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Post by Sarge on Jul 2, 2021 18:23:30 GMT -5
I sampled some stuff myself, but it was all Game Boy games.
F-1 Race is Nintendo's Game Boy entry into the Pole Position-like field. It's pretty decent for what it is, especially considering how early it was in the system's lifespan. It was slightly choppier than expected (not bad, though), and tougher than expected, too, as I placed second twice on just the second track. I gotta find a better strategy, I guess.
Super R.C. Pro-Am isn't on SNES, despite what the title would have you believe, and it's a competent version of the NES game, although it does feel slower than the NES game as well. I'm sure it felt a lot faster on that blurry GB screen, though!
Wave Race is an overhead jet ski racer. Solid for what it is, although I managed to not proceed to the next circuit (came up shy on points despite ranking first overall), and stopped playing there.
Super Off-Road is a pretty miserable port of the arcade/NES/SNES games. I didn't like how it handled at all. I really like the NES/SNES versions, so it's pretty disappointing to see how short this one comes up.
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Post by Ex on Jul 3, 2021 0:49:11 GMT -5
Title: Konami Krazy RacersPlatform: Game Boy Advance Region release played: USA Year of release: 2001 Developer: KCEK Publisher: Konami Graphics: 3/5 Audio: 4/5 Challenge: 3/5 Fun factor: 4/5 Quick Thoughts: A lot of kart racers tried to capture the fun of Mario Kart, and most failed miserably. Konami Krazy Racers manages to come awful close though. It's not a complete rip-off, there's a few unique ideas, but it's by and large a Mario Kart wannabe. That's okay, because KKR is charming and entertaining, and houses lots of Konami characters. Now take a moment to think about why this game wasn't called Konami Krazy Karts. +It's like Mario Kart but with Konami characters. +Colorful graphics and peppy music. +Controls, physics, and steering are all solid. +Unique item identifiers for attack or speed pick-ups. +No rubber band AI! -Not as many tracks as you'd expect for four cups. -All the characters have the same stats apparently. -I wish I could shoot rockets backwards if I wanted. -GBA's limited resolution obscures important track details occasionally. -The final cup's final track is disingenuous BS (where's the offense pick-ups?!). Ex's time to beat: 1 hour 35 minutes Ex's rating: 8/10
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Post by Ex on Jul 4, 2021 22:31:29 GMT -5
Title: Battle CarsPlatform: SNES Region release played: USA Year of release: 1993 Developer: Malibu Interactive Publisher: Namco Graphics: 3/5 Audio: 4/5 Challenge: 4/5 Fun factor: 3/5 Quick Thoughts: If you mixed F-Zero with Mad Max, you'd get something not entirely unlike Battle Cars. This is a very fast Mode-7 style racer, with weapons, post-apocalyptic settings, and danger at every turn. The challenge is high, because even the dweeb enemies are highly aggressive, and none of the bosses are a joke. You'll need to upgrade your car intelligently, drive extremely fast and offensively, and use all your special moves tactically in order to survive 18 stages of furious mayhem. Battle Cars isn't the most polished racer on SNES, but it's got the baddest attitude outta all of 'em. +Freakin' fast and freakin' hard! +Great thrashy OST sets the mood perfecto. +Interesting maneuvers like side-smashes and instant reverse driving (RTM!). +Shop system makes upgrading your car and weapons possible. +Infinite continues (which you'll need). -Definitely rough around the edges and bare bones. -Insane track design guarantees smashing around like a pinball unavoidably sometimes. -Wish you could convert weapon upgrade credits into car upgrade cash. -Those damned UFOs on the New Atlantis cross country track. -There really needed to be a password system or battery backup save.
Ex's time to beat: 3 hours 25 minutes (total time invested to legit beat on Normal) Ex's rating: 7/10
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Post by Sarge on Jul 4, 2021 23:11:58 GMT -5
I always thought Battle Cars looked great in Nintendo Power. Good to know it's solid.
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Post by Ex on Jul 5, 2021 12:04:13 GMT -5
Battle Cars is a solid Mode-7 racer for sure. I'd put in the top 3 on SNES/SFC. F-Zero is #1, Super Mario Kart is #2, and yeah Battle Cars would be #3. Unfortunately Uchuu Race: Astro Go! Go! doesn't play anywhere near as nice as it looks, and Street Racer's tracks are just too small (though it offers 4-player simultaneous multiplayer). Beyond those, I've tried every other Mode-7 racer on SNES/SFC, and none of the others are of decent enough quality to be worth mentioning. I'll likely do an F-Zero run this month though, as it's my all time favorite racing game, and it's been a good many years since I last played through the entire game. Beyond that, there's some polygonal racers I plan to delve into as well.
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Post by Xeogred on Jul 5, 2021 12:37:02 GMT -5
What exactly are those backgrounds in these kind of games? I mean it's probably just one image texture, but is it some effect? I adore that look.
Makes me think of Sonic CD's special stage backgrounds:
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Post by Sarge on Jul 5, 2021 13:01:04 GMT -5
There's a PSX/PC version of Street Racer, so I wonder if they made significant changes there or not?
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Post by Ex on Jul 5, 2021 13:33:41 GMT -5
What exactly are those backgrounds in these kind of games? It's a static background image, wherein the skewed Mode-7 image is overlaid. Although the backgrounds in Battle Cars were sometimes animated, using what appeared to be palette shifting. My favorite backgrounds like that are in F-Zero. Epecially this one: The sunset behind the alien looking mountains, and the creepy skull formation, very much gives the course an other-worldly feel. Yeah I'm overdue for an F-Zero run. It's one of those rare games I consider "infinitely replayable".
There's a PSX/PC version of Street Racer, so I wonder if they made significant changes there or not? I didn't remember the PS1 version. No idea as to the changes. Hopefully the courses are longer in that version.
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Post by Xeogred on Jul 5, 2021 14:52:15 GMT -5
F-Zero really is a thing of beauty, still one of the best SNES OST's too. It still surprises me Nintendo made it... that series just never seemed very Nintendo-like to me in a way haha. They seem allergic to sci-fi outside of F-Zero and Metroid.
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Post by Ex on Jul 5, 2021 14:59:20 GMT -5
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