a lot of games. Even so, their repertoire doesn?t include any smash hits, and Iridium Racers isn?t much more than another pockmark on the face of the moon. Developed by Playstos Entertainment, Iridium Racers is yet another Mario Kart clone stuffed into a different costume. It has a few redeeming qualities, but in the end it?ll be just another bargain bin game.

The concept behind Iridium Runners is innovative at best: the player chooses a character and races, on foot, against other characters. There are no karts or bikes or cars, just sprinters in skin-tight jumpsuits. A ?pod? or ?sidekick? accompanies each sprinter. The ?pod? is a device floating behind your runner that helps you collect power-ups. Each pod has a distinct advantage in some area (attack, defense, bonus). Pods can use a multitude of power-ups from a protective shield to a machine gun. There are more than 10 power-ups in all.

Iridium Runners completely lacks voice acting, thus there is no foul language. The pod attacks and elbow checks are very cartoony in nature and only result in knocking runners over. The skin-tight running suits are not revealing but do accentuate certain features of the female characters.

Iridium Runners is yet another racing game using the same formula that has been in circulation for years in different wrappers. It is, however, a nice break from the M-rated games that seem to have permeated the racing genre. Even though the game feels cheaply made, is relatively simple, and screams mediocre at times, it is rescued from complete failure by its interesting concept, fun multiplayer, and unlockable content. As for me, I?ll get out my N64 and get the same feel for a tenth of the price.

» By Daniel Straite, Plain Games. Published 3/19/2008 12:31:53 AM.