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Rating: Crappy As a big fan of South Park, I was really looking forward to South Park Rally, but I was disgusted to find that it's one of the worst games I've ever played. Not even the hilarious underwear-stealing gnomes can save this game. South Park Rally is poorly designed in just about every way possible. The physics engine is almost non-existent. The controls are about as loose and frustrating as they could possibly be. The loading times are horrible, especially when you consider that Acclaim has had five years to figure out ways to minimize loading on the PlayStation. One of this game's biggest problems is that it completely lacks a sense of speed and excitement. While Crash Team Racing always has an underlying feeling of intensity, South Park Rally is one of the slowest, least intense racing games ever released. Even if you hit a turbo right before a jump, you'll still be going slowly. The track designs are very plain and unimaginative, and they feel like they were thrown together very quickly. It also says a lot about how un-focused the tracks are when you can be driving the wrong way on them and not even notice. How is this possible, you ask? Well, Acclaim has worked out a sure-fire formula to confuse gamers nationwide. The formula goes something like this: Very generic buildings and other landmarks that aren't distinguishable from one another + fickle control that often causes you drive off course + tracks that are way too wide-open = It's way too damn easy to be going the wrong way and not even know it. The music is very repetitive, and how it doesn't fit in with the game at all. The sound effects are also very repetitive, including characters that say the same un-funny thing every single time they pick up an item (like Cartman's "This will help me win!"). South Park Rally's jokes are even more repetitive than its sound. As in some episodes of the TV series, the jokes can start to wear thin after a while. For example, it's fairly funny the first time you use a fart turbo, but not the 30th time. Like I said before, I'm a big fan of South Park, and I firmly believe that a game with South Park's characters and personality could be excellent. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Acclaim is concerned with making quality games. They just want to make as much money as possible off of the South Park license before its popularity dies down any more than it already has. Yet again, Acclaim has chosen quick money over game quality. That philosophy almost put Acclaim out of business several years ago, and I can't help but get the feeling that Acclaim is going to pay the price if they don't clean up their act soon. Send your thoughts on this review to ivan@mastergamer.com
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com