Unless there is a distinct gimmick that is furthered in game, most racing games are pretty tepid. While the experience of driving a car at a speed many times what is legal around the city is alluring in and of itself, I believe that Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine provides a set of tweaks to the genre that will continue to keep players coming back for more. This is because the game marries the more straight-laced speed titles with party games like Mario Kart.
What results is something that will have players on the edges of their seats. The vehicle design ensures that players will be sitting behind a distinct ride from other players and from the console; the different attributes on each of these vehicles makes for an entirely different sort of experience from each other. While the artificial intelligence will provide players with a strong challenge, I personally liked the game’s ability to have up to eight players challenging for dominance.
The unlockables that are present in Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine will have players attempting to win cups in all of the boards, as the resulting prizes continue to provide further variation to a title that is already strong in that suit. I believe that the realism present in the driving style here is perhaps the best inclusion – while there is a more cartoony feel to titles like the aforementioned Mario Kart, Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine goes for a much more car-like touch and go style. If you are a fan of racing or of party games, one should search out a copy of Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine today. At $30 new, this would be the perfect small to mid-sized gift for anyone with a Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360.
Rating: 7.7/10