''Cartoon Network Racing'' is a

racing video game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic raci ...

developed by

Eutechnyx Eutechnyx Limited (formerly Zeppelin Games Limited, until 1994, and Merit Studios (Europe) Limited, until 1997) is a British video game developer based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Since 1997, the company has focused on racing games. They a ...

for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

and Firebrand Games for

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

, published by Danish video game developer The Game Factory, and released on December 4, 2006, in North America, and on February 9, 2007, in Europe. The gameplay is similar to Nintendo's 2003 game '' Mario Kart: Double Dash'', but the characters and racetracks are all from six of

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

's original animated television series: ''

Courage the Cowardly Dog ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' is an American animated comedy horror television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. It was produced by Dilworth's animation studio, Stretch Films. The eponymous character is an anxious dog who li ...

'', '' Cow and Chicken'', '' Dexter's Laboratory'', '' I Am Weasel'', ''

Johnny Bravo ''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, it aired from July 14, 1997, to August 27, 2004. The titular Johnny Bravo (voiced by ...

'', and ''

The Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network. The show centers on Blossom ...

''.

Gameplay

There are two characters the player must choose: a driver, who drives a go-kart, and a co-driver, who uses all weapons and has two "toon powers". There are tournaments which players must race a series of races and win with the most points. Battle modes in arenas let two teams battle in different modes, and Cartoon Eliminators are endurance races where last kart in each lap is eliminated. The karts have three stats: acceleration, speed, and handling (if chosen as driver). If co-driver, they have two toon powers that fall into four categories: Shield, Attack, Boost and Flight. All characters in the DS version are single-racers in separate karts. Each character's toon power can be used when their toon power bar is full. There are 1-8 players available in this version, and two bonus games can be unlocked. A gallery in the PlayStation 2 version contains 12 unlockable cartoon episodes, two from each show. The first episode is unlocked by completing each cartoon-themed tournament while the other is unlocked by winning the super tournament with the driver of the series the player wants to unlock. The DS version features only three unlockable cartoons.

Characters

The Nintendo DS version features 20 playable characters, while 24 are included in the PlayStation 2 version.

Reception

The DS version received "mixed" reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received "generally unfavorable reviews" according to video game

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. Lucas M. Thomas of ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' criticized the DS version for its similarities to the

Mario Kart is a series of kart racing games based on the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up item (game terminology), items. It features Characters in ...

series, especially '' Mario Kart DS'', as well as for having no characters from other Cartoon Network shows that were airing new episodes at the time.

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

's Aaron Thomas pointed out the same version's resemblance to ''Mario Kart'', but he explained that a younger audience would find the game more enjoyable than an audience of serious gamers would.

References

External links

* {{The Powerpuff Girls 2006 video games Cartoon Network video games Crossover racing games Firebrand Games games The Game Factory games Kart racing video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo DS games PlayStation 2 games Video games developed in the United Kingdom