When I first began collecting for the Atari Jaguar one game in particular piqued my interest. This was Atari Karts, and it represented a sub-genre that I’ve loved for a long time. I did a little research on this game and it supposedly wasn’t very good despite being rare and quite valuable. Still, I had to have it, and so I began scouring Ebay. One day I happened to luck out and snagged the game for a really good price. When it arrived I eagerly booted it up, and the disappointment set in almost immediately. Like with most Jaguar games Atari Karts looks good and sounds intriguing, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Mario Kart this most certainly is not.
This game allows you to play as one of eleven possible Atari themed drivers as you race around courses and compete in cups. There are four different difficulty levels, and four different cups in which to compete. It’s pretty standard fare, but I have one complaint right off the bat. I didn’t recognize any of the racers. You would think Atari would have led with their more recognizable faces, but instead they padded the roster with some really weird choices. It’s not a big deal, but many of the racers are just plain weird.
This game plays in a very similar fashion to Mario Kart, and even simulates the mode-7 3D effects that it used. You race four laps around a course as you try to come in first place, and you earn points based on your standing. There are items you can use to gain an advantage against the other racers. Some help you while others hurt the opponents. It’s actually pretty standard. There’s no way that they screwed up something so simple, right? Unfortunately they did.
The first problem here is that the game engine has a terrible sense of momentum. If you hit any obstacle you lose all of your speed. Unfortunately this happens even if you just slightly brush up against something. This wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that all obstacles and hazards lay flat on the ground. It’s hard to tell if something is a merely part of the graphics or if it’s a real obstacle that will slow you down. It’s far too easy to go from first to last place because you didn’t see something that’s right in the way.
Even bumping into another racer will slow you down far more than it should. This makes Atari Karts extremely frustrating. If you hit anything you’re almost guaranteed to lose the race by default. To make matters tracks are extremely boring in design. The scenery and obstacles are boring enough the first time, and it’s even less fun as you drive through it multiple times. There really isn’t a lot of difference even in graphics between the race tracks which is really lame. Atari Karts is a repetitive mess.
Any kart racer with any merit has an arsenal of items that you can use to mix things up during a race. This is yet another area where Atari Karts falls seriously short. Items are picked up by passing over their respective icons littered on the race tracks, but like the terrain these are flat and can be quite difficult to see. There are only a few of them and on paper they admittedly don’t sound half bad. You’ve got a speed boost, an item that reduces tire friction, an extra heart, etc.
The problem is that the effects aren’t pronounced enough. I couldn’t tell for the life of me if I used an item or not, and that’s inexcusable because they’re basically useless. It’s impossible to tell exactly what you’re picking up because everything on the ground is a blurry mess. If the item didn’t flash after pressing the correct button I would have no way to tell if I actually used it or not. The only real offensive item reverses the controls of your opponent which is kind of entertaining in multiplayer, but it doesn’t affect a computer opponent in the least. It’s a good idea but the execution is flawed. They had a solid formula to follow but ultimately failed to do so.
If there’s one the developers did right here it’s the graphics. Atari Karts is able to simulate the mode-7 graphic technique used in Super Mario Kart exceptionally well, and it even exceeds it. The full screen display looks extremely good with fantastic scaling and effects. The framerate holds up really nicely as well and this game animates extremely smoothly. Atari Karts is also exceptionally colorful and each course is quite vibrant. I wish that the terrain and items were easier to make out, but otherwise the game looks generally pleasant. If there’s one major problem with the visuals it definitely has to be the art style. The characters don’t just look goofy they’re downright creepy. This game really could have benefited from a more talented artist because the style does hold it back. This is probably one of the better looking games on the Jaguar console.
The soundtrack is just awful. Most of the music just doesn’t fit the game at all. The title theme sounds like something that should have been in a fighting game, and the piano based result track is awkward and sad. The basic track themes really do not fit at all, and my prediction is that Atari was working on another game that was cancelled and simply ripped the soundtrack from that and threw it into this one. The weird choir effect makes this game seem post apocalyptic when Atari Karts is supposed to be fun and playful.
The sound effects fare a little better. The motors sound realistic, and all bumps do as well. Unfortunately they don’t really indicate when you’ve used an item, and this is kind of lame to be honest. You’re best off muting this game because Atari Karts is an assault on the ear drums. A lot more work was needed here because this is inexcusable.
Atari Karts may sound like a great idea on paper, and I understand why so many people try and seek it out. Unfortunately the game is clunky, and the odd art style and music is really off-putting. This game seems to be a mis-mash of several different ideas that could have worked on their own but come together to make a really unbalanced package. Like most Jaguar games this one simply isn’t worth the shelf space it will take up, nor does it warrant the large price tag.
