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The Daily Click ::. Downloads ::. Review Review: Unknown Game 5530
It's hard not to be blinded by the thought of a Mode7 racer - after all, it's not every day that someone comes up with a workable, practical 3d racing engine for MMF. In fact, it's not been any day at all up until now. Many a klikker's Mario-Kart-making dream has been dashed upon the rocks of Mode 7's incapabilities and annoyances. It's impossible. It just can't be done. Just tell that to Snerlin. Neonair Racing, as a concept, is fairly simple. In fact, it's so simple it's been done to death by several console games before. Mario Kart, Crash Team Racing, The Simpson's Road Rage; the list goes on. Pick a racer, race around, win the cups. But the fact that I have to find PlayStation games to compare this game to proves that this is a unique game in terms of klik. Snerlin must be very proud of this achievement, as a unique click game is rarer than a fatty in Africa. Shall I go on? The game's storyline is rather feeble, and I dare say corny. But it's one that's so corny, it ends up being humourous (like Xena Warrior Princess). Basically, you just have to ride around and win the cups whilst defeating a kart riding baddie after every 4 races. Some poorly conceived excuse for why you have to do this is inlcluded in the intro (which, I have to say, is pretty well executed). But, saying that, people don't play racing games for the storylines - people play them for quick arcade fun. And does this game deliver this very specific type of fun? I would lean to the answer "yes" in this case, for it is a) quick and b) very fun. It's one of those kind of games you can pick up and play without much thought, like all the classic kart games. The actual engine, while solid enough, does contain the odd bug and little annoyance, but I think most people would expect that from a Mode 7 game. For instance, the sprites stay the same size no matter where they are on the race track, as do the various obstacles. It's sometimes virtually impossible to figure out where the sheep, ghosts and graves actually are without bumping into them. But as I said, that's to be expected. The checkpoints and various hazards on the tracks all seem to be in the right places, and the collision detection seems to work fine. One negative point I have is that the difficulty curve gets a little steep after the first cup - I don't think I even found myself in second place all the way through it, but in the second cup I was struggling to finish 1st (although perseverance prevailed). All in all, it's a good, fast game to play and one which, unlike most klik games, I went back to play a second time. In terms of graphics, however, the game lets itself down a little. Some graphics, including most of the karts, are pretty well done, with nice shading etc. However, the odd sprite goes a little wayward. I think this is to do with Snerlin's improving graphics skills, and the fact that he started this game about a year ago. But simple changes could have been made (the fire icon for example). The tracks do look pixellated, but that's almost certainly down to the Mode 7 extension and the way sprites are displayed. The backgrounds again are a mixture of good and bad - DOOM Lava Level was a particularly disinteresting one. On the presentational side of things, I thought the game was very good. The menues and character select screens I thought were very good, and with a clear green, Matrix-ish style, unlike the mish-mash you get in some click games. But then again, this game is a little unique, as I said before. Something I would say detracts from how good the game is, is the sound and music. Most of it is ripped and doesn't fit at all well. Nirvana? Final Fantasy? Snerlin could have asked many people in the klik community (myself included) for some original midis, which actually might have suited the game. The sound effects also, although rare, were a bit off-putting. The wailing sound when someone was hit by a weapon did my 'ead in, and I dare say did a few other people's. So overall, not good choices in terms of audio - maybe next time Snerlin should pay a bit more attention to the sound. However, a couple of discrepencies and unpolished bits needn't destroy all the good work that's been put into this game. It's fun, it's imaginative and most of all it's worth downloading. I think you should put down your penis and start downloading this game, even if it's just for the sheer novelty of a Mode 7 racer. Did I mention that this game is pretty unique? Well it is. Download it.
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  Great   More ReviewsMuffin Batel [neonair games] - 9/10 Matt Boothman - 8/10 Nuklear41 - 7/10 Average: 8/10 Review This Game → AdvertisementWorth A Click   |
