Looney Tunes: Space Race

Overview

Looney Tunes: Space Race is a kart racer in the vein of Mario Kart 64. It was developed by Infogrames Entertainment and originally released on November 27, 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast before it was ported to the PlayStation 2 on May 27, 2002. As the game's name suggests, you play as classic Warner Brothers cartoon characters racing on space-themed tracks and vehicles. It features a cel-shaded art design in keeping with the style of the original cartoons. 

 

Gameplay

Like most kart racers, Looney Tunes: Space Race features a variety characters, vehicles, power-ups and tracks. A standard single-player match has you racing against five AI controlled opponents. In a multiplayer match you, along with up to three other people, can race with the option of adding extra computer-controlled racers. The other race modes include: Time Trial, Challenge, and ACME Events. To access ACME Events, you must earn ACME Tokens by winnings races or completing challenges in the other race modes. The first time you win each ACME Event you'll unlock bonuses such as art galleries, characters, and tracks.
 
Each Looney Tunes character has its own vehicle with varying top speeds, handling, and acceleration. The right trigger controls acceleration while the left controls the brake. The analog thumb pad controls left and right steering. Pushing forward on the thumb pad will tilt the nose of your vehicle down, allowing for a slight speed increase. Similarly, pulling back on the thumb pad will bring the nose up, slowing you down for added maneuverability.   

 

During races, you can acquire power-ups or "gags" as they're called in the game. The gags are contained in ACME crates littered throughout the track. To pick up a gag, you simply run your vehicle through a crate. You'll know when you've successfully collected one because your character can be seen holding it. Gags consist of standard kart racer affair with a Looney Tunes twist. For example, the power-up that targets and automatically hits the racer in first place is a pink elephant that drops from the sky. You can only hold one gag at a time, but you can discard it if you want to pick up a different one. In addition to gags, the tracks are also populated with green canisters of Turbo Boost fuel. Collecting five canisters of fuel will enable you to use Turbo Boost. Gags cannot be used while boosting, so deciding when to use the boost adds another level of strategy to the race.  

 
The tracks in Looney Tunes: Space Race are set on unique worlds or in different time periods with an overall space theme. The Pyramids of Mars and Wild West Quadrant tracks illustrate this the best. A few worlds like Planet ACME and Galactorama Park feature alternate tracks that can be unlocked. Tracks can feature sections without borders at which falling off into space will cause you to respawn back on the track having lost a few seconds. Sections like these are optimal for strategic use of your Turbo Boost and gag attacks against your opponents. 
 

The Looney Tunes Racers

Characters in Looney Tunes: Space Race come with their own unique vehicles.

• Bugs Bunny and his Carrot Racer

• Daffy Duck and his Hover-Ship
  
• Elmer Fudd and his Sabre Jet
• Sylvester and his Rocket Scooter
• Yosemite Sam and his Hover-Chopper

• Wile E. Coyote and his ACME Rocket

 

Unlockable Characters

• Porky Pig
• Marvin The Martian

 

The Worlds of the Galaxy

Looney Tunes: Space Race features a wide variety of worlds and tracks.

• Offworld City Limits - A floating city above the clouds.
  
• The Wild West Quadrant - The Old West collides with the space age.
• The Asteroid Belt - Located in an asteroid field.
• Planet ACME - An artificial world where the ACME Corporation creates all their devices.
• The Nebula - A spacecraft junkyard.
• The Pyramids of Mars - Race through temple corridors, rocky canyons, and even a Space Sphinx.
• Galactorama Park - A theme park spread across an entire planet.

 

The ACME Gags

You won't know which gag you're getting until you pick it up.
 

• Heavy Objects - Almost anything can fall from the sky!

1. Anvil
2. Safe
3. One Ton Weight
4. Piano
5. Elephant - Targets the racer in first place only.

• Portable Hole - Becomes a road hazard when dropped onto the track.

• ACME Bomb - Throw it before the fuse burns down.
• Instant Storms - Storm-in-a-can that sprays a thundercloud onto your nearest opponent.
• Disintegrator Pistol - Self explanatory, really!
• Kablooey Rockets - Features homing capabilities and the blast damages anyone in the vicinity.
• Boxing Glove - Knock your opponent out.
• Four Leaf Clover - Any gags targeted on you will miss and you can collide with other racers causing them to spin out. It also gives a small increase in top speed.