There are a couple of things that Acclaim is not generally known for: games that are overly innovative and games that most people would consider cute. Iggy's Reckin Balls, however, manages to do both of those so excessively that you'll be wondering how it was that this game was developed by Acclaim rather than someone else (i.e. Rareware).

Besides some noticeably (if you try to notice them) great backgrounds, for the most part, this game probably could've been done on the Super NES in terms of graphics. Granted, there are some pretty background, but in the heat of battle, these are not really all that noticeable. What this leaves you with is the foreground, a relatively simple 2D world. However, as we've seen before, most games that shine so well in terms of gameplay and concept don't really need a powerful graphic treat to wind up being good overall.

If I were to judge the sound based solely on music, it would totally bomb out. With so many sound effects going on all the time, you won't really notice the music much at all. Thus, the sound effects play such a large part throughout the game and are quite fitting that it results in some noise (no matter how minor or seemingly trivial) occurring almost all the time, with the most noticeable aspect of the sound being the voices. While some people might consider some of the voices a bit too cutesy, the end result is that all the characters (despite being essentially just rolling balls) have a distinct personality. (My only gripe with the sound is that at times, for apparently no reason, the most annoying sound effect gets stuck and stays with you throughout the whole race, resulting in one of the most irritating aural experiences since Baby Mario.)

Gameplay is so great because the folks at Iguana have managed to include something for everyone. The first levels on Easy are simple enough for anyone to play, but as you go up through the stages and difficulty levels, even experienced gamers will find quite a bit of challenge. For some games, that may be enough, but there is a large variety of options to choose from on top of the Race (Championship) mode, including: Mix Up (allows players to customize their own championship), Time Trial (beat your best time), Battle (yes, this has been done before, but Iggy's Reckin' Balls is such a different game from any we've seen before that it results in a unique multi-player experience), and Training (a great learning tool that is generally not found in this type of game).

Fun is pretty much a mixed bag. Due to the innovative gameplay, multi-player mode, and simplicity that allows anyone to enjoy it, Iggy's can often be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, due to the repetitious nature of the game, it eventually winds up not being quite as fun, which also harms the replay value to an extent.

Despite the fact that the concept is great, a couple of the decisions that were made in the game's creation result in low replayability. First (and most noticeable), is the fact that the game requires the controller pack to save. Granted, there are a lot of games that do this, but there are some very large flaws in depending on this type of back-up. a) One of the reasons we supposedly have the cartridge-based system at a time when cartridges are technologically inferior is that it allows games to be saved directly onto the cartridge, which is much better because it is not necessary to have extra peripherals in order to be able to save. b) It's easy to lose data stored on controller packs (whether this loss is permanent or temporary is usually dependent on a variety of factors, and when you do lose the data, it's unknown how long or short a period of time it'll be lost for). This means that you have to start over from the beginning, even if you've spent several hours getting up to the point where you last saved. (Don't fall for the whole "buy controller packs made by Nintendo" theory, as it's just a copout.) c) You'll notice that I haven't mentioned the Rumble Pack yet, even though this game is compatible with it. Why is that? Simple. You can't use both the Rumble Pack and the Controller Pack at the same time (and changing between them is not recommended), which means you probably won't want to use the Rumble Pack if you plan on saving the game (which is preferable most of the time).

The other problem that subtracts from the replay (and adds to the repetition) is having to play the same stages on higher difficulty levels. When you start out on Easy, it is necessary to beat six levels before receiving a message to try a higher difficulty. Then, you would most likely try Medium, where you play those same six levels followed by three new ones and then another message to try a harder difficulty (which is quite rare, as most games allow you to get through to at least the credits on the middle difficulty). You then move onto Hard, where you play those same nine levels followed by a special mix of towers from those levels (Iggy's Challenge), resulting in just one new level for the final difficulty.

You may be thinking by now that there is almost no replay value, but there are some aspects that take away from the somewhat repetitious gameplay. There are enough towers, levels, and options that you'll be playing the game for quite some time, which makes the lastability factor great before the issue of replay comes into play. Also, there are a lot of characters (each with a unique personality), which means you can keep playing after you beat it if you're interested in using another character (you'll probably want to check out our codes for info on how to reveal all characters, though, as the selection that the game offers you when you start out is quite limited when compared with your choices when the hidden characters are exposed). These facts added to all the options the game offers allow you to stretch out the amount of time you can get out of the game, despite the fact that you may not want to play it for quite some time after beating it.

Overall, due to the excellent gameplay and concept, Iggy's Reckin' Balls winds up being a good game. If you're not really into simplicity or games with a high "cuteness" factor, this probably isn't for you, but most N64 owners should check it out (at least rent it).

Overall: 8.7