Beetle Adventure Racing

Summary

Genre: Racing
Number of players: 1-4
Rumble Pak: No
Controller Pak: Yes
Expansion Pak: Not used

Review

Beetle Adventure Racing is a racing game which has a fair few differences which make it stand out from the rather large crowd of N64 racers. As the intuitive among you may have guessed, the vehicles you drive in this game are all VW Beetles, and the racing is like an adventure. It's nice to have such a descriptive title.


Gameplay: Beetle Adventure Racing contains a few different modes. There is the standard championship mode, where your aim is to finish first overall across a series of races; the time trial mode, where you try to beat your best times on any unlocked track; single races, for one or two players; and a four-player 'Beetle Battle' multiplayer mode.

The first thing that strikes you about BAR is that, although there are only six tracks to race on, of which two are available when you first begin the game, each track is absolutely huge. And I mean huge. A single lap can take longer to complete than a whole race in other racing games. Adding to the depth and enjoyment that this size provides is the fact that each track contains a large number of possible routes to take, many of which are cunningly hidden. Smash through an ice wall, fling yourself off a bridge, blast up a ramp, and you're likely to find yourself on one of these secret routes, which could provide you with a big shortcut, an easier path, or just some impressive scenery and a feeling of satisfaction.

The racing itself is enjoyable, and provides a nice compromise between realism and arcade-style action. The cars handle more like real cars than you see in some other racers, although sometimes they feel a little awkward and stiff to turn, but they fly into the air after hitting a ramp or bump in the road most impressively, and without any damage even after falling several hundred metres! Driving head-on into a wall, though, tends to destroy the car, whereupon it will be replaced on the the track a few moments later. Players who want more control can set the car's transmission to 'manual', which takes a little getting used to, but provides an advantage in many tight spaces. Overall, though, the emphasis is a bit more on far-fetched stunts and arcade experiences than on control and handling depth, which is no bad thing.

There are a lot of nice touches to the game, and the sheer amount of destructible matter - from crates and signposts to phone booths and shopfronts - provides much satisfaction. The speed of the game is also good, being very fast in places, yet usually keeping you in control during these sections. Overall, it's well put-together, and the courses are as well-designed as they are large.


Challenge: Despite the low number of tracks, the game's challenge is still considerable. As mentioned, the tracks are gigantic, and hold many different routes, and the designers made good use of this with a clever 'bonus points' system. In the championship mode, a number of crates are placed around each track, worth two, five or ten bonus points. Collecting fifty points' worth on one track nets you a continue, while managing to amass all 100 points on a single track unlocks a multiplayer arena. This system is great in that it encourages you to explore all of a track's routes rather than sticking to one simple path, and some of the crates are well-hidden. Opening up all the arenas will thus take quite a long time!

There are four championship modes, each successive mode adding another track to race and increasing the skill and speed of the computer opponents. Winning a championship unlocks extra Beetles, as well as extra courses for time trial and versus modes. It's no pushover to win the harder-level championships, and you should be kept busy for a fair while.

All-in-all, BAR is a pretty challenging game, with a fair bit to do and see before you get tired of it.


Graphics: The graphics are very good indeed. Everything looks solid and real, and there is an impressively detailed, colourful and varied design on each track. The cars all look great, and everything looks totally appropriate and fitting. In addition, there are a huge number of cute graphical touches that make the scenery stand out, such as the huge and angry T-Rex that attacks you on the 'Inferno Isle' stage, and the (literally) drive-through cinema on the 'Metro Madness' level. Everything graphical in this game is done well, and really adds to the experience.


Sounds: Sounds is the one area where BAR falls a bit short. The background music for each track is really very bland and dull, as well as being repetitive, and, while not being infuriating, should really have been improved on. The vehicle sounds are alright, although sometimes the engine noise is set at such a frequency that makes your ears resonate almost painfully. That's not to say that the game's sound is all bad, and the crashes, smashes, thuds and roars are done well - but there are many aural aspects of the game that are far from perfect.


Multiplayer: The two-player race mode is very enjoyable, and although all destructible matter is removed, the emphasis on skilful racing and shortcut taking is still evident, providing some intense and heated competition. There is no combat between racers, as in Mario Kart or F-Zero, but there is still the opportunity for the racers to shove each other off a bridge or onto a more dangerous route. A handicap system is in place to keep the races close over the huge laps, although this can be altered if you unlock the 'handicap' cheat, and as a result a comfortable lead is seldomly obtained. It's a lot of fun, just as much so as one-player.

The Beetle Battle, for two to four players, is a totally different style of play, but just as fun. In this mode, players compete to collect six coloured bugs from around the arenas before making their way to the 'exit' first. Various weapons can be collected and used on the other players, from rockets, boosts and mines to a nifty weapon that messes up the player's screen. If you die, you lose one of the bugs you've collected, so combat is very much a part of the game. It's a lot of fun, although perhaps a tad lightweight - but it can be highly enjoyable, particularly with a lot of people playing.


Summing up: Overall, a great racing game, with massive tracks, fast and furious gameplay, and some fun multiplayer games, Beetle Adventure Racing really doesn't have a lot wrong with it. The small number of tracks and the poor soundtrack are the only problems, but ultimately don't severely detract from a solid and enjoyable game, which racing fans will get a lot out of.


Gamesmark: 89%


Reviewer: Maverik