MegaRace 1+2

Being the fan of video gaming curiosities that I am, I was pleasantly surprised when picking up MR1, on virtue of it's title alone, for $2 at a market. MR1 is technically just a racer, but there are so many things that make it unique that feels like much more than that. The first thing you'll notice when you boot it up is the lengthy and surprisingly entertaining FMV cutscenes. Our eccentric host Lance Boyle will introduce the confusing setting through the medium of a popular TV program in the future. His quirky sense of humor and sometimes downright creepy manner lend the game a lot of its character, though the setting often feels artificial and irrelevant out of these cutscenes. The second abnormality MR1 exhibits is that every element of it's gameplay is done using FMV graphics. Each course is actually one long, pre-rendered film strip of a 3D race course, the speed of the strip being dependent on the speed of your car. The obvious limitation to this process is it's impossible to deviate even slightly from the track, and all tracks have to be essentially uniform in composition, so the effect is purely a visual one. Challenge is added to the raceway by symbols, similar to Wipeout, that can positively or adversely affect speed, energy, and other attributes while racing. Finally, the game play is not quite standard racing fare. Graphical limitations allow only one racer to be visible at any one time, but the player is allowed to defeat them any way they like- they can pass them like a traditional racer, or bump them against the edge of the track or even shooting them with on-board weapons. MR1 is quite emphatic on this point- you can, and should, defeat your opponents any way you like. Is MR1 a good game? That's a much harder question to answer. I must admit the FMV took a long time to get used to but once I started to memorize track layouts I really started to get into the game. Victory is predicated on hitting the right symbols so memorizing the tracks is essential. That said, there's no rubber band here and the progressive method of game play coupled with the strict time limits on each race make the game rather unforgiving and hitting the finish line seconds before passing your nearest rival can be very frustrating. I get the feeling how much fun this game is to individuals will be highly subjective. But good or not, Mega Race is undeniably unique.

Megarace 1 (as already written down here a thousand times, the second is simply... bad and not worth discussing about it) starts with a really good idea, or better yet, a really 'cool' setting: dystopian television show about race and murder. In full FMV, the character Lance Boyle, as show runner of the murder races, is also a good vector all of those 'dystopian' vibes (which I'm rather fond of) and manages to be entertaining long enough... but not for the whole game(s). Gameplay wise, there is little to be said: it aged really bad and wasn't even that great to start with. Besides that, graphics are somewhat good (talking about n1, 'cuz 2 isn't worth it) and sounds are on point. So, unless you are fan or a retro gamer explorer of this little quirky games of the past, I'd rather not recommended... not even for a dollar. (But damn those 90's futuristic dystopian vibes are tasty).

The game has good art, a great concept, great atmosphere but also has really bad design choices. Both games have poor handling and narrow tracks which is not good for a car based game, thus making them artificially hard. Cutscenes are really good but they are really poorly implemented on the first game. They are interesting and unique games and that alone is worth it, just be advised that they are'nt as enjoyable as they could have been.

Silly game with ludicrous TV show hosts, sarcastic word building and the ever present threat to be sent back to reality! *gasp* The driving physics are basic arcade style: prerendered backdrop movies where your 3D polygon car strafes left and right while the NonPlayerCars annoy you and the races feel rigged - which fits the lore, but then, you can just show up on a car loaded with ton of mines and rockets >:D Despite the low pixel resolution, the prerendered tracks still look beautiful and interesting. Clearly a case where aesthetics > graphics. Definitely an amusing game.

Worth the money just to see Lance Boyle! "I'm Lance Boyle and you would be too, if you were me." "You've won... A Scottish Accent!!" Also you race cars and shoot.