MindScape has finally released the sequel to the
classic adventure cyberpunk racing game,
Megarace. Doesn't ring a bell? Well, you race along a set
pathway, sort of like a roller
coaster, but you can maneuver quite a bit in that little place -
it's racing after all.
GRAPHICS are cool - a lot sharper than the
original. Any gamer should be impressed by this -
though one should not expect to see something out of Babylon 5.
The demo contained the track
of Tibet - an interesting concept, though there is really nothing
much that stands out and
shouts "Tibet!!!" in a very loud voice. Could easily
have been Japan or Taiwan. The graphics
were made to impress, and I must say I have been. Beautifully
integrated to give a feeling of
speed. One thing I did not see, however, was a variable
viewpoint. Slipstream 5000 offers the
same gameplay with a customizable viewpoint, if with less
sharpness to the graphics.
SOUND: The soundtrack is done nicely - not
irritating to the ears and it fits really well with
the action, though it doesn't have an intelligent musical score.
Screeching tires sound very
real.
GAMEPLAY: do remember that this is a
roller-coaster sort of thing, not unlike Rebel Assault -
there is no real free movement. It's basically only the illusion
of movement because of the
changing scenery, but I must say it is very well done. So if
you're looking for a blast, if
short, this is good.
ALTERNATIVELY, if you're a fan of pure racing,
stick with NASCAR. Fans of stock car racing
with huge amounts of oomph should go with Demolition Derby. If
you're into the roller coaster
thing, Rebel Assault II will probably offer more atmosphere.
People looking for a sort of
roller-coaster game but with more freedom of movement should try
Slipstream 5000. Or complete
freedom of movement, Terminal Velocity - but that's not a racing
game. Still worth a look
though.
THE BOTTOM LINE - if you want a cross between
Demolition Derby minus pure impact (the cars
don't crash as nice here), Rebel Assault minus the storyline and
Slipstream 5000 minus the
viewpoints, you'll love this.
(takes a horrendously long
time)
(no hint of even an address anywhere. If
MindScape wasn't so well known....)
