Official Japanese Website

Platform: Playstation 2

Genre: Racing/simulation

Number of Players: 1 - 4
Known in Japan as: Gallop Racer: Lucky 7

Years ago "playing the ponies" was a highly frowned upon event, usually associated with either those that had connections in the criminal underworld or someone with a less than savory character. The Sport of Kings however has been around for more than just a few years, and over the last few years, horse racing has been gaining more and more popularity with television networks dedicated to the sport and websites that allow wagers to be placed. Horse racing is one of those things that naturally can be translated to game status as well, a probably one of the most notable names in the video game world associated with the sport is Tecmo's own Gallop Racer, the proverbial John Madden of horse racing titles, and it's back again with Gallop Racer 2004.

If you've played any of the other Gallop Racer titles, the overall concept of the game remains unchanged. You'll start by choosing your character, a jockey of course, and then doing some minor adjustments in terms of the outfit, input your name (or whatever you'd like) and select your level of difficulty. Even if you've played Gallop Racer in the past however, I'm going to recommend starting with easy since there are some new features in the game that take a little getting used to. With GR2K4 you also will select a trainer. This really has no bearing on the game in terms of how it will play, but the three trainers have very different attitudes. Nozawa for example is a very kind person (and the one that I've chosen most of the time) Shibayama on the other hand is has a very mean personality, though according to the instructions that later changes (his attitude however kept me from choosing him) and then Mrs. Cook has what could simply be seen as a bitchy attitude (at least in my opinion) and thus, she wasn't selected either.

With the other Gallop Racers, you would start by purchasing a horse, but that option is gone. You're on the bottom rung young jockey. When you select the schedule, you will see some owners that have requested jockeys, and that's how you will begin your racing career, but it's a bit more complicated than that. With requested racers, you are pretty much guaranteed the spot, but then there are those that you have to negotiate for. With these, you must have your stats at a level that matches what the owner is looking for and if you don't, you'd better be prepared to look elsewhere. It's better to start off with horses that you know that you can handle, and don't worry if you change your mind. You can cancel any of these.

Now, newcomers might be wondering how they are going to get down the basic fundamentals of horse racing, and luckily that hasn't been forgotten. If you pay a visit to the TRA Academy, you will learn the fundamentals of racing. The nice thing here is that instead of sending you through each lesson and having you play through parts, it's just done in a visual lesson, saving a good deal of time who have played in the past a merely want to brush up again. Not everything will be available however, but as your racing skills improve, more lessons will unlock, and the game is kind enough to let you know in most cases what you need to do in order to get these new lessons.

The races are the same as with the last Gallop Racer, at least they are if you've played them, but there are a few differences. At the start of the race, you will see that you have an objective for your rider. It may be to beat the odds or finish in the top three. No matter what it happens to be though, this should be your main target. My suggestion here is if you are to simply beat the odds, I really wouldn't worry about trying to place first. Granted, it doesn't hurt, but meaning your goal is the primary objective, and this will help with your character advancement.

Before the race begins, you will need to pay attention to the start meter in the bottom left of the screen. Your objective here is to get the arrows matched up before time runs out. This will either give you a good start (or beautiful in some cases) or a late start, and that alone can be what makes a winner or a loser. In the mid-part of the race, this is where you need to really pay attention to how your horse runs. Some are comfortable out front, others like to run mid, and so on. At the final stretch though, this is where all bets are on (pardon the pun) and how you've ran will have a strong bearing here. You can use your whip to give your horse a burst of speed, but don't overdo it. Also, if you haven't' had a good feel for your horse, then can completely run out of energy, so don't be surprised if you go from first to dead last.

One thing that fans of the game may notice in the race section is a set of three slots wheels at the bottom of the screen. As you race, and if you are performing well, they will start to change. You're goal is to get 7's here (and this would be why the game was called Lucky 7's in Japan.) So, what happens if you score three 7's?

At the races end, your overall performance will be evaluated. Win or lose, you will see your abilities either rise or fall, and the points that you gain will help to increase your jockey level. Be warned though, lose too much and you might see those requests to jockey come in less frequently. Outstanding riding however may eventually see an owner request you to ride his horse exclusively. You will also win money, if you place of course, and this can be used to buy items to improve your home and so forth.

After the race, you will begin to start having events take place. Some jockey may come and introduce themselves to you (having started no less that four new games, this seems to be standard) and you're performance on the track may change how they interact with you. Some will be rivals and may even come and challenge you. Accept and this is the perfect chance to prove what you're made of, but decline and you'll begin to lose face in the racing community.

As your stats build, you will have a better chance to race other horses, your negotiation skills will improve, and you also will begin to develop skills of your own that will add tremendously in the overall scheme of things. Some horses have their own unique talents as well, some of these will be latent (coming into effect during the race) while others you will know right away what they are. This can make races that much more interesting, and getting a sudden burst of speed from nowhere, just as an example, as you begin to fall to last place and suddenly take the lead for the win is a thrilling experience.

The betting option is still included, but it's a bit different this time. You now need to go into the view mode, and here you can see different races being run. This is where you can select to buy a betting ticket. The most common wagers are here from your basic win, place, and show down to some of the more exotic wagers like exacta's, trifecta's, and even quinella's. There still isn't anything like pick 5's or pick 7's, which really wouldn't be too difficult, but this is also where someone really needs to be familiar with the concept of handicapping (and I'm not even going to get into it as it would take a rather lengthy essay to explain the entire concept.) If you bet smart though, you can win big and increase your cash flow in no time at all. The nice thing is that since it's so random, it's not one of those things where you can save, place a bet, and then reload the game if you lose. The winner may be the loser the next time out and your cheating will be all for naught.

Later, you will be able to breed your own horses. This puts you in a position where you are essentially playing matchmaker. The lineage of the parents is a key factor when preparing to breed a horse. Once its born, you still have to go through the regular motions (negotiation) but the change here is that this is your horse. One thing I would have liked to have seen added here is the option to put a horse up as a stud for money. If you've followed horse racing at all, a champion stud can command a high price for breeding, and aside form racing and betting, this would have been a nice addition to generate some extra cash.

Gallop Racer 2004 moves beyond just the single player races however. Battle mode will pit you against up to three other players if you play in party battle, or two if you select any of the other modes. Series Battle for example will let you race up for five consecutive races in order to determine just who the best jockey is. Free Mode on the other hand will allow you and a second player to get even more in-depth and select track, turf, and weather conditions. Remember, horses are very unique creatures and many have a preference to what type of weather they run in aside from their position. Even the type of turf may have a drastic change in their performance.

The game still looks the same for the most part; the characters and trainers have a very cartoon-type look about them while the horses have a good sense of realism, even down to the fact on how they will behave in the paddock before the race. There are some nice additions in the races themselves though, even though they are very minor. For instance, a few tracks have cherry trees lining them, and during a race you will be treated to a subtle bit of cherry blossoms floating around the track. The weather effects look much better as well, and even though it may be minor, things like this can make all the difference in the world.

There are a few things that I still would love to see included in the game however. First off, having actual tracks would be great. Horse racing is big business these days, and I doubt that owners of tracks like Aqueduct or any of the other well-known tracks will have an issue with their names and likenesses being used. I'd also really like to see some of the bigger names, horses and jockeys alike, included as secret characters, or maybe even the chance to replay a famous race. I know that aficionados of the sport would probably love the chance to relive classic moments at the Triple Crown races. However, that in itself could probably come down to costing a pretty penny. A little backwards compatibility would have been nice, although some of the overall structure is a bit different. Even if it was for the two-player mode though, it would have been nice to bring in jockeys and horses from the other Gallop Racers.

It can definitely be said that when it comes to Gallop Racer, it's one of the few games that doesn't end up being a dime a dozen. It does have a high learning curve, and it's certainly not a game that is going to have everyone sitting in the winners circle race after race, but that's really what makes the game that much more entertaining. Gallop Racer 2004 keeps the classic style of play that fans of the series love and adds in new elements that make it new, yet completely familiar. This game is the safest bet of all, and you're not going have to worry about it making the huge dent in your pocketbook that a day at the track will. This is better than a day at the races, and for any fan of horse racing or those that have a mild curiosity, the 2004 edition of Gallop Racer is going to provide plenty of entertainment, and probably a good deal of frustration at losing as well, but that's what the sport is all about.

-mike-