Kids who tune into the WB find great T.V. and even non-kids like me could appreciate the craft of shows like Batman Beyond. On the younger side, we have Cubix, which may not appeal to the Batman crowd, but carries its own weight as a combination of two things that win big points in any setting. Namely, robots and racing. And this would translate to one heck of a racing game visually, except that instead of either a Wipeout-style joint or something between Gran Turismo and Gundam, we end up with a steadicam shot following the action from what I can only guess is a helicopter. Now, the cut-scenes are fantastic. After every level, we get to watch little snippets of a story cobbled together to justify the racing action, which show off some decent computer animation as Cubix and his human friends save Bubble Town from Dr. K and his bad robots. And, the look and feel of things in the game is certainly true to the show. But, when it comes to the racing action, the immersion we like to feel as we get behind the wheel of a plane, train, bike, robot, whatever...it just isn't here. Nope, there's almost nothing about the way those colorful little squares move that would change things one iota if we substituted 'dachsunds' for 'robots' in the Race 'N Robots subtitle of the game. Sure, the models might be a little longer and slimmer, but you'd expect that.

On the brighter side of graphics is a set of options for unlocking photos in a gallery of strange robots who inhabit Bubble Town. These aren't the stylized combat robots of Gundam et al but instead a bunch of whimsical copies of real-world critters like frogs, mice and untraceable models that come off as a mix of several things. As you race around the track, grabbing camera icons opens up new images in the gallery, which you can view from the main screen. The music is grabby stuff, purely kids' fare but good all the same.

Race 'N Robots assumes a certain background understanding of the show, but a short history is given in the manual. Seems a robot creation named Cubix was damaged in an accident caused by his creator, leaving a non-functioning robot and a missing doctor. Even though the doctor's daughter tries to fix Cubix, only a new kid on the block named Connor is able to work the magic needed to bring the big robot back to life. So, Cubix forms a bond with Connor and they set out to win Bubble Town's robot racing championship. Dr. K seems to have other plans for the robots and their humans, but you'll find out more on that as you play the game.

This would have made a crackerjack action game punctuated by racing sequences, or even an adventure game for kids that used racing to propel the story, such as in the excellent LEGO Racer 2. Instead, we have the recurring cut-scene narrative that describes all the exciting stuff happening before and after you do the only thing available to do in Race 'N Robots. You race. So, we begin by selecting the mode we wish to play and picking a robot and rider. Only 4 robots are available at first, but playing through all nine races (effectively beating the game) will unlock other robots. As you complete each track, you'll earn points that can be cashed in to buy equipment that dramatically increases your robot's potential. So dramatically that by the final 2 or 3 tracks, you won't have to do much more than push forward on the stick and enjoy the pretty pictures.

In the racing category, Cubix Race 'N Robots is similar to a title like Micro Machines, where you watch from a top-down perspective and see the track scrolling across the screen. Micro Machines worked because the cars were tiny dots with simplified controls and the environments inevitably stole the show. Here, the result is somewhat less effective. There are 9 tracks. Not long tracks, either. So, any gamer worth her salt will sit down and polish off the basic Story Mode in an afternoon. Sometimes, the movie that plays after the track is complete lasts longer than the time it took to beat the track! Obstacles like crushers and pits and puddles of water or oil can slow you down or divert you as you move toward the finish line, but a nifty (is it?) feature brings you back in about the same position you were in before. This is strange... After Story Mode is complete, those Cubix loyalists will still be able to get mileage out of the game in competitive modes that allow 2, 3 or 4 players to complete. Multitap is required for anything beyond 2. Versus Mode and Coin Race are the multiplayer options, and each is fun but fraught with the same limitations as Story Mode. At least with human opponents, you'll have some real competition.

The youngest of gamers may find Cubix Race 'N Robots adequately challenging, but those who cut their teeth on even the simplest kart racing titles will see little in the way of decent racing action here. The power-ups scattered around the tracks are completely unnecessary, and the purchased options make your robot impossibly fast, blowing away the competition completely. And, we often complain about racing games that stop your car dead in its tracks when you hit a wall, but here the walls just act like bumpers in a pinball game. Like I said before, pushing forward on the control stick is about the only 'steering' you'll need to do.

Two types of control schema can be selected, the main difference being that all directional controls are on the left stick in one setup while the other discards forward-backward controls in favor of a 'left-right + accelerate' setup. No brakes, no gears, just pedal-to-the-robotic-metal. Power-ups are gathered one at a time, and replaced automatically even if not used. This runs contrary to the logic of almost every car-combat game I've ever played. Want to save your favorite weapon? Just be sure you don't race over a different power-up. And, fitting into the story playing out around all the racing, little power-ups on the track fill your robot with Solex, a general source of power for robotic devices. Gathering more Solex increases your robot's top speed. Learning obstacles or power-downs is somewhat important, but I eventually started using them as a handicap just to try and make the game more challenging. Why anyone ever thought it was a good idead to return your robot to the same position it was in before it hit an obstacle was obviously never asked the question, 'What happens when they hit the obstacle in first place?' Yeah, you guessed it. Once you have a good lead, about the only way to fall behind is just to sit quietly in the track and wait for everyone to catch up. Ugh.

Offering more tracks, longer tracks, more realistic racing or more challenge overall would have turned this into more than just an excuse to print some Cubix Robots for Everyone leaflets. I've nothing against license games when they stand on their own, but this is tripe. The only thing saving Cubix Race 'N Robots from scoring a resounding flush is the fact that faithful watchers of the series on The WB will no doubt buy the game and enjoy the idea of racing robots. Also, the multiplayer action can be amusing as long as expectations aren't too high. Problem is, with all the quality racing titles out there, 3DO can't expect this to make much of a splash.