Wacky Races games for PS2 (PAL and NTSC)

[dothog]

I'm a fan of Wacky Races for the Dreamcast, and I was interested in getting the port of that game for the PS2.

As far as I can tell, there's only one released thus far, and it's only available for PAL. It's called Wacky Races Starring Dastardly and Muttley (PAL). This PAL game looks like it's the DC version, but with extra content.

Is there an NTSC port of Wacky Races for the PS2? Not even a version with the extra tracks, just a direct port of the DC version.

There's a second game for the PS2 I've seen in searches called Wacky Races: Mad Motors (PAL?). The screenshots look cheap, and I'm not even sure if this is for real. There's no reviews for it out there.

Any concrete info on any and all versions of Wacky Races for the PS2 would be appreciated.

 

[darkwingduck13]

I too had a lot of love for Wacky Races on DC. Partly because of my love for the characters, but also partly because it was the best "kart" game that didn't have "Mario" in the title. Of course, the rubberband AI was a pain in the ass, but that's a common problem with those titles. Regardless, I'd be interested to see what other information you turn up!

 

[tangytangerine]

[quote name='dothog']Is there an NTSC port of Wacky Races for the PS2?[/quote]

No, it sold poorly on the DC so Atari(Infogrames at the time) did not release it for other consoles. The only "cartoon" racer that made a port from DC to PS2 was Looney Tunes Space Race.

The reason that Wacky Races: Mad Motors looks bad is because Atari didn't make it. Some company called Blast Entertainment made & released the game. According to the Wikipedia entry, it was released June 12th of this year.

 

[dothog]

[quote name='tangytangerine']No, it sold poorly on the DC so Atari(Infogrames at the time) did not release it for other consoles.[/QUOTE]
Yep. I've kept at this and looked around, and it looks like Wacky Races on the PS2 here in the states is only possible if you've got a modded PS2. I hate region locks so much.

 

[dothog]

I got the port of the DC's Wacky Races that was released only to PAL gamers. It was done in 2001 and was retitled "Wacky Races Starring Dastardly and Muttley" (as detailed in the OP). The developers of the game that ported the DC version to the PS2 did a fantastic job of including many graphical options to assist importers in getting fully functional, fully viewable output on a non-PAL, non-multisystem TV.

The developers added features across the board. I haven't played much of the game thus far, but one notable addition is the inclusion of a "quick race" feature (which I don't recall being in the DC version, but maybe it was--it was a loooong time ago). The tracks are mostly the same, but they've added more background animation. And they've put doors on a lot of places that automatically open when racers approach--places that didn't previously have doors. They've also added new tracks and cups, and many features of the game (such as graphics and controls) are now very customizable.

The only complaint I have thus far is that the game is saturated in color. The Wacky Races coins you collect to use weapons used to be (in the DC version, that is) a nice flat, dull yellow and purple. In the PS2 version they're this disgusting, glowing pink. Like neon pepto bismol. Ick. Anyhow, the way they jacked up the color everywhere makes the game hard to look at in some places. I may just need to adjust the color setting on my TV.

All in all, it's a great port of a fun game with many improvements. Definitely worth getting if you liked the DC version and are willing to import it. I got mine on eBay for around $20, S&H included. It was worth it.

EDIT: I've played the new tracks (in "The Big Apricot" which I guess is their wacky take on "The Big Apple"?) and I have another complaint. Those new tracks are unnecessarily HARD, and this is coming from someone who's willing to tolerate difficulty in a karter. The tracks are confusing as hell, and they have a ton of blind dead-ends that take you out of the race. It's tough to tell where the hell to go most of the time--there will be one little arrow signpost at an intersection of many roads. Forget about using your map as its a complete jumble. There's no reasoning in determining which direction to go, as most of the Wacky Races tracks, especially in the new tracks, will double back on themselves more often than not. There's one track based around their idea of Central Park that I like, but everything else in the new stuff is cruel and unusual. There's just too many traps to fall in. It's too easy to get lost.

The game is still worth getting for the original content and upgraded features, but I have to say that the new content in terms of tracks is poorly designed. Whoever designed those tracks was not a karter. A sadist, but not someone who has done a lot of karting.