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Ok game, I like it

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

this is a good game for people who get frustrated all the time when they loose, this game can get booring but it is easy to win, I think gallop racer is way too hard so, this is better. I dont like how you dont have to do anything when you race, accept when you go through the starting gate. the rest of the time you just have to do NOTHING! untill the end when you whip and hold the analog stick up. I hope you found my review usefull!

Ugh...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Ok, first of all I love horses...that's enough said. Now for the point I would like to make. Horse racing, the sport of Kings, Right? Umm I guess it's not anymore. With all the cool game graphics and details...why is it so damn hard to animate a horse?! I have seen a few games that did a half decent job (Gun & Equestrian Challenge) but nothing impressive. I guess I would like to see a game with good graphics, good game play, and a freaking point. Horse racing is very in depth. Most horse games are for kids anyway. So I guess I'll just stick to the real thing. It's more fun anyway. Oh and for the game -- boo on it! It was only .50 cents. Now I know why. But at least they tried...

Just bought this game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

O.K. people need to figure something out, why would you buy a horse racing game and expect something else, this game is intended for the person who loves horse racing and simulated horse gambling so what if you can't name your own horse when breeding you still get to pick the sire and dame.

three positives:
1. The graphics quality is actually surprisingly good
2. The racing aspect is quite challenging but if you know what your doing you are set
3. The # of actual racing venues is pretty vast

three negatives
1. It is too easy to win
2. like i said you can't name your own horse
3. The AI horse names are repetitive

Horse lover's buy this game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is awesome. But i warn you only buy it if you are a horse lover and also love horse racing.

A Disappointment - Mildly Engaging at Best

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Gallop Racer is the accepted leader for horse racing games, but being a Japanese franchise, it lacks some of the authentic feel of American thoroughbred racing (e.g. the whole "amusement park" setting, a lackluster wagering system, etc.). I had hopes that this game would make up for those shortcomings since it was sponsored by the NTRA. And while the atmosphere may be much more familiar to North American racing fans, the game unfortunately falls woefully short in gameplay and lasting appeal.

The two primary downfalls are the game's simplicity and redundancy. Simplicity in that there is no challenge at all, either in single races where any mudder can beat an all-time great or in the stable mode where within only a few weeks you'll be flush with winnings and able to breed the finest horses available. Simplicity also in the races themselves - there is very little player interaction beyond some timed button mashing. What should be the centerpiece of the experience feels more like a mini-game added at the last minute. There are other frustrations with the races as well, such as no variety in the camera angles, no ability to look back at your competitors during the race, and no replays at all after the fact.

The redundancy is showcased in the stable mode. What should have been the key driver for replayability instead feels like a treadmill of tasks. You simply cycle through breed, train, enter, wager, race over and over again. It feels very repetitive by the third cycle.

On the plus side, wagering is realistic and robust, complete with tutorials. The fact that it's the most complete aspect of the game leads my cynical side to believe that the entire title is simply an advertisement to get people to the track. This suspicion is further bolstered by the fact that you can't opt out of races that your stable isn't competing in - the game wants you to handicap, wager, and watch each go-round.

All in all, this title feels like a PDA or PSP game - something decent for killing time at the airport while on a layover. But as a console game, it lacks enough that anyone would hard-pressed to spend much time in front of it given the other options.

No Where Near As Good As Gallop Racer With A Few Glaring Flaws

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm not much of a gamer but I'm a big horse racing fan and about 90% of my game play has been Gallop Racer games. I like the Gallop Racer's gameplay in the races. Asking horses to accelerate or decellerate seems somewhat realistic as do horses running better when they're in their preferred running position (lead, pressing, closing).

The new game fails horribly in race play. Closers appear to suffer no problems racing on the lead. Horses all accelerate like Arazi did at the quarter pole in the 91 BC Juvenile. The whipping is a joke. Pace is perhaps the most relevant variable in real horse racing (if you figure that natural abilities of horses can't be controlled), and pace seems to mean nothing in this new game except that you can't run off without tiring. Any closer with any ability can win if they take the lead and then just make a series of as many as 12 moves within a race.

Gallop Racer is much better as far as horse ability, as well, in the sense that if you pay more for a horse, that horse will be a better horse. The randomness of breeding in Gallop Racer seems realistic for a video game.

Notwithstanding my criticisms above on the issues that are probably most important, here is the thing that discredited this game for me the most:

ALL THE TRACKS SEEM TO BE 6 FURLONGS IN CIRCUMFERENCE!!! I thought I'd watch a race from Belmont at 1 1/8 miles, just to see a long one-turn race on a video game. The horses made THREE turns.

A close second for biggest thing that bothered me was that the grandstand at Saratoga looks nothing like Saratoga, while the Florida make believe track has Saratoga's grandstand. Didn't they have a consultant on these things? I will say that Del Mar is a good depiction. I live in San Diego and it was fun to show Del Mar to a few people.

But the game is a disappointment.

If you love horse racing, buy the game. There's a reason it's only $20, though. If nothing more, this game will have you thanking yourself for the creation of Gallop Racer and its progeny.

An okay game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I liked this game a lot, I liked Gallop Racer too but it was too hard for me, I really stink at a lot of video games. Well this game is easier than Gallop Racer, but your horse can get injured really easily, and you don't even get to choose any of your horse's names. I liked racing against champions like Funny Cide and Seabiscuit but they were pretty easy to beat. If Gallop racer is too hard for you but you love horse racing games, this is a good game for you.

"Impressive" NOT

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: February 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My dad got me this game for Valentine's day. I was SOOO excided, But when I started to play, it was boring. The races were too easy, and the stable part is comfusing. You have to claim your horse and you can't even groom it!! I didn't want to hurt my dad's feelings, so I said the racing part was fun.

I should have listened

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: December 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I read all the reviews and thought well, I'll try it even if it is too easy. Let me tell you this is a horrible, horrible game. Grade 1 Jockey 3 and Gallop Racer are so much better, I am in the Throroughbred business and the NTRA should be ASHAMED of themselves..... DON'T BOTHER!

Go to OTB

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 17
Date: October 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

A complete waste of money. Take the $28 that you were going to spend and bet a Superfecta Wheel without looking at the program. At least you'll be entertained for two minutes. I "unlocked" Ghostzapper after a few races then beat him in a match race with a $16000 claimer. I will say that this game might be fun for little kids who like horseys and need a primer on becoming a degenerate gambler. Everyone else...you've been warned.

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