Freaky Flyers – GC – Review

Despite the game’s success, few developers felt the urge to take on the
difficult task of developing a 3D flight/racer.  Finally that has changed. 
The latest attempt at the genre is the much-hyped Freaky Flyers.  You may not
know what this game is about, but if you read any video game publications,
it’s guaranteed that you’ve heard the name at least once.

As the title suggests,
Freaky Flyers is all about flying, and as you may have guessed by my
comparison of Diddy Kong Racing, it’s all about racing and exploring, too.  If
you’ve never played DKR, then try to imagine what Mario Kart would be like in
the air and your vision should come pretty close to matching this game.

Although it may be hard
to tell from the GameCube box art (which is a bit more conservative than the
cover for the PS2 version), Freaky Flyers is not a kiddie game.  It’s suitable
for all ages, so long as you don’t mind your child seeing the usual amount of
scantily clad polygons.  There isn’t much violence here, and there’s less eye
candy than a Victoria’s Secret commercial, so parents have little to worry
about.

The best thing about
Freaky Flyers is how fresh it feels.  The levels aren’t very long, but they
have several hidden shortcuts and a lot of open space that enables the player
to move wherever he or she pleases.  This makes the game feel a lot less
linear than other racing games, which have a blocked off tracks and a
pre-determined path that must be carefully followed.

The levels themselves are
not as fresh, but they’re not in the least bit stale either.  You’ve got a
city, a desert, a snow-filled woodsy area, etc., all of which have unique side
objectives that can be completed to unlock additional features.  There are
targets to shoot, items to collect, trees to cut down, and even a genie that
needs to be imprisoned.  Those are just a few of the side objectives, which
unlock things like extra weapon slots and additional playable characters.

While there isn’t
anything particularly freaky about this game, the characters are quite wacky. 
Johnny Turbine and Mick Bungadoo are your typical cartoon characters.  They
think they’re tough, they try to act manly, and their voices are
over-the-top.  All of the female characters look the same, varying only in
body type, hair style and clothing.  (There are slight differences in their
faces, but it’s not significant enough to make the character seem different.) 
They have over-the-top voices and crazy movie sequences as well, telling a
story that isn’t too compelling.

Players will be pleased
by how fast the planes move.  They’re quick on their own, and with speed boost
power-ups they can go even faster.  Players also have the ability to perform a
few stunts, such as a barrel roll, and attack from not only the front, but
from the rear as well.  It’s not easy steering when you’re looking at them
from behind, but when traversing the more open areas, doing so will allow you
to shoot them down before they have a chance to surpass you.  Additionally,
there are explosive power-ups that stay suspended in air, waiting for some
foolish racer to fly into them.  That gives you another way to defend yourself
from the ongoing threat of your opponents.  They also have the power to do
this, and they too can shoot from behind, so remember that when you’re gunning
for first place.

Freaky Flyers isn’t
perfect, but it turned out to be a cool game.  There’s more fun to be had with
it than most other multi-platform racers, and with so many secrets to unlock,
this game is worth more of your time than the average five-night rental. 
Being the only game of its kind on the current generation of game consoles,
Freaky Flyers has a chance to introduce a lot of gamers to a new kind of
racer.  Mario Kart fans will be especially pleased, as will anyone who loved
the Crash Bandicoot racer released on the PSone.  The multiplayer mode isn’t
as exciting as the ones featured in Nintendo’s racing games, but then again,
few titles can compare to that.  Take this one for a ride, find out how it
handles and see if you can pull yourself away before it’s finished.  You won’t
have any luck pulling yourself away, but in this case, you’ll be glad.

Gameplay: 7.5
Freaky Flyers is
a racer to be reckoned with.  There are only 12 tracks, but they’re all fun,
and there are quite a few hidden extras to keep you coming back for more. 
Most important is the first-time experience though, and I am very pleased to
say that it is a blast.  The lack of Diddy Kong Racing’s kiddie elements make
a huge difference in the annoyance level – Freaky Flyers doesn’t even have
one!  So that removes any excuse that a teen or adult gamer would have for not
wanting to play the game.  Since the gameplay closely resembles the classic
kart racing games of the 1990s, Freaky Flyers should be appealing to gamers of
all ages.  The story is pointless, but all of the movie scenes can be skipped,
preventing an annoying level from starting.

Graphics: 7.5
Freaky Flyers’
graphical prowess comes from the lively environments.  The main problem with
today’s video game graphics is that they’re not advancing.  A few games with
movie-sized budgets continue to raise the bar, while the games with smaller
budgets have to continue using older technology.  This makes games like Freaky
Flyers, which is visually impressive, look less than stellar.  It’s
unfortunate, but it’s a fact that can’t be ignored.

Sound: 6
Not a lot can be
said about the sound in this game.  Original music was composed for this
title, but it’s not as spellbinding as the music featured in Midway’s other
top-tier games.  The zany voice-overs fit with the zany cut scenes, but they
don’t add anything substantial to the rest of the game.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Kart fanatics and
Diddy Kong Racing masters will wish that the challenges in this game were a
little more difficult.  There is a bit of challenge here – after the first two
levels you’ll have to use shortcuts, attack opponents and use other means to
cross the finish line first.  But other than that, Freaky Flyers is relatively
easy.

Concept: 7.5
An improved
flight/racing game?  Sign me up!  Midway has taken the long forgotten concept
of racing through the skies and given it new life in Freaky Flyers.

Multiplayer: 7
Freaky Flyers is
a racer that’ll keep you occupied until Mario Kart comes out.  Its multiplayer
mode isn’t as expansive (only two gamers can race simultaneously), but it is
pretty entertaining.

Overall: 7.3
Freaky Flyers
asks: are you feelin’ freaky?  To that I say: no, I’m not feeling freaky!  But
I am feeling the urge to play Freaky Flyers again.  Aside from the gameplay,
that’s Freaky Flyers’ greatest asset – replay value.  It has enough to make
you play through the game twice, though not in one sitting (although feasible,
the game isn’t THAT addictive).  The extras are a pleasant surprise, giving
players of all ages a reason to come back and play through it a third time
around, assuming that they hadn’t successfully completed all of the side
objectives before.  Last but not least, there’s the two-player multiplayer
mode.  A four-player mode would have been great and would have added more
hours of addiction to the game, but the two-player option is pretty cool. 
You’ll enjoy bombing your friends in the back, getting ahead, and then
watching them do the same to you.  You’ll also enjoy finding the fastest route
to the finish line.  In other words, if you liked Diddy Kong Racing, you’ll
enjoy this game a lot.