ChoroQ was released to reviews so unforgiving that even the critics of mega-flops such as Superman 64 (game) and Gigli (movie) must've been left slack-jawed. Ben Affleck and Ashlee Simpson never faced criticism this harsh. With a lowly 58% on GameRankings.com, ChoroQ has certainly taken quite a drumming from most of the video game magazines and websites. But what's the real story? Is this just another in a long line of worthless budget shovelware or does it follow in the tradition of hidden gems like Quantum Redshift (Xbox), Mercedes-Benz World Racer (Xbox), Space Raiders (GameCube), and Sega Classics Collection (PS2) that were misunderstood and ridiculed by the gaming press at large?
But first, some background: ChoroQ is essentially Road Trip 3 even though this and the original Road Trip were handled by different companies (Atlus published this and Conspiracy published Road Trip). The second Road Trip, which was supposed to be called Road Trip: Adventure Avenue, never saw the light of day in the States because Conspiracy apparently lost the rights or Sony cancelled the game, whichever version of events you want to believe (it did get released in the UK though). The Road Trip/ChoroQ games are part of a much larger series that originated in Japan. The series, predictably enough, goes by the ChoroQ name in the Land of the Rising Sun. In the U.S., Choro games have been released for the N64 (Penny Racers), PS2 (Gadget Racers, Road Trip, Seek & Destroy, and ChoroQ), GameCube (Road Trip: Arcade Edition), and GBA (Gadget Racers, Road Trip: Shifting Gears). In Japan and Europe, the list is even longer. This is a series with deep roots.
So, you're probably asking yourself, just what is this ChoroQ exactly? It's a racing game. And a role-playing game. And a series of mini-games interwoven together. Confused yet? It's a strange hybrid, to say the least. Then again, that's probably what everyone told Joseph French when he first invented French Toast. (And you thought French Toast was invented in France, didn't you? Tsk, tsk.)
Now that you know what ChoroQ is, you're probably wondering how it plays...
Customization has always been one of the highlights of this series. With over a hundred different body types (the look of the car) to choose from and dozens of parts, there's quite a bit going on under the hood. The parts range from the ordinary (engines and tires) to the wacky (propellers and skis). Don't mistake this for a serious auto sim though. Even if you've never opened the hood of your car before, you'll be right at home tinkering with your ride here. Of course, a customization feature is useless if there isn't a discernable difference between your old parts and your upgrades. It's a trap many other racers have fallen into. Luckily, that's not the case in ChoroQ. You can actually feel the improvements after you upgrade your car. Like the other Choro racers I've played, the cars control unresponsively at the beginning of the game, but that improves with each upgrade. One review mentioned that the left and right controls were broken, but a steering upgrade fixes that problem immediately and everything eventually feels buttery smooth. Obviously, this "professional" didn't even bother to play the game for more than five minutes.
With your car all tricked out, painted up, and ready to go, it's time to hit the race track - and one of the shining stars of the Choro series has always been its unique courses. Aside from one or two "ordinary" tracks, ChoroQ is filled with the wacky racing areas this series is famous for. Especially delightful is the cloudy sky track. There are some nice graphical touches in the races, such as sand skidding underneath your car on the desert track.
Beyond the racetrack, the game turns into a RPG (or "Car-PG," as this underground sub-genre has been dubbed). There are several towns to explore, many characters to talk to - all in the form of other cars (yes, living, breathing, talking cars), and a plethora of mini-games to win - including gardening and mail delivery. Talking cars? Mail delivery? You're probably wondering which episode of The Twilight Zone you just landed in. Yet it works - for the most part, anyway.
But there are a few bumps in the road...
Road Trip featured close-up 3D graphics throughout the entire game. Unfortunately, ChoroQ opts to stifle its players by imposing a very distant and limited isometric perspective during the town-traveling sections (think RC Pro-Am). It instantly feels confining, and it doesn't look nearly as good. This baffling design choice really hampers the experience. Even more frustrating, the mail delivery mini-game presents the town in full 3D, and it looks glorious. It's almost like the designers were trying to taunt us with a hint of what could've been.
Thankfully, the racing itself reverts to the standard third-person perspective. However, while it may just be my imagination, the earlier Road Trip seemed to look slightly sharper in this area too. Of course, neither game is going to give Gran Turismo 4 any sleepless nights, but I thought that Road Trip's cartoony, over-the-top visuals looked perfect for that type of game. Mind you, ChoroQ's graphics are still very decent, so don't get the wrong idea.
The load times, while hardly crippling, aren't fantastic either. It seems to take forever to enter a house, store, or race. Houses are particularly annoying because its residents often won't be home or will have nothing to say. Even worse, you're often forced to spend an inordinate amount of time hunting all over town for the right house or person. It would've made more sense for certain homes to be visibly locked off or inaccessible when they serve no purpose at a particular point in the game. I can understand the mindset of wanting to create an open-ended world since that's all the rage these days, but it's a detriment in this case.
The racing AI is no bed of roses either. While I don't expect a sim, ChoroQ's AI is a little too simplistic - even for this series. There seem to be two or three different AI patterns for how the cars will drive and act, and at least one of them makes it pretty much impossible to score first place even if you have the necessary parts. So, you have to start over and hope you end up getting the better pattern. Fortunately, the races are short and fun, so replaying them a few times is pleasurable.
For an unofficial sequel (unofficial in America at least), ChoroQ ultimately lags behind Road Trip. Still, despite the flaws, it's an enjoyable and worthy addition to your collection if you're a fan of the series. If you've never played one of these games before, Road Trip might be a better starting point, but there's still fun to be had in ChoroQ. It's a strange hybrid - one that could only come from a Japanese developer - but thank God for such innovation. The Western gaming scene would be much poorer off without games like this - warts and all - and Katamari Damacy.
Final scores
Graphics: 6
Sound: 7
Gameplay: 7
Overall (not an average): 7
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