Wacky Races: Starring Dastardly and Muttley

Wacky Races: Starring Dastardly and Muttley is a 2000 racing video game developed by Infogrames Sheffield House and published by Infogrames for the Dreamcast (under the title Wacky Races) and later for PlayStation 2 in 2001. The game is based on the cartoon series Wacky Races, which features 11 vehicles all racing over various landscapes to win first place. The vehicles featured include the most infamous vehicle in the series, the Mean Machine, driven by Dick Dastardly and Muttley.

For the 1991 video game, see Wacky Races (1991 video game). For the 2000 video game, see Wacky Races (2000 video game).
Wacky Races: Starring Dastardly and Muttley
Developer(s)Infogrames Sheffield House
Publisher(s)Infogrames
Platform(s)Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
ReleaseDreamcast
  • NA: June 27, 2000[1]
  • EU: June 30, 2000
PlayStation 2
  • EU: June 29, 2001
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The game includes two modes: Arcade and Adventure. Arcade mode features normal racing across various tracks. In Adventure mode, the player races on tracks to win gold stars or Wacky Trial clocks to unlock more tracks, abilities, and challenges. Wacky Trial clocks are rewarded when a race is won in a certain amount of time. These are needed to unlock boss challenges as well. Gold stars are needed to unlock various things, such as tracks and areas. They are gained by winning various events. Once 10 gold stars have been rewarded, the Boss Area is unlocked, in which the player must compete against one of three "elite" cars: Professor Pat Pending's Convert-a-Car, the Red Max's Crimson Haybailer, and the Mean Machine. Dastardly and Muttley are the main bosses of the game, with many of their power-ups geared towards attack.

Gadgets include an explosive mine that can be placed along the road, turbo speed, a temporary flying ability, and temporary invincibility. Pink discs known as "Tokens" float along the track. When picked up they fuel gadgets and give the player the option to perform one. Once they are used, they are shot out the back and left for other drivers to pick up.

All the vehicles and drivers from the cartoon are featured in the game, but there is only an eight-car grid, preventing them all from racing at once. The vehicles are put into five groups based on their acceleration, speed, and handling. The game features four themed levels, including a desert with Wild West towns and coal mines, snow-covered mountain towns, a Wacky Races version of Mount Rushmore, and a large city with rooftop race tracks (not featured in the Dreamcast version).

The game is notable for allowing players to have Dick Dastardly finally win a race. If the player wins as him, the narrator is taken aback or disgusted and Dastardly is happy and surprised at winning a race.[1]

Development

Both Janet Waldo and John Stephenson reprise their roles as Penelope Pitstop and Luke respectively.

The PlayStation 2 version of the game was only released in PAL regions.

Reception

The Dreamcast version received favorable reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received above-average reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[2][3] Greg Orlando of NextGen, reviewing the former console version, was generally positive to the game, but thought that the racing fans will likely forget this "crazy-fun" adaptation, and recommended the title to the fans of Hanna Barbera cartoon.[19]

Notes
  1. Three critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Dreamcast version each a score of 7/10, 6.5/10, and 7.5/10.
  2. In GameFan's viewpoint of the Dreamcast version, three critics gave it each a score of 63, 71, and 75.

References
  1. Musgrave, Shawn (June 27, 2000). "It's Time for the Wacky Races". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  2. "Wacky Races for Dreamcast". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  3. "Wacky Races starring Dastardly and Muttley [sic] for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. Ottoson, Joe. "Wacky Races (DC) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  5. Mahood, Andy (June 30, 2000). "Wacky Races (DC)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  6. Toxic (July 2000). "Les Fous du Voulant (DC)". Consoles + (in French). No. 102. p. 126. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  7. "Les Fous du Volant (PS2)". Consoles + (in French). No. 114. July 2001. p. 136. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  8. Sewart, Greg; Smith, Shawn; Funk, Joe (September 2000). "Wacky Races (DC)" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 134. Ziff Davis. p. 157. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  9. Bramwell, Tom (July 26, 2000). "Wacky Races (Dreamcast) [Incomplete]". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 29, 2001. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  10. Bramwell, Tom (July 26, 2000). "Wacky Races (Dreamcast; 2017)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  11. "Wacky Races (DC)". Game Informer. No. 89. FuncoLand. September 2000.
  12. Weitzner, Jason "Fury" (September 2000). "Wacky Races (DS)". GameFan. Vol. 8, no. 9. BPA International. p. 51. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  13. Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Ngo, George "Eggo"; Van Stone, Matt "Kodomo" (September 2000). "Wacky Races (DC)". GameFan. Vol. 8, no. 9. BPA International. p. 18. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  14. The Freshman (June 28, 2000). "Wacky Races Review for Dreamcast at GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 25, 2005. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  15. G-Wok (July 2000). "Wacky Races Review (DC)". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  16. Provo, Frank (June 28, 2000). "Wacky Races Review (DC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  17. Mad Carl (July 3, 2000). "Wacky Races". PlanetDreamcast. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  18. Justice, Brandon (July 5, 2000). "Wacky Races (DC)". IGN. Ziff Davis.
  19. Orlando, Greg (September 2000). "Wacky Races (DC)". NextGen. No. 69. Imagine Media. p. 103. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  20. Stuart, Keith (July 2001). "Wacky Races Starring Dastardly and Muttley". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine. No. 9. Future Publishing. pp. 120–21. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
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