This is the same game that was released in Japan as Motor
Toon Grand Prix 2. It was almost not released state side.
Well, get down on your hands and knees and thank the Sony
gods, because this is one terrific game. I am not exaggerating
at all when I say this may be the best title yet released
on the playstation. It is that good.
What's it like?
The game features "Toons", cartoon cars that zip around the
tracks at breakneck speeds. Each car has a distinctive 
personality and different handling characteristics. After
winning the game on "easy", 3 secret cars become available
for a total of eight.
FMV fluff:
The opening intro is the best I've seen yet, and that includes
Tekken 2. Normally I don't watch intros at all, but let me
tell you this is breathtaking. And it's merely a sign of things
to come.
Graphics:
The graphics may be the best yet on the PSX. The backgrounds
are breathtaking. Each of the courses has it's own unique
look. The animation of the vehicles is superb; they actually
look like cartoons (try to remember the taxi in "Who Framed
Roger Rabbit" and you will have an idea of what to expect).
All of this graphic detail is handles at 30 fps with a minimum
of pop-up. This game realy showcases the PSX.
Options:
I was immediately struck by the options available; there are
about 30 different wallpapers YOU can choose for the game.
You can race a time trial, enter a tournament, practice or run
a single race. You can also save any race you run. THE ENTIRE
RACE. It plays back from multiple angles and is truly a wonder
to behold. As another bonus, you can save your best performances
and race AGAINST them in time trials. The exact race you ran,
flaws and all will be replayed for you as you try to better
the record. Wonderful.
You can adjust the graphics many ways, from camera placement
and angles, to how "cartoony" you want the car to act; that is,
the car can bend and lurch forward with great exaggeration, or
you can play with these effects disabled.
All options you prefer can be saved and are automatically
booted upon start up.
Gameplay:
The game plays a bit like Wipeout, in that you can pick up
weapons (here selected randomly by a spinning wheel) to inflict
damage on your opponents. As the manual says, there only 'toons;
you can't kill 'em, just slow them down. The variety of weaponry 
is wonderful. There are plenty to choose from, even a couple that
will hinder YOU. My favorite so far is a magic clock that stops
the other racers cold for a second or two.
There are also turbo pads, ala Wipeout. Hitting them is essential
to success in the game.
There are (if memory serves me) 5 difficulty levels. I breezed
through the easy one; after that it took me about 3-4 hours to
beat the normal setting. The harder the setting, the more vicious
and intelligent your opponents are. The last two settings are
for pure racing; the weapons cannot be used. The replay value on 
this game appears to be tremendous; I can't really see too many
people "mastering" this game.
Sound:
The sound is also first rate. Each car has a distinct engine 
sound; you can even pretty much tell who's creeping up on you
by the sound of the engines. The effects are al top-notch.
The music is appropriately silly. And wait till you hear the
opening theme; it is a real hoot.
Replayability:
The game comes with a total of 10 tracks, each sufficiently long.
the last 5 are mirrored images of the first 5, but with different
settings and graphics. The detail on some of these tracks is
amazing; you'll see planes swoop over head, waterfalls cascading
and UFO's hovering about. One track takes place in "Gulliver's
house", where everything is huge. You'll race across piano keys,
roulette tables and more. Very nice.
Winning the game at different difficulty settings brings you a
variety of "goodies." These range from the extra characters
and tracks to completely new games. Reportedly, the last of these
is a Grand Prix race (with formula 1 cars) that runs at an
astonishing 60 fps.  
Negatives:
Complaints? Hmm. Here's a minor quibble; you start every race in 
dead last. There is no qualifying for position, nor does it matter
where you finished the previous time out. No matter what, you
are starting in last place. This is a problem with many racing
games. Also, there is no split screen option for 2 players games.
I imagine this is because of the graphic details, but who knows?
There IS a 2-player link up option.
Summary:
I can't stress how happy I am with this game; this is the
complete package. If you like racing, like (or at least don't
mind) a cutesy, cartoonish feel and just plain like having
fun give this game a shot. In my opinion, (just an opinion,
no flames please), this game is more fun than Wipeout XL.
And I do not say that lightly; I LOVE Wipeout XL. If I were
handing out ratings, I'd give Wipeout XL a solid "9". And
I'd hand Motor Toon Grand Prix a "10." It's as close to
perfection as video games get.
-- 
 Jim S.       
Serious fan of:
*St. Louis Rams       *Michigan Wolverines       *"JAWS"
     *St. Louis Cardinals        *XTC        *MST3K