While never at the top of the charts, publishers always find a reason to pump out water racers.  Global Star Software and Argonaut Games decided to follow in the wake of Splashdown, the Xbox’s best water racer, and release their own jet ski speeder, Carve.  The difference?  Carve is only twenty bucks!  Every Xbox owner who stared at a copy of Splashdown with a fifty dollar price tag while only having twenty bucks in their wallets can rest easy tonight – Carve is an ample substitute to quench your water racing thirst at less than half the price. 

The basis for the game is about as simple as one can get – race against others and finish the course as fast as you can.  Sound easy?  Well, it is.  Checkpoints are strewn throughout the course, and must be crossed before a timer hits zero ala Outrun.  The course is designated by a series of buoys akin to a downhill skiing slalom course and buoys must be passed either on the right or the left.  The system for locating buoys has both pros and cons.  On the plus side, plenty of warning is given as to where the next buoy is located.  On the other hand, the beacon on the horizon showing where the next buoy will be to racers is like an insect light to flying pests – it’s impossible to resist and can cause racers to crash into unseen obstacles.  Carve allows racers to miss up to four buoys in a single race at a cost of a three second penalty, but when it means the difference between first and second, three seconds means nothing. 

There’s not much to the opponent AI, they’re trying to do the same thing you are… finish as fast as possible.  And while they do occasionally take the odd short cut here and there, I never encountered any of the blocking or ramming that the manual promised. 

The trick system in Carve is an integral portion of the game, but it has its share of minor problems.  Tricking, as in most games of this genre, awards points and speed boosts, but more importantly, looks pretty damn cool.  Pulling off these tricks is rather easy, needing only a few jabs of the joystick and pushes of buttons rather than holding triggers and tying fingers in knots like other games.  Tricks can be performed in mid-air, such as backflips or Supermans, or when simply riding on the water, such as handstands or body whips.  Successfully performing a trick gives a momentary boost in speed, and stringing together a combination of tricks grants a long boost in speed.  While it is possible to win many races without tricks, they do give racers a significant advantage.  The major malfunction with tricking is the responsiveness.  The tricks just don’t seem to happen consistently, nor are they always the ones racers thought they input. 

In addition to getting an instant boost from tricks, a meter at the bottom of the screen slowly fills up after successfully completing tricks.  Once the meter is full, the racer can initiate the Double Rush feature that propels the racer along faster than a run to the bathroom after a long car ride.  Any crash or missed trick attempt drop the meter significantly though, so be on your top game when attempting to fill the meter up. 

Probably the most attractive part of Carve is its online play.  Through Xbox Live, racers can compete against seven other competitors, but that’s about it.  It supports headset communication, friends lists, and all the online goodies you would expect, but not much more.  There is a team mode, but it’s little more than a combination of teammates scores, times, and penalties. 

The graphics in the game are actually quite impressive.  The water is particularly easy on the eyes, with choppy water and wake looking pretty realistic.  The game even simulates the spray from the watercrafts hitting the camera, giving Carve a very ‘wet’ look.  The racers themselves look okay, but are pretty much overshadowed by the water and landscapes.  The animations on the tricks aren’t too impressive either, and most of the player models appear to be a tad under polished.  It doesn’t hurt the game excessively though, and its worth it just to ride around the water for a bit. 

Most of the soundtrack falls into the electronic category, with house and breakbeats being the dominant tunes.  The rest of the audio is nothing spectacular. 

As a “budget game”, you get what you pay for with Carve.  This means there aren’t any frills, and the game leans towards the brief side.  You’ll have to excuse the brevity of this review, but Carve really is a basic, simple racer.  This isn’t a game that most gamers will be playing for much longer than a few weeks, as there isn’t much to the game other than unlocking all the courses, which can probably be done in a long afternoon by adept racers.

Gameplay: 7.0

Carve is a racer – pure and simple.  The controls are immediately pick-up-and-play, so even novices can get right into the action.  The lack of playing options hurts the value of the game, but if you are only concerned with racing, then there shouldn’t be any complaints.

Graphics: 8.5

The graphics are probably the best part of the game.  The water shimmers and waves move lifelike, and the environments are fairly detailed. 

Sound: 6.5

The sound is pretty bland.  There are some rockin’ tracks on the soundtrack, but the rest of the audio is minimal. 

Difficulty: Easy

If you’re looking for a game to beat quickly, Carve is it.  Hey, it’s only twenty bucks!

Concept: 5.0

There really is no concept to this game that’s new or original, it’s another water racer. 

Multiplayer: 8.0

Being Live enabled really helps the value of the game, but the multiplayer options are still very limited.   

Overall: 6.5

This is a great rental, but not such a fantastic purchase.  It doesn’t have a lot of replay value, and is incredibly simple (I mention that for the billionth time).  But fans of water racers on a budget may find this title just what they’re looking for.