Egypt, Pakistan eye collaboration on strategic crops, livestock development    Egypt's EDA, MSD discuss localising biopharma production    Egypt's PM orders 60,000 new homes for Alexandria's unsafe buildings    Crystal Martin to build large-scale textile, apparel factory in Egypt    Egypt urges EU support for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction at Brussels talks    Escalation in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes intensify, ceasefire talks stagnate    Agriculture Minister discusses boosting agricultural cooperation with Romania, Moldova    Pakistan names Qatari royal as brand ambassador after 'Killer Mountain' climb    Health Ministry denies claims of meningitis-related deaths among siblings    Egypt's gold prices grow on July 13th    Sri Lanka's expat remittances up in June '25    Egypt's Health Min. discusses drug localisation with Sandoz    Egypt, Mexico discuss environmental cooperation, combating desertification    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



'Excitebots,' 'NASCAR Kart Racing' go for a spin
Published in Daily News Egypt on 15 - 05 - 2009

When it comes to high-speed driving on Nintendo consoles, the action pretty much begins and ends with one name: "Mario Kart. The Wii version was last year's bestselling game worldwide, and no one has made a serious effort to challenge its dominance in the genre.
Take a look at some other Wii racing titles. Games like "Emergency Heroes, ''Cruis'n and "Wacky Races: Crash & Dash are among the worst-reviewed products on the system. And if you prefer more realistic driving, forget it: There's nothing like Sony's "Gran Turismo or Microsoft's "Forza Motorsport on the Wii.
Leave it to Nintendo to provide the most viable competitor to its own "Mario Kart monster. The "Excite racing franchise, which was revived in 2006 with "Excite Truck, probably won't convert many "MK die-hards, but its latest installment is certainly something different.
"Excitebots Trick Racing (Nintendo, for the Wii, $39.99)
More accurately, this racer from the Monster Games studio is flat-out weird. The vehicles are robotic animals - frogs, turtles and grasshoppers, for example - with wheels attached. And each creature can morph into a lumbering, two-legged behemoth.
The inventive racetracks are filled with obstacles and leaps, and you earn stars by executing midair stunts. Even if you don't finish first, you can still win a race by collecting more stars. As you'd expect, you can also collect items that boost your speed or slow down your opponents.
And then things get really freaky. Occasionally, your bot will sprout an arm that lets you play a midrace minigame. You can try to throw a dart at a bull's-eye, bowl a strike or hit a clown with a pie. The most challenging competition is the "poker race, in which you run over playing cards to create poker hands. Such inspired lunacy makes for a very lively party game.
Three stars out of four.
"NASCAR Kart Racing (EA Sports Freestyle, for the Wii, $39.99)
This game is pretty freaky, too, particularly if you aren't expecting to see Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon or Carl Edwards as giant-headed homunculi. It's an odd strategy, sticking real-life stars into a fanciful version of a sport, but it will amuse younger NASCAR fans.
The usual kart-racing gimmicks are here, with plenty of rockets, oil slicks and other nuisances you can fling at your opponents. And the tracks are far more creative than your typical NASCAR oval, with a variety of jumps, shortcuts and alternate routes to keep you focused.
"NKR places an unusual premium on team racing; keeping close to your teammate helps both of you charge up your turbo engines. NASCAR's dependence on advertising is also faithfully reproduced, with corporate logos popping up all over the game (even on its cover). It's not as deep as "Mario Kart, but it's far more entertaining than more realistic NASCAR sims have been.
Two stars.


Clic here to read the story from its source.