Rumble Racing isn’t about turning left all the time and jockeying for position on simulated real-world tracks. It’s about wacky tracks, power-ups, weapons and pedal-to-the-metal speed. There’s a championship mode, which lets you unlock tracks and cars, a single race mode, co-op and split screen multiplayer, Stunt-Challenge (perform as many stunts as you can before the clock runs out) and Showdown, which pits you in a single lap race against a single opponent. During the races you can find power-ups that boost your speed, give you “super-traction”, repair your ride and provide weapons that let you drop mines and oil slicks and even unleash a tornado to mess with enemy racers.
The only problems with the game are its slightly jagged-looking graphics–they look somewhat unfinished–and the fact that despite the plethora of cars that can be unlocked, only a handful are highly rated enough to win the races. You’ll probably stick to a few favourites and ignore the rest. But these problems are blown away by the frenetic sense of speed, the fun track design, and the mayhem caused by being able to unleash a tornado on someone who cuts you off the track. –Andrew S Bub
