The idea of racing remote control cars is certainly not a new idea to the videogame industry. RC racers can be traced all the way back to the days of the old 8-bit NES system. Thing is, while they may have been around for a while, RC racers have never been done as well as Re-Volt on the Dreamcast.

Much like Wipeout on the PlayStation, Re-Volt is all about high speed racing with some weapons thrown in to make things not only intense, but unpredictable as well.  Not winning the race?  Just grab a power-up.  You could get the weapon you need to advance a few positions.  Oil slicks, screaming firecrackers, giant ball-bearings, and a super-charger are just a few of the weapons you'll be using to fight your way to the finish line.

Staying true to the RC theme, everything in the game is seen through the eyes of a tiny RC car.  It's like being a kid again in that everything is just so much bigger when you're viewing them from ground level.  Not only does everything look bigger, but it looks realistic too!  The cars look sharp and reflective while still looking like real RC toy cars.  The tracks also have heavy attention to detail.   Reflective floors, great lighting effects, and varied textures round out the imaginative levels which include a grocery store, a neighborhood, a museum, and a toy store.  There is a bit of slowdown when there are multiple cars on screen, but it's not bad at all. Some people may not even notice it.

Helping to give each level character is the impressive soundtrack.  Every track in the game has a dance/techno song to accompany it.  Some of them are very good and you may just find yourself humming a few of  them from time to time.  The Ghost Town, for example, has a great song with an occasional coyote howl thrown in for good measure.

Also worth mentioning is the track editor.  Re-Volt contains a real track editor that actually works.  Unlike some games that claim to have "create-a-track/car" features that are in reality just a few interchangeable pre-set choices, Re-Volt's track editor is the real deal.  You can make some pretty wicked tracks with it should the game's excellent ready-made tracks not be enough for you.  Huge climbs, descents, bumps, banking turns, chicanes, tunnels, bridges, intersections, and everything else you may need are at your disposal.  Make your track, place your power-ups, and race until your heart's content.

Probably the most important part of the whole game is the control.  After all, what good is creative level-design if you can't steer your car through it?  At first, some people may find the control in Re-Volt to be unforgiving.  Truth is, everyone who plays this will flip or spin their car at some point.  Hitting corners and walls or not hitting that ramp perfectly will be the difference between winning and losing, but, while you may finish your first race in last place, odds are you'll be winning on that same track as early as your next race.

It should be noted that Re-Volt is also loaded with replay value.  Not counting the infinite possibilities of the track editor, there are mirror modes, reverse modes, and reverse mirror modes of each track.  That's a lot of unlocking to do. Add to that the championship modes, extra cars, and stunt arena, and you've got a lot of game to uncover.  And that's just the single player mode.  Grab one to three friends and you could be playing this game for a long time.

Re-Volt is probably the best RC racer out there and it's just shy of being the best Dreamcast racer available.  You might also want to know that it's been seen at some retailers for a mere $19.99.  Most games don't offer half as much playtime as Re-Volt and may cost twice the price.  If you like racing with a little adventure mixed in, there's no reason to pass this one by.