Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
Speed Zone is the latest title from Archer MacLean who is more recently remembered for the PSP puzzler Mercury. This time, you are put on a futuristic race track where you blast around at near blinding speeds. Speed Zone features an eight player split-screen mode that is sure to gather players around the living room, driving at blazing speeds.

What's Hot
There are a few things that make Speed Zone stand out. One such thing is the track design. If you have ever played a F-Zero or an Extreme G game, part of the thrill is playing a new track for the first time. Each new twist is a new challenge to improve on and combined with jumps and boost pads, the levels are just as much of an enemy to conquer as are the other racers on the track. For whatever reason, the sci-fi setting lends itself well to this style of racing and Speed Zone has some far out tracks built in space with cars that make the DeLorean from Back to the Future look like a sensible Camry.

The other thing that stands out is the unique eight player split-screen action that can happen. With four Wii-motes and four GameCube or Logitec Wheels, you can have a room full of people enjoying the same game without an internet connection. Having the options opened up like that is a liberating experience.



What's Not
It is evident that Speed Zone's goal was to create an experience that made you feel like you stuck your head outside of an airplane traveling at the speed of sound. They go as far to explain in the instructions that you need to make sure to plug your Wii straight into your TV versus another piece of a home theater setup so you don't lose frames in the transfer to the TV output. The problem is that the game never feels like you go that fast, but you can enjoy a steady framerate. What throws the bucket of water on the speed sensation is the controls.

The controls give you many options but none of them are good. The standard Wii-mote driving is poorly implemented. The slightest mistake will send your car off the track, into the wall or spinning out uncontrollably. Even if you touch a guard rail, you'll respawn a new car. It grows old quickly when you are constantly respawning new cars to try and finish the tracks. This is the area where Speed Zone falls on its own sword due to the fact you are constantly starting and stopping and destroying any shred of speed.

Final Word
There are parts to like about Speed Zone and it wins some merit badges for the split-screen option. What doesn't go over well is perhaps one of the most crucial parts to a racing game, the ability to control your vehicle. It is hard to overlook the poor control implementation since even the best features are average at best.