Hey, Beetles Make Great Racecars!
Written: Aug 02 '00 (Updated Jan 08 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 6 Huge tracks, very challenging, lots of hidden goodies
Cons: Needs a couple of more tracks, music should be more involving
The Bottom Line: Beetle Adventure Racing is fun.
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| Horhay's Full Review: Beetle Adventure Racing for Nintendo 64 |
Intro:
Welcome to a world where Volkswagen Beetles rule the raceways. Okay so it may not be Mario Kart or Diddy Kong Racing, but hey that’s a good thing. Beetle Adventure Racing surely represents its title nicely; it’s one big adventure packed with lots of surprises, thrills, and of course spills.
Gameplay:
The opening intro pretty much demonstrates the wackiness and excitement that BAR brings. The championship mode is the place where you’ll spend hours driving your bug, but there’s also a two-player competition and multiplayer battle. The championship mode starts you off on novice, and the first round of racing offers three cars to choose from. The driver who has the most accumulated points in each circuit win the event, points vary depending on what place you get. So after you know the basic rules it's time to start racing.
In all there are 8 racers (including yourself) and three laps per track. Competition is usually stiff and close races are always expected. The tracks themselves are enormous and fully exploring every inch is where the real fun comes into play. Hidden throughout each track are dozens of shortcuts and secret areas, and in a way there’s no straightforward path to each race. Flying off a bridge and discovering a cave with a UFO, accidentally crashing into a glass window that leads to a hotel hallway, and driving through an abandon castle that is haunted, are just some of the outrageous stuff you’ll find buried away in BAR.
The speed of the cars seems slow compared to other true racing games, but further in the game you’ll gain access to speedier bugs. As a result to slow cars, races seem to drag on forever, sometimes up to 10 minutes. This is not the cars fault though; keep in mind that the tracks are HUGE. Most cars handle well, and there’s usually a car that fits your driving style. Violent drivers may be disappointed to learn that there are no power-ups that can damage other opponents.
The two-player split screen racing is really fun, while the multiplayer battle mode offers lots of shooting and chasing. The multiplayer mode is just like any typical death match mode. You run around levels picking up weapons or bizarre power-ups and try to kill your opponents. The arenas are small in size, and in order to unlock others you must collect 100 points (by hitting boxes on the tracks) in the 1-player championship mode.
Graphics:
It’s not going to wow you but hey it still looks great. The newly designed Beetles of the nineties are used as the car models, and they closely mimic the real thing. Track design is amazing, and shortcuts further increase the game’s style. I couldn't really find any major flaws with the graphics; only thing that comes to mind is that there should have been a couple of more tracks (but that comment should be with the gameplay).
The little things are what make BAR special. Surprises and sometimes disasters are hidden around every corner. In one level you’re driving through a small dirt road with electric fences on both sides. At first it seems calm, until an enormous T-Rex pops its head out of the trees and makes an unwelcoming roar toward you. Even though it’s supposed to scare the gamer, I really had a good laugh.
Sound:
It’s a N64 racing game where I could actually stand the music and sound effects. The music is repetitive, usually the same beats played over and over, but I was able to bear with it. The little commentator guy sounds great and spices the game up a bit. Sound effects are incorporated nicely through the tracks, and fit perfectly with environments. The shattering of ice crystals in a dark frosty cave, the bubbling of hot molten lava, or the soothing sound of waterfalls, all account for some great sound effects.
Overall:
My first impression when I played this game wasn’t so good, I felt the game needed more speed and other elements that would increase the danger level in this game, boy was I wrong. After really settling down with BAR I started to grasp the concept of what it was trying to do. Beetle Adventure Racing appears like an average Kart racer, but take a closer look and you’ll discover a challenging racing adventure with lots of twists and turns along the way.
Recommended:
Yes
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Horhay
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Member: Jorge Vazquez
Location: San Francisco, CA
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