Tonight I’m bringing you another game that “serious” gamers may have overlooked due to the “kiddy” factor. Looney Tunes: Space Race is a cel-shaded Mario Kart clone set in space (meaning floatier physics) based off of a cartoon license. That could be a setup for disaster, but it’s actually surprisingly fun and solid.
Developed by Infogrames Melbourne House (formerly Beam Software and currently Krome Studios Melbourne), the team is somewhat known for making racing games and also has experience working on the Test Drive series. On a side note, parent company Infogrames/Atari released another cel-shaded Dreamcast racer, Wacky Races, in the same year, which I would recommend buying as well.
Right away, you’ll notice the clean and pleasing presentation. While they’re nothing mindblowing, menu screens are well-done, including loading screens that are made to look like openings to old Looney Tunes cartoons. The in-game graphics are great; the Dreamcast is really well-suited for cel shaded games, and this is no exception. Last, but not least, the voiceover work is amusing and the characters sound the way they should.
Announcing is done by Foghorn Leghorn and Lola Bunny, whose voice I definitely recognized but couldn’t place. An IMDB search shows that she’s voiced by Kath Soucie (Cubert Farnsworth from Futurama, StarCraft II, Dragon Age: Origins and a million other games/cartoons). Overall, it feels like the developers poured some personal love of the cartoons into the mix, which is sorely lacking in many licensed games. My only real complaint is that the music is very average and forgettable, but hey, no game is perfect.
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So how does it play? Pretty well, in short. Racers basically float around the tracks…but they’re in space, so this is fine. Cartoons never worry about realistic physics anyway, right? Items range from black holes to pink elephants that get dropped onto other racers. You also earn a turbo boost for every five green cans you pick up. My only complaint is that there’s no item box displaying what you’re currently holding; your only visual cue is to look at your racer. In its defense, this does help keep the screen nice and clear so you can appreciate the track’s visuals.
The course design and varying handling abilities in LT:SR are a few things that keep it from being a throwaway “kiddy” game. Due to the courses being set in space, some tracks have very few walls and it’s rather easy to fall off the edge – multiple times. This is amplified by the fact that each character handles differently. I found myself falling off way more with Marvin the Martian than I did with Bugs Bunny. Luckily, you keep your items and boosts even if you fall off – something that Mario Kart doesn’t allow. These are small but welcome design choices that add some needed depth.
In my current replaying of LT:SR, I haven’t encountered any cheap rubberband AI yet, which is a major issue I have with Mario Kart at times. The pack tends to stay pretty close together and there’s no “blue shell” type item. You should still expect the occasional unfair bombardment of attacks all at once, though – sometimes right at the finish line (see video).
There’s a decent amount of content within the game to finish. On top of the main race mode spanning 12 tracks, you’ll find a time trial mode, 8 challenges and 12 events to clear. Unlocks include two hidden characters, track diagrams, character animations and various illustrations/concept art. Its support for up to four players is another huge selling point. I would say this title is easily worth grabbing if you see it for $10-15, which shouldn’t be too difficult. Long live the Dreamcast!
Original release date: 11/27/2000
Players: 1-4
Also available on: N64 and PS2
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