I feel like it’s 1996 all
over again. Here I am, sitting in my room, playing a racing game that was
developed for Nintendo 64. The graphics are as satisfying to the eye as a Game
Boy Advance game. Vehicle steering is handled with the thumbstick, but somehow
it’s not as smooth or as precise as the Nintendo-made racers that preceded it.
Courses are mostly oval, some having more twists and turns than others, but
overall the feeling is relatively the same; constantly moving in circles, rarely
feeling like you’re cruising a video game race course. Graphics are unusually
bland, with cheesy fade-in effects that make it impossible for the player to see
distant objects. This also helps to separate the player from the virtual
reality the game creates, a reality that should have been more involving.
"Um, excuse me sir, but
this game was designed for GameCube, not Nintendo 64."
What!? GameCube? That’s
not possible, the controller I’m using is a—
Oh no, it IS a GameCube
controller! That could only mean one thing: this is a GameCube game.
Can you tell? Take a
look at the screenshots. I know that graphics don’t make or break a game, but
they are the first thing you see, and whether we like it or not it does
encourage many of us to make a purchase, and steers us away when games are less
pretty. If you were to judge Road Trip: The Arcade Edition based on looks
alone, you wouldn’t go anywhere near it. GameCube is nearly a decade old.
GameCube has been out since 2001 and Nintendo is already talking about their
next game console. There is no excuse – not a single good reason – for someone
to design a GameCube game that looks like it was made for Nintendo 64.
It’s not just the look of
the game in screenshots though. Just wait till you get inside the game and
become baffled by the frame rate, which actually slows down at specific points!
Can you believe that? If the game were drenched in polygons and had real-time
effects that never quit, I’d expect some slowdown, or at least some incredible
graphic technique that prevented it from occurring. But Road Trip is low on
polygons and even lower on graphical beauty. The frame rate should never, ever
slow down. Why it does is beyond me.
Gamers know how important
the frame rate is, especially a racing game. Speed is key for racers. For
whatever reason, Road Trip checked its speed at the door. There are speed
boosts power-ups to acquire, but they’re few and far between. There are also
speed boost arrows planted at specific points of some of the courses, but
they’re not enough to make this game drive at an acceptable level. The
speedometer might say 100+ mph, but it feels like you’re moving at bicycle
speeds. Seriously, I’ve experienced a greater sense of speed and exhilaration
from running a quarter mile. The frame rate issues are bad enough – but even if
the frame rate was perfect this game would still move way too slow.
Each car is small and
oddly deformed, while the courses attempt to give an "over-sized" feel by making
everything bigger. You’d think this was a game based on the MicroMachines toys,
or even Hot Wheels. That’s fine. In fact, I love the idea of a racing game
that puts players inside of their toys. However, I’m not sure that was the goal
with Road Trip. I’m not sure what the goal was at all. The whole thing feels
very unstructured.
As I noted in the
review’s introduction, Road Trip’s controls aren’t very smooth or very precise.
The power-slide move is kind of cool: instead of just sliding, you jump in the
air. Game Boy Advance games use this technique, as did old 16-bit classics
designed for the SNES, but it has sense been outlawed now that the new,
ultra-powerful consoles are in every gamer’s home.
The rest of the controls
don’t fare so well. Steering is sluggish at best. I’d expect the steering to
be difficult when you hit a patch of oil, but that’s how the game feels
throughout each race – like you’re driving on a semi-greasy surface. When you
do hit an oil patch the vehicle becomes more resistant to turns, but it doesn’t
spin or drive in the chaotic way that you’d anticipate. This is almost
disappointing, because I would have rather had great controls that turn very
tightly, but become loose and uncontrollable when the tires lose traction.
Road Trip: The Arcade
Edition is an inexpensive game that retails for $19.99. That sounds like a
great deal, but there is a hidden cost: the game itself isn’t worth buying.
It’s generally hard to argue that a $20 game is worth passing up entirely, but
how could anyone recommend a game that isn’t fun? That’s the real problem that
I have with this game. You can overlook technical issues and ignore crappy
graphics if the gameplay delivers a compelling experience. In the case of Road
Trip I don’t think gamers will be compelled to do anything but stop playing it.
Gameplay: 5.5
Road Trip isn’t
unplayable. You could play it, and you could get through it, without banging
your head against the wall because of some ridiculous frustration that shouldn’t
have been created.
You
can’t, however, get through the game without getting bored. It’s slow, fairly
easy, and is relatively short. The car lineup is small, and each one drives
almost identical to each other – they mostly differ in their deformed
appearance. I know a lot of people love the VW Beetle, but there’s a much
better game out there called Beetle Adventure Racing. It was designed
exclusively for Nintendo 64 (no joke this time), can be found for $25 or less,
and it was published by the king of sports games, Electronic Arts.
Graphics: 3
Why is it that
Xbox and GameCube, the two most powerful consoles currently on the market, get
all the ugly games? I mean really, share the love – throw some of that ugliness
onto PlayStation 2., and give Xbox and GameCube more beauty!
Sound: 3
Generic sound
effects and sub-par techno music. Below typical, below worth listening to, and
below the point where I should spend any more time talking about it.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
The lead racer is
the one to beat. He’ll keep you from getting first place, at least a couple of
times. The rest are pretty easy to pass though.
Concept: 3
If this game were
based on the film of the same name it might have rocked. If the game had better
controls, or better track design, or a faster speed, it just might have rocked.
But that’s too many IFs for me to handle. IFs are "what could be" or "what
could have been." This game is what is.
Multiplayer: 4
If a game isn’t
fun to play alone, how could it be any fun to play with friends?
Overall: 5
Like an alarm
clock in reverse, Road Trip is the game you play when you want to go to
sleep.
