Freaky Flyers – XB – Review

There’s a certain degree
of finesse and skill needed to win races in games like Project Gotham Racing and
then there are racing games where you throw all that out the window and be a
wickedly ferocious racer that will do anything to win.  For those gamers that
love those high-flying racing games like Diddy Kong Racing, Midway has a racing
game that’s both wonderfully demented and just as fun.  Freaky Flyers takes to
the skies, but is this game the addictive joy we all want it to be? 

 

Freaky Flyers falls in the
same category as those addictive kart-racing games.  In fact, it feels like
Mario Kart for the Nintendo with a heavy dose of Whacked! for the Xbox. 
However, instead of go-karts, the collection of zany characters race on flying
vehicles that come packed with machine guns.  The object of the game is to win
the race anyway you can because your fellow racers won’t hesitate to use any
dirty trick to win.

 

The game’s main mode of
playing is Adventure, a story mode that puts you in the role of any of the
screwball characters (with more characters to unlock at the end) that range from
a tidy English librarian with a demented alter ego to a gung ho all-American
Johnny Turbine.  Watching each of the characters interact with each other via
animated cut scenes is like watching a nicely twisted cartoon. Yet even with
these cleverly conceived characters chock full of personality, the racers all
control the same way.  This is just one of the game’s smallest faults, but we’ll
get into that a little later.

 

Freaky Flyers also offers
Race and Dog Fight, the game’s two-player multiplayer modes and even adds a Mini
Games mode that allows gamers to replay the mini games found in Adventure. 
Adventure takes you through a three-lap race through some wild environments such
as an Old West setting and a Chicago overrun by Al Capone-styled gangsters. 
What keeps the game from being just a simple race is the fact that each race has
six sub-goals to complete.  One such objective has you helping lumberjacks chop
down trees or starting a stampede or even helping the police capture gangsters. 
There are even some mini games scattered throughout that has you defending a
fort from marauding Mexican bandits or getting shrunk to a microscopic size as
you avoid blood cells and find a way out.

 

The problem this game
faces, though, is that the pace isn’t as fast or as frantic as it should be
considering the fact that there plenty of high-flying maneuvers  (you can
perform barrel rolls or small loops) and power up items (shields or extra
firepower).  Secondly, Adventure mode doesn’t offer much in terms of a
story–although it does give you a peek into each character’s personalities. 
Yet there’s nothing here that offers a unique perspective of the events . . .
everyone goes through the same scenarios.  Still, there is plenty to come back
to since the environments are massive and there are short cuts you might miss if
you go through a race only once.

 

Graphically speaking,
Freaky Flyers is quite a sight to behold.  The environments are just so
jam-packed with details that there is just too much to take in during each
race.  In fact, it must be said that there is just too much on the screen at
once.  The Xbox does a good job of keeping the framerate as smooth as possible
since you’ll also be flying against a small group of racers.  The racers
themselves look a bit small in the massive environments and this won’t allow
gamers to fully appreciate the bizarreness of each character.  As for the cut
scenes, they look amazing.

 

As amusing as the visuals
are, the sound is where the game’s true humor can be found.  The game’s animated
cut scenes are punctuated with some really witty and funny dialogue that is
delivered wonderfully.  The cast of characters sound true to their personalities
and the announcer gives the game that cartoon appeal.  Just about the only
complaint is that during the game, the characters’ comments become way too
repetitive.  Still, this isn’t a big deal since there is so much more to
concentrate on . . . like the game’s entertaining music.  You’ll find that the
mini games come complete with its own songs with funny lyrics that pertain to
the situation (a mariachi band sings about Mexican bandits and the fort they’re
trying to raid).

 

Freaky Flyers is a
wonderfully freaky good time with plenty of high-flying action and humor,
although the game does feel a bit incomplete in a lot of places.  There are a
few things that could have been done a little better–among them is the game’s
story mode–although the many mission objectives will have you coming back for
more.  If you’re looking for a game in the same vein as those addictive Nintendo
kart-racing games, this one is a no-brainer . . . and a great weekend rental. 

 

#Reviewer’s
Scoring Details

 
Gameplay: 7.0
The game can sometimes seem on the
sluggish side instead of moving at a quick pace that would have given you the
excuse to go back and race again just to see all the things you missed in the
first three laps.  This is just one of the game’s weaknesses you’ll find in this
game apart from the fact that Adventure mode could have handled the story a bit
better.  And while the freaky flyers themselves are all wonderfully unique
personality-wise, they all control the same way.    Still, gamers will have fun
with the wacky aerial dogfights and the use of power ups to win a race.

 

Graphics: 8.0
With so many colorful characters and
locations, Freaky Flyer’s graphics are something of a visual treat.  There is
just so much to look at and see that sometimes it’ll take more than the three
laps to see it all.  The screen is literally cluttered with environmental
details as well as objective features (bandits firing at you from a gun
turret).  Cut scenes look amazing and bring those insanely bizarre characters to
cartoon life.  There are also plenty of special effects that work well in this
game, such as explosions and smoke trails left behind by injured opponents.

 

Sound: 8.5
The game wins big points for its
hilarious voice acting and wacky dialogue that you’ll hear during animated cut
scenes and during the race.  Much of the game’s music is equally wacky and
cartoon-like and actually fitting for a game like this.  You’ll also encounter
some songs that are so utterly comical that it’ll have you laughing at the great
lyrics.  There are also plenty of sound effects during the races and they all
work well with the game, although each character’s comments can get on the
repetitive side.  The announcer is also great to listen to and doesn’t talk over
the entire race.

 

Difficulty: Medium
Like most racing games, the biggest
challenging is making the qualifying time or position.  It’s no different for
Freaky Flyers–with the exception that you have guns to help you out.  There is
also the power up items that your racing opponents won’t hesitate using against
you or the other racers.  Toss in the fact that the environment can also be the
cause of taking you out of the race and you have a very challenging three-lap
race.

 

Concept: 8.5
This is, by far, one of the funniest
games to come along on the Xbox.  Freaky Flyer’s is like watching a warped
cartoon you’d find late night on the Cartoon Network or Comedy Central and it’s
wicked sense of humor follows you throughout the entire story mode experience. 
Aside from all the colorful characters you’ll encounter, each location has a
variety of quirky side quests that often border on the stereotypical (Native
Americans running glitzy Vegas-styled casinos but still living in tee pees).

 

Multiplayer: 7.0
Unfortunately, the game missed out
on the opportunity to add multiplayer features that would have made up for the
weak story mode.  There are two multiplayer modes, Race (your typical race to
the finish line) and Dog Fight air-to-air wacky combat), and they’re both very
entertaining modes gamers will gladly sink their teeth into.  The only problem
is that it’s reserves for two-players only!  With all those characters and
locations, the game could have easily added up to four players into the mix. 
And the Mini Games feature also would have been more fun with a friend or two. 
Yet my biggest gripe is no Xbox Live capabilities. 

 

Overall: 7.2
Freaky Flyers is like that weird
hyper kid you knew in grade school. You know the kind that was so unusually zany
that his antics were both comical and highly entertaining . . . but only to a
certain point.  This game is like that, it’s clever and funny and lots of fun,
but its share of problems hold it back from being a really great game you’ll be
coming back for again and again.  Still, like that zany kid you use to know, it
shouldn’t be ignored or you’ll miss out on something really interesting.  A
recommended rental, for sure.