Disney’s Herbie: Fully Loaded – GBA – Review

Herbie Fully
Loaded is a racing game based on the Disney movie of the same name. Players will
race on eight different tracks, competing against computerized opponents.

There are
three different modes of play, Story, Championship and Free Race. Each
subsequent track becomes unlocked upon winning the race in the current track,
and can then be played in any mode. The racing isn’t difficult, after the first
initial runs on the track. Herbie handles easily, and will soon catch up with
the other cars even if he skids. The opposing cars aren’t very difficult
task-masters, and spend a large amount of time skidding around in the dirt
themselves.

Story mode
is the linear method of advancing through the game, and the tracks can’t be
unlocked unless Herbie finishes in first place. This may seem harsh, but the
racing isn’t very difficult, so after a few tries, he usually can win without
much problem. These unlocked tracks can then be played in Free Race. The
Championship mode is pretty much the same as the Story mode, except with
different varying requirements as to placement in the races.

The graphics
look quite good, and Herbie and the other cars are drawn nicely. The tracks look
good, but overall the appearance isn’t very jazzy. The sound effects are bland,
and the music is the same.

And that’s
about it, folks. This isn’t a badly designed game, but neither is it a very
interesting game. There just isn’t much to this wholly average game. Except for
the good-looking cars, there’s not much going for the game in terms of fun. The
races and tracks are ho-hum, and the entire game will be finished by most in a
couple of hours. A multiplayer mode may have helped make things a little more
interesting. This wouldn’t be a problem for kids, if the races were more
engaging. As it is, parents will be better off getting their kids a racing game
like Nicktoons Racing, which is a lot more fun to play.

Gameplay:
5.0
This is just not a very interesting racing game. There are better choices.

Graphics:
7.0
As always, Disney games are good-looking. However, the tracks are still somewhat
bland and unexciting in appearance.

Sound:
6.0
Pretty blah sound effects and music.

Difficulty: Medium
The levels are medium in difficulty, with some tracks harder than others, but
mostly on a medium difficulty. There are three difficulty levels to choose from,
as well.

Concept:
6.0
A game based on a movie, with nothing really interesting added that makes it
stand out.

Overall:
5.0
A wholly average racing game. Besides the character of Herbie and Lindsey Lohan,
there’s not much going for this game. Parents are better off looking elsewhere
for racing excitement for their kids.