Despite having the foundations to recreate the show's feel, the ideas are half-baked.
User Rating: 4 | Wacky Races: Crash & Dash DS
You would imagine Wacky Races to be a Mario Kart clone since it features various themed cars enhanced by gadgets and trickery. Instead, the game tries to recreate an episode of the show. The isometric view is zoomed in close to your car and you use the stylus to maintain speed and control the direction. It is a simple game-play mechanic, but is frustrating that you can't really see what's ahead without constantly checking your map on the top screen. You can pick a variety of power-ups which attack other racers, or enhances speed, or a combination of the two. If your car takes a lot of damage, you have to rebuild the car by dragging the car parts to reform the blueprint. The penalty isn't very severe because you can rebuild within a few seconds. At certain checkpoints, Dick Dastardly gets up to no good and presents you with a mini game. Completing it successfully allows to to maintain your race position, and failing drags you behind slightly. There are only several simple mini-games so they soon become tiresome. The final stretch of the race puts your car on autopilot, but you must rub the screen frantically and blow into the microphone to race the final stretch. After much physical exertion, this part is heavily effected by your cars speed so if you have picked a slow car, you often quickly lose your position whereas faster cars can often gain a few positions. As you race, voiced commentary keeps you up to date with who is activating power-ups and helps recreate the cartoons atmosphere. There are 6 tournaments consisting of 3 races each, and progression is made by gaining enough points in the previous tournament. I think Wacky Races had the foundations of a decent idea, but could have been better with a few tweaks. If they got rid of the 'blow finish', zoomed the camera out to see further ahead, added more and better quality mini-games then Wacky Races would have been much better. As it stands, it feels 'half-baked' and you will be bored as soon as you complete the 6 tournaments, so won't feel like replaying them in the unlockable 'crazy' difficulty.
