Build 'N Race (Wii) Quick Review
This racing game on the Wii boasts it's endless variety of tracks, especially so with it's custom track builder. On the surface, it looks like a newer Excitebike with cars. But when you get into the meat and guts of this thing, does it hold the same value? Let's jump in and find out ourselves.
The Good
- Huge Variety. This is one claim on the case of this game that is most certainly true. Without factoring in the infinite amount of tracks you can build on your own, this game comes with 80 courses for you to zip around on, along with not only a huge selection of cars to race in, but a wide variety of customizable options for the cars themselves. Before starting the races up you get to pick your car and then change anything and everything about it; the paint, the spoiler, tires, every part of the car has plenty of options for you to choose from.
- Multiple Steering Options. As with most racing games on the Wii, your steering controls involve tilting the steering wheel. The cool thing about this one, is it's not your only option for steering. You can use the WiiMote on it's side with the 2 button as your gas and the D-pad (on it's side albeit) to control your steering. This is a nice touch because the tilt-steering isn't always calibrated very well in most Wii racing games, so having other ways to play the game lends a big hand.
The Bad
- Short Tracks. Yes, there are a lot of them as I mentioned above. The downfall of the large variety is that the tracks themselves are extremely short. They're fun, full of turns, jumps, walls, and all sorts of crazy stuff, but just as you start having fun on them the races are over. This is due not only to the short length of the tracks, but the shortness of the races themselves too. In all of the main modes (with the exception of exhibition modes) the races are only four laps long.
- Misleading Field. So, you start the race on a grid at the start/finish line on a grid of four cars. The problem? You're in seventh place. Seventh. For some ungoldy and unknown reason, the first three cars in the race are given a massive head-start, and I mean massive. On the first track, one of the first turns intersects with itself (so you go into the corner, take a long left hand turn, and cross back over with the track you just started on) right after the start line, and every time I played it, I couldn't even see any of the first three cars coming out the exit of the turn. I went through perfectly in one race, even maxed out using my turbo as much as possible, and the best I could do was catch a glimpse of second place way up ahead. (Maybe it's a skill thing, but for as often as it happened to me it just seems unfair).
- Repetitive. The biggest downfall of most racing games. They either have enough originality that you want to play them over and over, or they're short and simple and get real repetitive real fast. This one is the latter. There's just too much packed into this game, and while it's fun, it wears off quickly. Each individual track only has a small amount of the quirky stuff (jumps, barriers, etc.), so you don't get to experience a lot of what would make this game original enough to set it apart from other racing games.
Is it Worth it?
Not. At. All. At least not for the more serious gamers. It's only worth pocket change (if you see this thing listed for more than $3, the only thing you should do is laugh while you're walking away), and doesn't offer anything to make you feel the need to finish it. If there were less in this one, allowing for longer races and more obstacles per race, it might have saved this one. Nonetheless, this one doesn't shout out many reasons to give this game a spot in your library. My plan for this one? Keep it tucked aside and let the kids play with it because they would have a blast with it, especially the track creator. Otherwise? Pass this one up completely.
The Good
- Huge Variety. This is one claim on the case of this game that is most certainly true. Without factoring in the infinite amount of tracks you can build on your own, this game comes with 80 courses for you to zip around on, along with not only a huge selection of cars to race in, but a wide variety of customizable options for the cars themselves. Before starting the races up you get to pick your car and then change anything and everything about it; the paint, the spoiler, tires, every part of the car has plenty of options for you to choose from.
- Multiple Steering Options. As with most racing games on the Wii, your steering controls involve tilting the steering wheel. The cool thing about this one, is it's not your only option for steering. You can use the WiiMote on it's side with the 2 button as your gas and the D-pad (on it's side albeit) to control your steering. This is a nice touch because the tilt-steering isn't always calibrated very well in most Wii racing games, so having other ways to play the game lends a big hand.
The Bad
- Short Tracks. Yes, there are a lot of them as I mentioned above. The downfall of the large variety is that the tracks themselves are extremely short. They're fun, full of turns, jumps, walls, and all sorts of crazy stuff, but just as you start having fun on them the races are over. This is due not only to the short length of the tracks, but the shortness of the races themselves too. In all of the main modes (with the exception of exhibition modes) the races are only four laps long.
- Misleading Field. So, you start the race on a grid at the start/finish line on a grid of four cars. The problem? You're in seventh place. Seventh. For some ungoldy and unknown reason, the first three cars in the race are given a massive head-start, and I mean massive. On the first track, one of the first turns intersects with itself (so you go into the corner, take a long left hand turn, and cross back over with the track you just started on) right after the start line, and every time I played it, I couldn't even see any of the first three cars coming out the exit of the turn. I went through perfectly in one race, even maxed out using my turbo as much as possible, and the best I could do was catch a glimpse of second place way up ahead. (Maybe it's a skill thing, but for as often as it happened to me it just seems unfair).
- Repetitive. The biggest downfall of most racing games. They either have enough originality that you want to play them over and over, or they're short and simple and get real repetitive real fast. This one is the latter. There's just too much packed into this game, and while it's fun, it wears off quickly. Each individual track only has a small amount of the quirky stuff (jumps, barriers, etc.), so you don't get to experience a lot of what would make this game original enough to set it apart from other racing games.
Is it Worth it?
Not. At. All. At least not for the more serious gamers. It's only worth pocket change (if you see this thing listed for more than $3, the only thing you should do is laugh while you're walking away), and doesn't offer anything to make you feel the need to finish it. If there were less in this one, allowing for longer races and more obstacles per race, it might have saved this one. Nonetheless, this one doesn't shout out many reasons to give this game a spot in your library. My plan for this one? Keep it tucked aside and let the kids play with it because they would have a blast with it, especially the track creator. Otherwise? Pass this one up completely.
