Monster Truck Madness (Game Boy Advance)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.9 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 08/19/2003
• Released on: 08/11/2003
• Originally published on GameSpot: Monster Truck Madness (Game Boy Advance) Review

More and more, racing games on the Game Boy Advance are coming to resemble racing games made for the original PlayStation. This observation isn't meant as an insult to the GBA's processor, but rather to highlight the fact that 3D hasn't historically been the system's strong suit, and that this trend is changing for the better, thanks to games like Drome Racers and THQ's latest, Monster Truck Madness. There are plenty of other racing games available for the GBA, but Monster Truck Madness is one of the most impressive ones yet. Too bad there's no link-up mode for multiplayer racing.

As the title suggests, the vehicles in Monster Truck Madness are the same modified big rigs, trucks, and vans you've come to know and love from the various monster truck competitions that travel from city to city, offering to sell you a full seat and promising that you'll only need the edge. Gargantuan rigs with names like "Grave Digger" and "Carolina Crusher" will ring a bell for anybody who's familiar with these events or the TV advertisements that promote them. A few of the events in Monster Truck Madness take place in the cramped, ramp-filled arenas that these weekly events are held in, but the majority of the game's 30 courses are set on fictitious circuits and back roads--all of which gobble up more than three minutes per single lap. The courses in this game are longer and have more twists and turns than what you typically see in other racing games, especially on handheld systems.

For the most part, the formula works really well. The handling and physics for each truck are skid-happy and bouncy, just as a monster truck fan would expect, and the presence of debris and weapon items on each track significantly raises the overall excitement level. You can plow through abandoned cars, crates, barricades, and other trash to activate a superfast rage state, or you can make contact with the various weapons to unleash them on the opponents behind you. In all, there are eight such items to activate, including turbo boosts, traction enhancers, and shrink rays. Monster Truck Madness is an arcade racing fan's dream, and it has all the necessary bells and whistles. The only noticeable weak point is that every weapon punishes only the vehicles behind you. There's no way to harm the race leaders unless you can drive fast enough to overtake them.

In all honesty, the GBA has no lack of racing games. What sets Monster Truck Madness apart from everything else is its graphics engine--a 3D marvel that draws each course using a combination of textured polygons and sprite-based objects. Simply put, developer Tantalus has taken what's been done on the Sony PlayStation since 1995 and accomplished the same thing on the Game Boy Advance. Each course has its own set of hills, twists, and curves, all of varying steepness and bank. The perspective is adjustable--there are two views behind the vehicle and one inside. As you drive through each course, you'll have to contend with the abandoned cars and trees that make up much of the scenery. When you drive over rocks and mud, your truck will accumulate body damage and dirt. The effect is purely cosmetic, but it's impressive nonetheless. The sense of speed is also rather remarkable, especially when you consider that up to seven other vehicles can be shown onscreen at any given moment. Unfortunately, the game does lose some points for the scenery bordering each course. These walls, for lack of a better term, are often more pixilated and less colorful than the roads, yards, and items they contain. Sometimes, you lose sight of where you're going because the vehicle blends into the outer fringes of the course.

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Monster Truck Madness (Game Boy Advance): $19.99

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