Konami Krazy Racers
While it's been Mario Kart Advance that's been getting all the publicity, it could quite easily meet its match with this racer from Konami. To say that Waiwai Racing Advance (now renamed "Konami Krazy Racers" - bah!) is a clone of Mario Kart in almost every way would be very true, and while Nintendo's game puts its ever-popular Mario characters into karts, Konami's does exactly the same with its own characters.
The character you're most likely to recognise is the spiky blue-haired mystical ninja, Goemon, who, despite being from 16th century Japan, is certainly no stranger to wacky mechanical mayhem. If you've been playing games for a few years, you may also recognise Winbee from the Pop'n Twinbee games. The remainder of the eight character line-up consists of various misfits from games such as Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid and Parodius. Elsewhere, the tracks look varied enough, and one in particular shows off the GBA's reflection effects quite nicely.
But what really earn KKR its name are the power-ups, which seem like nothing we've seen before. In what other game can you shock other players with two AA batteries, cover the road in a sheet of ice, or unleash a magical green dinosaur shaped ghost to wreak havoc on your opponents. Can't think of any? Neither can I!
Waiwai looks set to give MKA a good run for its money, especially as it has been reported that the handling was much more responsive, at least in the early stage the two games were in at Spaceworld. It currently has no confirmed US release date, but it's one to look out for nonetheless.
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