I'm sorry, but it's a terminal case of Farfurgnugen
Written: Sep 24 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Freedom to drive around, decent graphics
Cons: Repetitive, awards bad driving, derivative
|
|
|
| 32_Footsteps's Full Review: Beetle Adventure Racing for Nintendo 64 |
I don't quite know why, but there are a glut of racing games out there for every video game system on the planet. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if someone already released two or three for the X-Box and the system isn't even due out for about another year. Because of this, a fan of racing games really has their choice. Which makes a one trick pony, like Beetle Adventure Racine, look all that much worse.
First, the whole concept - there are apparently a whole bunch of Volkswagen Beetles out there that are apparently all ready to race, and for some reason, everyone thinks this is a good idea. Now, I admit, bugs (as all my friends and I refer to the them) are amusing little cars, and I suppose that they are entertaining to point out as you walk around. But when I think of racing cars, I think of something more powerful - like the cars named after one of Volkswagen's founders, Dr. Porsche. Heck, even as far as Volkswagen cars go, I think the Golf is a little more equipped to race than a humble bug.
But enough of the once and future Rabbit, we're driving punch buggies here. This game has the modes you're all used to by now. You've got timed race, race series, and two player competition. Of course, you're racing against, well, other Beetle drivers. The main race is much what you expect, with the ability to unlock more courses and more cars. In fact, this racing takes the exact same formula used by every single racing game since Pole Position and hands it back to you, with bugs in front of you.
This wouldn't be terrible except for the fact that the game play itself is uninspired. The control is horribly off. You drift regularly after turns, and you find yourself constantly correcting your turns and trying to figure out if you will ever get on track. Is this frustrating? Beyond frustration and somewhere into "destroy your controller in response." This is hardly fun.
However, if you set the game on 'Easy,' this total lack of control won't bother you at all. The game really means what difficulty levels say. Easy is almost worthy of slumber. Hard is 'convincing mom to give you an allowance raise is easier' hard. Well, I suppose there is truth in advertising at least. It also means that there is something for all skill levels here.
Of course, fans of racing games like one thing more than anything else - variety. People sit and play Gran Turismo 2 for hours for several reasons, but one of them is the sheer number of options available to you. What do you have here? Beetles. Beetles. Did I mention the Volkswagen Beetle? Yep, you just get punch buggies. To make things 'interesting,' you determine how good your car is at certain things (speed, acceleration, and handling) by your color. In addition, you can also get special bugs that are the colors and designs of some of the ads - like the LadyBug. But still, nothing but Beetles? I feel like I'm trapped in the first stage of Rad Racer, like some sort of gamer's Purgatory for not beating Super Mario Bros. without warps. Theme driving games, like this, get tired quickly.
One problem is that the special bugs and options you can find aren't due to good racing - you just have to drive through crates hidden throughout the levels. Perfect - so I have to drive like a lunatic to find these things? So they reward bad driving more than good driving. This is not what I would call a good racing game. Maybe a good way to lose your license.
On the other hand, the game does let you experiment with levels alot. You can cut through nearly anything in levels - jump off bridges, drive through buildings, whatever you think might work. Sometimes, you encounter interesting things - I've found crashed UFO's. Other times, you just find shortcuts. But still, this is just too random to rely on. For a similar experience, you can play Mario Kart 64 in Yoshi's race.
The graphics are fairly solid. But how could they not - they just pallet swapped the only moving character in the game multiple times. It's the Mortal Kombat of racing games. But the backgrounds are fairly nice, and you get environment interference sometimes - good ol' fog and snow.
Which reminds me, the environment doesn't come into play enough. I mean, when it's snowing, I want to have a harder time controlling my car. When there is lava nearby, I want my tires melting out from under me. The environment should be more than wallpaper in a racing game - it's almost as important as your car. Ignoring it makes it feel too generic.
Beetle Adventure Racing comes off as poor advertising for Volkswagen. In terms of wacky racing, Mario Kart 64 is better. In terms of serious driving, Gran Turismo (pick your version) is better. In terms of corporate advertising, the old "7-Up Spot" games were better. And in terms of Volkswagen automobiles, the old Beetle (still in production in Mexico) is better. Play it if you're hard up on everything VW, but otherwise, find another racing game to suit your driving fancy.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
32_Footsteps
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Rick Healey
Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 234
Trusted by: 278 members
About Me:
Back from E3 - tiring, but worth it.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.