Bumper Car City

The citizens of the titular city are committed to a friendlier, goofier kind of transportation -- no, not Segways. Everybody from the local constable to Granny Gums cruises around the city's boroughs in brightly painted, battery-powered bumper cars. A Sunday drive turns into a pinball machine with citizens bouncing off each other, harmlessly ricocheting off buildings and fences. It creates a silly vibe that permeates the entire game.

The goal is to earn votes in each borough. To earn votes, you must bump into various citizens. A few quick bounces kicks loose a mission token; each type of citizen has their own special mission. The cops, for example, carry chase mission tokens that, when knocked free and picked up, clear the streets and start the mini-mission. During the chase mission, you must avoid the bumper cops as much as possible during the itty-bitty time limit. Other missions include collecting pylons or playing "tag."

You can pick up extra gear during your city tours, such as extra batteries to keep your bumper car in play for a longer duration. There is an electric-type beam that zaps bumper cars from a distance. Zippers give you a quick boost of speed.

After your battery finally runs out, the game tallies your votes. If you're popular enough with the citizens, you unlock a new section of Bumper Car City, complete with new missions. There are several sections of town, and as you would expect, it gets tougher to pick up enough votes to move on to a new part of the city. Each section has its own special architecture, giving you new sights as you peel through the city.

Bumper Car City is a goofy little game and while enjoyable in the short bursts of my play-test sessions, I'm not entirely sure of what to make of the game. Odd concepts often yield mixed results. Sometimes you end up with Tornado Mania. Sometimes, well, you don't. Whatever the case, Bumper Car City is an original stab and I'm curious to see what changes Digital Chocolate makes between now and final code.

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