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| Cel Damage Reviewed by Pirate Yoshi Over-view: Back when cel-shading was just becoming popular, a new racer for GCN fell into my collection after I saw some amusing advertisements, consisting of a 1920's-like automobile seating a gangster duck and a confused devil-like figure. A police officer was approaching the car, and the duck was saying to the devil beside him, "Relax, I'll handle this." The car was covered in weapons, from machine guns to chainsaws, and the ad looked ridiculous. Perhaps that what made me fall in love with the game from the beginning. Graphics: 4.8/10 Though cel graphics CAN be exceptionally good (note Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker), Cel Damage happened to be a bit lacking in this catagory. The animation was sometimes a bit choppy, particularly in the cut scenes, and little detail was given to most of the graphics in general. I was slightly skeptical upon seeing the first screenshots, as I feared the game would play like it looked: weak. Thankfully, I was wrong, and on both subjects, actually. The graphics when playing are better than what I saw in screenshots, and while they're still only about average, there's definately worse to be seen out there. Sound: 9.6/10 In sharp comparison with Cel Damage's graphics, its Sound was phenominal. I was utterly blown away by the huge array of sound effects, the vast assortment of music (all very fitting, I might add) and, perhaps the most, by the incredible voice acting. The voices in Cel Damage are incredible; the characters all have very distinct attitudes and tones, and the dialogue they spout NEVER fails to split your sides! Trust me, I've heard some pretty funny lines before, but Cel Damage had a few new ones for me, and they left me in stitches! I could rant all day about the voice acting, but I have to rant a little about the MUSIC, too! While the general theme sounds like something of a cross between punk and rock, the music for each stage ranges from tropical bongo beats to eerie rock-like music and even outer space techno! I was very impressed with the amount of effort put into the sound, and sincerely hope I someday find either a soundtrack or MP3s of the musical score on-line. Controls: 9.8/10 Most racing games become failures when they don't manage to keep tight controls at all time. Cel Damage avoids this problem quite easily, with very simple controls to adjust to, yet effective enough to make the game playable to anyone. The movement is a little shakey at times, and steering can be rather rugged with some vehicles, but that's half the battle in itself: learning how to maneuver your car at high speeds while putting up a fight with others! The weapons are all very easy to activate, and no button seems to stand out as under utilized. Over-all, the controls are very responsive. Replay: 6.7/10 While Cel Damage isn't a great 4-player game, mainly because of the small screen, it's a blast with two players, and can be modified in numerous ways to change the experience. There are also many unlockables, from weapons to videos, and even a Plastic mode that "un-cel-shades" the game and makes the cars 3D! With such a huge amount of weapons, and three different modes to play on, this game will still be fun after you've gone through it once over (if you can, that is). Gameplay: 8.9/10 Cel Damage is a lot of fun to play, especially for a first time. You'll be unlocking new, awesome weapons right away, and the characters are all very colorful and very individual in both driving abilities and personality. The weapon-based combat is tons of fun, especially because the game is much like a cartoon: cars travel much faster than they should, fly high in the air and flip over randomly, smash against each other with no visible damage occurring, and blast apart when struck with hilarious weapons. The arenas are all very well designed, and range from general open, circular areas to long, skinnier courses. A wide variety of traps lay waiting on each course, and (as mentioned above) as vast assortment of options are available to further enhance the experience and change your stratagey for the game. This game is simply a lot of fun, with no real stand-out flaws, but no real stand-out strengths. A bit more variety, perhaps a more-different mode, would have been a nice addition. **Story: .4/1 The story behind this game is that these characters are actually actors on the hit show Cel Damage, which takes place once a week and features these drivers destroying each other for the (sick) amusement of other toons. The individual background of these characters is further explained in the instructions and can be inferred by their intro videos. While the television show plot is not incredibly ground-breaking, it is a story, and the individual character histories are also somewhat amusing. **Multiplayer: .5/1 How multi is multiplayer? If you're talking two, this game is great, but once you bridge into three or four players, the screens are just too darn small to see very well! If you can't see, then you can't play, and most of the fun comes from watching your car in action as you destroy opponents! On this rare occaision, the more is NOT the merrier (although wider IS better....). Graphics: 4.8/10 Sound: 9.6/10 Controls: 9.8/10 Replay: 6.7/10 Gameplay: 8.9/10 **Story: .4/1 **Multiplayer: .5/1 Total Calculated Score: 8.14 Total Assigned Score: 8 Final Score: 8.07 Last Words: I bought my copy of Cel Damage for fifty dollars; today, you can buy it on the clearance rack for some ten bucks new. I thought it was a good deal for fifty. You do the math. There's just some sort of radioactive fun factor here that is overwhelmingly strong... Rent, Buy, or Pass: RENT, definitely. Pros: Lots of wacky weapons = lots of crazy fun, the characters are hilarious, and there's plenty to unlock! Even the music is cool! Cons: Just to unlock the end video for each character takes an excessive amount of playing, and more multiplayer options would have been nice. Needs: Bigger split-screens, and more to unlock in a faster, easier manner! |
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