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PENNY RACERS (PS2)
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a.k.a Choro Q HG (JP); Gadget Racers (US)
Publisher: Midas Interactive. Developer: Barnhouse Effect. Released: 2002 (Europe); 2000 (Japan). Genre: Racing. Posted 27th October 2013. By Tom Clare © 2013 |
I’m reluctant to wheel out the term guilty pleasure if I can absolutely help it (after all, if I felt that guilty about enjoying Penny Racers, I probably wouldn’t be writing about it), but there are many reasons why this quirky Japanese racer is an improbably pleasant surprise.
One of a raft of Chrono Q toy-car related racers from around the turn of the millennium, Penny Racers would precede the likes of Road Trip Adventure, an endearing but considerably flawed and technologically antiquated racer that distinguished itself almost solely on its appealing racer/RPG hybrid concept. Penny Racers doesn’t really have a unique selling point, and in an industry where sequels typically advance base aspects of a game’s design, things didn’t bode well for this unheralded 2002 budget release. What it does deliver however is a surprisingly convincing mimicry of Gran Turismo’s heavyweight Grand Prix setup. It copies rather shamefacedly, everything from licence tests, to endless tuning and customisation options, a myriad of regulation-specific events, even a car wash. Still, if you’re going to take your cues from any racer, it might as well be GT.
One of a raft of Chrono Q toy-car related racers from around the turn of the millennium, Penny Racers would precede the likes of Road Trip Adventure, an endearing but considerably flawed and technologically antiquated racer that distinguished itself almost solely on its appealing racer/RPG hybrid concept. Penny Racers doesn’t really have a unique selling point, and in an industry where sequels typically advance base aspects of a game’s design, things didn’t bode well for this unheralded 2002 budget release. What it does deliver however is a surprisingly convincing mimicry of Gran Turismo’s heavyweight Grand Prix setup. It copies rather shamefacedly, everything from licence tests, to endless tuning and customisation options, a myriad of regulation-specific events, even a car wash. Still, if you’re going to take your cues from any racer, it might as well be GT.
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It’s better looking than Road Trip Adventure, which in itself is difficult to fathom. Here the tracks are less sparse, the presentation less crude. Penny Racers creates a bright, simplistic, yet inviting world of tongue-in-cheek racing in vehicles more befitting of their toy-inspired environments. It makes ample though attractive use of lens-flare effects and though the game never threatens the retina-bursting speeds of its contemporaries, it’s smooth and sturdy. Whilst its sequel appeared tired and rickety on release, PR is moderately pretty for its time, a sensation that’s enhanced by a great array of circuits.
The Asian street tracks show off the best of the attractive neon night-times as you charge down alleys knocking down stalls and associated market paraphernalia. Penny Racers gets its adventuring hat on for trips to the desert, jungle, snowy hills and a coastal island with underwater sections. It’s an eclectic mix that shows care in design. Most circuits have short and long variants, as well as shortcuts and alternative routes, whilst the varying degrees of on and off-road driving means shrewd tyre choice becomes an unusual imperative to factor in.
The Asian street tracks show off the best of the attractive neon night-times as you charge down alleys knocking down stalls and associated market paraphernalia. Penny Racers gets its adventuring hat on for trips to the desert, jungle, snowy hills and a coastal island with underwater sections. It’s an eclectic mix that shows care in design. Most circuits have short and long variants, as well as shortcuts and alternative routes, whilst the varying degrees of on and off-road driving means shrewd tyre choice becomes an unusual imperative to factor in.
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Further establishing the er, good work that Road Trip Adventure apparently undid, it’s also a wee bit easier on the ears (strictly relative, but at least the engine notes are less of a drone), with a chirpy sax intro that is so comical a pastiche of Ridge Racer, it’s not entirely clear whether it was intended in mockery or reverence. As a whole, it gels together far more cohesively, offering laudable long-term credentials. Perhaps most significantly, the circuits vary both in gameplay and appearance, whilst the endearingly crackers add-ons (amongst them a propeller, on-board motor and skis) work more effectively in-tandem with the racing, rather than feeling like an after-thought.
It’s important to remember the context of the game’s release. An early PS2 effort that beat even Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec to the shelves in its native Japan, Penny Racers may well have been the first racer on the format to offer more than a fleeting challenge. It offered early adopters a considerably meatier alternative to the slick but ultimately safe-feeling Ridge Racer V. It would release in Europe in 2002, as part of Midas Interactive’s budget range.
Penny Racers is the absolute polar opposite of Gran Turismo’s realism and format-pushing technical pyrotechnics. The experience is skewed towards the more light-hearted and quirky. In short, it’s trying to deliver fun, and it succeeds. After all, what other racer has a Chicken Cup where the objective is to drive as quickly as possible to the end of a ship and brake to a standstill before tumbling off the edge? There are more than a hundred chassis models to buy, unlock and customise, and a handy renaming feature allows you to align the models to the real-world cars they’re based on.
It’s important to remember the context of the game’s release. An early PS2 effort that beat even Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec to the shelves in its native Japan, Penny Racers may well have been the first racer on the format to offer more than a fleeting challenge. It offered early adopters a considerably meatier alternative to the slick but ultimately safe-feeling Ridge Racer V. It would release in Europe in 2002, as part of Midas Interactive’s budget range.
Penny Racers is the absolute polar opposite of Gran Turismo’s realism and format-pushing technical pyrotechnics. The experience is skewed towards the more light-hearted and quirky. In short, it’s trying to deliver fun, and it succeeds. After all, what other racer has a Chicken Cup where the objective is to drive as quickly as possible to the end of a ship and brake to a standstill before tumbling off the edge? There are more than a hundred chassis models to buy, unlock and customise, and a handy renaming feature allows you to align the models to the real-world cars they’re based on.
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It’s Penny Racers’ energetic veneer and endearing nature that keeps you coming back for more, as truth be told, given a strict appraisal, many of the gameplay elements don’t stand up to scrutiny. Collision physics are miserable; cars slide lazily along walls, suffer juddering collisions with other competitors, and react so vigorously to bumps in the road, it’s like you’d just driven over a cluster of landmines. There’s no question, parts of the design are really quite dated, and the lack of a rear-view mirror or a view change button are peculiar omissions. You may not be too concerned though, because it’s also accessible, enjoyable and more often than not offers a decent challenge. There have been thrilling races where I’ve pitted, had to catch back up to the front and taken the lead on the last corner of the last lap. It’s no Sunday drive, the A.I. can be pretty demanding.
Dozens (perhaps hundreds) of races await the more committed gamer, with new modes and new races opening up all the time until you can barely move for them. Sprint races, multi-race Grand Prix events, Endurance races with the added spice of pit-stops, one-on-one Duels, as well as part, body and tune-up specific events, it’s incredibly comprehensive. For a modest price, you’ll find Penny Racers has a lot of racing to offer. It’s a good deal of fun, and its heart is very much in the right place.
Dozens (perhaps hundreds) of races await the more committed gamer, with new modes and new races opening up all the time until you can barely move for them. Sprint races, multi-race Grand Prix events, Endurance races with the added spice of pit-stops, one-on-one Duels, as well as part, body and tune-up specific events, it’s incredibly comprehensive. For a modest price, you’ll find Penny Racers has a lot of racing to offer. It’s a good deal of fun, and its heart is very much in the right place.
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VERDICT
Visual: 7/10
Audio: 5/10 Gameplay: 6/10 Longevity: 8/10 OVERALL: 7/10 |