Review NaN of 3
, from Phoenix
Price Paid:
$10.00
from ebgames.com Summary:
Karnaaj Rally could very well be the best racing game on the GBA, and is certainly one of the deepest, the most fun to play, and the best looking. Sadly, it is also very hard to find. I was unable to find it at any of the numerous game outlets here in Phoenix, and only EB's had it listed as available in their database, though they had none on the shelf and no plans to get any copies in. After doing a search on the web, it appears that only 5,000 copies were made in the initial run. Fortunately, I was able to get one from ebgames.com for the paltry sum of $10, which makes this game an excellent bargain in addition to being a blast to play.
Karnaaj Rally was developed by Paragon5, the same people who also created the excellent GBA game Hardcore Pinball, and the same high quality and attention to detail is found throughout.
At a time when it seems that most recent GBA releases are ports of older 16bit games, Karnaaj Rally very obviously pushes the hardware to it's limits. This power is most evident in the game's graphics and the AI, about which more of will be explained below.
Karnaaj Rally is either a single player or multiplayer (via link cables) combat based racer. Given the limited number of initial copies made, I don't know if I'll ever get to play other humans, but I can say the CPU controlled opponents are formidable.
With over twenty-two tracks, a dozen or more customizeable vehicles, and nearly that many character/drivers to choose from, the replay value of Karnaaj Rally is off the scale. Also, all tracks are bi-directional, and the direction of travel is randomly selected by the CPU each time you race that track. Therefore, to win, you really have to know the tracks.
Karnaaj Rally is a top-down perspective racer. At first, there is a bit of a learning hump to get past, because the steering control is always relative to the vehicle you're driving. So, left on the D-pad turns the cars to their left, right turns them to their right, and so on. At first, though, it's a little disorienting because the vehicles actually alter their direction on the tracks, rather than the track rotating as the cars move.
Karnaaj Rally uses a battery save system, with slots for four different driver/car combinations. This is also the only GBA game I've seen that allows for Web-based competition. Completing a circuit gives you a unique CPU generated number that you can make note of, and then go to the Karnaaj Rally website and input that number for a global ranking.
If you can find this jewel of a game, get it by all means. You won't be disappointed.
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