Overall Rating

The one thing everyone thought would never happen has finally come to pass: Big-head kart racing has invaded the Star Wars universe. Yes, Lucas Learning has made "Star Wars Super Bombad Racing." It's a kids' racing game for the PlayStation2 starring nine heroes and villains from "The Phantom Menace," including Yoda, Darth Maul, Jar Jar Binks, and Anakin Skywalker. We never would've guessed it, but after playing the game through, we've come to the conclusion that taking kart racing to a galaxy far, far away makes perfect sense, and a fun game.

The tracks and riders are straight out of "The Phantom Menace," but they're not quite the same as in the movie. They look like Hanna Barbara has given them a makeover. Like the long line of kart racers before them, the racers have tiny bodies with big heads, they fly around on what can best be described as space-karts (half spaceship, half go-kart), and they're a lot more comical than anything in the movie.

The majority of the gaming populace believes that "Mario Kart 64" was the best kart racer ever. So inevitably our first reaction to "Star Wars Super Bombad Racing" was the same first reaction we give all new kart racers that come to the lab: "It's not 'Mario Kart 64.'" It's true we're slightly jaded, but we're also fair, and once we started playing "Super Bombad Racing" and accepted that we were controlling little spaceships instead of little karts, we had a blast.

No, it's not "Mario Kart 64," which in this instance is actually a good thing. The biggest difference between this game and "Mario Kart 64" is that in "Star Wars Super Bombad Racing" the racers don't actually ride in karts. They pilot tiny spaceships. This changes the physics of the game dramatically. In traditional kart games, the controls are tight and immediate. If you press left on the directional pad, your kart turns immediately. Tiny go-kart wheels don't need much of a turning radius. But because there are no wheels on the mini-spaceships in "Bombad Racing," you hover around corners rather than squeal around them. The best word I've heard to describe "Bombad Racing's" controls came from Greg B., an associate producer for "Extended Play." He called them "floaty."

Fans of kart racers will notice that the three- and four-player modes don't quite scale as well as in "Mario Kart 64," so you'll want to learn the tracks in single player before talking smack to your friends. But after learning the topography of the courses you shouldn't have many problems.

At first, floating around the track is a little disconcerting, especially if you're used to other kart racers. You might still say, "This isn't Mario Kart 64," but after playing for a while we bet you'll realize, as we did, that the "floaty" controls allow for some sick, sweeping turns and great jumping. You can push the R2 button to jump, and if you do it while topping the lip of a sand dune, set of stairs, or just about any other bump or obstacle in your path, the spaceship and racer will go flying. Often, jumping at the right time will send you into a shortcut, or secret area, a few of which give you a huge lead in the race.

There are eight racers in all, each textured with the hefty resolution we've come to expect from PlayStation2 games. You can play as a big-head version of Obi-Wan, Amidala, Sebulba, Yoda, Darth Maul, Jar Jar Binks, Boss Nass, or Anakin Skywalker. Each has its own special power-up, a course it flies best on, and its own individual racing physics. This means that hefty Boss Nass drives a lot differently than the young, lithe Amidala.

As is typical of kart games, each racer has a different driving style. What's cool about "Bombad Racing" is that because the racers are flying, the physics don't affect them in just two dimensions (left and right), they affect them in three. Not only do some characters go faster or corner better, but some also bob and weave differently, and jump and land differently. The changes in physics are dramatic enough to make the game interesting. Darth Maul definitely goes faster over long distances and Yoda can stop on a dime. But they're not so radically different that the gameplay gets knocked off balance.

The game is full of power-ups, called "gadgets." There are six types of gadgets: boost, force field, frontal, rear, mystery, and special. Each is then divided into subcategories. Within the boost category you have four boosting types: boost, which fills your boost meter slightly; a full boost, which tops off your boost energy; a superboost, which increases your boost capacity in addition to giving you a full boost; and finally the mighty invincible boost, which boosts you and makes you invincible for a short time.

Force-field gadgets shield you from other players' weapons. Frontal gadgets are weapons you use to shoot the people in front of you. Rear gadgets are mine-like devices you throw behind you. And you're never quite sure which kind of power-up you're getting when you pick up a mystery boost.

The game also includes a number of special gadgets, which are harder to find and are dependent on the rider. If you're playing as Yoda, for example, the special gadget becomes "Force Inversion," a move that allows you to turn all the other riders upside down. With Boss Nass you get "Spit Spray," a delightfully gross attack in which the boss wiggles his head from side to side and sends spit flying, striking everyone nearby and draining the energy in their shields.

While the gadgets are balanced, the special gadgets are not. For example, Jar Jar's Tongue Attack -- in which he lashes out his tongue, grapples onto another ride, and then pulls himself forward -- is not nearly as effective as Yoda's Force Inversion, which topples all the riders. This doesn't have so much of an effect in the single player mode as it does when you're playing friends and everyone knows where the special gadgets are and races to get them.

The racing is done on three circuits with three races in each circuit. The settings are straight from "The Phantom Menace": Naboo Swamp, Dune Sea, Theed City, Pod Race, Otoh Gunga, Mos Espa, Coruscant, Power Station, Droid Control Ship, Naboo Battlefield, Jedi Temple, Great Pit of Carkoon, and the Hoth Asteroid. All of them are beautifully rendered and full of one or two little shortcuts (most of which are accessible by jumping at the right time), and they're populated with cartoon versions of animals and flora from the "Star Wars" universe. My favorites are the mini-jawas that line the course in the Dune Sea and blast you with electricity if you get too close.

There are also five different modes of play, including your typical racing modes, a cool arena mode where you battle it out in large gladiator-style arenas (very fun), and a multiplayer team mode.

Overall, we definitely recommend this game. It's nice to see a kart racer on the PS2, and this is a great title to be the first. Lucas Learning has taken a weird premise (big-headed "Star Wars" people?) and turned it into a highly enjoyable game (big headed "Star Wars" people... yeah!). It has also succeeded where many other game developers have failed: It has made a kart racer that's original enough to hook you, but with gameplay solid enough to keep you playing.

Star Wars Super Bombad Racing
Platform: PS2
Developer: Lucas Learning Ltd.
Publisher: Lucas Arts
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

Ratings
Graphics: 4
Sound: 3
Playability: 4
Gameplay: 4
Overall: 3