The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home

Head for the Hills

I can't believe I am actually writing a review of Dukes of Hazzard. We at GD tend to assume that our readers, much like ourselves, are enthusiastic about games and gaming and tend to be a bit more sophisticated than the average bear. Occasionally a game comes along that breaks through the barriers of traditional gaming and appeals to a broad audience of hard-core gamers and casual players. Dukes of Hazzard is no such game.

In fact, this game is so incredibly lame that even a Jerry Lewis Telethon sounds exciting in comparison. Dukes of Hazzard is probably the worst racing game I have ever played.

Retread

This game was originally released for the Sony Playstation several months ago to horrible reviews. Several months later the kind folks at SouthPeak have released the PC version with the vain hope that our memories will have dulled. Sorry guys, no such luck. I am not certain how the developers spent their time between the PSX and PC release, but I'm fairly sure they are facing prison time in Georgia for this crime against gaming.

The story feels remarkably similar to the early 1980s hit television show, The Dukes of Hazzard. As with most of the thinly veiled (though curiously entertaining) plots, this game begins with Bo and Luke Duke chasing down a bunch of criminals in their car. As you might expect, most of the action takes place in the General Lee with 3D animated cut scenes between episodes. From looking at the game it is quite obvious that the developers have quite a talent for 3D animation, and very little talent for 3D gaming. The cut scenes are pretty darn good, with high quality sounds and adequate voice talent. On the positive side, the engine of the General Lee growls appropriately, even if Jesse Duke doesn't.

I Fear QWERTY

I am immediately suspicious of any racing game -- or for that matter, any console port of a game -- that doesn't allow players to use a gamepad, joystick or racing wheel. The entire game must be played with a keyboard. As you can well imagine, a keyboard is not usually associated with gaming excellence. From this point, the game never aspires to anything. Just how much fun could any racing game be when built and designed from the ground up to be played from the keyboard?

Visually, the 3D models are about average for today's fare - nice texture design and important polygons where it counts. The tracks are a bit of a letdown, however, as the 3D engine makes everything look very 2D. Instead of shadows and dynamic lighting effects, the game looks like something from 1995. Sadly, there is only one viewpoint for this game - slightly above and behind the General Lee. I can understand this for Tomb Raider, but this is supposed to be a computer racing game - I prefer the in-car view myself. Alas, this would have taken effort, and all the effort for this game went into nice 3D cut scenes.

How does the game play? Well, if you like driving through the countryside on inane knights-errands, then you'll probably not hate the game with all your heart, body, and mind. Instead, you'll merely find this combination of driving, archery and tom-foolery banal at best. It actually sounds fun to use an oil slick on other cars or to run them off the road, but at its best, the game fails to deliver anything more than promise. Driver AI is bleak, though the police cars, driving haphazzardly to run you off the road, at least fit their role as dim-witted backwoods Georgia cops.

If you ever watched The Dukes of Hazzard TV show then you'll know that Bo and Luke always manage to pull the wool over Roscoe P. Coltrane's eyes. If you're smart, then you'll avoid letting the same happen to you. Don't buy this game.

Review By GamesDomain