Tag Archives: Racing

Ridge Racer 64 Review

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It’s time for the next Nintendo Switch Online title. Ridge Racer definitely works as a serviceable racing game even if it is one that you will probably not remember for very long. Nothing against the game itself of course but there just isn’t a lot to it. I imagine it was probably super addicting back in the day though and will still hold up with the multiplayer mode. One thing I do miss about the older racing titles like this are all the fun colors and designs.

The game has the main grand prix mode and you can also play the races on their own. Each Grand Prix is 3 levels long but the levels quickly start repeating as you go through them. Interestingly the levels don’t automatically advance like in most games so you have to physically choose the next level each time. Not a big deal but it’s definitely very noticeable. The levels can also be rather difficult to win at times because the computers really put up a good fight. You’ll have a huge lead and then they just appear by your side like nothing happened.

Then you’ve also got the opposite scenario where you start the race and they immediately leave you in the dust. In those cases it isn’t even close as their gap widens and widens with each passing second. My main car was the Pac-Man car so it was pretty slow but the acceleration was absolutely top tier. I usually like to have a high speed but I knew this was the car I needed because of the design. How do you say no to that right? There aren’t a whole lot of cars to choose from but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them are unlockable or something like that. That would make a lot of sense.

Like I mentioned before, the graphics are really good. It reminds me of an old PC car game I used to play back in the day. The colors are striking and there is a lot of variety in how you can change the colors of the car you used. I like this level of customization and it’s actually better than some modern car games so that is definitely worth noting. The soundtrack is a bit more on the forgettable side but you can’t win them all.

The controls are smooth and that is definitely crucial for a racing game like this. When you crash or make a bad turn, you immediately feel like it was your own fault and so the game doesn’t just generate a ton of the blame there or anything like that. You can always brake for the turns to play it safe or you can really master your vehicle and just go in guns blazing. You can drift by double tapping the brake button but it is definitely hard to control. For the most part as long as you drive careful then you should win the first pair of tournaments. After that you have to really focus on not making any mistakes at all or you end up paying for it. That is of course easier said than done

It will probably help if you pick a car that has top tier handling and such but that comes at the expense of speed and I never like playing a slow car. This is true for any game, I’d much rather crash and burn out early than end up slowly turtling my way to the finish line. The slow cars wouldn’t be in the game if they were completely useless of course but even then they would have to make an absolutely terrific argument for me to even consider them. That’s just not the way that I roll.

Overall, Ridge Racer 64 is a good game. It doesn’t have a ton of bells and whistles or anything like that. There aren’t many modes at all so what you see is what you get. Just being a good game is enough at the end of the day though. I had a fun time playing through it and look forward to seeing what Nintendo brings to the table next time. There are still a whole lot of options I’m sure and then maybe they can eventually throw the Gamecube console into the mix. I think it’s about time for that personally. If you have the Switch Online then there is no reason not to try this game out. Race through it a bit and enjoy the nostalgia.

Overall 6/10

F-Zero Climax Review

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It’s time for a classic F-Zero title although I would say this one feels a little more barebones next to GP Legend. It jumps you right into the game but really the only thing to do is play through the stages for a little while before you start to get bored. Now the racing gameplay is good but for F-Zero you are expecting a little more. Perhaps that is unreasonable since a number of the games are just purely racing titles without a big story in-game but it would have been cool to have had a little more depth. Either way it’s a fun time though.

I figured I would switch things up here a bit so I played Captain Falcon for the first tournament and then started switching it up. Only problem is I don’t remember who I played after him. Pico maybe? I know I looked for Skull and didn’t see him so I had to pivot quickly. The game itself is definitely very short though. After you play through the 3 tournaments, the credits start rolling so that’s about it. I have to assume that there are more secret stages out there though. I remember how in F-Zero GX about half of the cups were hidden and as a kid it was a blast unlocking them all. I have to assume that Climax probably functions in a very similar way with that although I suppose I don’t really know that for sure.

You still have the iconic spin move that the series is famous for so I had a blast knocking opponents off the ring. Boosting was very risky in this title though because you move so quickly that you can easily just fall off the stage entirely. Definitely something you should be careful of if you can help it. At the same time, you won’t reach the top spot without it so just try and learn the stages. I didn’t play long enough to truly master any of the levels but I imagine you could definitely do that before long. My average placings weren’t great here.

It definitely continues to be the harder alternative to Mario Kart. The stages really take time to master and of course the opponents also just keep coming. There are plenty of places to fall off the stage and you can also be directly blown up by the opponents which instantly takes you to last place. It’s a very unrelenting game in every respect so you must not take it lightly at all. There is also time attack mode so I should mention that as another way to have some fun. Try and beat your existing records to really see just how good you are. In a lot of ways this is really the right mode to start with as you hone your skills before getting into the battles.

Once you have a full grasp on exactly how the controls work, then you will really be in shape to do well. At least that’s the way I see it and while it may feel a little weird at first, racing games are the kind where you very quickly adapt. It may feel hard but after a few races you unconsciously start to turn with the right timing. So don’t give up and you will be leaving the CPU in the dust before long. I would also say as tempting as the spinning is, you should keep it to a minimum. It’s very hard to actually destroy an enemy vehicle and it takes up time to spin so every time you miss it’s rather rough. It’s probably not something that you should be completely spamming. Wait until you’re super good at the timing and then use it strategically.

There’s not a whole lot more to say about the game because it’s so basic though. This is exactly why you want to have a story mode since that is the ultimate cover up for any title. It can mask just about anything because the story will end up being memorable. It will end up being something that pushes you forward and you will have more incentive to clear every race if it takes you to the next stage. Even a super lazy text box only story will give you incentive that you just wouldn’t have otherwise and that’s why it can be a game changer.

Overall, F-Zero Climax is a good game. I think it could have been better but I suppose for its time it wasn’t bad. I cut it a little less slack though because by the GBA days I feel like games were advanced enough to really have full stories and such like that. I don’t think it would end up being an unreasonable ask at that point right? The character roster is rather small and likewise for the stage count although I assume there are more out there. It just doesn’t feel like you get a ton of bang for your buck with this title, especially when Mario Kart is also on the GBA with all of the usual bells and whistles. If you have the Switch Online then you should check this out but otherwise give it a skip.

Overall 6/10

Big Run: The Supreme 4WD Challenge Review

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This one had some really long sub titles in there so I wasn’t sure how deep to in with this one. Either way I have to say that it is a very sub par racing game and one of the worst that I’ve played. This may sound harsh but they went way too far with the realism aspects that come at the expense of the actual fun. When I step into the car I want to feel the wind behind me as I go all out on the speed. I don’t want to be changing tires and things like that. This isn’t supposed to be a real world simulation!

The game starts off with you having to choose a sponsor which was the first red flag. Each sponsor has different amounts of money and starter equipment. For example the cheapest sponsor starts you off with the most spare tires while the most expensive one leaves you to your own devices. After that you can select who you want to hire to be on your crew for pit stops and emergency repairs. You can also go to the shop to buy engines and wheels. You have to balance out all of your cash here and be very economical because you don’t get any more money for the remainder of the game. The game is 9 levels long by the way and a single loss sends you back to the first level.

Another trope I don’t like. Never send me back to the first level. If I lose then I want you to send me back to the start of the level that I lost at, but sending me back to the first level is really overdoing it here. It’s a game that is so difficult, even the access points may not help you much because you will be absolutely stuck once you are out of inventory. I’m also not exactly sure how the pressure system works. It seems like the faster you go, the more you really burn out the tires but at the same time if you go slow then you’re not going to beat out the aggressive timer. The right speed is somewhere in the middle and it’s a very difficult tight rope to walk.

I suppose at the end of the day you really just have to try your best and keep on fighting. I do like the actual gameplay of driving through the roads, but it’s just overwhelmed by these other aspects. Even when I tune that out and just drive, I’m reminded of the system because my car’s engine suddenly gives out and I’m stranded on the road. No matter how quick you send the emergency crew out, you can bet that you will have just lost the race. So you have to make sure to repair really well after each race but I couldn’t figure out how to have enough money left over. The farthest I made it to was level 6 out of 9 and even that took me a lot of tries.

I imagine truly big fans of the inner workings of a car will get a kick out of this but it definitely didn’t do anything for me. I will say that the graphics are pretty good though. Everything is very bright and colorful which is always a positive. The levels may not have a whole lot to them in terms of details but at least while driving the car I can focus on that. There’s not much of a soundtrack but I’ll give it a bit of a pass there. I wasn’t really expecting one. I suppose there is a lot of replay value in trying to beat the game because that will take a long time. Don’t expect that you will be able to just turn this game on and win because that’s not happening.

I also think it would have been better if you could have seen other drivers to add some more competitiveness to this. For the most part it feels more like a time trial game as you try to beat the clock rather than fighting other drivers. So that also starts to miss the mark on why you’re playing a racing game. Sure, there are obstacles like signs and trucks that you can bump into but there are no scores or anything like that. In a way it’s like you’re all isolated here or you’re an illegal driver messing around on the highways.

Overall, Big Run falls into the trap of trying to be too realistic the whole time. The more realistic you get, often times the more you will just end up biting off more than you can chew. Games are fun because you get the end product without having to worry about the stuff in the middle. It’s very rare that I like a game that goes as far into the weeds as this one does. It just feels like a misplaced goal to me, at least that’s the way that I see it. Perhaps I am just missing the appeal here but the driving takes a back seat and in a racing game that is never the way to go. Go and play Need for Speed instead, you won’t miss out by skipping this game.

Overall 4/10

Cobra Triangle Review

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It’s time for one of those old school NES titles. It’s been a little while since I played one of these so that was definitely nostalgic. You have to grant the titles some slack because they’re ancient of course but the NES has delivered some good ones over the years. This one just tries a little too hard to be the next big thing and ultimately doesn’t pull it off. I appreciate the effort though.

Basically there are around 5-6 different gameplay styles in this one. All of them involve you piloting a boat. The main gameplay style is that of a race. You have to drive through the course and make it to the end within a certain amount of time. During the race, other boats will be trying to blast you away so you need to take them down. As long as you drive fast you should be able to win this one. It’s easily the easiest kind of gameplay style in the title. Ironically it is also the final stage where I was stuck at. There are some jumps that are introduced later on and if you don’t have enough speed you will lose. The problem? You need upgrades to get to that level of speed so if you made it to that part of the level without any, then you’re sunk.

Another gameplay style is about defusing bombs. You have to grab a bomb and then push it over to your side of the field like a soccer game. The other boats will try to steal the bomb back and bring it to their side. So you have to really try zigzagging a lot to keep them off your trail. It’s not easy but you’ve definitely got this. As long as you shake a whole lot while driving they usually won’t be able to steal the bomb.

You’ve also got the boss fights which is the toughest ones if you ask me. Each boss has different patterns and touching them at all will cost you serious damage. It’s extremely hard to maneuver the boat without crashing at least a little bit and then usually the vulnerable part of the boss is very small. So you really have to adjust for absolutely everything which doesn’t really leave a whole lot of time to yourself to get things right. This took a whole lot of tries to get right.

Along the way you will also have to dodge more and more traps as the game goes on like whirlpools that spawn out of nowhere and a ton of glaciers that appear from underneath the sea. They really went all out like I said before but sometimes you can just overdo it and this is one of those cases. They should have taken it a little easier on all of this and that would have made things a lot better.

The graphics are pretty good for its time. There is a lot of color here and it is absolutely in better shape than I have seen for other titles. The soundtrack is pretty much nonexistent but the themes that were there weren’t bad. Nothing to write home about. There are 25 levels in the game so that adds up to a reasonable amount of value here. It’s not a game that you would just complete overnight or anything like that after all. Well..I guess if you’re really good at it then you probably could. Technically each level is only about 1-2 minutes long, you can just expect to die a whole lot of times before you get to the end. Particularly if you intend to try and beat the game without rewinding. Me personally? I don’t recommend doing that but if you really love the game then it is definitely a way to make it last longer.

While I prefer to be able to just zoom my way through the levels and pit my speed against some opponents, I know some people like to be able to experience a lot of obstacles and having to get through them. So for those cases, this will probably work out pretty well. It’s certainly different compared to most other racing games, I can tell you that much.

Overall, Cobra Triangle isn’t really a game that I would play again. The main problem is ultimately that it’s just not too fun and of course that is a huge problem to have here. Without the rewinds you’d be dying hundreds of times to the most random RNG-esque obstacles. There is always a whole lot of dodging so you rarely get to actually just drive and have a good time. You want to strike the right balance with a game like this and unfortunately Cobra was not up to the task.

Overall 5/10

Mach Rider Review

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It’s time to bring in the Mach Rider! The gameplay isn’t my favorite but the game deserves some props for actually having a story. That’s a whole lot more than I can say for some games, that’s for sure! It’s not a whole lot of a story of course, it’s mainly a prompt that you get before every level but the main theme here is that aliens have taken over and we have to take them down. It’s what the Mach Rider does!

The story mode is 10 levels long and basically you just have to survive until you get to the end of the level. This may sound easy but the game is actually fairly difficult. Basically you have to drive through a fairly narrow road while dodging any obstacles and pitfalls in your way. You have 4 speed levels, if you stay on 1-2, you will be slower than the CPUs so they will ram into you which causes you to lose. If you go on 3-4 you will stay ahead but will have a really hard time controlling your car. Other times the enemies will come from in front of you so you need to blast them away with your machine gun. It’s definitely a handy weapon to have but you can run out of ammo so be careful how you use it.

With the power of rewind and access points I did good, but this would be a super difficult challenge without it. I can’t imagine that you would have had too much fun at that point because when you lose you go all the way back to the first level again. That’s always a pet peeve of mine in any game. Be as difficult as you want to be but at least restart me on the same level. If you take me too far back then that’s just rough. There are more modes to be played though.

You have endurance where you just drive without any computers around. You have to make it to a certain distance within the time frame and then you win. It’s a pretty interesting way to go about things and I thought it was actually the most fun mode. You really had to be careful here and I made it pretty far even without using any of the Switch features. I always felt like it was mostly luck though that kept me from crashing because I really could not see where I was going at all. The objects were coming in at the speed of light, even the game couldn’t always process them in time.

There were also battle challenges about seeing how many racers you could beat. This is more effort than the average NES title so I appreciated that. The graphics aren’t bad for their time and the music is okay. Alas, at the end of the day gameplay is the King when talking about a game. You need that to be on point and the style wasn’t really something I was super into. For racing games I always like the 3D titles so you know where you are going and can make plans. In a more overhead setting like this, it’s harder to see the object before bumping into it which is my main problem. So no matter how much content the game has, it can only go so far for me as a result.

Overall, Mach Rider is a fun game in super short doses but doesn’t have the staying power for me to call it good. I’m ready to call it quits after 20 minutes which is just way too short. For a game to be good, it needs to be one that can last and ultimately this was just not up to the task. If you have the Switch Online then there is no reason not to check it out but ultimately it will be forgotten in the end. There are just better racing games that you can find around every corner that exceed this one and outplay it at every turn. The concept of the Mach Rider is solid though. Make a modern 3D remake of this game with a big story and there is a lot of potential to be had.

Overall 5/10

FIA European Truck Racing Championship Review

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There comes a time when a game’s enthusiasm for being super detailed and like a simulator starts to work against it. This is definitely one of those times. No matter how many points I may give the title for being realistic, I am taking far more of them away for taking away the game’s ability to be fun. At the end of the day for a video game being entertaining is absolutely king. Without that, there is just nothing left.

The game starts you off with an incredibly detailed tutorial mode. You have to clear this in order to even start racing and unfortunately the tutorial is over 12 levels long and each one is rather difficult. I was not able to complete all of the tutorials in the end so I didn’t even get to the main part of the game. That’s crazyyyy! You could say it’s a skill issue but I’d call it a gaming issue instead tbh. The game should allow you to start rolling right away and if the controls are so detailed that you need over 10 tutorial levels then that is absolutely another issue right there. You just can’t come back from that, it’s not a smart way to set up your game.

The actual gameplay starts off like your classic driving title where you have to drive, brake, and zoom around but here’s where things change. Because you’re playing as a giant truck, when you break, the back half doesn’t slow down at the same speed. So in an ordinary game you would break and then seamlessly turn right. If you try that here then you’re going to go way too far right and the whole thing goes out of balance. Instead you have to go about this very slowly and methodically.

Additionally your brakes can overheat. You have to remember to cool them as you are braking. If you don’t then that’s another problem to deal with. Specifically this was the level that stumped me when I was playing the game. You had to keep your truck’s temperature at just the right amount or you would automatically lose. Doing this while navigating the whole course with a lot of turns ended up being too much. You can’t go off road either or you lose instantly.

There are too many restrictions here. You never get to just race and that’s a shame. The soundtrack is mainly forgettable but the graphics are actually rather good. I do think that the game put some real heart into that part. And of course, while I don’t like the overly advanced realism, fans of the genre will probably love it. So I definitely get that, it’s just that it doesn’t feel right for a game. So if you super love trucks and want to be able to master the craft then this is a good title to check out. For just about any other gamer though, there isn’t any real reason to play this one.

I suppose in a way there is a ton of replay value here since the levels are so hard. After that you can also enter tournaments and rank up and everything. I imagine that getting the Platinum trophy in this game would be incredibly difficult. Definitely not something for the faint of heart that’s for sure. Even if I spent 50+ hours on this game I’m not sure I could pull it off but hey it does give you a tangible objective/prize to shoot for. You just gotta give it your all.

Man, if this game had an arcade style controls option that could have saved the whole thing. At least make it an alternate mode or something where you are just driving. That would have done a world of good and then you still have the advanced controls for everyone else. Perhaps this is just me being a little salted though. So hey I respect what the game was trying to do, it just didn’t end up working out.

Overall, FIA, is definitely not one of the top games. If anything it’s not even one of the mediocre games. This is one of the lowest ranking titles that I’ve played and it’s because the game isn’t fun. When you restrict the gameplay to this extent then you defeat the whole purpose of playing the game. I want to be able to just cut loose and feel the wind passing me by as I style on everyone. That’s the whole point of all this ya know? Instead what happens here is you are stuck behind a bunch of red tape which has no place being in a video game. Definitely give this one a skip as fast as you can.

Overall 3/10

Extreme-G Review

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It’s time for a racing game that was particularly inspired. This game has aged extremely well from the soundtrack to the visuals to the overall gameplay. Every part of the game really went hard and was better than I expected. Definitely a title you will want to check out right away when you boot up the Switch Online again. The game may not have a lot of single player content but the multiplayer is all that you need.

So at its core the main trait for this game is that it’s a futuristic racer kind of like F-Zero. It’s the kind of game where you get to blaze a trail past all of your opponents and go all the way to the goal. The road is fairly narrow so expect a lot of battling until you break away from the pack. You have a machine gun with a ton of ammo but taking down an opponent’s full health bar is extremely tricky. It takes so many hits that it almost feels pointless to use the gun but it’s still fun to have.

There are a number of items in the game though and that’s where it taps into its inner Mario Kart here. You can hit opponents with different kinds of energy blasts, aerial weapons, etc. Turning is the toughest part so half the time I would just absorb the hit and keep on going. Slowing down to do a sharp turn didn’t really feel worth it. Of course I’m sure that there are more optimal ways to play since I just know the basics here. The point is that it’s a lot of fun. The gameplay is very fast and something is always happening. The pacing is extremely good here.

The levels all look good here as well. They are all different while keeping the future aesthetic. Then you have the soundtrack which in particular is a big highlight here. The tunes are all just so good that you are left super impressed. There are very few games on the Nintendo 64 that could hope to hold their own against this one. It’s really ahead of its time. The graphics are also good, perhaps not as impressive as the soundtrack though.

Like I said, there’s not a whole lot of content in single player mode. There’s only 3-4 tournaments to play through there and even in those, some of the levels are recycled. So most of your play time will definitely be in multiplayer mode which is definitely a lot of fun and doesn’t really have any issues. Of course it will help to have someone to play with but there is also an online vs mode thanks to the new online features which is another buff to the game. Everything really went in its favor this time so that definitely turned into the best case scenario.

There’s not a whole lot more to say about the game. It is rather basic after all and that’s part of the charm. I suppose one last tip I will leave you with is to use the boost. It’s a bit deceptive in that you may not even realize that there is a boost feature. You have to tilt the control stick down and then you activate the boost. You can use it 3 times per race and it is a real game changer. You move incredibly fast when using the boost to the point where it’s almost literally game breaking as you fall through walls and deal a ton of damage. It’s pretty fun though I gotta say and that made the game even more enjoyable. I like to spam them at the start to build up a good lead but you can make a good case for saving them for the final lap instead to prevent the computer from doing any rubberbanding.

Overall, Extreme-G is definitely a really fun racing game. It’s basic but the execution is just so good. A lot of modern games could learn from this one’s example. Of course it would be nice to have a true story mode and some other features but when you buy a racing game, the main selling point is the actual racing and there are no issues there. So you really need to play this one as soon as possible and see just why it is so good. It’s definitely a title that deserves some kind of modern comeback.

Overall 7/10

Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls Review

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It’s easy to see why this game never became a household name. I think it’s actually got a fairly interesting premise but the game doesn’t live up to it. The gameplay is way too limited and the platforming part just isn’t too fun. It should have leaned a bit harder into being a full on racing game and that would have worked better. This 50/50 split ultimately ends up limiting the game’s own potential. Still if you have the Switch Online service then you may as well give it a shot.

There are 2 main game modes here, Battle Mode and Grand Prix mode. There is also a training mode and for once I highly recommend that you check it out. It’s not that the controls are necessarily complex but they aren’t always intuitive so you want to know what you are doing first. This is particularly useful because the game can be deceptively difficult. I had an easy time for the first few levels but by level 10 I was starting to be left in the dust. I only won the first tournament by a single point and it was clear that I was going to get smoked in the levels after that.

Basically the race is going upwards rather than towards a goal. For example you need to get to the top floor and you do this by running and then jumping up a level. To fully reach it you have to press another button to grapple onto the ceiling. You can also use this to go down to spring yourself upwards. The physics for this work well but the whole game is super fast paced so you also need fast reaction times. It’s so easy to overshoot your target and run too far. Additionally the enemies are running around too and will try to get in your way. They will actively attack you and do their absolute best to get in your way. They do not hold back. You can use your grapple to slam them to the ground which will stun them for a bit but of course they can do the same to you.

Then the battle mode has the same gameplay but there is no end point. You have to instead hit your opponent 3 times in order to drain away all of his health. Once you have done that then you are all set. It is also a rather difficult mode to get the hang of because you have to time things perfectly since you and your opponent have the same attack range. Whoever lands the blow first will score the point and then you have to repeat that 3 times. I won a lot of times and also lost a lot of times so it was fairly balanced. I probably ended up spending a bit more time in this mode than in the races. It’s slightly more fun but still not thrilling.

The graphics aren’t bad though. It’s clearly not a top tier title by any means but I wouldn’t say it looks cheap either. The development shows the lack of budget more in the actual gameplay I’d say. The soundtrack is also rather good. Not out of this world good or anything like that but definitely good enough to warrant a mention. The technicals weren’t bad but unfortunately when the gameplay doesn’t deliver then the rest doesn’t ultimately matter all that much. Seriously, you need good gameplay to keep someone playing. That is why you pick up the game after all.

There is technically a good amount of content here. You can play through over 10 different grand prixes with several races in them. A lot of the levels do tend to look the same but they do start to get more difficult by covering more of the ground so you can’t jump just anywhere. It means you have to run around to get to your spot. There’s a decent amount of slow time compared to other racing titles which didn’t help this one. Monkey Ball gets around this by keeping a strict time limit on all levels so you have to move really fast. This game could have absolutely learned a few lessons there.

Overall, This is a game that will quickly be forgotten. It’s not that it’s a bad game but it doesn’t really have any hook to it. There’s no reason for me to play this over a traditional racing game like Mario Kart. It doesn’t stand out and there is no story mode to fall back on either. The racing ends up feeling a lot more repetitive due to the gameplay style of just climbing up. I appreciate the creativity here but it’s not enough for me to call this a good game. Ultimately your best bet is to duck this one for now and hope that one day they make a modern remake that really revamps the whole gameplay style.

Overall 5/10

R.C. Pro-Am Review

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It’s time for an old fashioned racing game that’s finally back on the NES titles within the Switch Online. It’s definitely extra nostalgic to be back here but I would not say that this is a game which has aged all that well. There just isn’t a lot to do here at all. The content runs out fast and I wasn’t a big fan of the controls.

Now of course you do have to be a little lenient with how old the game is. I probably would have had a much higher view of the game back in the day but now I’ve played things like M&M Kart Racing. I’m going to be expecting a higher bar of stuff in any game. So for this one, you have 32 tracks where you race in order to be the best. One unique thing here is that you keep going as long as you place in the top 3. The spots above that only matter so much as you get better trophies when you win but you can actually play the whole game as a third place finisher and there will be no issues.

Don’t let that fool you into thinking that the game is easy or anything like that though. Put it this way, the A.I. know that top 3 is what you need and so all of the cars are really racing their hearts out. It’s really hard to stay in front of the pack because the turns are so tricky. Turn too hard and you lose all momentum but if you don’t turn enough then you will crash. It’s incredibly difficult to get the turns just right. On the straight roads you can easily overtake the computers but once the turns get involved, that is really game over.

Now you do have items in this game which can help to even things out. I was passing them by for a while but didn’t actually start using them until later on. I kind of assumed they were boosters or something but there’s actually a good variety like rockets and bombs. The rockets in my opinion are easily the best weapons. You can store up over 30 of them and pepper your opponents. The roads aren’t very wide so it is easy to blast them. In the levels I played they would never use the items back at you but I’m guessing the deeper you go, the more they would start busting these things out. Just a guess of course but it makes sense.

The graphics aren’t bad but the soundtrack isn’t memorable. So really my only issue with the game is the lack of content as the 32 level main mode is the only thing but also the gameplay. I just didn’t think it was really smooth. It’s way too hard to make the turns and since you have to do this numerous times in each level, it felt like you could never go at full speed. That really ends up limiting things in the end.

Overall, This is a car game that won’t be able to hold its own with the big shots. The controls need to be ironed out first and then the rest will come into place. I would still recommend checking it out when you have time just since it’s free with the Switch Online. If nothing else, it will give you a greater appreciation for the modern racing titles. I’ve always considered this to be one of the easiest genres to do well but that really just applies to the modern era and I get how an older title would work a bit differently there.

Overall 4/10