GENRE
	Racing/Fighting
	DEVELOPER
	Pseudo Interactive
	PUBLISHER
	EA Games
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

This game's lack of recognition must stem from the fact that it's an Xbox launch title ported to GameCube. I can only surmise it's the Xbox aftertaste, as ports from other systems (Dreamcast's Skies of Arcadia Legends, for example) have been met with warm reception. Or perhaps it's the Teen rating, or echoes from noisy Celda nay sayers, who knows?

In any case, Cel Damage character T-Wrecks' vibrato line, "I'm on a rampage!" sums it all up. I picked up this game on a whim hoping it would be good and boy, am I ever glad I did. Usually I research before buying, but while waiting for the release of Double Dash, I needed a quick fix to hold me over. As it turns out, Cel Damage continues to hold me over long after Double Dash was beaten.

To quote Cel Damage's host announcer, players "just drive around way too fast and blow up everything in sight." This game sports some insane action. It's great with a friend, but also fun solo against the computer. Sometimes I just crank up the computer AI, select a few fast, potent weapons and lose myself in the rain of destruction.

visuals

The graphics are cel-shaded (hence the title) and fitting for the game's cartoon-like physics. The flat, cel-shaded look really is the only look that makes sense for a 3D game that's supposed to look like your typical 2D cartoon. For anyone staunchly opposed to cel-shading there are alternate rendering options including "plastic" light and shadow shading and a supposed "pen and ink" mode (which I have yet to succeed in enabling).

The twelve stages are grouped by theme: desert, rain forest, horror, and outer space. All stages are whimsical environments straight out of your average Saturday morning cartoon.

audio

Musically each stage sports a unique theme that is likable but instantly forgettable--good for prolonged gameplay. Apt cartoon sound effects abound, from the slip of falling into a Portable Hole to the balloon-like pop-whoosh of your vehicle being punctured on a thorny vine or giant crystal formation. Voice acting is memorable, breathing life into each of the ten characters. Voiced sounds range from simple reactions to humorous, character-unique taunts.

gameplay

As a driving fighter there's not much in the way of story--basically you're a cartoon in a demolition derby TV show. Kudos to Pseudo Interactive for focusing more on physics than story. In this genre I don't give a hoot why my character's beating up on another one. What is important is polished physics and balanced gameplay--exactly what Cel Damage has. As mentioned above, the physics are appropriately cartoon-like. Vehicles bounce around at high velocities but behave more normally at slower speeds. If you're looking for a simulation of a real car, this isn't it.

As a Mario Kart 64 veteran disappointed by Double Dash, some of the things I loved about the former absent from the latter are present in Cel Damage, including high ground, defensive items, and spin turns.

It's common knowledge that in a fight, the high ground has an advantage. Mario Kart 64's Block Fort stage was a great illustration of this: a player atop a fort could rain down shells (especially red) with deadly results plus get to other points on the map faster (as you can fall faster than climb). Such high ground is limited in Double Dash but abounds in Cel Damage: no map is completely flat. Even if the ground tends in that direction there are always objects (temples, plateaus, rocket ships) to get atop.

Shells in Mario Kart 64 had the brilliant dual role of being both offensive and defensive, revolving around you as a shield until fired. Double Dash took away this feature in favor of a flashy juggling animation, completely useless for defense. While I would agree that "the best defense is a good offense," without some balancing defensive elements gameplay sinks to a repetitive, boring pattern. Several weapons in Cel Damage are defensive in nature: the Spring allows your vehicle to hop in the air and the Vacuum can suck up everything from bullets to buzz saws to other players.

As for spin turns, this quick move is a must in heated dogfights and allows you to turn and face your pursuer head-on without getting slammed in the back or side in the attempt. Double Dash removed both spin turns and hops leaving only the sluggish power slide. In Cel Damage you can spin turn using forward inertia. Yes, that's right, inertia! After Cel Damage, Double Dash feels like driving an Amigo.

multiplayer

As it should be, multiplayer is the real meat-and-potatoes of Cel Damage. Unlike Mario Kart's three-life eliminator, Cel Damage takes the opposite approach by adding up individual "smacks," a tit-for-tat tallying system that gives varying points for each blow. For fans of Double Dash's Shine Thief (capture the flag) mode Cel Damage features a similar Flag Rally mode.

Customization is the staple of a versatile multiplayer game and Cel Damage sports a full arsenal of options. With three battle modes, twelve stages, and twenty-six weapons that can be turned on or off the possibilities are endless. Can you say, "replay value"?

overall

Cel Damage is everything a driving fighter should be: fast, varied, destructive, and customizable. That this title is both old and has received relatively little attention are both in your favor: you, the gamer can pick it up for cheap! So, if you too are pining for Mario Kart 64 battle glory days or are just a fan of driving fighters don't hesitate one more minute to snatch up this under appreciated gem.

7.5/10