Rumble Racing is one of those under-hyped arcade racing games that will blow by racing fans. While nothing new in terms of the arcade/kart racing genre, Rumble Racing is muscle car mayhem that will excite many players. The premise is simple enough, take a custom race car to the limit and beyond with big air stunts, power-ups, tricks, and super fast racing for the Rumble Championship. Along the way you will unlock new locales, new tracks and a slew of muscle vehicles.

Graphics
At first glance the visuals do little to impress. The early levels look very simple and the cars appear to lack any ingenuity. It is once you get into the game that the aesthetics become more clear and impressive at the same time. There are 15 tracks that include 3 stunt tracks where gamers can get big air. A variety of environments are featured in stunning sharp colours from Metropolis to ocean aide beaches to scenic mountains. The more than 35 vehicles range from simple muscle to extreme rocket type vehicles. A number of environmental effects have been done quite nicely. These include sparks, tire smoke, nitro pyrotechnics and flaming tires. The game features are very impressive TV-style replay mode which gives you an overview of every race from a wide array of camera angles. Add to this a rock solid 60 frames per second with virtually no draw in and you have one super fast arcade racer.

Sound
Each car has it's own unique sounding engine along with the usual sound effects for the genre. The soundtrack is an eclectic mix of rock and progressive house tracks. Nothing ground breaking but each very appropriate for the onscreen neck breaking pace of the game. What impresses in the aural department was EA's decision to feature Jess Harnell of TV's Animaniacs and the Tick fame as the over-the-top commentator. He has a large variety of sayings that give the game an added sense of humor to the overall presentation of the game.

Gameplay
Each car has basic attributes such as acceleration, stunt ability and handling. As a result certain cars are better on specific tracks than others. There are 4 different game modes for 1 or 2 players including team modes: Single Race or Championships (solo or with or against a friend), Locale Championships, 1-on-1 Showdown, and Stunt Challenge. Most players will spend most of their time in the Championship mode where you compete in three successive races for a trophy, advancing to the next cup challenge while unlocking new tracks and cars along the way. The control mechanism is quite elementary and perhaps it is the simplicity that will bother some players. The stunt controls are easy to utilize. You will be blasting through the air pulling off barrel rolls and loop-the-loops in no time. As you pull off each stunt, you will be awarded with a nitro to assist you in the race. In addition to the nitro you can collect power-ups that are similar to those in kart racing games - bombs, bad gas, super tires, shockwaves, big hits and the effective twister which launches a twister to clear the cars in front of you. The game does have a few issues. The A.I. is overly difficult which results in little margin for error. For each course you will be required to figure out where every short cut if you have any hope of advancing. Thus it becomes a memory game as you drive over each course time and time again until you have everything figured out. This especially holds true in the later stages where A.I. avoid all of your attacks and rarely make a wrong turn. Finding some of the secret short cuts are made easy due to visible Rumble Racing signs much in the same vein as the ones used in SSX.

Value
With more than 35 vehicles including muscle cars, sports cars, vintage cars, trucks and special unlockable vehicles ranging from jet cars to tricked out mini-vans, Rumble Racing will keep you busy for some time. Each vehicle has three different upgrade levels (rookie, pro, and elite), each with additional speed, power and tricked out features. Add to this 15 tracks including 3 stunt tracks along with the 4 different game modes and you have a pretty beefed up arcade racer. The two-player modes are also solid and will provide hours of endless mayhem with a few friends over.

Final Word
While some will argue that Rumble Racing is uninspiring, uninvolved and rather generic, the truth is that it is fun to play. Sure it may not be revolutionary in concept and design but it is an enjoyable ride through a series of interesting and interactive environments. A few areas of the game needs polishing and the A.I. could be adjusted, otherwise Rumble Racing is one game that arcade racing fans should not pass up.