Gaming Target - GameCube: Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder

Written by Kyle Williams on June 18, 2003

First Impressions: Just like when we were kids

You may be wondering what Encore and King of the Jungle are hoping to accomplish with Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder. I mean, in a world of stock car racing, where is the room for slot-car racing? For those of you that remember the late nights spent recreating the Indy 500 in your living room, you will have a fond recollection of the thrill of competition. You remember the strategy behind keeping your car on the track. You remember that you could actually take your dad.

Grooverider is setting out to recreate that classic slot-car experience and flavor it with today's video racing staples. Just like with the heavy-hitters of the racing genre, the game is going to come packed full of unlockable cars and tracks, bonus races, and power-ups. In addition to all of these traditional racing goodies, Slot Car Thunder is coming complete with a handful of racing modes that will take advantage of the GameCube and Xbox by allowing up to four players to race head to head.

The tracks in Grooverider are going to feature all of the classic elements of slot-car racing, including the infamous 360-degree loop. The twenty tracks are going to be littered across five different at-home locations. With living, breathing environments like the bedroom, living room, and a rooftop garden, it will feel as if you are actually taking the wheel of your childhood race cars. Of course, Grooverider is going to go a few steps further than your old Tyco race set could. In addition to timing your turns to avoid crashing, you will have to hop slots (change lanes), jump over gaps, and spoil your opponents progress.

I got the chance to spend some time watching Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder in action at E3, and the prognosis is looking good. The cars are looking sharp, the color palette is vibrant and full of life, and the sense of speed is impressive. Now, we aren't talking about Gran Turismo sharp, but while our early look at gameplay footage at E3 showed us that the game is going to be more than competent, the real news about Grooverider is concerning it's price point. Releasing at only $20, Grooverider is shooting to be easily accessible to everybody, even those of us that find ourselves short on cash.