Pocket Racers may rest in peace on PSP

**gunntims0103** · December 20th, 2006, 22:40

news via punchjump

Konami's Pocket Racers for the PSP is a bargain bin race offering that offers basic single and multiplayer on the handheld. The insane story and no-frills race mechanics keeps the title in the rental category.

In Pocket Racers, average teenager partiers are transformed into cars by the Soul Stealer. The Soul Stealer forces the teens to race for their lives and for the main character to win each race to save his friends. The party may have included heavy hallucinogens that were not disclosed in the instruction manual.

Pocket Racers offers two modes: Soul Challenge for single-player races and online for Ad Hoc multiplayer races for up to four. The Soul Challenge features Time Trial, Practice, Soul Race, View Friends, and Select Car modes.

Each Soul Race championship includes five races to veer through. Six cars are available at start and more can be unlocked. Each car employs different weight, acceleration, speed, and handling features for a custom ride.

Racers can accelerate, brake, and launch weapons at competing drivers. The race mechanics are very basic and avoid properties like physics, damage, jumps, or velocity. The household raceways are standard and include obstacles like cups, boxes, and screwdrivers.

The graphics engine is average at 30 frames per second and less. The dark, flat shades and bland colors don't utilize the PSP's hardware efficiently. The music is generic rock and fits in the overall action.

Pocket Racers is too little to offer for PSP owners. The basic race mechanics, lack of physics, and absence of features is hard to recommend over better race titles for the handheld. Let the Soul Stealer win and let your friends rest in peace.