Walt Disney World Quest:
Magical Racing Tour
Overall Rating
95
%
Graphics and Sound
A franchise like Walt Disney World coupled with the creative muscle
of EIDOS, Crystal Dynamics and Disney Interactive really says everything
you need to know about how good Magical Racing Tour looks. For the
slower
kids in back, it looks incredible. Beyond the great detail on each track,
you'll be amazed how well a virtual track mirrors its real-life counterpart.
If you're like me, and feel way too old (or too poor) to be traipsing down
to Walt's World very often, this Kart Racer may be the answer to your
prayers.
As if the graphics weren't enough, the licensing of Disney songs like
'It's a Small World,' 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah,' and 'Grim Grinning Ghost,' lends
an
authenticity to WDW Quest that might not have been there otherwise.
Right on to EIDOS and Disney Interactive for doin' it right!
Gameplay
WDW Quest is split almost halfway between an Adventure Mode and
more typical driving objectives. Chip 'N Dale always get a bad rap for
things like this, but they somehow managed to blow up the WDW Fireworks
Machine, and your mission is to gather up the lost pieces (one per track) to
make
sure the nightly fireworks show can go on. Adventure Mode, once complete,
still
leaves almost 50% of the game to be played, and much like Crash
Bandicoot (the Platformer and the Kart Racer), you'll have to uncover more
than
one secret to get all the way through to 100%.
The racing style is whacky but balanced, with good handling for the
karts. With 9 default characters and 3 secret, WDW Quest manages to
make everyone happy, although the characters are those from the theme park,
not the Disney movies. Chip 'N Dale and Jiminy Cricket being the three
that crossed over. Don't think for a minute that this is just kids' stuff,
because behind the Walt Disney World glitz and the cute characters is a
rock-solid game. Each track is filled with plenty of obstacles, and
powerup items can be grabbed to be used to your advantage against opponents.
Some powerups boost performance and speed, while some are whacky weapons
like
acorns and teacups. Coins (up to 10) give you a speed burst, while floating
green fairies can influence how well your luck holds out against the
competition. The competition is definitely fierce, but this makes for more
fun as
you jostle to get in line, struggling against three or four other racers,
shouting and throwing acorns. Sounds like my high-school cafeteria,
come to think of it...
Once Adventure Mode is complete, you have the chance to go back over
each track to win a first place pennant, then go again to pick up hidden
trophies, mostly in secret areas. The trophy race and the bonus tracks are
just
big Easter Egg hunts, but you'll have plenty of time to learn the standard
tracks as you strive for first place. The 2-Player Mode is nice, but can't
really hold its own against a 4-Player Racer like Crash Team Racing.
Difficulty Level
The main game is accessible to almost anyone, on any talent level.
By learning to use the powerups, and just figuring the lay of the land,
most people will see the credits roll after completing Adventure Mode. The
100% mark is a different matter altogether, and there's more than enough
replay value for even the craftiest racer once Adventure Mode is complete.
The character choice doesn't seem to make the racing easier or harder, but
that's the kiddy element anyway.
Game Mechanics
Walt Disney World Quest has great controls, and both analog and
DualShock support make the experience its best. The 'hop' feature lets you
skate
through some tight curves or tricky terrain, and by holding down the
button you use to hop, and timing it right, each racer will powerslide and
get
some turbo-boost. Once you master this, you'll be a force to reckon with.
Menu controls are a little funky, and I realized just by experimenting that
you can change characters midstream and not have to create a separate game.
It would be nice to have made that feature a little clearer, but this is
small stuff I'm griping about, right? The racing displays are simple and
tell everything you'll need to know. Powerup items are used with the touch
of a button, and don't take a lot of craft to execute. One nice element in
the game is that projectiles like the acorn and teacup can be directed
forward or backward by changing the direction of your analog stick before
you
fire. Some powerups, like the rocket, have to be guided, while the 'frog'
powerup (the strangest by far) turns all the other players into frogs. The
amount of powerups just sitting around betray the fact that WDW Quest
is
targeting a younger crowd, and wants to make the most of these cute effects,
but
it's sometimes frustrating (and amusing at the same time) to be knocked off
the track, turned into a frog, run over as a frog, hit by an acorn and then
turned into a frog again. In the end, the sheer whimsy of it all makes
the trip a fun one.
Magical Racing Tour is a wonderful game, with plenty of sparkle and
pizzazz. The only thing keeping it from perfection is the lack of
4-Player Mode, but if this doesn't phase you much, consider it an A+.
Disney
Interactive proves once again that it has the stuff to put quality titles
out
for PlayStation, and if you've never tried Kart Racing, Walt Disney
World Quest is a great place to start.
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