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Still Tops

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: June 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

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.

Really Fun Horse Racing Sim!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: July 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Others have gone into the modes of the game & controls, so I'll just put what I like here.
The races are fun & definitely share the same strategies a jockey needs to win a race (ie: watch for holes, keep your horse in the position he likes best, cruise along the backstretch, make your move somewhere around 4F, start pushing about the 2F mark etc).

Actually, this game has all N American & Japanese races, they are just renamed. So you could go for the Triple Crown win, but theres a lot more racing titles to get too & records to set.

Then the breeding. All real horses again are there, they are just renamed. Secretariat is there, Man O War, Key to the Mint, broodmares like Weekend Surprise etc. This for me is what makes this game fun & "Could Not Put It Down" factor. Even Cigar is there (ungelded), so you could actually do a "What If" breeding with him!

You also could test your favorite breeding strategies with this. I am currently breeding for a line with the "Large Heart", the X-Factor, & this is possible because the real horses are there.

Theres even a large very active forum for this game that holds racing leagues that you send your saved horse via email & a MAXdrive or x-port device (sold at Amazon etc) & race against others. This really extends the game!

The forum costs nothing & is free. No gambling at this forum so is safe for kids.

The forum is: orlworld_dot_com, & goto upper left link for forum. The forum lists the real horses & real races, plus provides more info than the game's manual, & also strategy (racing & breeding).

Have Fun!

Great Aleternative Racer

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: May 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

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.

Want to be a trainer or a jockey?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: May 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

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 horse- finding that hole to sneak thru while in the middle of the pack and then charging onto the finish! Definitely my favorite racing game EVER.

i was very dissapointed....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: August 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

when i got this game, i was hoping for something like the 2004 edition. this game was a big dissapointment to me. it is still fun, just not as fun as i expected. for those of you who have never played any other gallop racer games, you may give this game 5 stars, but if you play gallop racer 2004, you will rethink your rating. please buy gallop racer 2004,2003,or 2001 instead.

Ok but Not what I expected.....

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: November 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was looking for a game to get over my addiction of DOCWE. For those of you that dont know DOCWE is a horse breeding & racing simulation game only found in gamerooms such as Jillians, Gameworks or Dave & Buster's. It's called the Derby Owners Club World Edition. We were very interested in finding a game similar to that one and heard about this game. Although this game is ok it's just not what I expected. It's not to say that this isn't a great game it's just not exactly what I was hoping it would be. Its a bit more difficult than I imagined and it was just not what I was looking for.

Gallop Racer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 6
Date: December 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I got this game used and I really love it but there is a glitch that just happened to my game. Even though I win races and rake in the dough, the game doesn't recognize this. When I spend money it shows on the monitor, but when I gain something, the monitor doesn't recognize it. Is there anyone with the same problem? Can I fix it or will I have to buy a new one? I already emailed the company, (Tecmo) and they didn't respond.

The best version since the original

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: May 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've tried Gallop Racer 2001, 2003, and 2004 and I think this one is the best version since the original Gallop Racer from 1999 (which I still have and still play). I actually think the first version is the best of the series, but this one has better graphics, and I was glad they cut out the Jockey school and other stuff from the previous 2004 edition. I didn't like that at all, maybe it was fun for the kids, but I wanted to get right to the racing aspect of the game, not go to 'school' beforehand.

My only complaint was that the graphics weren't much improved from the previous versions, but maybe the next one will boast better graphics. It's still a fun game to play, nonetheless.

Well......

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: October 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

it is not the best, but not the worst either. I first got it and loved it, then got bored after a few months of non-stop game time. Now I'm playing again and have over 15 horses in the My Horse stable. Most champions. The game has its bad spots and good spots...
Good:
The races are realistic
Its not way too easy or that hard
You can breed horses other then your own
The horses stats and likings are more realistic, for example, if you have a turf distance runner, it will most likely lose on dirt sprint.

But then, like every game, it has its bad spots:
You can only have one horse at a time.
You have to pay to breed your own horses
You have to buy your foal(which really stinks)

In the 2003 A New Breed gallop racer, it didn't really matter if your horse preferred turf or dirt, 5 fur sprints or 2 mile distance. If you had a good horse, you would win. Thats not very realistic, now is it?

Oh, one other thing, you don't win the purse money in races. It all goes on your horses career and you make some off the points, and a little off the purse. But you can make a lot, in as little as 2 game years.

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