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BURNIN' RUBBER (GX4K)
Publisher: Ocean. Developer: Ocean.
Released: 1990. Genre: Racing. Posted 18th September 2012. By Chris Weatherley © 2012 |
Before the coming of the likes of Daytona USA or the groundbreaking Virtua Racing, POV racing games of the late eighties were still stuck firmly in the 2D world. 8-bit classics like Buggy Boy and Grand Prix Circuit showed that a racing game can be done well on the home platform. One of the popular CPC titles was Konami’s 1988 port of WEC LeMans. Based on the endurance race of the same name, this was the first game to depict 24 hours of racing continuously. Not connected with the 2007 PC title of the same name, Burnin’ Rubber uses this classic as a base and was the first game to be written for the GX4000. Produced by Ocean, who released the bulk of GX4000 games, it does a pretty good job at showing some of the improvements over the CPC’s capabilities. Looking to contend with the NES or SMS, Burnin’ Rubber takes a rather good stab at it, but it’s far from a perfect.
Given a quick glance, the 8-bit gamer would instantly think it was WEC LeMans, but on closer inspection, there are subtle differences. First, I’ll get the similarities out of the way. You drive a classic racing Porsche viewed from the third person behind and race on a long track, aiming to complete the whole race within the time limits of each stage. Simple. There are mountains in the far background, and as you race the sun sets, it gets dark and dawn breaks as the simulation of 24 hours comes to fruition.
Given a quick glance, the 8-bit gamer would instantly think it was WEC LeMans, but on closer inspection, there are subtle differences. First, I’ll get the similarities out of the way. You drive a classic racing Porsche viewed from the third person behind and race on a long track, aiming to complete the whole race within the time limits of each stage. Simple. There are mountains in the far background, and as you race the sun sets, it gets dark and dawn breaks as the simulation of 24 hours comes to fruition.
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Burnin' Rubber's 4 laps take in a 24-hour day-night cycle, so expect a wide range of lighting hues
Broken down, Burnin’ Rubber is a basic game, but games with simple fundamentals can make for a very enjoyable time and it’s all rather exciting from the moment you switch on. Blazing tyres scream across the screen, spelling out the title of the game in the flames upheld by a jolly energising tune. As far as title screens go, it’s not fireworks in the sky, but it’s quite impressive none the less. The animation on the flames is a small example of the GX4000’s improved sprites over the CPC and really sets the tone. Things are straightforward in the options department too; clearly presented and easy to set in seconds. All the menu screens follow the same trend and are superbly presented, all with their own different BGM, that’s surprisingly that not annoying. The leaderboard screen seems to have an interesting 8-bit rendition of Duran Duran’s ‘A View to a Kill’, but that’s probably just my eighties-poisoned ears hearing things. Damn this senility!
OK, so you’re gearing yourself up for 24 hours (just over an hour) of non-stop racing right? Well not just yet, you have to do the qualifying run first. This basically serves as a practice run and it largely irrelevant to the actual race, unless to crash out of course. The qualifiers are held in bright daylight, it’s not until the actual race where dusk falls and darkness descends, so it really feels like a warm up to the proceedings. This is also the first time you get to feel the speed of it, not all that impressive to be honest, but I have played far worse. Power Drift springs instantly to mind, but it does improve somewhat as you shift through the gears.
OK, so you’re gearing yourself up for 24 hours (just over an hour) of non-stop racing right? Well not just yet, you have to do the qualifying run first. This basically serves as a practice run and it largely irrelevant to the actual race, unless to crash out of course. The qualifiers are held in bright daylight, it’s not until the actual race where dusk falls and darkness descends, so it really feels like a warm up to the proceedings. This is also the first time you get to feel the speed of it, not all that impressive to be honest, but I have played far worse. Power Drift springs instantly to mind, but it does improve somewhat as you shift through the gears.
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Getting into the game more, the thing that catches the eye on the main game screen is the graphics. They are a treat for any 8-bit lover. Colourful, defined and organised. The main sprite of your car is particularly detailed. The spectacular car flipping crash sequence is very well animated and hilarious at first. This novelty soon wears off though, but never becomes tiresome. The race time, speed, gears and so on are displayed along the top and don’t interfere with the primary view, and stand out for easy reading during play. It’s all arranged well, the horizon level is not set to low so there loads of space to see ahead and plan your next move. As said before, the movement is not all that fast for a 2D racer, but things around the environment help. The animated flags, the overhangs and the cheeky hint to the games programmers, the Darling brothers, make it feel faster than it is. Also, the gentle thumping sound of the tyres is a nice touch too.
Gameplay is the aspect most 8-bit games are favoured for in many cases, and for the most part things are all good. Collision detection with the roadside furniture is good, the tunnel parts are fun with the sparks flying on the walls, the lights flitting by and engine noise echo, plus the other cars on the circuit keeps things very challenging. I say this, because their behaviour is utterly ridiculous! Swerving over the road randomly at any given point, ramming you rudely from behind and for some reason, ALWAYS breaking down in the tunnel sections. Hit them at speed whilst stranded and the skyward mega-flip routine will ensue. Staying out of their way is the key and that’s where the problems lie.
Gameplay is the aspect most 8-bit games are favoured for in many cases, and for the most part things are all good. Collision detection with the roadside furniture is good, the tunnel parts are fun with the sparks flying on the walls, the lights flitting by and engine noise echo, plus the other cars on the circuit keeps things very challenging. I say this, because their behaviour is utterly ridiculous! Swerving over the road randomly at any given point, ramming you rudely from behind and for some reason, ALWAYS breaking down in the tunnel sections. Hit them at speed whilst stranded and the skyward mega-flip routine will ensue. Staying out of their way is the key and that’s where the problems lie.
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The drivers are so committed, they even race during the apocalypse
The responsiveness is sluggish to say the least and combining that with the overall speed, things can get a tad irritating. Chuck more than 3 or 4 other car spites on-screen as well, and some slow down occurs in fits and starts. Not Burnin’, merely scorching. A little more effort to program these issues out may have resolved this, or maybe it’s down to the fact that Amstrad’s mode 0 is used for the graphics. Wonderful as they are using the GX4000’s massive colour pallet, the CPC WEC LeMans used the 4 colour mode 1, so was faster as result. Personally, I prefer the graphics in this instance.
I’m sounding too negative now, so I’ll finish with the good points. Although Burnin’ Rubber doesn’t use the machines full capabilities, it’s a well polished game in terms of presentation, sound and graphics, and has highlights that I really like. The crash sequence of course, the tunnel parts, and mostly the transition from day to night and back again. It really feels that you are progressing well when the light fades, the Porsche’s lights come on, and the moonlight shines off the mountains on the horizon. Longevity? It’s certainly a challenge to complete the game's 4 laps; I have only done this once in 22 years! The problem is putting up with the sloppy reactions and the madness of the other cars. All too often this gets me annoyed, makes me crash, lose time and it's game over. All in all, not the best racer there ever was, but Burnin’ Rubber is a fine first effort for a game on a new machine as it was then and arguably the best racer on the platform, despite its foibles. However, this may be subject to change if I ever get my hands on Chase HQ 2.
I’m sounding too negative now, so I’ll finish with the good points. Although Burnin’ Rubber doesn’t use the machines full capabilities, it’s a well polished game in terms of presentation, sound and graphics, and has highlights that I really like. The crash sequence of course, the tunnel parts, and mostly the transition from day to night and back again. It really feels that you are progressing well when the light fades, the Porsche’s lights come on, and the moonlight shines off the mountains on the horizon. Longevity? It’s certainly a challenge to complete the game's 4 laps; I have only done this once in 22 years! The problem is putting up with the sloppy reactions and the madness of the other cars. All too often this gets me annoyed, makes me crash, lose time and it's game over. All in all, not the best racer there ever was, but Burnin’ Rubber is a fine first effort for a game on a new machine as it was then and arguably the best racer on the platform, despite its foibles. However, this may be subject to change if I ever get my hands on Chase HQ 2.
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VERDICT
Visual: 9/10
Audio: 8/10 Gameplay: 6/10 Longevity: 7/10 OVERALL: 7/10 |