Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing

• Release Date: April 25, 2001
• Genre: Racing
• Style: Go-Kart Racing
• Similar Games: Smurf Racer! (PlayStation), Space Race (PlayStation 2)

Game Description

Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing is Lucas Learning's contribution to the kart-racing genre, which has played host to several well-known licenses and mascots since the 1992 debut of Super Mario Kart. Featuring super-deformed (small bodies with large heads) characters from the Star Wars universe, Super Bombad Racing is a no-holds barred, mad dash across nine courses, each of which is set on a recognizable world from the film series.

Taking place in locales such as Theed City, the Naboo Swamp, and a Droid Control Ship, courses are wide-open and littered with shortcuts. Scattered throughout each course are a variety of power-ups ranging from photon blasts to tractor beams to homing missiles to mines. In addition, each racer has a character-specific weapon that can be unleashed at some point during a race, and there are multiple levels of boost to streak away from the competition.

Aside from the main race mode, team and arena modes are available as well. The former has two teams of two players each racing toward the finish line. The first team to get one of its members across the goal line is the winner. Arena mode pits up to four players against each other in one of five enclosed arenas filled with power-ups. The objective here is to be the last person (or creature) standing. The sizeable cast of characters includes both old and new faces, such as Yoda, Jar Jar Binks, Darth Vader, Queen Amidala, and Darth Maul.

Review: Overall

Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing is Lucas Learning's first entry in the go-kart racing genre. Featuring popular Episode I characters, each rendered in a super-deformed style, with tracks and battle arenas inspired by Episode I and classic Star Wars locales, the game is a flawed but ultimately fun experience.

There are eight drivers to choose from (not including hidden drivers), from Jar Jar Binks to Darth Maul. Each character has a special attack and taunt and drives a unique miniature vehicle. Darth Maul, for example, pilots the Sith Interceptor from Episode I. The game's tracks are divided into circuits, and each circuit must be won before the next is opened. Every track has a distinctive look and makes good use of the game's 3D engine. Racers can move vertically as well as horizontally, either by jumping or by climbing ramps and other environmental features of the tracks.

A few courses have full 360-degree freedom in spots, such as the Gungan City track, a part of which takes place completely under water. Power-ups are spread throughout the course, varying from a limited shot blaster to the ubiquitous turbo. Since the game is aimed toward a younger audience, Super Bombad Racing's power-ups are decidedly non-violent. You'll find no explosions or kills here. Even the blaster, which sounds offensive enough, only diminishes the racer's shield. Once the shield is gone, any contact will cause it to spin out.

Above and beyond the race circuits, Super Bombad Racing features battle arenas. The goal is, of course, the elimination of all the other racers. Being non-violent, racers are not destroyed when beaten, but rather transformed into birds that remain on the battlefield, annoyingly eating power-ups. Yet the arenas are varied and include some fun locales, including the "space worm" asteroid from The Empire Strikes Back and the Sarlaak Pit from Return of the Jedi.

Unfortunately, Super Bombad Racing is better at being a standard racing game than a go-kart racer. The main appeal of a kart racer is victory by attrition; the act of beating up the other racers. However, the style of Super Bombad Racing's courses lends itself more to racing than for destruction. Multiple shortcuts exist on every track and must be learned and used to win consistently. In addition, a race can easily be won without firing a single shot.

The arenas fulfill some of this pent-up need for aggression, but they are ultimately flawed as well. The problem is that they are just too large. Getting lost and losing your opponents is incredibly easy and encourages camping or waiting in a particular spot. Even with only two players left, the small zippy ships are hard to target in the massive levels. Despite these problems, Super Bombad Racing is nonetheless a fun experience. With support for up to four players, it is a good party game for the Star Wars fan. The tracks have enough secrets to hold your attention for a while and the arenas, while too big for their own good, are still a blast, especially with friends.

Review: Enjoyment

Bombad Racing is fun but perhaps not as fun as it could have been. Mastering each track's shortcuts is a must because the computer drivers will use them at will and you have to beat them to unlock further tracks. This can lead to some frustration. Otherwise, the game is quite fun for both kids and adults. The cuteness is not overpowering and the non-lethal nature of the power-ups does not subtract from their effect.

Review: Graphics

Super Bombad Racing's 3D engine does a great job of rendering the different tracks and arenas with scale. The colors are bright and the texture are descriptive. There is some slow down when the field is choked with racers or weapons effects but it is never so bad as to ruin the experience. The big-headed drivers all resemble their movie counterparts and animate well.

Review: Sound

What makes Super Bombad Racing's sound stand out is the carnival-style covers of the classic John Williams film scores. These funky ramped-up tunes are a blast. Other than that, the sound effects are solid, neither horrible nor outstanding. The character taunts can be fun but ultimately not compelling.

Review: Replay Value

In the end, it all comes down to the multiplayer aspect. Like any {\racing game}, once all the secrets have been revealed, there is not much left for the solo player. However, as a party game for a gathering of friends, the fun should last a good while.

Review: Documentation

Bombad Racing is an extremely easy game to pick up and play, and the manual, while not expansive, does a good job of describing the few nuances that need describing.

Production Credits