Tag Archives: racing

Let's Play, Reviews, Sega Master System

Hang-On [Sega Master System] – Review and Let’s Play

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Hang-On - Sega Master System

Even though I passed a never-ending supply of racers playing Hang-On, my true race was against the clock. I had little room for error, maybe one or two mistakes if I hoped to complete each stage before time ran out. Skillfully managing the throttle and brake, especially when cornering, was the key. Before long I was weaving in between racers and passing them in corners, making good time. Stages lasted about a minute and segued immediately into the next until the five-stage course was complete. In one sitting, it’s about a forty-minute game and not too challenging on the default difficulty. I made plenty of mistakes, often cornering too quickly or misjudging a racer’s proximity, but usually finished with ample time on the clock. When I was in a groove and listening to the hum of the motorcycle, the sounds of passing racers and squealing tires, it became a Zenlike, albeit monotonous, experience. Although my playthrough lacked much excitement, I’m glad to have finally spent material time with Hang-On. It’s an enjoyable racing game that tests one moderation, and patience.

Let's Play, Reviews, Sega Master System

Enduro Racer [Sega Master System] – Review and Let’s Play

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Enduro Racer - Sega Master System

It’s been nearly a year (!) since I last played the Sega Master System or recorded gameplay, but I’m getting back in the groove. First order of business: highlighting Enduro Racer! Originally released as an arcade game around this time of the year in 1986, it was another popular hit designed by Yu Suzuki. The Master System port released a year later and perspective-wise, was quite different. Whereas the arcade version featured a behind-the-back perspective akin to Hang-On, this version featured an isometric viewpoint more like Zaxxon. That difference aside, gameplay still revolved around racing dirt bikes and catching big air. Once I understood the mechanics, I was off to the races and had a great time. Continue reading Enduro Racer [Sega Master System] – Review and Let’s Play →

Let's Play, Reviews, Sega Master System

World Grand Prix [Sega Master System] – Review and Let’s Play

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world-grand-prix

World Grand Prix was one of the earliest racing games on the Sega Master System. It was released in 1986, the year of the console’s debut in the United States, and was developed and published by Sega. I thought it was a simplistic, albeit fun, representation of Formula One, but unnecessary to seek out. Continue reading World Grand Prix [Sega Master System] – Review and Let’s Play →

PlayStation 2, Random Games

Random Game #37 – Gran Turismo 4 [PlayStation 2]

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Gran Turismo 4

When you have a video game collection like mine, it can be hard to play all of the games. This is especially true when additions are made on an almost weekly basis. Still, I appreciate nearly every game I’ve accumulated for this reason or that. In the hopes of improving my writing through continuous effort and promoting ongoing learning of these games, I’m going to compose brief, descriptive articles.

This was the first brand new game I purchased for the PlayStation 2. I can still remember so clearly walking into the newly opened GameStop in my town and picking this game up. It had to have been six months to a year after release as it was about thirty dollars, if memory serves. This was the first “major” simulation racing game I played. I was enveloped in the experience as a result and spent so much time playing, unlocking car after car. That was one of the things that kept me hooked. Since I grew up on Pokémon, I can dig collecting, and Gran Turismo is one of those series where there’s an immense amount of cars to collect. I didn’t fully complete it, and I daydream about returning to it, almost instead of trying my hand at one of its sequels. This will remain a collection of some of my fondest PS2 memories.

Gran Turismo 4 was developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on February 22, 2005, following the original December 28, 2004 Japanese release. As is the case with every title in the series currently, its development was overseen by Kazunori Yamauchi. Also, in keeping with tradition, this game was subject to many delays. That being said, no one can dispute the quality of the final product.

PlayStation 2, Random Games

Random Game #30 – Ridge Racer V [PlayStation 2]

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Ridge Racer V

When you have a video game collection like mine, it can be hard to play all of the games. This is especially true when additions are made on an almost weekly basis. Still, I appreciate nearly every game I’ve accumulated for this reason or that. In the hopes of improving my writing through continuous effort and promoting ongoing learning of these games, I’m going to compose brief, descriptive articles.

There was a time when it wasn’t a PlayStation launch without a Ridge Racer game. The series’ peak was arguably confined to the era of the first PlayStation, but this game is also very well regarded. The only games in the series I’ve spent a great deal of time with are this game’s predecessor and successor. I have played this game maybe once. I’m interested to play it more but I don’t believe there’s a ton to do. This was a launch title for the PlayStation 2 and I would bet the development was constrained due to the impending launch of the system. I still get a kick out of reading OPM and PSM during this game’s preview cycle and reading the writers’ praise for the graphics though.

Ridge Racer V was developed and published by Namco. It was available for the PlayStation 2’s launch in all three major video game markets, which means it was available in North America on October 26, 2000. One cool unlockable is the ability to play as Pac-Man and his ghost enemies.

Android, Random Games

Random Game #26 – Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing [Android]

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Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

When you have a video game collection like mine, it can be hard to play all of the games. This is especially true when additions are made on an almost weekly basis. Still, I appreciate nearly every game I’ve accumulated for this reason or that. In the hopes of improving my writing through continuous effort and promoting ongoing learning of these games, I’m going to compose brief, descriptive articles.

Now didn’t I just discuss a Sonic racing game? What’re the chances I’d get another one this quickly? Actually, it was a 2/1732 or 1/866 so it was quite rare. I acquired this through the Humble Sega Mobile Bundle and like the bulk of that lot, haven’t played this. I have played its sequel on the Wii U though, and it’s pretty good. I don’t find it as polished as a Mario Kart game, but it offers much more variety – specifically in the properties on display. Reading about this title, it appears to do the same, albeit, with a little less than its successor. I’m not too interested in giving this game a shot, especially on Android, but if I found a copy in the wild for a good price, I’d still snatch it up.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing was originally developed by Sumo Digital and released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS on February 23, 2010, in North America. A PC port was released a couple of weeks later – March 3, 2010. There was also an arcade version (!?) and mobile ports for iOS (2011), Android (2013), and Blackberry (2013); these were ported by Gameloft. Lastly, a Mac OS X version is available courtesy of Feral Interactive (2013). One more interesting point – the Xbox 360 and Wii versions featured exclusive characters: the Xbox 360 had Banjo and Kazooie (in fact, that version goes under a slightly different name noting that) as well as the Avatar while the Wii version featured Miis.

GameCube, Random Games

Random Game #24 – Sonic Riders [GameCube]

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Sonic Riders

When you have a video game collection like mine, it can be hard to play all of the games. This is especially true when additions are made on an almost weekly basis. Still, I appreciate nearly every game I’ve accumulated for this reason or that. In the hopes of improving my writing through continuous effort and promoting ongoing learning of these games, I’m going to compose brief, descriptive articles.

Before this came out, I thought it looked very interesting. I wasn’t super into Sonic at this point, but I had been previously, notably after the launch of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. I wound up forgoing this game, but a friend purchased it and we played a fair amount of it. I remember the controls being super sensitive, although imprecise. This didn’t make for an enjoyable experience, especially with a shrunken screen during multiplayer. More realistically, I just wasn’t as good as he was because he had the opportunity to play it more. My poor performance colored my impressions of the game, although I’d like to return to it and examine the single player component. I still think the game has cool look to it; in my mind, it’s very evocative of the time period it was released.

Sonic Riders was developed by Sonic Team, with assistance from NOW Production. It was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in North America on February 21, 2006 and published by Sega. A PC version was released later that year: November 17, 2006.

Random Games, Xbox 360

Random Game #13 – Forza Motorsport 2 [Xbox 360]

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Forza Motosport 2When you have a video game collection like mine, it can be hard to play all of the games. This is especially true when additions are made on an almost weekly basis. Still, I appreciate nearly every game I’ve accumulated for this reason or that. In the hopes of improving my writing through continuous effort and promoting ongoing learning of these games, I’m going to compose brief, descriptive articles.

Just yesterday I wrote about R: Racing Evolution and commented that until Forza Motorsport arrived on the Xbox, it was the best bet on that platform. It’s fitting then that I write about this game so soon afterwards. To date, Forza Motorsport 2 is the only title in the franchise that I’ve given extended playtime to. It was one of the earlier games I owned for the Xbox 360 and I played it a great deal. It’s something I still think about returning to in order to clean up some achievements. The game’s damage was something mostly unseen in this style of racing game, as was the graphical customization system, and the breadth of online functionality – including an auction house. It was a feature-rich racing game and one of the early greats of last generation.

Forza Motorsport 2 was developed by Turn 10 Studios and published in North America by Microsoft Game Studios on May 29, 2007.