Critic & User Reviews
IGN Review of Shrek Smash 'n' Crash Racing
It's official: The Shrek series is nicotine for kids. The third movie is on the way, and with it comes another unavoidable rush of games, happy meals, deformed plush animals, and headaches as Mike Myers - the man who built Wayne's World - leads the pack for another green ogre orgy on the big screen. As far as the gaming industry is concerned, however, Shrek mania never really left, as we've already seen over 15 Shrek games bombard store shelves, and that's not counting multiple platforms for many of them. Consumers keep buying them, so Activision keeps cranking them out; a simple formula. So it's no wonder that when the latest Shrek title dropped on our desks - a kart racer at that - we were none too enthused. What is a wonder, however, is that Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing is - dare we say it - kind of fun.
By this point everyone knows the Shrek franchise inside and out, so there's really no reason to waste time detailing it. Shrek is a fat ogre, Eddie Murphy is his donkey-pet-friend, and there's an adorable cat that thinks it's a musketeer. Combine the characters with any and every genre to produce a million-seller game; simple enough. With Smash n' Crash racing, Activision brought the series back to its GBA roots, creating a Mario Kart clone that's half party game, half arcade racer. Players can select from the usual cast of Shrek characters, hit up 12 different locations inspired by the various movies, and race until their eyes bleed. Along the way you'll encounter fairytale inhabitants that act as hazards for all racers, acquire items and modifiers that use for offense or defense, and run over speed boosts to rocket into the lead. It's entirely generic, but it's a tried and true method.
Where Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing actually sets itself apart from both licensed racing games and previous Shrek games is in its solid design. Each of the 12 tracks are inspired from the various fairytale land areas, and include their own hook within the race. Players will cruise upside-down through loops, jump over bridges and through look-out towers, use tornados to whisk onto gigantic beanstalks, and avoid in-level AI such as castle guards or crazy possessed trees in the haunted forest. The level design does a solid job of creating multiple routes throughout each level (though many don't last more than a few seconds before they meet up with the main track), and each track feels like it's actually been carved into each location, rather than simply designing a course and throwing a backdrop in.
That isn't to say the game doesn't have its fair share of drawbacks though, as it definitely does. Shrek makes use of basic cut-scenes to tell an overall story, though sound-alikes are used for all of the dialogue, and it's noticeable. Smash n' Crash racing also suffers from a slower sense of speed, as well as a ton of horrendous load times. Each break in the gameplay consists of a 30 second load period, and while it may not sound like much on paper, that rivals most load times for current PSP games. Shrek also includes support for only two players, so the included vs. mode and battle mode are extremely lackluster.
Still, when you're on the track and playing, the game has its definite moments, and while it's definitely "just another racing game" at heart, the game's level design and overall control put it a step above the norm. A few basic lighting effects are used to add to the visual presentation, and at the $20 price point it's actually a bit more of a package than we expected given the stigma around the license.
©2006-12-15, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
By this point everyone knows the Shrek franchise inside and out, so there's really no reason to waste time detailing it. Shrek is a fat ogre, Eddie Murphy is his donkey-pet-friend, and there's an adorable cat that thinks it's a musketeer. Combine the characters with any and every genre to produce a million-seller game; simple enough. With Smash n' Crash racing, Activision brought the series back to its GBA roots, creating a Mario Kart clone that's half party game, half arcade racer. Players can select from the usual cast of Shrek characters, hit up 12 different locations inspired by the various movies, and race until their eyes bleed. Along the way you'll encounter fairytale inhabitants that act as hazards for all racers, acquire items and modifiers that use for offense or defense, and run over speed boosts to rocket into the lead. It's entirely generic, but it's a tried and true method.
Where Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing actually sets itself apart from both licensed racing games and previous Shrek games is in its solid design. Each of the 12 tracks are inspired from the various fairytale land areas, and include their own hook within the race. Players will cruise upside-down through loops, jump over bridges and through look-out towers, use tornados to whisk onto gigantic beanstalks, and avoid in-level AI such as castle guards or crazy possessed trees in the haunted forest. The level design does a solid job of creating multiple routes throughout each level (though many don't last more than a few seconds before they meet up with the main track), and each track feels like it's actually been carved into each location, rather than simply designing a course and throwing a backdrop in.
That isn't to say the game doesn't have its fair share of drawbacks though, as it definitely does. Shrek makes use of basic cut-scenes to tell an overall story, though sound-alikes are used for all of the dialogue, and it's noticeable. Smash n' Crash racing also suffers from a slower sense of speed, as well as a ton of horrendous load times. Each break in the gameplay consists of a 30 second load period, and while it may not sound like much on paper, that rivals most load times for current PSP games. Shrek also includes support for only two players, so the included vs. mode and battle mode are extremely lackluster.
Still, when you're on the track and playing, the game has its definite moments, and while it's definitely "just another racing game" at heart, the game's level design and overall control put it a step above the norm. A few basic lighting effects are used to add to the visual presentation, and at the $20 price point it's actually a bit more of a package than we expected given the stigma around the license.
©2006-12-15, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved