Review: Speed Racer

Well, the game delivers on what the title promises. You have speed and you have racing. You just don't have much in way of a plot.

I suppose I shouldn't fault the game for the lack of a plot. It's not like "Mario Kart Wii" has some grand conflict that had me on the edge of my seat. What "Speed Racer" has in spades is lightning fast racing and the kind of defensive driving that even the most seasoned driver of Lake Shore Drive will find excessive and fun.

Central to your enjoyment of the game will be your mastery of "Car-Fu." These moves include the tail toss (driving behind an opponent and using the Mach 6's back-flip ability to actually toss opponents behind you), the smack down (jumping and landing on top of another racer) and spin attack.

The other WB at work here is the Wachowski brothers. The Chicago-based filmmakers gave their parent studio's game division access to many of the film's assets (including the digitally-produced racetracks). Art directors from the film even contributed a car exclusively for the film (Trixie's T180). While it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense why Trixie is suddenly racing on the track with Speed (as opposed to watching the race from her usual pink helicopter), it's still pretty cool.

Though it's short on frills, it does look great and feature some fast-paced racing excitement. For racing fans, it's worth at least a rental. (Rated E for fantasy violence and mild language)

--Misha Davenport