Avatar Grand Prix 2 (XBLIG): "Party Style Multiplayer Racing With Xbox Avatars!"

I've had the opportunity to review a few avatar based games in my time as an XBLIG reviewer, but I think "Avatar Grand Prix 2" is the first racing game of that type that I've had the chance to review. Unknown to most of my online friends I used to play a lot of racing video games including popular titles like "Super Mario Kart", and "Gran Turismo". I'll be honest though, and say that racing games aren't exactly my favorite genre. Whenever I do play them though I kind of enjoy it. They definitely offer a break from the more violent game genres that I play. With that being said I think 'Battenberg Software' did an excellent job in developing/producing this indie game for the Xbox 360. With all the cool features you get with this game it's definitely worth the asking price. You'll be surprised to hear about how good the online mode actually was when I discuss it later on in this review.

There are many features available in "Avatar Grand Prix 2", and hopefully I won't leave anything out in describing them to you. To begin with the game features a total of 12 different tracks that range from larger than life areas to tracks in the sky, and in outer space. My favorite track was a space based one with retro 2D video game icons suspended in the air. I'm pretty sure there's a track to suit everyone's tastes. Aside from the rather impressive number of tracks the game also offers splitscreen modes for up to 4 players. I ended up going the lonely route, and only played singleplayer, and online modes though. If I can remember correctly there are 4 different modes. There's the 'Quick Race', and 'Grand Prix' modes that can be played with up to 4 players locally via splitscreen. For the players who wish to better themselves, and improve their times there is a 'Time Trial' mode. This mode is only singleplayer though. The true icing on the cake (metaphorically speaking) though is the online mode which can be played with up to 8 players via Xbox LIVE.

The quick race mode is for those players who want a short fun game with, or without friends. It's name pretty much sums up what the mode is about. The 'Grand Prix' mode is a lengthy set of races that span through the game's entire 12 tracks, and requires the player to run a trial course for placement in the race. In the end there are only 3 winners who are each displayed on the winners' podium after you've completed all 12 races in this mode. The online/Xbox LIVE mode can pretty much be played for as long as the other players decide to stick around. In the online mode you have the option to choose the racing speed (50CC, 100CC ...), the track, and the map layout (normal, mirror, reverse, reverse mirror). You can also set how many players you wish to join (1-8), and whether or not you wish to have private slot allocated.

All of the tracks available in "Avatar Grand Prix 2" are beautifully rendered with 3D style graphics. The tracks are mainly land, and air/space based with a variety of interesting themes. Some of the available tracks include features such as giant dominoes, giant picnic items, and even giant sports related things. I'm not sure what all of the track's names are, but they are each assigned a name and a specific theme. As far as the race cars go they're all pretty much the same except for the colors. The developer did add some cool decals that include the players' Xbox LIVE profile picture, and their gamertag. The entire game from start menu to the actual in-game tracks are accented with fun music. I think the music changes with each track, but I'm not 100% sure?

Avatar Grand Prix 2 takes a similar path as the "Donkey Kong Racing", and "Mario Kart" series took. In that sense the game is actually more combat oriented than race oriented giving it a competitive edge. Like those previously mentioned games this one also has it's share of power-ups/weapons. If you've ever played games like "Mario Kart" then you'll be very familiar with the power-up setup. Basically you run into a 3D multicolored box in order to obtain a power-up item. These power-up boxes are lined up at various points on the tracks, and the first player to get one gets it. It's an advantage sort of scenario. Once you have obtained the item (through random selection) you can use it by pressing the (A) button. The various types of power-ups available in the game include a missile, a homing bomb, a spike ball, lightning, a shield, and a magnet. I may have actually left one or two out of that list, but you get the idea.

I would like to begin this final paragraph by thanking (GT: RUUSUN) for being such a good sport during the online matches. They kept on playing the game with me even though I won nearly every match we played. Thank you! ... In conclusion I found "Avatar Grand Prix 2" to be a top notch title with a rather impressive online mode. I actually tried out the various modes in "Avatar Grand Prix 2", but the lag free online was definitely the highlight of the game for me. Any game that can provide an online game that plays as smoothly as this one did definitely has my approval. With that being said I did only play against one player so there may possibly be some lag if more racers are involved (I'm not sure about this, but if you experience any lag feel free to leave a comment below).

Overall "Avatar Grand Prix 2" offers solid gameplay throughout that can be experienced alone, or with friends/online players. Any fan of the "Mario Kart" series could definitely enjoy this title. It has similar gameplay mechanics that will feel familiar to all those old school gamers out there. It also comes with a cheap price tag of only 80 msp ($1). Out of all the good things about this game there is one bad fault that I must mention before closing the review though. That fault is the awful whining sound that the race car makes as you are driving it around. It gets rather annoying, because it lacks any variation. With that being said I still recommend this game for purchase.You definitely get your money's worth, and then some with this indie game.