Gallop Racer 2004 Review
If you're not already a fan of the series, Gallop Racer 2004 doesn't provide a new, compelling reason to grab the reins.
Forget Pachinko and Pocky! There's nothing so charmingly Japanese as video game horse-racing simulations. The age-old sport of equitation, relegated to ESPN2 on US shores, seems to be pretty popular in the East. Gallop Racer 2004, the seventh entry in the Gallop Racer series, makes some marked improvements on its predecessors' presentation and control while staying close to the formula that has earned the franchise a cult following. Unfortunately, Gallop Racer's core gameplay comes down to a few, strategic button presses, and therefore it remains too finicky to have wide appeal. This is a title that caters to a very specific audience. If you've bought many of the last six games, this iteration's subtle improvements may likewise merit an upgrade. On the other hand, if you're not already a fan of the series, Gallop Racer 2004 doesn't provide a new, compelling reason to grab the reins.
As in any stat-driven game, you begin Gallop Racer as an unknown, unproven talent with very little to recommend yourself. You have no horses in your stable--just a riding crop and a dream. If you've never played a Gallop Racer game before, you also have no idea what's going on. While 2003's entry forced you to participate in a lengthy tutorial before allowing you to begin play, Gallop Racer 2004 assumes that you know the ropes by now. Training is entirely optional. Furthermore, all but the most basic lessons are gradually unlocked in season mode, thus leaving novice players to figure out--through trial and error--what they could have learned less painfully.
After you've created a jockey, a jersey type, and a name, your next step is to negotiate with trainers for the use of their horses. The trainers (like you) are superdeformed caricatures that are meant to represent their differing personalities. The graphical style used to portray them is highly reminiscent of Hot Shots Golf. One looks like a stern school marm, while another appears as a Teutonic fitness guru who is constantly accusing you of having poor physical training habits. Whether transactions with this exacting bunch succeed or fail depends on how your statistics measure up to those of their horses.
If you're a level-one rider looking to saddle up on a grade-A animal, you'll likely be turned down. If you're properly matched, however, you'll be awarded the opportunity to jockey in that specific contest. The trainers will set a goal for you in each race. Sometimes that goal might just be to beat the odds by placing higher than you were slated to. In other instances, you'll have to meet or beat a certain report card rating for an element of your riding, such as "Feel," which describes how competently you played to your horse's strengths during the race. If you succeed in meeting these challenges, the trainer's estimation of you will improve.
Eventually, the trainer will ask you to become his main jockey, at which point he or she will give you total control over a horse. Once you've filled your stable in this way, you'll essentially become your own boss, although you can still entertain the requests you'll undoubtedly receive to ride horses for others. Under specific conditions, you can even breed horses, but most players won't develop the knowledge or wherewithal to do so until fairly far into the game.
In practice, the horse trainer system results in even more needlessly complex menu navigation than in last year's game. Far from providing a stepping stone for new players before they must strike out on their own, horse trainers serve as useless intermediaries between riders and their quadrupedal partners. Having to navigate manifold menus to maintain a rapport with a number of forgettable characters adds yet more complexity to an already dense title.
Horse names are exemplary of the odd text that pervades the game, adding equal doses of charm and confusion. Get used to losing races to horses called "High Time" or "Sexy Present." Trainers and opposing riders also speak in a bizarre brand of poorly translated text. When a horse has a high heart statistic, one of your spikey-haired friends will appear and will exclaim, "Your horse has hidden power, doesn't he!?" Players who enjoy these games for their inimitable Japanese flavor will probably be delighted by Gallop Racer 2004's off-kilter translation.
Gallop Racer 2004 Quick Links
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Player Reviews
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BEST Horse Racing Game there Is!!!! This game is awesome!!! You can't even find it anywhere anymore Continue »
Critic Scores
- IGN 7.2 / 10
- Worth Playing 8 / 10
- Game Chronicles 8.5 / 10
- GotNext 4 / 5
- VGPub 6.5 / 10
- UGO B+
- DarkStation 7 / 10
- Next Level Gaming 84 / 100
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