Hu Hu Hu Haaaa Hu!!!(Or however it goes). (Woody Wood Pecker Racing (PS))

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Woody Wood Pecker Racing (PS)
Date:	18/09/01 (817 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun for kids, Plenty to keep you going

Disadvantages: Mario Kart clone, It's all been done before

Title: Woody Woodpecker Racing
Format: PSone
Publisher: Konami



What is it about these Mario Kart clones that makes them so appealing? Since the appearance of the original Mario Kart there have been dozens of Wolves in Sheep’s clothing on the horizon. Some of them have actually been pretty good too including one of my personal favourites Diddy Kong Racing. I’d even go as far as saying that the N64 title was more impressive than Nintendo’s Mario Kart 64.

So here we are again then, faced with yet another one of these games and this time it’s called, wait for it, Woody Woodpecker Racing.
Now before you start switching off and start saying ‘Oh for god’s sake’ please take some of your precious time to learn just a little more.

A peck in the eye:
Playstation titles have pretty much reached their graphical peak now. In WWR (I’m not repeating that title every time!) everything looks perfectly good. The courses are all very colourful, vehicles are simple and the characters are quite easily recognisable – assuming that you know who on earth they are in the first place that is.
Menus are all very simple but effective, retaining a simplistic approach for what I feel is a perfectly good reason (discussed shortly).

A peck in the ear:
There’s only one thing you need to know isn’t there?
“Does he make that bleedin’ awful laughing noise in the game?”. Ohhhhhhh yes! You know THAT laugh I’m talking about no doubt.
In game sounds are on the whole pretty good actually. Vehicle noises haven’t been sampled following a three week testing session with the Ferrari F1 team of course (I hope not anyway!) but it all sounds just right for the game.
Music is here too and I was actually expecting something very cartoony, which isn’t what you get.
Cheesy dance/pop is probably a better description. It’s
very upbeat and jolly which totally fits the frantic and fast gameplay.

Features (had to stop the peck thing eventually):
A very simple menu lets you select the various races to embark upon. You can opt for a quick race which enables you to take the ‘grab and play’ attitude or you can engage in something a little more substantial if you really need to by choosing other modes.
As well as all the typical one player race action there is also a multiplayer mode which enhances the fun factor quite dramatically. Add to this the nine selectable characters, various vehicles and sixteen courses to unlock and you’ve got a game that’ll keep even the die-hard youngsters at bay for quite a while.

It’s for the kids dagnammit!!:
There’s one crucial thing that you must remember – this game is for the younger people out there. If you're a 23-year-old GT3 playing lad then it’s fairly likely that WWR isn’t going to be your cup of tea.
If I’m honest, it’s not really mine either but my 3-year-old son absolutely loves this game.
It’s all simplified, it’s all very basic but if you’re a young child it’s a different matter altogether.
He likes the characters, he likes the way it all looks and even the handling is simple enough for him to deal with.
I’m sure that this isn’t aimed at 3 year olds, it’s just an example that shows this title is fun when presented to the correct audience.

The verdict:
Definitely one for the younger members of the gaming world but it remains a game that can be plenty of fun especially if racing against a friend.

MR.COATES

Summary: