Tiny Bikes, Huge Fun

I was happy with “Pocket Bike Racers” the moment the game displayed itself on my screen. The menu played a goofy little song and had an obviously superimposed Burger King riding a tiny motorcycle as he exaggeratedly leaned into fictional turns and waved at invisible passers-by.

“Pocket Bike Racers” is what it sounds like, if it sounds like anything. You can play as Burger King characters (the new ones, not Kid Vid, Boomer, or I.Q.) on tiny motorcycles and race them. Characters include the Burger King himself, Subservient Chicken, Whopper Jr., Brooke Burke, Various Burger King Employees, and even a create a character mode.

The racing is of the “kart racing” variety - think “Mario Kart.” You drive between cones to raise a power meter which can be spent on progressively more powerful power-ups, or the same meter can be spent on speed boosts. This mechanic adds a layer that most kart racers don’t have; should I shoot one homing missile, two normal missiles, or shield myself and boost a few times?

There are four other modes of play as well. “Hardcore Racing” is racing without the power-ups, “Battle Royale” is playing to use weapons to score hits, “Cone Trial” is racing to the power up cones, and “Ultimate Time Trial” which gives you a full boost meter that ticks down as you race for the best possible time. These modes aren’t quite as fun as the main mode, but do mix things up a bit to make completing the single player circuits more exciting.

The single player circuits consist of the same five levels for each gameplay type. They are all very interesting and include interesting side paths that don’t save time but include cones for a quick power-up. Achieving first on every circuit also unlocks additional bikes that have individual speed, handling, and acceleration stats.

This game isn’t perfect by any means. The AI isn’t the brightest (especially on the easy circuit - but that was probably intentional) in many cases. Battle mode suffers from the game only including five tracks, since you are trying to find players on a circuitous track to shoot them, instead of the fun mazes in games like “Mario Kart.”

My biggest complaint is that the backyard track is broken. It includes a few ramps, so in the modes where racing to the cones is important, the AI will drive against the circuit (which is a handy strategy in those game types) but then get stuck running into a ramp the wrong direction. This map also has the most ridiculous shortcut ever put into a racing game; it skips a huge portion of the track and puts you a few yards away from the finish line.

Overall, I’d have to say this game is worthy of a purchase for any Xbox (or 360) owner. Its soundtrack is fun and the graphics are surprisingly impressive (I could see my racer’s reflection in a puddle on my 360!). The gameplay offers an interesting depth with strategy and easily extends the fun with online play. This games few drawbacks are easily overlooked when you remember you’ve paid 12 times as much on games that were much, much worse.