''Inspector Gadget Racing'' is a 2003

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 ...

for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

developed by

Bit Managers Bit Managers, formerly known as New Frontier, was a video game developer based in Barcelona (Spain). It was co-founded by Alberto Jose González, who composed the music for all of their games except ''Bang!'', a coin-operated arcade machine. H ...

and published by Light & Shadow Production. The game is a

kart racing game A kart racing game, also known as cart racing game or go-kart racing game, is a subgenre of Racing game, racing games. Kart racing games have simplified driving mechanics while including unusual racetrack designs, obstacles, and Vehicular combat ...

featuring licensed characters from the ''

Inspector Gadget ''Inspector Gadget'' is a media franchise that began in 1983 with the DIC Entertainment animated television series '' Inspector Gadget''. Since the original series, there have been many spin-offs based on the show, including additional animated ...

'' franchise. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews, with reviewers praising the design and variety of the circuits, but critiquing the game's controls and handling, difficulty and lack of originality in the genre. Retrospective reception of the game was also mixed, with outlets doubting the necessity of a licensed game using Inspector Gadget characters.

Gameplay

The game is a

in which players compete as Inspector Gadget and other characters, including Penny and Dr. Claw, in races held across twenty circuits, with players starting with three available tracks and unlocking additional ones as they win each in order. Players can collect

power-ups In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chose ...

on courses, such as missiles or tar, to disrupt other racers. The game has multiplayer functionality using the

Game Link Cable The also known as ''Video Link'' in early versions, is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld consoles. Introduced in 1989 alongside the original Game Boy, it was revised over four generations with varying degrees of backward compatibil ...

for Advance players each with a copy of the game.

Reception

''Inspector Gadget Racing'' received mixed reviews upon release, with several critics comparing the game unfavorably to '' Mario Kart: Super Circuit'' as a better racing title for the Advance. ''

Nintendo Official Magazine ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally published by EMAP as ...

'' stated that the game's graphics were "bold and colourful", but the racing was "pedestrian" due to the "poor collision detection", remarking in later issues that the game was the worst kart racing game on the Advance, and that it was "one of the slowest racers you'll ever play" and a "black sheep of the karting family". Kendy Ty of ''Joypad'' enjoyed the game's "colourful" and cartoonish graphics, but critiqued the game's "very slow" pacing and "lack of sensation of speed", which made it have "too much inertia and makes it quite difficult to get to grips with". Karen Harris of ''Total Advance'' also praised the game's "jaunty, imaginative tracks" for their color and variety, but critiqued the game's "infuriating" difficulty and unoriginality. Oliver Lan of ''G-Force'' found the game to be "completely uninspiring", stating "the vehicles feel slow and clunky, and the races are devoid of excitement". Retrospective reception of ''Inspector Gadget Racing'' was similarly mixed. Listing the game as one of "the most forgettable kart racers ever released", Henry Gilbert of ''

GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...

'' lamented the game "barely had enough memorable characters", featured "mundane driving" and did not use its theme song. Similarly, listing it as a "racing tie-in nobody asked for", Chris Scullion of ''

Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...

'' stated that the show was a poorly suited license to make a racing game. Scullion critiqued the "painfully slow" pacing and car handling, but stated the game was "not actually the worst looking game" and did feature "impressive enough tracks".

References

External links

* {{Inspector Gadget 2003 video games Bit Managers games Game Boy Advance games Game Boy Advance-only games Kart racing video games Light & Shadow Production games Single-player video games Video games about police officers Video games based on Inspector Gadget Video games developed in Spain