Developer: Firebrand Games

Publisher: Atlus

Release Date: March 17, 2009

System: Nintendo DS

ESRB Rating: E

Official Web site

0:00 I've probably put over 100 hours into the free PC version of this simple, technical stunt racer, primarily in the endlessly inventive online tracks. So, naturally, I'm excited about this DS version.

0:02 I'm digging the low-fidelity chiptunes on the menu screen. Let's start with some solo racing, in the "Stadium Practice" area.

0:03 The 3-D graphics on the top screen are surprisingly smooth for the DS, even with three ghost cars (which represent bronze, silver and gold-medal times). That said, everything's very blocky and not really up to the PC resolution. Still, passable. I finish in second on the extremely short, simple course because I accidentally scraped against a wall and slowed to a crawl. Still getting used to the controls...

0:05 Two more simple tracks down already. Lots of jumps, lots of going horizontal against walls. The physics are incredibly simple, but they have a good self-consistency to them.

0:07 Another silver medal on the fourth practice race. I'm having real trouble avoiding the walls... I have to remember to let up on the accelerator on some of these turns! The fifth practice race is still locked ... do they want me to get more gold medals? Screw that ... I'm moving on to the Desert tracks.

0:09 The F1 cars I was racing in the stadium are replaced with taller rally cars in the desert. They lurch back and forth as I turn around the wide-open course. It's a little hard to tell where to go exactly on the first try. I run into a pylon and finish third. Bleh.

0:10 My second attempt is going very well, now that I know where to go, but on the final straightaway I fall THROUGH the track and onto the sandy floor below, totally missing the finish line. That's, um, not a good sign for the game.

0:11 One minor annoyance: The default menu option after finishing a race is "Retry," even if you finished with the gold medal. Come on, game ... I want to go to the next race, not repeat the last one!

0:12 A crappy bronze-medal performance on the second desert track. I'm having trouble in the sandy areas, where the handling is totally different. Also, the twangy rock music is getting super-annoying. I know ... excuses, excuses.

0:14 Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against lightly tapping a d-pad repeatedly to turn. I've been doing it for years. That said, this is exactly the kind of game that would benefit from more precise, analog control.

0:15 Desert Course 4 is a veritable obstacle course full of highway dividers, speed-boosting dash plates and some high jumping ramps. Just figuring out where to go next is half the fun!

0:20 A few retries and I have all the gold medals on the first four desert tracks. I even managed a rare "platinum" medal on No. 4. And STILL Track 5 is locked. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, GAME?!?! Moving on to the "Rally" tracks, I guess.

0:22 The first Rally race seems to be atop the Great Wall of China. Wow ... how original. Anyway, the rally cars are much lower to the ground and lurch violently when I tap the turn buttons. Got to use a very light touch.

0:23 OK, I just fell though the track AGAIN, right before the finish. This is kind of tolerable in these short practice races, but if this came at the end of a longer-minute race, I would be PISSED!

0:25 I get some power-slides going unintentionally on the dirt road of Rally Course 2. I still can't seem to catch the gold-medal ghost, though. What does he have that I don't? Huh?

0:26 Hmmm ... it seems the power-slide was actually hurting me more than it was helping me. Taking the turn at a less-severe angle seems to be the key to victory.

0:28 Course 3 has some nice wooden ramps and gentle curves. I'm getting the hang of the rally handling now, navigating narrow sections of the track with aplomb.

0:30 Rally Track 4 is another simple level, with an easy gold medal. I haven't unlocked Track 5, but I have unlocked the "Easy" mode races. I've also unlocked the "Platform" section of the main menu. Let's see what that's about...

0:33 Interesting ... the platform races are timer-free affairs -- your medal status is determined by how many times you choose to restart from the nearest checkpoint. Of course, the first track is full of hills and blind holes to fall off the course. One particularly tricky section requires you to take hairpin turns at high speed so you'll have enough momentum to ramp up to a higher platform. I guess this means I can't just crawl through the entire course. Anyway, I like it!

0:36 The most interesting part of Platform Track 2 is a section where I have to cross a gap on two thin rails. Usually I miss slightly and get kicked off to the side. The physics, which seemed so solid on the PC, seem a little touchy here ... like the game is taking shortcuts to estimate what should happen to the car.

0:39 Another high-speed ramp section before the finish. I have to keep my speed up around two turns and over two ramps, THEN avoid a big blind pit. I use up seven retries because I'm not patient enough to go all the way back to the beginning of the race every time I fall. If these are just the practice tracks, I'd hate to see Hard.

0:42 Platform Track 3, in a rally car, combines high-speed ramps with some narrow, wall-free sections that you have to navigate carefully to avoid falling. Of course, you need to keep your speed up, too, to get over the ramps. Tricky! Still, I make it through on the first try with no restarts. Yup, I'm just that good!

0:44 Looking around the menu a bit now. In the shop I can use my medal earnings to buy new car skins, track editor blocks and ... tracks! That's where I unlock Track 5. Mystery SOLVED!

0:45 Looks like the game only supports local multiplayer. That's a shame, since playing with strangers from foreign countries on the Internet was one of the best parts of the PC version.

0:50 Toying around in the track-editor mode. I like the simple stylus controls and the ability to literally draw a track on the screen. I don't like the tiny icons that make it hard to tell what kind of piece of track you're selecting. I probably don't have patience to actually make full tracks, anyway, but it's nice that they included the option.

0:52 On to the "Easy" Stadium courses. The first one is a flat, three-lap course with wide, gentle curves. The hardest part is knowing when to slow down. It's a very technical racing experience, in that way.

0:53 I just went THROUGH a side wall and fell to my doom. Not over the wall. THROUGH it. Sigh.

0:54 Track 3 features the game's first loop-de-loop. Real Formula 1 racing needs more of these!

0:55 I am the kind of person that will play a track over and over again until I perfect my performance enough for that gold medal. If you are not this kind of person, this game is not for you.

0:56 ARGH! I just finished 1/100th of a second behind the gold-medal car. Now I know how that guy Michael Phelps beat feels like.

0:59 I just cannot get a gold-medal time on this tight, winding third course. I keep smashing into the walls. I'm really abusing that quick restart button (nice feature, by the way).

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes.


Why? Great course design, good controls and I haven't even gotten to the "Puzzle" tracks yet! While it's not as polished as the PC version, it is much more portable and plays pretty much the same.

This column is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.



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