Mad Dash Racing Preview
We get a chance to try out a new build of Crystal Dynamics' Xbox racing game. Details inside.
One of the first games announced for the upcoming Microsoft Xbox was the fast-paced footrace game Mad Dash Racing. Developed by Crystal Dynamics, creator of the popular Gex and Soul Reaver franchises, Mad Dash Racing is a revisited concept that some players may be familiar from its previous appearances in Running Wild for the Sony PlayStation and Sonic R for the Sega Saturn. The idea is simple enough--instead of karts, Jet Skis, monster trucks, or whatnot, your colorful characters race through each track on foot. There are obstacles to impede your path, of course, such as wild animals, malicious cavemen, animate dinosaur skeletons, and scalding lava flows, as well as subtler impediments, like water-filled areas, scalable fences, and walls. And like in the game's inspirational predecessors, each of the selectable characters specializes in a particular skill such as gliding, dashing, or bashing. What separates Mad Dash from other games that have tried to popularize the rarely explored footrace genre is the ludicrous speed your momentum can build into, the focus on combat elements, and the sheer immensity of the colorful, unpredictable courses. To top off the package, Mad Dash Racing also offers a pretty hip soundtrack and some challenging boss battles.
The story behind Mad Dash Racing and its characters is unveiled in real-time cutscene sequences. According to the introductory cinema, the racers have gathered to pit their skills and speed against one another in the hopes of cashing in on the big reward offered by the game's head bad guy, the diminutive mad genius known as Hex. His plans are nefarious enough--he's using the racers to collect the giant meteorites at the end of each course so he can use them to power his evil machine. Naturally, he doesn't expect to honor his promise to the racers once his evil goals have been met, so he has offered them his magic scepter as the grand prize, which is, of course, valuable enough to sucker in the game's cast of goofy characters.
The attractive cel-shaded characters are all bipedal animals with an appropriate stereotype or gimmick to match their respective racing abilities. In a perhaps extreme effort to turn their cartoon protagonists into edgier, more mature heroes, the racers have been endowed with some rather tasteless personalities. Sid, the cat with the "No dogs allowed" T-shirt, is a wisecracking trash talker. Chops, the rowdy warthog biker, is the rude and crude rebellious type. Zero-G, perhaps the most recognizable personality of the main cast, is seemingly a combination of a delusional Buzz Lightyear and Drill Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket. Other characters can be unlocked upon completing the adventure mode, like the Mr. T wannabe Big Blue or the paste-eating, spastic weasel Spanx. The characters are attractive and detailed, and they look great as they race through the lively courses. We've had occasional frame rate issues in our preview copies, but indications are that in the final version, the action will be incredibly fast-paced.
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- GameSpot Score7.0good
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Mad Dash Racing Movie 11
Check out a brand-new clip of Mad Dash Racing in this clip.
- Nov 29, 2001
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Images
- Eidos Interactive
- Crystal Dynamics
- On-foot Racing
- Release: Nov 14, 2001 »
- ESRB: Teen
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