Cutie kart racing at its finest.
There are so many games out there, that it is hard to find a game that breaks the traditional mold of its genre. From the many Street Fighter spin-offs to the Mario Kart mascot racing wannabe's, one could say, "If you've played one, you've played them all." Not true. Konomi Krazy Racers adds a few spices to the standard recipe.
Racing begins just like every other Mascot Racer. You sit on the track , waiting for some franchised symbol to tell you when to go. Since Konomi does not have a major mascot, you will not recognize any of the surroundings or characters. The racing engine is similar to Wacky Wheels (PC - 1993). As you zoom around the track, you pick up offensive weaponry. This consists of ice crystals, bombs, and rockets. You race around the track in a predetermined number of laps, usually 3. This is pretty much the standard.
Krazy Racers does mix things up by added a store where you can purchase weapons and kart upgrades prior to the race. There are also two new battle games. The first one is Bomb Chaser. Bomb Chaser reminds me of playing tag as a child. You zoom around in your kart, until you crash into someone, causing the bomb you are carrying to explode. Once you crash into someone, you no longer carry the bomb, and that person is essentially "IT". The other battle game is Chicken. This is your basic chickie run, as you zoom toward the edge of a cliff, dock, or whatever the stage theme is. The closer you are to the edge without going over, the better your chance of winning.
There really is not much to tell about the environment in this game. You have your standard kart themes, Open air prairie, big lake… if you have played Super Mario Kart, you already know the type. I was impressed by the reflection of the sky on the water. This is the first time that I have seen this done in any kart racer. It is a good attention to detail.
I can not complain about the game play on Konami Krazy Racers. Control fits the standard, Jump, Accelerator, Brake, and Item. This is an easy to learn racer because it does not require you to learn to jump and turn, but jump is placed there simply for a defensive tactic. You can also use the jump for advance racing, but the game's formula does not require this.
Altogether, I am pleased to see a change in kart racing. I highly recommend this game to gamers of all ages. I would go as far as to say, minus the battle mode featured in Super Mario Super Circuit, this is a better game.
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