Hi all.
With a nonsensical name like that, I wasn't expecting anything much out of this one. Once discovering that it was published by Titus, the same nefarious company infamous for releasing contenders for "best worst game ever" such as Superman 64 and Carmageddon, I dropped the cartridge in shock and horror. However, I'm on a mission. Mustering up as much determination as I could, I picked it up and popped it into the Nintendo 64's cartridge slot, with sour memories of Carmageddon now flooding back.
Compared to what I've seen of this company's track record, this game is actually their best one they've released. This, of course, doesn't mean it's actually a good game, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.
Starting it up, I hopped into the Arcade Mode. When experimenting with the controls, I performed one too many handbrake maneuvers spinning around the track everywhere, and ended up running out of time that I didn't even notice was counting down. The steering feels somewhat jerky when jamming the stick full-on left or right, but it didn't take long to adjust to the game's analogue control. As is typical of any Titus game, the button layout was designed by either somebody who has never played a game, or simply hates all gamers. Accelerate was placed on the "A" button, which makes it impossible to press other buttons besides "B" with the thumb. The C-buttons have useful functions like a rear-view camera and the handbrake, but they must be pressed by the index finger if the thumb is to remain on the accelerator. This problem could have been easily solved by placing the gas on the "Z" button, leaving the thumb free to press all face buttons.
There are two levels of difficulty, "Novice" and "Expect," so people of intermediate skill have a little decision to make. This discriminates against intermediate players, which is kind of ironic as they're usually the ones who always have a difficulty setting just for them. Strangely enough, I couldn't manage to place 1st on the first track, but it was pretty easy to do so on every other track. I guess the first track is just too simple, so it requires a perfect run to have a chance.
There are two models of Lamborghini available at the start with three colours each, and a few additional high-class cars, like a Porsche and Ferrari, can be unlocked by winning the two main game modes. There are only six tracks in the game, most of which take less than a minute per lap. I played all six in the Championship mode, though I reduced the default number of laps from 6 to 3. That number of laps seems like a bit much, though it does make taking a pit stop necessary. Although, when the tires become worn, I actually didn't notice a difference...
Automobili Lamborghini is nowhere near as exotic as its titular car. There isn't anything broken about it, but there also isn't anything special or interesting about it to keep me entertained for long. It's just straight up speed, and I've always found that boring.
Score: 5/10
This completes all "A" games! Next up is Banjo-Kazooie, which I can tell you now is going to receive a higher score than any game so far.
-Mop_it_up
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Asteroids Hyper 64
This is one I've not played before. In fact, I have never played the arcade original, either. This game seems to be largely the same game with a graphical overhaul. There's a tiny ship with a bunch of asteroids flying around, and your goal is to shoot them all just for the lolz. The screen is fixed and never scrolls, and flying past one side of the screen will have you appear on the opposite side.
The dark, three-dimensional backgrounds can actually be a bit of a hindrance, as it is sometimes difficult to see the smaller asteroids. There is no music in the game, so you're left listening to the "pew" sound of your gun and the explosions of asteroids. This game is BYOS (bring your own soundtrack).
There are four ships to choose from which have different abilities, such as movement speed and firepower. The game works in levels, where you will move on to the next level after you've destroyed all of the asteroids. I'm not sure if the original worked that way or if it was continuous. Looks like it is possible to save your game, but I think that's just for high scores and not for completed levels. I didn't feel like popping in a Controller Pak to find out.
Anyone who liked the original Asteroids or arcade games in general would probably get a kick out of this game. That isn't me, though.
Score: 4/10
-Mop_it_up
The dark, three-dimensional backgrounds can actually be a bit of a hindrance, as it is sometimes difficult to see the smaller asteroids. There is no music in the game, so you're left listening to the "pew" sound of your gun and the explosions of asteroids. This game is BYOS (bring your own soundtrack).
There are four ships to choose from which have different abilities, such as movement speed and firepower. The game works in levels, where you will move on to the next level after you've destroyed all of the asteroids. I'm not sure if the original worked that way or if it was continuous. Looks like it is possible to save your game, but I think that's just for high scores and not for completed levels. I didn't feel like popping in a Controller Pak to find out.
Anyone who liked the original Asteroids or arcade games in general would probably get a kick out of this game. That isn't me, though.
Score: 4/10
-Mop_it_up
Friday, February 19, 2010
Army Men Sarge's Heroes 2
As the title mentions, this is a third-person shooting game featuring little toy army men. Since all of the characters are plastic, you can expect the game to be free of blood and gore; anyone feeling a little bloodthirsty would be let down by that! The story involves a war between the "good" forces of the Green Army and the "evil" forces --
What's that? I'm copying what I wrote for the first game? Well, true. Hey, I figured if this game can recycle material, then so can I!
This game is basically a level pack for Army Men Sarge's Heroes, as the gameplay and controls are exactly the same. There are no new weapons, and all of the control issues are still present. Strangely enough, they switched around a few of the button functions, making the fire button "A" and the strafe button "Z" among other things. That's a great way to fix controls, just rearrange them! Most of the levels have new graphical work, but all of the sound effects are recycled. The same voice samples are used for both Sarge and the enemies, which really goes to show you the care and detail the developers put into this game. Wait, no, I meant, it really shows you why 3DO went out of business.
I hadn't beaten this game before, so I decided to sit down and complete it this time around. It took about three hours, so it is still a short game. There are a few missions where you play as Vikki, the colonel's daughter (w00t?), which might be interesting if she had either a different movement style, or different weapons. Something to make the change of character worthwhile.
With the brevity of the first game, then this one is worth having if you wanted more. For anyone who didn't like the first game, there is nothing here which will change their mind.
Score: 6/10
-Mop_it_up
What's that? I'm copying what I wrote for the first game? Well, true. Hey, I figured if this game can recycle material, then so can I!
This game is basically a level pack for Army Men Sarge's Heroes, as the gameplay and controls are exactly the same. There are no new weapons, and all of the control issues are still present. Strangely enough, they switched around a few of the button functions, making the fire button "A" and the strafe button "Z" among other things. That's a great way to fix controls, just rearrange them! Most of the levels have new graphical work, but all of the sound effects are recycled. The same voice samples are used for both Sarge and the enemies, which really goes to show you the care and detail the developers put into this game. Wait, no, I meant, it really shows you why 3DO went out of business.
I hadn't beaten this game before, so I decided to sit down and complete it this time around. It took about three hours, so it is still a short game. There are a few missions where you play as Vikki, the colonel's daughter (w00t?), which might be interesting if she had either a different movement style, or different weapons. Something to make the change of character worthwhile.
With the brevity of the first game, then this one is worth having if you wanted more. For anyone who didn't like the first game, there is nothing here which will change their mind.
Score: 6/10
-Mop_it_up
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Army Men Sarge's Heroes
Hi all!
Now this game brings me back. A childhood friend of mine bought this game when it was available in stores, and he loved it. I wasn't really into it myself, but I still played the multiplayer with him and his brother, because they refused to play anything else if I didn't.
As the title mentions, this is a third-person shooting game featuring little toy army men. Since all of the characters are plastic, you can expect the game to be free of blood and gore; anyone feeling a little bloodthirsty would be let down by that! The story involves a war between the "good" forces of the Green Army and the "evil" forces of the Tan Army. It is never explained why the two colours of toys are battling, but wondering such a thing may be overthinking the simplistic story. The toys live in their own universe and discover a portal to a strange world ("the real world"), and the Tan Army have taken powerful weapons from it which they are using against the Green Army.
The levels of the game are about split evenly between the Army Men universe and the real world. The stages of the real world are far more interesting and creative, as the tiny men battle in the kitchen fridge, on living room couches, and even in a bathtub. There is quite a bit of detail to these areas, which gives a real feeling of battling in a huge house. The levels of the Army Men universe are kind of dull by comparison, as they are very much like generic real-world environments such as a boot camp, small village, and a forest. It would have been preferred if the game took place entirely within the oversized real world.
The controls have a couple of problems which make them hinder the game. Instead of mapping strafe to something like C-left and C-right, there is a strafe button that, when held, makes left and right on the analogue stick become strafing. The problem with this is that it doesn't allowing turning whilst strafing, which can make certain combat situations more difficult than they need to be. There is no way to look up or down on the fly. If there is an enemy above or below you, there are two options: stand still and hold the "R" button to aim, or hope that the auto-aim kicks in.
Army Men Sarge's Heroes is a creative concept, but it has some control issues that really bog it down. It's also rather short, with a campaign that can be completed in a few hours. Still, with few third-person shooters to choose from on the Nintendo 64, this one is worth a look.
Score: 6/10
-Mop_it_up
Now this game brings me back. A childhood friend of mine bought this game when it was available in stores, and he loved it. I wasn't really into it myself, but I still played the multiplayer with him and his brother, because they refused to play anything else if I didn't.
As the title mentions, this is a third-person shooting game featuring little toy army men. Since all of the characters are plastic, you can expect the game to be free of blood and gore; anyone feeling a little bloodthirsty would be let down by that! The story involves a war between the "good" forces of the Green Army and the "evil" forces of the Tan Army. It is never explained why the two colours of toys are battling, but wondering such a thing may be overthinking the simplistic story. The toys live in their own universe and discover a portal to a strange world ("the real world"), and the Tan Army have taken powerful weapons from it which they are using against the Green Army.
The levels of the game are about split evenly between the Army Men universe and the real world. The stages of the real world are far more interesting and creative, as the tiny men battle in the kitchen fridge, on living room couches, and even in a bathtub. There is quite a bit of detail to these areas, which gives a real feeling of battling in a huge house. The levels of the Army Men universe are kind of dull by comparison, as they are very much like generic real-world environments such as a boot camp, small village, and a forest. It would have been preferred if the game took place entirely within the oversized real world.
The controls have a couple of problems which make them hinder the game. Instead of mapping strafe to something like C-left and C-right, there is a strafe button that, when held, makes left and right on the analogue stick become strafing. The problem with this is that it doesn't allowing turning whilst strafing, which can make certain combat situations more difficult than they need to be. There is no way to look up or down on the fly. If there is an enemy above or below you, there are two options: stand still and hold the "R" button to aim, or hope that the auto-aim kicks in.
Army Men Sarge's Heroes is a creative concept, but it has some control issues that really bog it down. It's also rather short, with a campaign that can be completed in a few hours. Still, with few third-person shooters to choose from on the Nintendo 64, this one is worth a look.
Score: 6/10
-Mop_it_up
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