Extreme Go-Kart Racing PS1 Review

Extreme go-kart racing was released for the PlayStation one back in 2003. 

This game is more of a budget type of racing game and it has been heavily influenced by earlier mario kart games more notably if you've ever played mario kart 64 on the nintendo 64. 

This game has a very very similar visual and graphical style and plays very like it too but unlike the mario kart games or even likes of crash team racing for example the game does fail to deliver on the basis of the gameplay as the game itself didn't get really good reviews at launch and for quite a number of reasons mainly due to the design of the levels the fact is that there's very little in terms of power-ups that you can use throughout the races. 

All you have access to is speed boosts but there's an extreme level of difficulty within the game as the tracks themselves especially with item placements and the obstacles you have to avoid but also the difficult computer ai makes it extremely difficult to win races as no matter how good you are at the game it's almost impossible in some cases to even win races so it leaves for the whole experience to be just extremely difficult and also very frustrating. 

Now the game does have some elements on offer, it has a number of different track types all within different environments anything from like forest type of areas to even racing on tracks in the frozen Arctic. 

You have 12 different go-karts and characters to race with you'll unlock more as you play through the various championships and modes that are on offer and there is three modes that are available within the game from the grand prix mode to time attack and 2 player versus mode. 

The game also does utilize drift-style mechanics to venture around corners within each of the tracks that does add an extra layer to the playability of the game but it is quite difficult to master as you have to manage your button presses at the exact moments to initiate the drifts and then you have to try and maintain it which can definitely take some time to get used to. 

The collision detection is also one of the most annoying features in the game also as even if you're driving along even at a low speed if you come in contact with another driver on the track or if you happen to just brush off a wall the car will instantly stop and go into its full 360 spin on the spot or completely crash out and what happens is it will almost destroy any little bit of progress that you have in the race depending on the track that you're racing on. 

It will definitely take quite a long time to get a feel for each of the tracks and just to get used to the controls of knowing when to slow down or when to brake and so forth. 

And in some cases if you crash into a wall and you're about to set off again if another driver comes across your path they can hit you and literally take you out by squishing you leaving it that you could be literally in that squished state for up to five to ten seconds which means it virtually leaves you with no chance or opportunity to catch up with the rest of the pack so you may as well call it game over so that in itself can be very very frustrating. 

The game does have some nice features and the fact is that it's influenced more so by mario kart 64 does highlight some of the unique quirks in the game but it's just not as good as all of those mainstream kart games. It just lacks in so many areas and to the reasons that i've mentioned. 

So if you are into these type of kart racers, you could have a look but ideally there are better games that are on the system that are worthwhile checking out above this but it really just all depends on your own preferences and what you're into but i'll leave that up to you. 

So i'd love to hear your thoughts on Extreme go-kart racing for the ps1 if you have played it yourself back in the day and if so what do you think of it in general? 

Do you enjoy these type of mario kart or crash team racing clones or these kart racing games in general or maybe not so much? 

I'd love to hear what your stories are on this game so be sure to share them down in the comments below and be sure to keep watching to see more content on other games similar to Extreme go-kart racing, you can check out the blog where we will be diving into the iconic elements of these classic video games and as always keep those gaming memories alive...