Remember the heyday of gaming when kart racers were all the rage. It all started with Super Mario Kart dominating the track, and then soon after, everyone from Sony Computer Entertainment of America to Sega to Activision were making their own licensed kart racers, trying to get themselves a piece of the preverbal pie. After all, it’s a hit market with families. Lately, it’s fizzled out a bit, though Nintendo’s still dominating with Mario Kart 7 over on the 3DS, and Activision is still trying with Dreamworks Kartz. But over in their own little corner, Konami has teamed up with professional NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson for a kart racer of their own titled Anything With an Engine. See, the name describes the basic premise of what the game is about. Rather than race around in the usual, generic supercharged karts, you’re taking to battle in a defused bomb, a lawn mower, a bathtub…you know, anything you could fit with an engine.
Each vehicle comes fitted with its own driver, and though they’re devoid of personality, this isn’t exactly the game that really looks to exploit it. Instead, you’ll see attacks that match each of the vehicles, such as piles of grass that act as mines from the lawnmower and plenty of high-powered missiles. Hardly the stuff of innovation, but when it comes to pure, unhinged racing action, sometimes simple works. And it does here. The gameplay is about what you’d expect from Anything With an Engine. While it doesn’t define the kart racing experience like Mario Kart 7 does (c’mon, man, you can fly and go underwater in that game!), it does get the job done with decent vehicle handling and pulling off weapon attacks with ease. What’s more, Autumn Games has littered each course with plenty of bonus goodies, including secret passageways that can shave a few seconds off of the clock, as well as obstacles that can pop out from the side and really mess with your competition.
You’ll need to do that too, since the AI is just a little bit uneven. It’s about on the verge of rubberbanding, where you take a commanding lead and they come roaring back, but the problem is it’s the opposite. Often the other riders are in the lead, and you experience some minor frustration when it comes to making a return to first. That’s not the end of the world, as those of you who have played far easier kart-style games (y’know, the ones for kids) will appreciate a challenge. Though the graphics aren’t exactly something to write home about, they’re pretty stable for an entry in this genre. The track design, like we said, has some sparks of originality, and it’s easy to spot little shortcuts and other incentives to help get you back in the go-ahead spot. It’s also cool to see some arena-based challenges, even though the tracks are big enough that you have to wonder how an arena can really hold it all. The frame rate is nice and steady, even when you’ve got stuff exploding around you, and some of the side details, like cardboard cutouts that leap across the screen on a moment’s notice, aren’t bad. Still, some of these character designs are a little iffy – especially compared to Johnson himself.
As for the audio, it’s just barely acceptable. The announcing is pretty much on the money, and you’ll even hear Johnson himself offer a few tips here and there, to remind you that, yes, he’s still part of the game. Otherwise, the music is pretty bland stuff, just sitting there without really getting you in a racing mood, and the voiceovers, particularly the ones in the stoic cinemas, need some serious work. But at least Anything With an Engine gives you something to do in the long run for the game. And like any good kart racer, that starts with multiplayer. This game not only supports online play through Xbox Live, but you can also play locally through four-player split-screen – the way a good kart racer is meant to be played. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the online functionality, as the two races we took part in ran smoothly. Nope, the problem is the lobby is pretty much a ghost town. The game doesn’t have enough of an audience as of yet to say it’s a thriving community. Maybe after the holidays we’ll see it pick up. But in the meantime, the local multiplayer is worth playing.
It’s also worth mentioning that Anything With an Engine comes with a decent helping of modes. Elimination is a good challenge, as you strive to keep your spot in the race without falling behind. Endurance is a bit of a trial, and only for the truly dedicated. But the best of the bunch is Matador, an innovative idea where half the racers start in one direction, and the other half go the opposite way. As a result, you’re bound to run into one another over the course of the event, more than once. Give it a try. One more thing worth noting – Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With an Engine does have a reasonable price. Rather than going for $50, Konami has wisely placed it in the $30 market. Not too shabby for a game of this type…but we’re wondering if it could’ve been a downloadable game for like $20. Though the game won’t likely be deemed a classic for years to come, Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With an Engine is an acceptable entry in the kart-racing genre. While there aren’t many folks online, the local multiplayer makes up for it, and the modes included here will keep you busy if you’re all about power sliding and bombing someone’s car with a sack of yard scraps. We’ll see you at the finish line.
