Reviewed: July 6, 2003
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Acclaim

Developer
Climax London

Released: May 20, 2003
Genre: Racing
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone

9
9
6
7
8.9

Supported Features:

There is certainly no shortage of racing games for any console. Just pick your favorite craft whether it be car, boat, plane, hovercraft, ATV, snowmobile, Jet Ski or in this case motorcycle and include a few dozen creative courses and you have yourself a game. How good a game depends on the hook or gimmick the designers choose to implement to make their particular game stand out from the crowd.

In the case of Speed Kings you will undoubtedly see a lot of similarities with Acclaim’s other racer, Burnout. You drive dangerously to earn turbo and use that turbo to win races. Along the way you perform various stunts and earn respect by meeting certain challenges set forth by your peers. More respect gets you better bikes making it easier to win the tougher races and unlock even more tracks.

Speed King features:

• 22 non-licensed bikes based on production and custom real world models
• 5 single player racing modes and 6 multiplayer options including new Tag mode
• Arcade-style handling and control
• Incredibly realistic crash sequences with deformation system for explosive real-time bike damage
• Over a dozen Insane stunts including hair-raising power down slides beneath lorries and death-defying jumps
• Interactive street environments featuring traffic and destructible objects
• Selection of riders each with unique riding styles and unique aggressive rider taunts
• Extensive reward-based hidden features
• Speed King boost point system
• Official in-game authentic motorcycling gear supplied by Alpinestars and Shoei

The left stick steers your racer while the A button accelerates and the Y button drops your bike to the ground for a powerdown move allowing you to slide under trucks and other obstacles. Braking is divided into front (X) and rear (R) brakes allowing you to perform endos, skids, boost starts, and donuts. The B button allows you to punch or kick a rider alongside you while the left trigger activates the stunt mode and the white button activates your turbo. As complex as it sounds it all comes together quite naturally.

The core of Speed Kings is divided into two modes, Single Race and Meet, and they both have very distinct purposes. During your racing career you are slowly building up respect points and racing point. Respect points earn you new bikes while race points unlock new tracks. While it’s possible to earn respect during meet races there is less pressure to do so in the single player races.

Respect challenges can include a variety of objectives like riding a wheelie for 1000-feet or doing 12 donuts, or unseating 6 riders, or getting 20 dings (sideswiping another vehicle), you get the idea. These are presented in a checklist style similar to games like Tony Hawk. You can do as many as you can and they are cumulative so you can take as many trips around the track as necessary to finish them all.

Race points are awarded by placing in the top five and there is a fixed number of points required to advance to the more difficult races where the courses become more challenging, the traffic thicker, and the scripted obstacles more dangerous. The respect challenges also increase in number and difficulty as you progress further into the game.

Whether you are racing to win or merely for respect every trick you perform earns you nitro for your Powerband meter. When this meter is full you can activate the turbo and careen through the city and/or countryside at speeds exceeding insanity. This extra speed is useful for winning races or performing those respect challenges that much more quickly.

My only real complaint about the entire game – and one I shared with Burnout - is the predictability of the scripted events. If a truck pulls in front of you on lap 2 or a stack of logs gets lowered into your path on lap 3 of a certain race you can be sure it will happen each and every time. This makes it all too easy to memorize the events and prepare for them. Some might consider this a good thing, but I would prefer a more reactive racing experience where I have to make split-second decisions.

In addition to the modes already covered there are your typical Time Attack and Trick Attack modes along with a Grand Prix mode that is unlocked when you have finished the regular game. The Grand Prix mode allows you to choose a 6, 12, 20, or 40 race series, removes the traffic and adds additional riders for a more conventional racing experience. It is also the only mode that allows for four-player gaming, but don’t confuse Speed Kings with a serious racing game. The physics and arcade-style controls never pretend to be anything more than a fun arcade racer.

The bike and rider models are exquisitely detailed, a fact you might not notice until you wreck and witness your bike literally explode in a shower of nuts, bolts, gears, and body parts. The rider animation is smooth and looks great whether you are performing one of the many insane stunts, leaning into a turn, or punching or kicking at the competition.

There is some decent bump mapping for the pavement but a notable lack of any other type of special visual effects. I saw no reflections in the wet pavement and there are no real lighting effects other than some decent headlight illumination when racing at night. Further graphical disappointments include some repetitive traffic models and low–detailed textures, but these are easily overshadowed by the flawlessly smooth framerate and fun and challenging gameplay.

The motorcycle sounds are merely adequate but the get the job done. The Dolby Digital surround mix allows you to hear those riders sneaking up on your six and there is nothing more delightful than kicking another rider into an oncoming truck, hearing the thud then the skidding of the bike and the explosion of parts in your rear speakers.