Motor Toon Grand Prix 2

Written by Tom Clare in PSOne Game Reviews, Saturday 26 July, 2008

Developer: Polyphony Digital
Publisher: Sony
Genre: Racing
Platform: PSOne
Region: US

Catchy Toon

The momentous success of Gran Turismo meant that Polyphony Digital's "other" racing series of the PSOne generation was rather glossed over, and but for a latter day re-release alongside the aforementioned classic, would now be a real rarity. Those expecting Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 (MTGP2) to be little more than prototype from which GT was later built will be in for a surprise, as the two racers could hardly be more contrasting.

Whilst Gran Turismo's aim was to provide as authentic a racing experience as possible, MTGP2 goes all out for wacky, accessible arcade fun, sharing more in common with the likes of Speed Freaks and Micro Machines. It's off-beat, mad and unconventional, yet the mark of quality gamers have come to expect from Polyphony Digital is undeniably evident.

Released in 1996 in the early days of the PlayStation format, MTGP2 will perhaps best be remembered for its unorthodox visual style and classy race track design. The animation in particular is superb, most evident in the distinctive vehicles which showcase some real cartoon flair; giving the impression the cars are alive - each has a face with headlamps for eyes and giant grills acting as a crazed set of teeth, and more unusual still is the manner in which they lean and flex into corners, a cool effect but one that can be turned off if not to the players liking. From a technical standpoint, it's very sound with little scenery pop-up and even less slow-down - it's very smooth and goes at quite a rate of knots too.

If the graphics are good, the track design is even better. Guilliver House is the high-point, seeing you traversing giant backgammon and chess tables, through the middle of a cake and around a roulette wheel, all in the space of a remarkable minute that evokes shades of Micro Machines at its finest. The Crazy Rollercoaster track tries its hand at some futuristic, WipEout-style tricks and mostly succeeds thanks to the trippy translucent surfaces, neon beams and jarring inclines in the road. To finish, there is the awesome Haunted Castle complete with graveyard and a spooky, portrait-lined hallway providing just two of many highlights. MTGP2's sunny, chunky, visage is very pleasing on the eye.

And for the most part, it plays well too. The handling is perhaps a touch on the heavy side though fine on the whole whilst pleasingly for an arcade racer of its time, you are actually encouraged to use the brakes with a credible degree of frequency. The quality of the tracks enhances the Championship, the games one major playing mode; which maintains the standard setup of finishing the season with more points than anyone else, though having to race the same five circuits does stunt the games variety quite quickly and it's a shame the developers didn't throw in a few of the reverse courses to spice things up a little..

The negatives are small but add up. The weapon power-up system is poorly realised; you must wait for a counter to spin and 'choose' your power-up and this can take valuable seconds, whilst there are rather a large number of items that don't offer much of an advantage, such as those that change the size of your car, or the unfeasible 'jump' ability that proves more of a liability than a help due to the games distinctly airy physics - use it at the wrong point and you'll go sailing out of the tracks boundaries, and in a bit of an oversight, the developers haven't allowed for a 'discard item' function.

Much like with the early Ridge Racer's, MTGP2 isn't so much about beating your competitors in a straight fight, but passing them one-by-one, staying out of trouble and hoping you reach the leaders before your three laps are run. Whether you reach the front of the field often comes down to how hamstrung by your opponents power-ups, and thus the 'damage limitation' route to victory can feel a touch unforgiving on the harder skill settings. Annoyingly, the A.I. seem collectively to bend the rules - the cars you chase conveniently never fail to have a set of mines ready to deploy when you are approaching; and this occurs to such a degree that you'll become accustomed to avoiding driving directly behind them.

MTGP2 dispenses its excellent array of extras upon the completion of the Championship - one for each of the five difficulty settings you conquer, with rewards including extra cars, redesigned tracks and a host of mini-games, although given how difficult Hard, Professional and Expert settings are to crack, many won't uncover all the game has to offer. More harmful in the long run is the lack of a split-screen two-player option, something that is considered almost mandatory in an arcade-themed racer such as this. It does make use of the PSOne link-cable not just for the racing but also the mini-games, but as almost no one owns one, it's a rather redundant feature.

Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 is a quirky and imaginative arcade racer and, despite its age, one of the best the PlayStation format has to offer. A shortage of Championship tracks, frustrating A.I. tactics and the lack of a proper two-player mode means it loses marks, but remains a noteworthy diversion thanks to clever design and peculiar, one of a kind styling.
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 7/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Lifespan: 7/10

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