latest in a long line of
franchise-based kart racing games, a genre that includes Acclaim's
South Park Rally and Infogrames' Wacky Races, just to name a
couple. Woody Woodpecker Racing features the usual assortment
of kart racing goodies: a cast of familiar cartoon characters that
includes the Sly Bird himself along with Winnie Woodpecker and
Chilly Willy, an assortment of tracks to gear up for, a variety of
items and power-ups, and of course a plethora of racing modes
including Trial, Quest, Championship and Multi-player races. It's a
formula that has hatched some very popular kart racing games
over the years, but one that has also seen it's share of generic and
uninspiring spawns. Unfortunately, Woody Woodpecker Racing falls
into that second category.
Based on the Saturday morning cartoon, Woody Woodpecker
Racing is clearly geared towards a younger audience. However,
when you factor in how difficult this game actually is, it's hard to
believe Konami had the youngsters in mind when they designed
this title. Even on the easiest difficulty level, I had a hard time
finishing first in many of the races. For starters, some of the turns
are incredibly difficult to negotiate. It takes careful braking skills to
master some of the corners in Woody Woodpecker Racing and I
just can't see younger gamers managing them too well, let along
using the brakes period. As if the turns weren't bad enough, the
highly skilled computer opponents are worse. As with most kart
racing games, Woody Woodpecker Racing is designed to make
sure the trailing pack can always catch up to the leader. As an
added bonus, Woody Woodpecker Racing also appears designed
to make sure that you're one of those trailers. I ended up stealing
many of my first place finishes with last-minute antics or
power-ups, I was never able to hang onto the lead for very long
myself. One of the reasons why is because I was constantly beat
up on by fellow racers. Each racer, along with a variety of power-ups
and weapons, is equipped with an attack button that allows them
to lay the smackdown on a driver racing beside them. Getting hit
with a side attack generally sends you flying and spinning straight
up in the air, an event that happens far too often and becomes
frustrating very quickly.
Difficulty level aside, Woody Woodpecker Racing is unappealing
for a variety of other reasons as well. While the game offers a few
unique twists on the genre, there's very little follow through on
those ideas. An example is the ability to race vehicles other than
just the regular karts. Players can race in karts, stock cars,
all-terrain vehicles and jalopies, but the problem is that none of
these different vehicles add new play mechanics, they all handle
the same, which essentially voids it's unique quality. The only
difference between driving a stock car and an all-terrain vehicle in
Woody Woodpecker Racing is the visuals. The same can be said
for the side attacks that each character possesses. Sure, you can
peck fellow drivers with Woody's beak, or slap them upside the
head with a fish from Chilly Willy, but it's not as neat as it sounds. The
attacks all look the same, not to mention it's rather difficult to time
a side attack. It's nice to see Konami attempt to bring a new
dimension to the kart racing genre, but in this instance it just didn't
pan out.
Graphically, Woody Woodpecker Racing has a definitive console look and feel to it.
The track environments, while colourful, lack
any kind of visual flare. The effects from the weapon and power-ups are
bland and the character and vehicle animations are terrible. The tracks
themselves are rather unimaginative. There are no hidden areas
or shortcuts to pursue and while new tracks and characters unlock
at certain points in the game, there's very little reason to keep
playing Woody Woodpecker Racing due in large part to the incredibly
frustrating gameplay. The only highpoint for the game lies in the
audio department. It's nothing spectacular, but the game does
have a collection of voice samples along with a solid soundtrack. Fans
of the Woody Woodpecker cartoons will instantly recognize their favourite
characters.
The power-ups in Woody Woodpecker Racing are rather
uninventive. You can use rotten tomatoes, tire tacks, dynamite and
a variety of other items, but their effects aren't particularly
entertaining. Woody Woodpecker Racing also supports
multi-player via a split screen, but the races are as difficult as they
are in single player, not to mention as boring. Throw in a handful
of visual glitches and a number of crashes and you've got Woody
Woodpecker Racing in a nutshell. Oh, did I forget to mention that the
only method of control available is the keyboard? That's right, put
those steering wheels and gamepads aside, you won't be able to use
them here.
When the checkered flag comes out and the champagne is poured,
Woody Woodpecker Racing is as generic a kart racing game
as they come. Those features that are unique to the title, like the
vehicle variety and the side attack, aren't significant enough to
overshadow the extremely poor and frustrating gameplay, the lackluster
visuals and the limited controls. For a game intended for younger audiences,
Woody Woodpecker Racing misses the boat completely. Bottom line, steer clear
of Woody Woodpecker Racing.
[ 12/50 ] Gameplay
[ 04/10 ] Graphics
[ 06/10 ] Sound
[ 03/10 ] Multiplayer
[ 03/10 ] Controls
[ 02/10 ] Fun Factor