File:Classic Game Room HD - KRAZY KART RACING for iPod review

Description
Classic Game Room HD reviews KRAZY KART RACING for iPod Touch and iPhone. Krazy Kart Racing is Konamis answer to Nintendos Mario Kart series with one big difference, its on the iPod. We all love Mario Kart, who doesnt? But it is exclusive to Nintendo hardware and probably always will be. This is not a problem if youve already invested in Nintendo gear, but if youve got an iPod Touch or iPhone and are looking for some goofy Kart racing then this is your game.

Choose from one of several characters, including Frogger, drive a kart around colorful, tight tracks and out-race your opponents or knock them out of the way. There are spinning cubes that hover just over the driving surface that dispense speed or weapon power-ups, red ones for weapons and blue for speed. Tap your character to jump over obstacles, run over blinking tiles for a short burst of speed and be careful not to fall into pits or drown in water. (As we all know, water kills Frogger even though hes an amphibian that should, in theory, thrive in water.)

Krazy Kart Racing feels like it was reverse engineered from Mario Kart DS but plays with the accelerometer controls and has a completely different array of tracks and music. While it gets no points for originality the gameplay is solid and the production value is reasonably high. I found the accelerometer steering controls to be touchy and easy to oversteer, but with some practice I found myself staying on the tracks and winning races. You can also opt for touch screen controls where you slide your finger back and forth to steer but the accelerometer works better.

Included in the game are a variety of race options including the Krazy GP, time trials, free run, time attack and mini battle. There are hidden characters and new races to unlock. It seems like theyre gearing up for Krazy Kart online multiplayer and downloadable content as well, although I did not see any of that working just yet.

Konami is a name that many of us respect and trust to make and or publish good video games and their iPod titles are well made and playable. I dont think that Krazy Kart Racing shows the same genius that Metal Gear Solid Touch does but its still enjoyable, easy to pick up and play, packs a lot of silly kart racing into a small package and doesnt cost all that much. I wont lie to you, I greatly prefer Mario Kart Super Circuit on the Game Boy Advance, but Krazy Kart Racing packs some good times if youre stranded without your GBA or DS.