Wacky Races: Crash & Dash for Wii Reviews by Gamers

Let's get one thing straight from the start - it is clear this games producers had the spirit of the series at heart and wanted to recreate the atmosphere fans know and love.

Graphics are not state of the art - they're trying to recreate an old cartoon series folks - but THEY ARE very very true to the original series. It's easy at times to think you are not in a game but watching part of the cartoon - especially with the cut scenes of Dastardly and Muttley.

I was a little disappointed not to be able to play as the 00 but once you start the races you see why, as Dastardly is, as usual, trying trying to mess with everyone and his antics are the lead in to the minigames.

Those minigames are overly simplistic and the controls can be a little hokey. They are almost certainly the worst part of the game.

The races themselves involve the gang often bunched up in a group progressing across the usual deserty and ghost town like scenery. Wiggles of the Wiimote will give you a boost to the front and you need to be close to the front in order to collect the cogs which help you use whatever special effects are normal for the wacky racer you select to play as. Pat Pending has air ship power and rocket power for instance and the vehicle converts nicely giving good advantages in their different ways.

The camera angles on the races are going to be heavily criticised. They can make it hard to play as you cannot see far in front on the side view. The camera alternates between this and an aerial view and this is doen to again simulate the feel of the cartoon. IT SUCCEEDS even at the detriment of some playability. Just deal with it - it really is not that much of a disaster.

The race for the finish line and the great still shot that always came near the end of the episode is well done. The racing has been done so that almost everyone will always be in with a shot at the end.

Bad stuff - it is a little simplistic and probably easily finished.

It is however good fun

Based on the TV show, Wacky Races: Crash and Dash is about ten racers going at it over 24 courses. To win the race you keep ahead of the competition using powerups that seemed ripped off from Mario Kart Wii. Getting that lead is tough because the pack of racers moves like a herd of buffalo roaming through the wilderness. Your opponents will do a very good job of blocking your chances of getting first place.
When I did get the lead, I got hit with hazards (pits, buildings, fences, hills). If I can see these hazards coming, I would avoid them, but the camera is placed so there is very little warning of what's to come, so I ended up in a ditch or slammed against the side of a building far too many times.
The clunky controls aren't helping, either. These cars bounce and roll when they hit a slight bump in the road.
Another thing that's annoyingly repetitive is the announcer - he says the same dozen or so lines over and over again. He's an annoyance to the ears.
The graphics are an annoyance to the eyes; they're awful. The snow and sand don't look anything like the real thing, and some of the trees are just outlines with nothing inside.
So the game looks bad and it drives bad. How could they possibly make it worse? By adding lame mini games like driving in a small arena or paddling down a stream avoiding logs. There are only eight mini games; playing them once was bad, playing them again and again is worse.
Besides, it only took me about three hours to get through all 24 courses, and I have no desire to give it another try. I certainly won't be paying $40 for this.
Fans of the TV show ought to just buy the DVD or catch it on Boomerang (if Boomerang carries the show).