Reviewer’s Note: If you are reading this review on Speed Racer for the Nintendo DS after having my review on Speed Racer for the Wii, then I congratulate you on your ability to follow simple instructions. If, however, you haven’t read the Speed Racer for the Wii review yet, then stop right now and go read that review first. I said, "Stop.” Read the other review first. Don’t read another line. Go now! Read other review! Okay, for the rest of you… Are you still reading this? I knew it. You can’t be trusted. What!?! Oh don’t give me that weathered line, “I can’t help myself.” It’s all a matter of will and whether or not you have it. But I’ve said my piece. I’ve given you fair warning. You continue at your own risk.

Okay, now on to business…

The racing world of Speed Racer for the Nintendo DS is very similar to the racing world found in Speed Racer for the Nintendo Wii, except, and this is very important to non-gamers like me, controlling your T-180 is much, much, much easier with the Nintendo DS control pad. But once again, I get ahead of myself.

Game Mode

Game play with the Nintendo DS is slightly different when compared to game play on the Nintendo Wii. There is the “Arcade” where you can compete in “Quick Races” which are single races against 5 opponents, “Time Attacks” where it’s you against the clock, “Quick Stunts” where you put your T-180 through a series of spins, flips, and whatnot, and “Quick Battle” where you can hone your “Car-Fu”.

In order to advance and unlock new cars, drivers, and racetracks you’ll have to compete in the “World Racing League (WRL),” which, like Speed Racer for the Nintendo Wii, consists of multiple races with points awarded based on race results. He/she who has the most points at the end of the tournament wins. However, unlike Speed Racer for the Nintendo Wii, you are also in competition to win “Fans” by performing stunts and attacks on other drivers… Basically Car-Fu. As you gain Fans, you unlock cars, drivers, and racetracks.

Speed Racer for the Nintendo DS does have Multiplayer, however the programmers over at Warner Bros. seriously messed this up. You can race up to 5 opponents, but each of those opponents has to be sporting their very own Speed Racer cartridge. This was a serious mistake on WB’s part. They could have given us a cookie and allowed limited multiplayer features, like they do with some other games, and then requiring everyone to get a cartridge to use the full version. I would have loved to gone head-to-head in the Arcade Mode Quick Race with my 6-year-old son Nikolai, but we only had the one cartridge. Other game programmers should take a lesson from this. Give us a taste of what is possible with the multiplayer, such as sharing a race with a friend, and you’ll be surprised how many of those races result in additional cartridge sales.

Speed Racer for the Nintendo DS also comes with a “Tutorial”, however it is basically a reference guide and reads more like a copy of the manual.

The Arcade and WRL Modes have three levels, “Amateur Class” (Easy) where you can race and attack with an almost immunity, “Pro-Am Class” (Medium) where the other drivers start attacking, and “Pro Class” (Hard) where getting around the track in one piece is a challenge.

Meet your car, the T-180

Once again, the car you are racing is a T-180, the standard racecar used in the WLR. The T-180 has “Jump Jacks”, which allow it to jump into the air, it can reach speeds in excess of 400 MPH, and it can Slide due to its four independently rotating wheels. Controlling the T-180 is a lot easier with a Nintendo DS than it is with a Nintendo Wii-mote. “L” Button – Drift/Brake, Control Pad – Turns, “R” Button – Speed Boost, “X” Button – Spin/Mini Game, “Y” Button – Mini Game, “A” Button – Accelerate, and “B” Button – Jump. Using the “A" Button and the Control Pad will get you around the track. In order to win, you must follow the path of Car-Fu…

Racing basics include “Drifting” to help you in the turns, “Spinning” for Stunts and Car-Fu and to recover from such moves, using the “Jump Jacks” in combination with the Control Pad to do back flips, forward flips, and barrel rolls, and finally “Speed Boosts” which allow you to zip at high speeds along the track.

Stunts consist of using the features of the track, such as the “Half Pipe” which allows you to fly off the track, performing barrel rolls or spins, before landing back on the track again. There are also the “Ramp Jumps” that basically allow your T-180 to fly, giving you enough time to flip, roll, and spin your car before you bring it down for a safe landing on the track.

And then there is Car-Fu, which consists of three moves. “Spin Attacks” using the Spin feature to smack the other cars about. There is also the “Jump Attack” which is available to use when every you see the letter “B” above one of your opponents. Pushing the B Button results in the initiation of a mini game in which two icons move across the screen. Your icon is represented by either an “X” or “Y”. You press the X or Y Button when your icon is close to the center of the screen. If your icon is closer to the center than the other driver, then your attack is successful; if not, then the other driver dodges your attack. Finally there are “Zone Hits” which takes advantage of the fact that your T-180 becomes invincible during a Speed Boost and can therefore be used as a battering ram.

Controlling the Car-Fu features of this version of the game are far easier for me than wiggling around the Wii-mote as I do for the Nintendo Wii version of the game. And though I do not condone road rage, the ability to Jump Attack someone who has cut me off after the Letter “B” appears above his or her vehicle seriously satisfies my need for wanton violence.

Game Extras

Unlike Speed Racer for the Nintendo Wii, there are no real extra features except for the ability to practice your stunt moves and Car-Fu attacks with immunity in Arcade Mode.

What I like

All of the racing features jammed into the small package of the Nintendo DS. Graphics are adequate and the speed of the game from turning it on to racing is fantastic.

What I don’t like

The lack of a limited Multiplayer Mode with the single cartridge… Sorry WB, you blew it on that one.

Overall impression

I like this version of the game more because it is easier for me to control it, which is funny because Nik hates this version of the game because of his inability to control it. Therefore, Nik give it only 50 Thumbs Up out of his Patented 100 Thumbs Up. As for me, I’m going to give it 7 Dancing Elephants out of 8.

Parting thoughts

My youngest, Caleb (age 4), is a really big Speed Racer Fan… I can’t wait to see what he does when I let him get his hands on this.

Image Gallery