Konami Krazy Racers

(Redirected from Krazy Kart Racing)

Konami Krazy Racers[a] is a 2001 kart-themed racing video game published and developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance, released as a launch title for the system. Konami Krazy Racers makes use of a variety of characters and concepts from several of Konami's franchises, including Castlevania, Metal Gear, and Gradius. It plays similarly to the Mario Kart series, with eight characters per circuit and offensive/defensive items placed at predetermined points in the tracks. Konami Krazy Racers received mostly positive reviews. It was later released through the Virtual Console for Wii U in 2015.

Konami Krazy Racers
Konami Krazy Racers box art featuring eight playable characters. From left to right:Takosuke, Nyami, Goemon, Dracula, Power Pro, Pastel, Cyborg Ninja, and Moai.
Developer(s)Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEC)
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Toyokazu Nonaka
Producer(s)Etsunobu Ebisu
Keita Kawaminami
Programmer(s)Hiroshi Shibata
Junichi Taniguchi
Ken Yokota
Artist(s)Toyokazu Nonaka
Shōichi Maekawa
Chieko Tobioka
Composer(s)Sotaro Tojima
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance, Wii U
ReleaseGame Boy Advance
  • JP: March 21, 2001
  • NA: June 11, 2001
  • PAL: June 22, 2001
Wii U Virtual Console
  • EU: October 15, 2015
  • NA: November 26, 2015
  • JP: February 3, 2016
Genre(s)Racing game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

edit
 
Gameplay screenshot

Konami Krazy Racers plays similarly to other kart racing games, most notably Mario Kart Super Circuit.[1] Each race begins at the starting line, where eight racers are lined up in certain positions. Each of the seven computers are placed in the closest seven positions to the starting line, but the player character always starts a circuit in eighth place. This placement may change in the next race of the circuit depending on how well the racers do. If the player places first, he or she will be in the first position, as the placement in the following races is based on how the racers did in the previous race. The race is seen from behind the player, and uses Mode 7 effects to simulate the three dimensions.[2] A timer will count down to indicate the beginning of the race, and the player must hold down a button to accelerate at the beginning. The player can pick up coins off of the track which may be spent on items in a shop, and depending on the character the player controls, he or she may try to cause another player to spin-out. The player may use other buttons to do such actions as jump and brake, which aides in maneuverability.

Placed throughout the races are red and blue bells. The red bells contain any variety of items, while the blue bell contains a speed-boosting item.

Characters

edit

Konami Krazy Racers features a total of 12 characters from various Konami series. Each character features unique statistics, including weight, speed, and acceleration.

Reception

edit

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3] NextGen was generally positive to the game, but regarded it inferior to the then-upcoming Mario Kart: Super Circuit.[13] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 25 out of 40.[8] Four-Eyed Dragon of GamePro said, "If you are in need of a serious kart racing fix, Konami Krazy Racers is it—mainly because it's the only kart racer out so far."[16][c]

It was ranked #10 on a top ten list of the best Game Boy Advance games in Electronic Gaming Monthly, beating Mario Kart: Super Circuit, another Game Boy Advance kart racing game.

Sequel

edit

Krazy Kart Racing is a sequel to the title released in 2009 initially for iOS and in 2011 for Android. It features a total of 12 characters from Konami franchises, four of which return from Konami Krazy Racers. It received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[17] Pocket Gamer gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five.[18]

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Known in Japan as Konami Wai Wai Racing Advance (コナミ ワイワイレーシング アドバンス, Konami Wai Wai Rēshingu Adobansu).
  2. ^ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the game, two critics gave it each a score of 8.5/10, and the other gave it 9/10.
  3. ^ GamePro gave the game 3.5/5 for graphics, 2.5/5 for sound, 4/5 for control, and 3/5 for fun factor.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Konami Krazy Racers". MobyGames. Atari SA. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Konami Krazy Racers screenshots". MobyGames. Atari SA. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Konami Krazy Racers". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Nicholls, Shawn. "Konami Krazy Racers - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Edge staff (May 2001). "[Konami] Wai Wai Racing [Advance]" (PDF). Edge. No. 97. Future Publishing. p. 77. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Johnston, Chris; Dudlak, Jonathan; Sewart, Greg (July 2001). "Konami Krazy Racers" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 144. Ziff Davis. p. 94. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Bramwell, Tom (July 10, 2001). "Konami Krazy Racers". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 16, 2001. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "コナミ ワイワイレーシング アドバンス [GBA]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Konami Krazy Racers". Game Informer. No. 99. FuncoLand. July 2001.
  10. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (June 8, 2001). "Konami Krazy Racers Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  11. ^ Bub, Andrew S. (January 30, 2002). "Konami Krazy Racers (GBA)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 12, 2005. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  12. ^ Harris, Craig (June 14, 2001). "Konami Krazy Racers". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Konami Krazy Racer [sic]". NextGen. No. 79. Imagine Media. July 2001. p. 65. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "Konami Krazy Racers". Nintendo Power. Vol. 145. Nintendo of America. June 2001.
  15. ^ Metts, Jonathan (July 8, 2001). "Konami Krazy Racers". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  16. ^ Four-Eyed Dragon (August 2001). "Konami Krazy Racers" (PDF). GamePro. No. 155. IDG. p. 72. Archived from the original on December 13, 2004. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "Krazy Kart Racing for iOS (iPhone/iPad)". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  18. ^ Mundy, Jon (August 19, 2009). "Krazy Kart Racing". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
edit