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When looking for a good realistic racing experience, a handheld system is generally not the place most people think to look first. While handheld systems have always had their fair share of arcade-style racing games, realistic racing games have been few and far between. This is largely due to the relative power of previous handheld systems, which just haven’t had the hardware necessary to deliver "a real driving experience".
However, with the advent of the Game Boy Advance this is all changing. Not only are there a few realistic racers already in the works (see our Release List), but one even managed to make the GBA launch in the form of GT Advance Racing Championship. If GT Advance is any indication, then this "new" handheld genre has a very promising future. That’s not to say that this is an ultra-realistic racer, because it’s not. While you are required to have decent driving skills (you know, brake well for turns and all that) in order to advance in the game, it still has an arcade feel to it much Ridge Racer V. Power sliding around turns plays a big role here as well, and mastering that maneuver is essential to winning. The realism really lies in the officially licensed cars found in the game, of which there are a total of 45 (plus a few surprises). All of the cars come from different Japanese manufacturers (Toyota, Honda, etc.), including a lot of models that have never been released outside of Japan. The structure of the game is also very similar to other racers of this type. Initially you’ll be able to choose from 20 cars, each with their own characteristics (handling, acceleration, etc.) and feel. You’ll then set out to conquer the game’s 32 different courses, spread out over four different difficulty classifications. Once you finish in the top three in a course, you’ll move on to the next course. Beating the course will also unlock it for single races. As you reach specific parts of the game, you’ll earn car upgrades (as well as new cars) which can then be equipped on any car you can select from. The control setup is really simple – "A" is the gas, "B" is the brake, and the "L" & "R" buttons switch gears in a manual. Overall, it’s a proven racing game structure that works very well. In terms of graphics, GT Advance is solid in this area as well. Each car model looks stunningly realistic, with nice clean sprites and a distinct look. Although the courses can become a bit repetitive, for the most part each of the 32 courses has it’s own look. The backgrounds look stunning (especially in the dirt courses), and the roadside objects are easily identified. The courses are also designed well, with plenty of twists and turns to give you a good challenge. However, I do have a couple minor complaints about the graphics. First, it’s occasionally difficult to tell where the walls of a course begin. The first couple of times around a course, you’ll probably find yourself bumping into walls you thought you had cleared. Secondly, the roadside area is pretty sparse. While roadside objects do look good, I would’ve liked to see more signs/trees/etc. surrounding each track. Finally, for some reason going around most turns will result in your car model breaking up into two different parts and bending slightly. While it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the game, it is annoying.
As far as the sound is concerned, there really isn’t much to talk about. The music is all standard handheld fare, and probably could’ve been done on a Game Boy Color. It can be catchy at times, but for the most part it’s unremarkable. Same with the sound effects – they’re there, but they don’t really add or take away from the experience. Now its time to rant about the one thing every other reviewer has ranted about with this game: the Password Feature of Doom. Quite simply, it’s horrible. Each password is 16 characters long, and can be made up of: 26 upper-case letters, 26 lower-case letters, 10 digits (0-9), and a host of other characters like "%". Folks, it’s 2001. Yes, I went through the NES days of writing down a password for everything. No, I’m not too lazy to do it now. But in this day and age, it shouldn’t be necessary at all. Cutting out the battery backup (which the Japanese version featured) was simply a cost-cutting measure on THQ’s part. I can completely understand why they did it (the profit margin on GBA games isn’t great to begin with), but I still don’t like it. However, I’d be willing to overlook it if it wasn’t for the fact that it actually makes it difficult to enjoy the game. With so many possible characters in each password, it’s very easy to write something down wrong or misread the password. The GBA’s small, dark screen and the fact that a few characters look almost exactly the same only compound this problem. I actually found myself having to write notes down with each password ("ß that’s a zero, not an ‘O’"), so I’d make sure I knew later exactly what I wrote down. The other major problem is that this is a portable game, and having to spend five minutes typing in a password isn’t that practical on a portable system. If you think about where you often play portable systems (waiting room, on a bus, etc.), in a lot of cases your game time is only limited to five or ten minutes. Once you factor in that you’ll need to spend another couple of minutes writing your new password down, you’ll see that this often makes it hard to play it on the go. Highs:
Lows:
Final Verdict: Sometimes reviewing games can be extremely difficult, and this is one of those instances. I hate this, because based on the game itself it really deserves a higher score than I’m giving it. However, at the same time I simply cannot overlook the password problem and how much it affects the enjoyment of GT Advance, and to do so would be a disservice to anyone reading this review. If you don’t mind the frustration you’ll receive from the password feature (or if you primarily play your GBA at home), then by all means buy this wonderful racing game. Overall Score: 8.5 Additional Media: Image
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