Speed Racer

Speed Racer - (Wii)
Developer: Sidhe Interactive
Format: Wii
Genre: Racing

You too can master Car-fu

Speed Racer is the videogame version of a new film written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta) and produced by Joel Silver. The game is based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. A live-action family adventure, the game of the film follows the young race-car driver Speed in his quest for glory on and off the track in his thundering Mach 5.

So pull on your tightest driving gloves and take on the role of the characters from the film, getting behind the wheels of each character's signature vehicle to experience blink and you'll miss it racing speed.

As the title suggests, speed is very much the name of the game. The Wii Remote is used to drive (or Wii Wheel if you have one) as you start out driving against 12 AI racers, that will eventually expand up to 20 as you progress through the World Racing League. So far so normal - even with rollercoaster from hell style tracks. But then in comes Car-fu.

Speed Racer doesn't contain any weapons as such - apart from the car itself. The self touted motor-vehicle martial art system consists of eight moves triggered by the press of a directional button and moving the remote in the corresponding direction. By and large it is a hugely rewarding technique and very easy to pull-off. Slam a white knuckle skid left or right, shoot forward and spin like a rotary blade, hell you can even make the car flip backwards and forwards. Yes, Car-fu is very much a feather in the Speed Racer helmet.

The feather is needed though because although there's just under twenty tracks to convincingly race through at jaw shattering speed, most of the courses feel way too similar without offering sufficient visual or physical variety. There's also a serious shortfall in the multiplayer department. Wave goodbye to four player action - which really should be standard with Wii racing titles, and offer a lukewarm hello to standard 2-player split screen fare. In the age of Mario Kart Wii this doesn't really cut the mustard.