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It was awesome on the Dreamcast in 2000, it was awesome on the PlayStation 2 in 2002 and
more than a decade later, it’s still pretty awesome. Sure, it basically copies from other
games. And for the most part, those games are a lot better.
But you can’t drop an anvil on someone’s head in Mario Kart.
Kill the wabbit and avoid pronoun trouble, it’s Looney Tunes: Space Race.
So this game was originally released on the Dreamcast. Of course, once that system’s
fate became clear, a lot of its games ended up getting ported to other consoles, Space
Race included. And I think this game in particular really speaks to the strengths of both consoles.
The Dreamcast could do things that the PS2 couldn’t from a hardware perspective, and
yet...this port looks really good on Sony’s platform.
Minor sacrifices had to be made, but in general, this is Space Race in tact.
And actually, with more.
Space Race is a racing game that combines the hovercraft racing of F-Zero with the item-driven
chaos of Mario Kart. Add characters and themes from the classic Warner Bros. cartoons Looney
Tunes, and that’s Space Race. It was a great idea in 2000, it continues to be in 2013.
Honestly, there are few games I’d like to see more than a newer take on this concept.
Of course, one of the reasons I’d like to play a newer one is that...Space Race can
feel a bit dated at times. For example, there are just eight playable Looney Tunes. And
given how many great characters the boys at Termite Terrace created, it leaves you wanting
a lot more. Having only eight characters feels like a real letdown.
Not to mention the fact that they all play exactly the same.
Now, to be fair...this was 13 years ago. Hardly a fair criticism. And frankly, the game gets
so much right, it’s hard to be critical. The characters, in particular, look awesome.
Even to this day, the cel-shaded look works really well. Technically speaking, this is
a great-looking PS2 game...but I do think the art direction is a bit misguided at times,
particularly in terms of the track aesthetics.
Give me Wackyland, give me the forest where Elmer hunts wabbits, give me the dramatic
opera staging from What’s Opera, Doc. It’s just...the characters look so awesome, it’d
be great to see them in more appropriately styled levels.
I mean. The scenery. Where’s the scenery?
But you know, a lot of this is kind of nitpicking and...you know, wishing for another Looney
Tunes racer to come along. Until then, we have this...and this is still pretty awesome.
It looks incredible for a PS2 game, it has all the modes of the original Dreamcast game
plus a Mario Kart-like Grand Prix mode...
It has items made by Acme. You know that’s going to go well.
It’s Looney Tunes: Space Race for the PlayStation 2.