It was a
cold winter night, all the windows shut tight. The lights were down but they
still shone bright. Well, mostly because you had the computer on all the time
while playing this awesome racing pearl.
It was 1989
and racing games took many forms, but off road racing was pretty much fresh.
This game was actually endorsed by off road racer Ivan Steward. I think that’s
a great way to get a game with your name on it - endorsing it. Nevertheless,
despite its simple nature, I have nothing but great things to say about this
game. It’s highly addicting and has a lot of replayability.
Press away the title screen and possible demos that
might resurge, and you’re ready. Ready to choose your birthdate and
nationality. What did you expect? A racing game where you can’t fully personify
yourself and introduce completely useless details about yourself as far as
gameplay is concerned? Nah, I kid. I think it’s a nice touch. That’s all
videogaming is about, actually putting yourself in the shoes of a racer and
still pretending it’s you. Healthy. So, skip forward: you choose your three
lettered name, birthdate, and nationality (from among about 7 or 8 possible
choices). No, you can’t choose Vanuatu. Now, you’re ready to race.
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These
trucks conquer land, water, and fire. A lot more than that, actually.
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You have
the possibility to play up to three players, this, of course, assuming you
don’t mind three people sweating for the win very next to you just mashing the
keyboard away. If you decide to go solo, you’ll have three opponents.
Your
opponent’s AI is a fun happening, to say the least. Supposing you’re playing
solo, the intricacies of other drivers will stun you. For one thing always be
careful not to be too close to them, as it can get messy sometimes, even more
considering the bumps and jumps existent on the tracks which can make racing a dangerously
silly endeavor.
You must be
aware that one of the supposed drivers (the grey car, to be more exact), is
Ivan himself. For some reason, the remaining two opponents would have done
better if they dedicated themselves to other things. Videogaming, for instance.
These are the kind of opponents that you can be making all sorts of bad
planning and mistakes, and you will still be a good few seconds after them. Should
you drive a bit better, you may be able to easily give them one, or two laps in
advance.
Now, Ivan,
is a different story.
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Think
you can beat me and my iron set of wheels? Think again. Several times. |
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In short,
you’ll be racing him. The whole time. You won’t be worrying about
anything else but to beat him and not lose track. While the game is not overly
complex and you should be able to win most races, keep in mind that you have to
keep winning in order to keep playing. So, prepare your nitro button ‘cause you’ll
be needing it. Also, other opponents don’t seem to use nitro, which gives you
clear advantage. A little abuse can go a long way.
You get
money after each race, the which you can also get on track, alongside with
nitro items. With this money you’re able to buy, of course, nitro. But that’s
not all; this game was pioneer in car upgrades, so you can upgrade your engine,
tires, top speed, and shocks. Swell.
You’re able
to proceed from track to track. There’s a decent selection of tracks, although
some of them are just the same tracks reversed with little else added.
Here’s a
short gameplay video to get your engine pumped: