Buy Gallop Racer 2006 - PlayStation 2

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I hesitate to give Gallop Racer 2006 a perfect rating (although I really want to), because it is the best...if not nearly the only series of titles available for racing thoroughbreds. I have played the 2004 version and I can say there is one distinct difference with 2006 in that there are no trainers and jockeys to deal with up front. The humor of those characters and general lighter side of 2004 has been completely wiped clean. This and including some other subtle changes makes for a give and take between the old and new that might disappoint some and please others. For 2006 you make the calls as both jockey and manager of your destiny to rise to the top by sifting through the classes of horses and entering races that suites the type of race horse you choose. Since you make the decisions, you ride one horse at a time as opposed to bouncing back and forth between trainers and their respective horses. In one way, this limits your riding on the schedule, but on the otherhand it is much easier to build experience and get a better feel for the horse you ride to retirement and winning seems to come more naturally. Your goal is to win various titles by meeting certain requirements and to do that successfully, it takes raising your stats as a rider, prize money, and a winning horse through breeding.

Some players of 2004 may find the lack of personality and no real changes to the graphics rather a disappointment. However, they will find that controls are untampered with and breeding and access to lineages are much more open than previously assuming you amass enough rider points and cash. There are difficulty settings and with a lower setting, riding is easier making wins more likely to happen sooner than previously.

For those who have yet to try Gallop Racer, you will not likely miss what has gone before. Thoroughbred racing is quick and decisive with little time to execute a plan, even on a fifteen furlong run. Getting a solid start and quickly positioning the horse to his or her best running spot and maintaining the perfect stride is essential to having a chance at winning. Even with a perfect bred horse, things can still go south by getting boxed in if you don't stay alert to the changes in formation throughout the race. The controls are very easy to pick up, but hard to master, especially when you change horses. Stats are humbling. It took me quite a while to grasp what everything means and I'm still learning, but with a little time, things become apparent. It is quite an exciting game and rather unique than other forms of racing. My only nitpick is that the game doesn't feature any practice sessions in career. It doesn't seem likely that a jockey would ride a horse he had not set eyes on before in a high stakes event, particularly against a rival. But, without that small detail, the game is still worth a go if you love horses or want to try something entirely different.

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Since Sea Biscuit I've been trying to get a good horse racing game but I was discouraged because of the average review ratings they yielded. Gallop Racer is a know franchise with several titles that was always in my sight but I didn't want to spend a lot in such an average game since their prices never got low enough for me to take the chance. I was finally tire of waiting and thankfully I am glad I got Gallop Racer 2006. At the beginning I was eager to jump on a horse and race but had no idea on how to WIN a race even after reading the manual once. It took me numerous races and carefully reading the manual to figure out how to win or at least not to finish last but since then I have been enjoying every single race. The graphics and camera shots make you feel as is you are actually mounting a race horse and you will feel the pressure and intensity on the final stretch.

The trick is to help your horse run as comfortably as you can for most of the race trough pace and positioning, this sounds easy but is not since you will be racing against other 10+ horses fighting for their comfortable spots like yours and there is when it gets really interesting. This is kind of a strategy racer as you take into account your horse, your competition, the track and the race pace, honestly not all races are the same nor racing the same horse, course and rivals will yield the same result. You can steal a race with an underdog horse if you strategize and execute well and loose big with a super horse if you are not careful making it even more interesting.

The game has a "free mode" serving as a practice mode where you run race after race with no ultimate goal or purpose but to win each individual race. Here you can choose the track and horse or you just can go random and try different horses and experience different challenges. It also comes with a "Vs mode" where you can race against another human or computer opponent. In the "simulation mode" you can create your own super horse and race it in the other modes. I am not interested in the breeding mode so I can't judge it. The "Title collection" mode in "Theme Park" is about racing a horse trough its lifetime registering for races as your horse age and improves its attributes while competing and collecting titles. In this mode you can also bet on horses but I am not interested in that so I haven't played it and can't judge it.

I don't know enough about many other horse racing titles or the "Gallop Racer" series to know the progression of the series but after playing it for several days and understanding more on horse racing I wonder why this game wasn't deeper. For example, your horse gains skills but your jockey don't, you can't run more than one horse at the time in "Title Collection", you don't know your rivals and track conditions before you enter a race and few other features that would have make this game a better title. I summary, I think this is a this is a good game for horse racing fans or whoever likes an alternative strategic racer that is not focus on crashing, stunting, killing or shooting anyone with a machine gun. The game has very good graphics; sound is not great because of same boring music, narrative and lack of customization options; the bottom-line is that the racing fun once you discover how to run effectively.

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Then this is the game for you! I love horses and bought this game to try since it was modestly priced... and I haven't been able to put it down.

Video game horses are usually very poor looking, but I'd give the graphics folk two thumbs up on this one. The stats and horse info can be kind of confusing if you aren't familiar with the numbers side of racing (the only reason it doesn't get 5 stars from me). However, the game and booklet do a pretty good job of explaining things for you and after racing a few times you can understand it fully. There are loads of horses to choose from (all different ages, colors, racing styles) and you can also breed to come up with a horse of your very own. In addition you can customize your silks and your horse's racing gear (hood/blinkers, leg bandages, and noseroll).

It's a huge thrill to really feel as if you are racing your horsefinding that hole to sneak thru while in the middle of the pack and then charging onto the finish! Definitely my favorite racing game EVER.

Honest reviews on Gallop Racer 2006 - PlayStation 2

I got this game used, and it did not come with instructions.

I tried the game, and had NO FREAKING IDEA what the heck I was supposed to do. There are stats for everything, there are tons of races, there are tons of titles that your horse can earn, all of which meant absolutely nothing since my horse consistently came dead freaking last each time I came close to the wire.

My memory of this game during this period is dominated by the screen visuals of a pack of horse asses speeding away from me as I desperately flail my whip on the cow I was apparently riding.

However, I managed to find the game manual and after reading through all 50 pages, I thought the instructions still woefully insufficient but at least got much of the definitions explained, plus one handy two page spread listing all possible horse "abilities".

Since then, I have happily played this game and have been breeding good horses and earning titles with them.

I like the algorithms used on determining the horse's performance within the race depending on your riding decisions; it seems pretty true to life. The graphics are pretty good, too. There are tons of options, and I've just been playing on the "easy" level of difficulty.

I think this is a good game for racing enthusiasts; you can even wager within the game, and it has the basic wagering options that you would see at the track. You have to pay attention to the horse's energy level when scheduling your races, and that's pretty realistic, too.

I recommend you get the freaking manual before giving up on this game.

Finally, it would be nice if the game manufacturers could include a little trail riding option or something for the horses you retire, since riding in race after race gets pretty repetitive.

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I've had the itch to buy a good horse racing game ever since I re-installed the PC version of Final Stretch. As I am into the "empire building" of Sim-type games, and used to PC-type "empire building" games, I have to say that I find Gallop Racer lacking in that department.

You don't really start from rags and work your way up...you just pick any horse you like. And that goes for racing as a jockey and breeding. Don't like that at all.

My criticism may be a bit unfair, and predefined because I have never liked the "cartoonish", "anime-type" presentation of PS, PS2's, and Nintendo games. So for those of you who are used to playing PlayStation and Nintendo games, this game will have no affect on you.

As for me, this game just reaffirms my love for PC Sims through and through.