MySims Racing DS

If the races only make up 50% of the game, what do you do for the rest of the time? We told you that you had to help the inhabitants who will continually requests favors from you. These small missions very quickly become repetitive, as in most cases you will have to be a taxi or return with certain objects either during a set time or as you feel like it. Nothing very exciting then, but these missions at least mean that you don’t have to leave your vehicle which means that you can better master the controls before the races. The adventure isn’t just limited to the surroundings of Speedville either, as you will be able to visit other areas, like the beach or the forest. Even of the inhabitants get on your nerves, you don’t really have any choice then to help them as this is how you get new plans for pieces of your vehicle as well as the petrol required to be able to compete.

The plans offered by the inhabitants often don’t lead to any real improvements to your vehicle, being more gadgets that you can decide to install or not. The real pieces which will make your vehicle more powerful and better performing on the track will be offered to you if you win races. You therefore need to finish in first as second or third place, while honorable, offer nothing at all. The further you advance, the more difficult the races become, although they all work in the same way. To better defend yourself from your opponents, objects can be collected and thrown at them. Greatly inspired by Mario Kart, while the objects look nothing like those in Mario, they work in the same way: the pumpkin works in the same way as the banana, the bottle the same as the mushroom, the ball the same as the foot and the red shell the same as the missile. The developers at Maxis have never the less added some of their own particularities to the objects, and you will discover these over the course of the game. To win against your better opponents you will need to learn how to skid and increase your boost gauge as this will provide you additional turbo. There are also some shortcuts available during the race which you should look out for.

To vary the adventure a little, the game offers a multiplayer option which allows two players to share the same cartridge, while four players can confront each other in the races. Even if you are by yourself, and only the races really interest you, then you can always directly access the Quick Game mode. The only condition for this though is that you first have to unblock it in the game…