While never at the
top of the charts, publishers always find a reason to pump out water racers.
Global Star Software and Argonaut Games decided to follow in the wake of
Splashdown, the Xbox’s best water racer, and release their own jet ski speeder,
Carve. The difference? Carve is only twenty bucks! Every Xbox owner who
stared at a copy of Splashdown with a fifty dollar price tag while only having
twenty bucks in their wallets can rest easy tonight – Carve is an ample
substitute to quench your water racing thirst at less than half the price.
The basis for the
game is about as simple as one can get – race against others and finish the
course as fast as you can. Sound easy? Well, it is. Checkpoints are strewn
throughout the course, and must be crossed before a timer hits zero ala Outrun.
The course is designated by a series of buoys akin to a downhill skiing slalom
course and buoys must be passed either on the right or the left. The system for
locating buoys has both pros and cons. On the plus side, plenty of warning is
given as to where the next buoy is located. On the other hand, the beacon on
the horizon showing where the next buoy will be to racers is like an insect
light to flying pests – it’s impossible to resist and can cause racers to crash
into unseen obstacles. Carve allows racers to miss up to four buoys in a single
race at a cost of a three second penalty, but when it means the difference
between first and second, three seconds means nothing.
There’s not much
to the opponent AI, they’re trying to do the same thing you are… finish as fast
as possible. And while they do occasionally take the odd short cut here and
there, I never encountered any of the blocking or ramming that the manual
promised.
The trick system
in Carve is an integral portion of the game, but it has its share of minor
problems. Tricking, as in most games of this genre, awards points and speed
boosts, but more importantly, looks pretty damn cool. Pulling off these tricks
is rather easy, needing only a few jabs of the joystick and pushes of buttons
rather than holding triggers and tying fingers in knots like other games.
Tricks can be performed in mid-air, such as backflips or Supermans, or when
simply riding on the water, such as handstands or body whips. Successfully
performing a trick gives a momentary boost in speed, and stringing together a
combination of tricks grants a long boost in speed. While it is possible to win
many races without tricks, they do give racers a significant advantage. The
major malfunction with tricking is the responsiveness. The tricks just don’t
seem to happen consistently, nor are they always the ones racers thought they
input.
In addition to
getting an instant boost from tricks, a meter at the bottom of the screen slowly
fills up after successfully completing tricks. Once the meter is full, the
racer can initiate the Double Rush feature that propels the racer along faster
than a run to the bathroom after a long car ride. Any crash or missed trick
attempt drop the meter significantly though, so be on your top game when
attempting to fill the meter up.
Probably the most
attractive part of Carve is its online play. Through Xbox Live, racers can
compete against seven other competitors, but that’s about it. It supports
headset communication, friends lists, and all the online goodies you would
expect, but not much more. There is a team mode, but it’s little more than a
combination of teammates scores, times, and penalties.
The graphics in
the game are actually quite impressive. The water is particularly easy on the
eyes, with choppy water and wake looking pretty realistic. The game even
simulates the spray from the watercrafts hitting the camera, giving Carve a very
‘wet’ look. The racers themselves look okay, but are pretty much overshadowed
by the water and landscapes. The animations on the tricks aren’t too impressive
either, and most of the player models appear to be a tad under polished. It
doesn’t hurt the game excessively though, and its worth it just to ride around
the water for a bit.
Most of the
soundtrack falls into the electronic category, with house and breakbeats being
the dominant tunes. The rest of the audio is nothing spectacular.
As a “budget
game”, you get what you pay for with Carve. This means there aren’t any frills,
and the game leans towards the brief side. You’ll have to excuse the brevity of
this review, but Carve really is a basic, simple racer. This isn’t a game that
most gamers will be playing for much longer than a few weeks, as there isn’t
much to the game other than unlocking all the courses, which can probably be
done in a long afternoon by adept racers.
Gameplay: 7.0
Carve is a racer –
pure and simple. The controls are immediately pick-up-and-play, so even novices
can get right into the action. The lack of playing options hurts the value of
the game, but if you are only concerned with racing, then there shouldn’t be any
complaints.
Graphics: 8.5
The graphics are
probably the best part of the game. The water shimmers and waves move lifelike,
and the environments are fairly detailed.
Sound: 6.5
The sound is
pretty bland. There are some rockin’ tracks on the soundtrack, but the rest of
the audio is minimal.
Difficulty: Easy
If you’re looking
for a game to beat quickly, Carve is it. Hey, it’s only twenty bucks!
Concept: 5.0
There really is no
concept to this game that’s new or original, it’s another water racer.
Multiplayer: 8.0
Being Live enabled
really helps the value of the game, but the multiplayer options are still very
limited.
Overall: 6.5
This is a great
rental, but not such a fantastic purchase. It doesn’t have a lot of replay
value, and is incredibly simple (I mention that for the billionth time). But
fans of water racers on a budget may find this title just what they’re looking
for.
