Woody Woodpecker Racing (Game Boy Color)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.5 stars Outstanding
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 9.1 (4.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 01/17/2001
• Updated on: 05/17/2006
• Originally published on GameSpot: Woody Woodpecker Racing (Game Boy Color) Review

For precisely two years, one month, and 29 days, the Game Boy Color had zero kart-racing games. None. In fact, other than Infogrames' Wacky Racers, no game even bothered to broach the genre - until now. In a genre of one game, Konami's Woody Woodpecker Racing is the system's finest kart racer. Featuring ten racers, four gameplay modes, 16 tracks, eight power-ups, a battery backup, and two-player link-cable match-ups, this game is also going to hold the top spot for a long time to come.

The hallmark of a great kart game is twofold: diverse options and deep, underlying gameplay. Woody Woodpecker Racing fulfills on both counts. There are four game modes: extreme, grand prix, sprint, and time attack. The extreme and grand-prix selections are similar. In extreme, you're competing against five other races in elimination matches where the ultimate goal is first place, while in grand prix, your task is simply to acquire the most points by the end of competition. Both modes, be it extreme or grand prix, feature the same four areas, each with three progressively difficult cup contests, which in turn offer three races apiece. If you're doing the math, that's nine races per area, for a total of 36 races. As you win each cup, your grade points increase, which lets you upgrade your vehicle's engine, turbo, or tires, as well as a fourth character-specific special part, which you'll unlock during competition. The sprint and time-attack options aren't nearly as bloodthirsty as the extreme and grand-prix modes, but each lets you race for points or bragging rights. Initially, there are six characters to choose from, the four members of the Woodpecker family, Wally Walrus, and Smedley, but if you perform well in each of the game's four gameplay modes, you can unlock four additional racers: Chilly Willy, Ms. Meanie, Buzz Buzzard, and Dapper Denver Dooley. Once you've exhausted all single-player options, the game also supports head-to-head matches via the Game Boy Color's link port.

As far as on-track gameplay is concerned, Woody Woodpecker Racing is altogether fun, varied, and challenging. Each race pits you against five other opponents, a few of which have cars that are better equipped than your own. To even the odds, every track has a number of zipper and power-up pads to speed you along and further your cause. Oil slicks, bombs, rockets, homing missiles, turbo boosts, bunny hops, roadblocks, and invincibility options are available to both you and your opponents. This is where the game gets interesting. Finding the best route through the turns, hills, and traps of each course is your main strategy, but along with this comes the responsibility of battling your opponents for the right to hold first place. Thus, powersliding, leaping over obstacles, and assaulting the competition go hand in hand with victory. The overall flow of the game is a bit on the slow side, but menacing AI, plentiful power-ups, and loose handling more than give Woody Woodpecker Racing the excitement needed to satisfy hungry kart fans.

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