Starsky and Hutch Review

Developer	Empire Interactive
Publisher	Gotham Games
Genre	Driving

It’s fairly safe to say that if you grew up in the 1970’s and 1980’s, you’re aware of the “car show”. No, no – not a gathering of automobile enthusiasts showing off their refurbished beauties. I refer to a television show where a car is an important element, often overshadowing the actors themselves. Dukes of Hazzard is perhaps the most famous of the type, though Knight Rider is also right up there, but there was one that had every element in spades – Starsky & Hutch. It had everything: fast cars, a crimefighting duo, and the funky flavour of the one and only Huggy Bear. Translating all that funk into a game can’t have been easy.

Gameplay - The game has players driving around Bay City in the white striped 1974 Ford Gran Torino that came to symbolize the show. You can take part in either Story or Free Roam mode, as well as an unlockable TV Special mode. Story mode has you zipping around the city in what are essentially chase scene sequences lifted directly from the show.

During these sequences, which chain together to tell the story, gamers control the fishtailing Torino with the left analog stick/right trigger control combination that is the standard for racing games on the Xbox. While driving, the A button causes Hutch to shoot out of the right window, with an auto-lockon feature taking care of the aiming. Gamers aim the gun by aiming the car, a method that takes a while to get down, but works fairly well once mastered. During multiplayer, one player drives and the other shoots – a method that works excellently, and even supports use of a light gun if you should happen to have one.

Missions are run against a clock of sorts, which keeps the intensity level artificially high on otherwise repetitive action sequences. To keep the missions going, gamers have to earn ratings points to bump up their TV rating, which displays in the upper left of the screen. Ratings points can be earned by keeping close to the objective vehicle, launching from the many scattered jumps, hitting icons, or by pulling off the sweet powerslides that happened every couple minutes in the TV show.

The driving physics are decent, with the Torino having a legitimate sense of weight to it when powersliding and jumping. This is a giant hunk of Detroit steel after all, not one of those 55 lb import cars that rule the roads today. Some strange physics crop up, like smashing into destructible terrain objects that don’t give way like they normally do, or hitting a curb and either ricocheting off madly or stopping completely dead. The bizarre occurences don’t happen often, but can be annoying when they cost you a mission success.

Graphics - While the cars and campy dialogue might be from the 70’s, the graphics definitely aren’t. Powered by Criterion’s Renderware engine, Bay City has a considerable amount of detail to it, far more than would be anticipated in a $20 title. The engine shows its age though, with framerates that occasionally drop from 30 fps down into the low teens, though this is fairly infrequent. There’s also a considerable amount of draw in of the cityscape, as well as objects popping into view, which can detract from the gameplay at times. It can be impossible to make a turn to avoid a big truck, especially when the truck just wasn’t there a second ago.

Sound - The sound is a strong part of the total package, with a collection of 70’s funk that’s second to none. Dialogue is voiced by fill-ins for the original actors, with the exception of Antonio Fargas, who reprises his role as Huggy Bear in addition to voicing the game’s narrative tracks. Dialogue is a bit weak, relying a bit too much on cheesy lines, though there are several moments of clever banter that work well. The howl of the Torino’s tires while powersliding and roar of the accelerating engine top the list of sound effects, while the anemic sounding gunshots are the bottom of the audio barrel.

Overall Value - If you’re a fan of the show, or just a fan of mindless racing and blasting action, then Starsky & Hutch comes recommended. It’s not a Grand Theft Auto or Driver killer, with very little depth outside of some unlockables, but the two player cooperative mode is an entertaining way to kill an afternoon or three. You won’t find many better for only $20.

Review by Rod Oracheski