Game: Road&Track Presents: The Need For Speed
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: EA Canada
Release Date: 20th March 1996
The first of many Need for Speed titles, this Playstation game lacks a lot of the features which we take for granted in modern instalments. With a choice of 8 main cars (and 1 unlockable bonus car), 7 tracks to race on (4 closed circuits and 3 point-to-point tracks), and 4 game modes (Time Trial, Head to Head, Single Race and Tournament), there's enough choice to keep players amused for a short while, despite the lack of real depth.
The handling of the vehicles in the game doesn't differ much from car to car, it seems quite grippy for the speeds the cars are apparently going, but cornering requires an exact amount of braking to avoid hitting the edge of the course or slowing down too much. Doing either of these things will allow the AI to overtake players as they seem to be able to take each corner without having to slow down at all. My best finish in an 8 car race was 3rd, and even getting that was quite difficult.
The default controls are set so that the square button controls acceleration and the X button controls braking. Luckily you can change this to "configuration B" which is how every other racing game ever has the buttons. Another strange feature of the game is that upon starting the race, players have to change into first gear, from neutral, before being able to accelerate. While this is realistic, there's no purpose to it, and it only serves as another obstacle to players before getting to the true racing experience.
The 4 game modes featured are pretty similar to one another on closer inspection. Time Trial allows you to race on tracks alone, for the best laptime, Head-to-Head pits you against another car around the tracks, Single Race pits you against 7 other cars around any chosen track, and Tournament pits you against 7 other cars around a selection of tracks. Personally the most fun I had was in Time Trial mode, playing the point to point stages, which have some nice scenery.
Graphically the game isn't too much above the level of late SNES or Mega Drive games, but does look a little better if you don't concentrate on individual features. The cars themselves look rather blocky and not too much like what they're supposed to be, although with just 8 to choose from this isn't too much of a concern. The music which accompanies racing is a choice of either rock, or techno. Rock tends to be a fairly heavy imagining of the genre, and techno is bearable. Neither seem as if they belong in the game, though.
Overall The Need for Speed is a shaky start to the franchise's journey as a best-selling series. There are a few good ideas here and there, such as cops in the head to head mode (though they're poorly executed), and point-to-point tracks, but the flaws outweigh these and give the game a shallow feel, with no real choice of cars, tracks or game modes. A few hours on the game, and you'll have seen all of its sights.
Rating: 53/100
Grade: D
Game: Ridge Racer: Type 4
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 1st May 1999
The fourth Ridge Racer release for Playstation, Type 4 continues in the arcade racing style of previous instalments, adding better graphics with Gouraud shading, story based elements in Grand Prix mode, and more car customisation. For those unfamiliar with the Ridge Racer series, Grand Prix races start players at the back of a grid of cars (8 in this game), and expect them to have made their way through to a certain position by the end of a set number of laps.
At the beginning of Grand Prix mode, you're asked to pick a team to race for (each one has a different story which is told as the races progress), and the make of car you'd like the team to use (this only affects the handling of the car). There are then 2 races in which the player must finish at least 3rd, 2 where the player must finish at least 2nd and a win is necessary in the final 4 races. Faster cars are awarded by the team periodically to help players, although all of the AI cars also get upgraded, so it's not too much of an advantage.
While the player does have a choice as to how their car handles, all of the available options can easily be mastered, and feel responsive. Some cars drift more easily than others which can help players maintain their speed through corners, and others grip the road well and don't easily allow drifting. Depending on finishing positions, different cars are unlocked as an upgrade, giving the game replayability for those interested in unlocking every car. The problem with this is that not only are there 80 car types to unlock, but each car has 4 colour designs to unlock, meaning that the minimum number of times you'd have to complete Grand Prix mode to unlock everything would be 28.
While there aren't a great deal of other modes in Ridge Racer Type 4, the standard 2 Player and Time Trial modes are present, as well as an Extra Trial race, which is difficult to beat, but rewards the player with a prize car. The Design mode is hard to use and doesn't seem to have all that many options. Players can draw their own decals using a drawing tool, but it's hard to input precisely what you want with only a d-pad and analog stick as drawing tools.
Graphically the game is very impressive for an original Playstation title, the first in the series to feature a more complex method of polygon shading, pushing the hardware to output some of the best visuals on the console for a racing game. The music which accompanies racing has a 90s throwback feel to it, and may not be to some people's tastes. Personally I think it embodies the spirit of this type of arcade racer and fits well with the action.
Overall for a game with just 3 modes, 8 tracks and far too many similar cars to even consider unlocking, Ridge Racer Type 4 is a lot of fun. Grand Prix mode is highly recommended, and trying different teams and car combinations can give some replayability to the game also. While it's not as comprehensive as Grand Turismo on the Playstation, it has an arcade fun factor which is pretty much unrivalled on the console.
Rating: 75/100
Grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment