The Return of the N64: Top Gear Overdrive

Howdy all and we are off to Day 2 of Return of the N64. Amazingly we are not reviewing an action adventures platform game. Instead, we check out a racing game that came out in 1998 by the now defunct Snowblind Studios creating a 1 to 4 player racing game divided by seasons.

This is Top Gear Overdrive.

DAMN ICE!!!!!

With 3 charges of nitrous oxide giving the car a boost should be used sparingly. Power ups are available in the form of cash and more nitrous oxide. While the cash is normally added along with the winnings at the end of the race can be used for upgrades on brakes, engines, and better acceleration. With 5 main tracks and a championship mode track called Space Truckin' every track has different conditions including: snowing, thunder and night time. With Championship and Versus mode the game can be done head-to-head, time trial based or just free-for-all.

The funniest thing is having secret cars through the seasons. The Weinermobile, Nintendo Power Car, The N-Logo, Taco, a cart with donkeys and what was just named Museum Artifact.

The Rumble Pak gets some love with this but again the cars are not named but with codes instead. The types look like a Jeep Wrangler, a Camaro, a Viper, a gigantic Hummer, a Ferrari and a McLaren F-1. The mapping mode is far and easy enough to follow through and the graphics are decent enough in spite of all the polygons. The camera will smack into the wall. The screen is letter-boxed for some reason in high def.

Love the Camaro myself!

The entire soundtrack is made up by some half-assed metal band called Grindstone. A lot of guitar and bass into it with a lot of guitar solos. Gives decent enough background noise and you can end up tuning it out if you are not paying attention to it. The engines have different sounds to them but not much variant overall.

All cars have their strengths and weaknesses to each track as well as the weather variables. Several of the cars' handling can be tricky and you will almost certainly hit the wall at 200 mph. A little trial and error maybe 5 to 10 minutes and you get the feel of the car. You really need to try out every car...well except the damn Weinermobile. That just looks goofy. I think my only complaint about this particular racing game was very similar with a lot of those games during that time would always make dead  or barren tracks with no people or creatures around.

With the equal to every racing game available for the Playstations, this game holds its own and if you enjoy the arcade racing style then I say pick it up before the copies are gone.

Invisible Chicken, let go of the steering wheel!!!

PS2 Week

Welcome back readers! Today I was going to go into a volley of a specific film genre when it dawned on me I would rather cover some video games again. I know, I know. I did cover the Free-to-Play not long ago but it got me thinking there are several of a particular console I have not gotten to go into detail on and this week as good as any. I speak of the PS2. Manufactured in 2000, Sony's second installment of the Playstation boasted better graphics, more complex games ranging from racing, RPG, Co-Op, Action, Horror and the introduction to the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games.

I have a need.  A need for... oh, you get it already.

With more than 3,000 titles this sixth-gen console was competing with Nintendo Gamecube and Xbox for popularity churning out more than 150 million units during its release and worldwide sales of the console up to 1 billion. Even with its successor PS3, the PS2 is still one of the most preferred game consoles and units were still being created up until 2013. With that in mind, I wanted to discuss what I thought were some of the most definitive games throughout its inception, cover the pros and cons of gameplay for each and try to give the back story on each title.

So please enjoy the gamer geek's ideal entertainment of the PS2 and its most impressive array of games of various genre and I hope this will be fun for us all. Those of you that are sick of game blogs, hey I am sorry but gotta break away from the movies and TV now and then.

BMGs sure do clear a path!

N64 Week: Mario Kart N64

Hey there gamers and back to N64 Week and thought we would tackle another beloved multi-player game.  One that has been in almost every collection and I myself had to search for another copy for more than 2 years.  A head to head competition via race or and out and out combat for blood.  Rather balloons actually.    So grab your controller, squabble for first player and get ready for the match.  This is Mario Kart N64.

Yer goin down Mario!

Welcome to Mario Kart!!

Created in 1996 via Japan and it was released in North America and Europe in 1997 this go kart game boasts four different forms of game play: Grand Prix, Time Trial, Versus and Battle.  Grand Prix mode allows one or two people to compete against the computer players in a cup that takes place from four different courses with three laps each.  At the end of each race points are doled out after race is completed.  The difficulty level is measured by engine size 50, 100, or 150 cc (cubic centimenter).   Time Trial allows players to improve on their existing records per courses.  The players’ start their run with three mushrooms with give speed bursts to rip around the track. Lastly Versus mode gives two to four players to race around a single level with obstacles, hiding areas and weapons on standby.   This multi-player portion of the game is a last man standing.  Each player attacks the other with Koopa shells red, blue and green, bananas, upside down icons as traps and lastly a flower for temporary invincibility. 

Itsa me!

Every level or track is a variant of levels from all the Mario based games Nintendo and Super Nintendo and due to the breaking ground in 3D tracks got changes in elevation, bridges, walls and pits.  IGN and GamePro gave Mario Kart N64 at a solid 87% in Game Rankings.

Pfftt! Kong dust!

Mario Kart N64 has eight different characters for the players to use.  Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser which appeared the first Super Mario Kart and lastly the two new to series Wario and Donkey Kong.   Characters are divided into three weight classes: Lightweights (karts with high acceleration and lower top speed), Heavyweights (top heavy, low acceleration but a high top speed) and Middleweights (a perfect balance of both acceleration and top speed) 

And now a few tips and hints for the game to assist your play a bit better.   For example: the Grand Prix and Time Trial can get a burst of acceleration prior the third light. Hold down the after just before the third light and you will fly past the competition.    To use either red or green shells use the Z button to save that shell at the ready and toggle the analog stick down and launch the it with Z to fire it behind you as a trip up. 

The popularity of this game gave kids lunchboxes, bed sheets, posters and even action figures.  

Toy Biz created a Series one including Mario, Bowser and Yoshi.  Series two offered Ghost Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong and Wario.    While many feel this game has aged poorly and admittedly the graphics are lesser by today’s standards I still hold a place in my heart for it and I know many of my friends would agree.

Nintendo N64 Week

I have taken an inventory on my reviews and realized I have not done anything on video games in months.  I thought now was an opportune time to dust off the video game system and give a shot at an old profession.  Video Game reviews and I missed doing it.  Checking in my array of game systems I thought it might be fun to see these games and see what we can find as a level of amusement.  So this week we look at these antiquated titles of our childhood and breathe some life into the nostalgia that is Nintendo N64.

Meh I only get one game and Mario has over 20.