Since Infogrames' acquisition of the Looney Tunes franchise, a number of games have made their way onto numerous platforms. With exceptions to Pokemon and a handful of other titles that are released over the past few months, there's very little that truly screams "buy me!!!", but this hasn't been the case with anything that features Bugs and company who have had a successful track record of Looney Tunes titles that has continued right up to our current era. Which brings up the discussion of the GameBoy Color's latest handheld edition which, unlike the common fault of most marquee brands licensed for video game entertainment - Looney Tunes Racing doesn't just pique gamer's interest on its namesake alone, but it's actually fun to play.

Among the current library of titles (yes, you can certainly expect two more Looney Tunes' reviews to come); THQ graced my editorial drive with Looney Tunes Racing which in all obvious intents involves the cast of the animated universe in discussion. The breakdown is quite simple, and very easy to jump into as players can select from eight available characters in their endeavor to win the Championship Cup.

When it comes to racing games on the handheld, I am always been relatively concerned with the control setup, and in the case of Looney Tunes Racing, a game which is primarily targeted to a younger audience, the last thing anyone wants to see is a flustered kid who isn't having fun. No worries here, as the configuration is very simple that...even a child could play it (gotta love those imminent cliches). Using the directional pad manipulates through menu choices and steers your vehicle left and right during races; select makes new selections and cycles through powerups, A button operates the gas pedal, acceleration and confirms choices, while the B button returns you to the main menu and activates Acme gags/powerups (which will only work if you've collected an item). I am not sure what that start button does...it's always puzzled me. (Yes folks, I am joking) :)

Nah, what's playing Doc?

Looney Tunes Racing features two gameplay modes, Arcade and Championship Mode. Arcade mode is great for players that just want to jump into the action, quickly select a racer and a track. The available cast of characters includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote, Lola Bunny and more. Each character has their own unique racer that varies in speed and handling, a significant factor when engaging the eight available courses which are divided amongst three circuits. The Arcade mode is highly recommended as training mode to familiarize yourself with the available tracks and characters. Whereas the Championship mode is the the more challenging selection of the two, where you'll select a specific racer and must successfully place first place in races divided among 3 circuits (Fun Cup, Super Cup, an Extreme Cup) to win the Acme Trophy.

Each circuit features stages has familiar names such as Planet X, Duck Dodger's City and Wabbit Woods. The tracks unfortunately don't have too much diversity, something that I immediately became disheartened with as I was really becoming enticed with the handheld racing sensation (in fact, it made me covet the Dreamcast version). It's understandable since again, this is a title aimed for younger gamers, not fanatical racing addicts like myself. To add a dash of action to the race, various Acme items are deposited throughout the track which vary in defensive/offensive nature. Among the diverse set of gags one can utilize consist of homing pies functioned to thrwart the advancement of racers ahead of you; portable holes, anvils, storm clouds, Looney Tunes Racing has the amusing ammo down to a science...the only thing missing from the game is some voiceovers from the characters and you've got a virtual Saturday morning cartoon on your GameBoy Color.

I am ready for my variety Mr. Deville

Additional replay value and diversity is made possible via Sylvester's Shop. There, players can upgrade their vehicles, obtain new items, access bonus stages and acquire other players using the tokens you collect for successfully winning each race. The races believe it or not felt initially difficult to me. Foghorn and Daffy just kept cheating in Arizona Desert, and running into catcus thorns bordering the track were just a bit too much for my taste. Eventually, I conquered that which I felt should be so simple (it's a kids' game folks...and I am a veteran gamer, am I not?) Once you feel the action is just too difficult and your abilities are just too legendary to speak of, a visit to the Options screen to adjust the difficulty will easily put you back into a humble state. Aside from the challenge, my only disappointement with the tracks was that they lacked diversity (the track layout is basically the same amongst all circuits, only the backgrounds and various obstacles on the road actually vary). I wanted flaming rings, pitfalls...something truly outrageous, but hey, that's just the racing otaku spirit in me.

Generally, most don't expect a handheld game to be visually impressive as the larger next-generation platforms, but it's definitely no excuse to aim for excellence. Looney Tunes Racing delivers with a crisp graphics, each area is vibrant in color, varying from green meadows to the orbital habitats and more; there's even a small degree of parallex scrolling which gives adds dimension to the game as you manipulate various turns on the track. In addition, every character is easily distinct and easy to recognize (after all, there's no reason why you should miss those wabbit ears). The sounds effects is the only area that I found the least appealing, since the music tends to drown out the activation of gags and onscreen action. You really do have to listen for the cars screeching on hairpin turns...everything else is either insignificant or just undistinguishable to actually acknowledge.

Thankfully the music isn't something that I found annoying or the volume button would've quickly become my best friend and I'd be enjoying the racing action in silence. Sadly I dont' recognize any of the music, but that's because, it's not based on the trademarked themes which have been used so often in the cartoons that I grew up with. Perhaps it's asking a bit much, but it would've really impressed me if a few common Looney Tunes' themes were incorporated into the game. After some further thought on my part, I realized that much of those classic tunes wouldn't have bode well for a racing game, but...I wouldn't have cared!

I say...yah, I say, this game is mighty fun!

Overall, Looney Tunes Racing is a rather solid package that younger gamers can quickly jump into. Complete with the most common cast of characters from the Looney Tunes univesse and an exceptional degree of challenge that can easily be adjusted in difficulty, and the ability to play with Bugs Bunny easily made Looney Tunes Racing get my vote. Sufferin succotash, gamers looking for yet another title to add to their library are highly encourage to pick up this game and rekindle that kid spirit that resides in all of us.

· · · Bahn