Doraemon Kart

Doraemon Kart
No Nobita, you're not a loser, the loser is this game - Doraemon (probably)
Genre(s): Racing Platform(s): Game Boy Release: 1998 Developer(s): Epoch Publisher(s): Epoch Country: Japan Series: Doraemon Successor: Doraemon Kart 2

Doraemon Kart is a racing game release in 1998 only in Japan for the Game Boy, developed and published by Epoch. The game received a sequel in 1999 named Doraemon Kart 2.

Plot

The plot consists of Nobita wanting to enter a go-kart race as the season goes by, Gian & Suneo generally make fun out of him unless he has a kart, Nobita feels worried about not obtaining a kart so Doraemon gives the team (Nobita, Gian, Suneo, Shizuka) the best that it can offer.

Why It's A Loser

1. The graphics are abysmal, the character faces except Doraemon are empty and poorly drawn in the character selection screen, and the sprites are very small, even for a Game Boy game.
   • Even Doraemon 2 has small characters sprite in the game, but it's well made and cute, so there's no excuse for this.
   • To make everything worst, Shizuka face in gameplay is completly empty, even other characters such as Doraemon himself hasn't have a face this empty in gameplay, even if he does.
2. Poor controls. While not as bad as its sequel, It's very clunky and stiff. At least you don't easily stop yourself when you skid.
3. Slow gameplay, which can make the game boring to some.
4. The characters control all the same and don't have any proper abilities.
5. There are barely any sound effects, which is unacceptable for a racing game, even though this was made for the Game Boy.
6. There is too much flickering when playing on an original Game Boy.
7. Terrible ending, though not as bad as Doraemon Kart 2.
8. To fully complete the game, you have to finish it twice, which is tedious because the second loop has barely any difference.
9. There are only 5 characters (6 if you count Dorami, which is an unlockable character).
10. The game is barely challenging, even for Doraemon standards.
11. There is an issue, which is the fact that finishing in first place is almost impossible.
12. Making a Game Boy game in 1998 is a very bad idea as the console was already dead and the Nintendo 64 and PS1 were already out; it's almost like they wanted to do this like Despicable Me: The Game. To make matters worse, there is not a Game Boy Color version, and that console was already out and popular at the time.

Redeeming Qualities

1. The music is nice and sounds nostalgic.
2. At least it's better and more playable than its awful sequel.
3. The plot is not too bad compared to the second game.
4. The box art is decent and well drawn.

Reception

Doraemon Kart received overwhelmingly negative reviews. A Japanese website even named it the Kusoge of the Year and gave it 0 out of 5 stars. Despite the very negative reviews by the critics, the game is somewhat enjoyed by players, despite receiving mixed reviews from fans of the series.

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