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FIREBUGS (PS)
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Attention to Detail. Released: October 2002. Genre: Racing. Posted 8th November 2020. By Tom Clare © 2020 |
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For PlayStation owners who remained loyal to the format deep into the autumn of its remarkable lifecycle, a treat lay in store. Attention to Detail, the talented development house behind two excellent Rollcage games was, against the odds, back to develop a third. Well, sort of. Firebugs may not have carried the name of its illustrious cousins, but its lineage was abundantly clear.
Unable to rely on coverage from significant portions of the gaming press, who were by this time focused firmly on sixth-generation happenings, ATD weren’t to be deterred. They aligned with the Official UK PlayStation Magazine, itself cultivating something of a cult following by this stage, meaning the PlayStation community would enjoy detailed updates on the game’s development throughout 2002. This would include an inspired competition that offered fans the chance to design a track to feature within the game, which was swiftly followed by a feature detailing the winner's creation. The magazine would feature the track on its demo disc1, along with a sequence of inviting previews and features, helping capture the imaginations of fans.
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Firebugs is unusually colourful for a futuristic racer, its settings imaginative and evocative.
Firebugs was no mere Rollcage reskin; it was very much its own entity. You get the feeling there was a bit less pressure on this project, that the developers had a little more room to experiment. Its visuals are less gritty than Rollcage, its palette a lot brighter. It’s also more forgiving, clearly targetted at a broader audience. But the spirit of the series is very much in evidence as you hurtle along banked corners, drive upside down along ceilings and vanquish foes in a flourish of rockets, all whilst travelling at breakneck speeds.
Races take place in five distinct, futuristic settings; each a homeworld for the five playable characters, who have their own vehicle variants and special weapons. There’s the Mad Max-esque rocky wasteland that is Terrain Dunes, the Asimovian Droid Gardens with its tunnel-like circuits framed by huge, transparent glass walls, utopian waterfalls and bright skies. There are shades of WipEout in the Sky Port and Aerial City courses, whilst the green jungles of Archipelago are more like something you’d expect to see in Crash Team Racing. Races are fast, furious and fun. Handling is grippy and responsive, and on-measure, track design makes efforts to limit the moon-physics frustrations and erroneous bumps that could be so cruel in Rollcage. The trade-off is, layouts feel quite safe, lacking distinctive or memorable characteristics. I’m not sure I ever had to use the brakes, on any of the courses.
Races take place in five distinct, futuristic settings; each a homeworld for the five playable characters, who have their own vehicle variants and special weapons. There’s the Mad Max-esque rocky wasteland that is Terrain Dunes, the Asimovian Droid Gardens with its tunnel-like circuits framed by huge, transparent glass walls, utopian waterfalls and bright skies. There are shades of WipEout in the Sky Port and Aerial City courses, whilst the green jungles of Archipelago are more like something you’d expect to see in Crash Team Racing. Races are fast, furious and fun. Handling is grippy and responsive, and on-measure, track design makes efforts to limit the moon-physics frustrations and erroneous bumps that could be so cruel in Rollcage. The trade-off is, layouts feel quite safe, lacking distinctive or memorable characteristics. I’m not sure I ever had to use the brakes, on any of the courses.
FOCAL POINT: FIREBOM FUNK
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Further evidence of Attention to Detail’s willingness to experiment comes in the involvement of the Bomfunk MC’s, a dance/hip-hop duo who found fame with “Freestyler”. Futuristic racers were by this point completely synonymous with house music and floor-fillers, and so it’s no surprise Firebugs wanted to stick with the trend. It’s a move that paid dividends, as the two songs provided by the pair –“Put Ya Hands Up” and “We R Atomic” – are the clear standouts among the game’s ten tunes (the remaining eight were composed by A-C-K, the developer’s in-house band), lending the racing a jubilant, uplifting vibe. The band’s involvement didn’t end there, with members Raymand Ebanks and Ismo Lappalainen providing the inspiration for characters B.O.W. and Gizmo. Firebugs’ five, colourful cartoonified characters also bear comparison with the art style used by virtual band Gorillaz, around the same time.
Then there’s the setup of the races, which is slightly odd. Tournaments each world begins with a three-lap race. Win and you’re not only straight through to a race for the trophy, but with pole position to boot. Finish second or lower in the opening round however, and you’ll have to take part in a trio of one-on-one heats on short, point-to-point routes. The outcome merely affects your starting position for the main event, where the grid isn’t especially crucial, as there are only four competitors. Of the 25 tracks touted, you can plausibly complete it without ever seeing 15 of them.
With no other significant modes of play, you can’t help feeling Attention to Detail missed a trick here. The tracks used for heats are very reminiscent of Rollcage Stage II’s legendary Scramble mode, where players face unbelievably narrow routes, and the challenge was simply to make it to the finish. A few timed challenges along the lines of these might have made smarter use of these courses. Once you’ve completed the game’s three classes, which won’t take more than a couple of days, a bunch of other concepts are unlocked. The pick of the bunch is Charlie’s Mode, where you get to race on the aformentioned competition winner’s circuit. Other than this, it’s frustrating to see a host of ideas, such as an Elimination race and a couple of new Iceworld Tracks, bundled in as last-minute excess. It’s a real shame, as Rollcage Stage II ensured a remarkable degree of long-term play by taking full advantage of its different play modes. Firebugs’ longevity falls short and is unquestionably its Achilles heel.
With no other significant modes of play, you can’t help feeling Attention to Detail missed a trick here. The tracks used for heats are very reminiscent of Rollcage Stage II’s legendary Scramble mode, where players face unbelievably narrow routes, and the challenge was simply to make it to the finish. A few timed challenges along the lines of these might have made smarter use of these courses. Once you’ve completed the game’s three classes, which won’t take more than a couple of days, a bunch of other concepts are unlocked. The pick of the bunch is Charlie’s Mode, where you get to race on the aformentioned competition winner’s circuit. Other than this, it’s frustrating to see a host of ideas, such as an Elimination race and a couple of new Iceworld Tracks, bundled in as last-minute excess. It’s a real shame, as Rollcage Stage II ensured a remarkable degree of long-term play by taking full advantage of its different play modes. Firebugs’ longevity falls short and is unquestionably its Achilles heel.
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Visually, it looks pretty fine, perhaps a whisker below the Ridge Racer Type 4’s and Wip3out’s of the PlayStation racing landscape, fairing well in terms of close detail, but slightly less strongly with regards to backgrounds and scenic landmarks. Surprisingly, given the compact nature of the courses and only four computer opponents, the frame-rate struggles noticeably on certain courses, and there’s a bit of tearing here and there.
The two-player split-screen experience is relatively good, and fairly important if you intend to glean a little more from Firebugs. Races retain an impressive degree of performance relative to the single-player, though as is so often the killer with PlayStation racers, it’s only the two player-controlled vehicles competing. Given Wip3out and Crash Team Racing delivered excellent multiplayer with computer competitors, its a little disappointing.
Ultimately, Firebugs makes for an enjoyable futuristic racer and between its neat soundtrack, smart presentation and great handling, has a lot going for it. However, fans will be a little disappointed by the lightweight track design and lack of focused longevity. With better structuring, its post-completion modes could have been given a far more prominent role. As it is, this stylish and personable racer is worth a look, even if its shelf life is all too fleeting.
The two-player split-screen experience is relatively good, and fairly important if you intend to glean a little more from Firebugs. Races retain an impressive degree of performance relative to the single-player, though as is so often the killer with PlayStation racers, it’s only the two player-controlled vehicles competing. Given Wip3out and Crash Team Racing delivered excellent multiplayer with computer competitors, its a little disappointing.
Ultimately, Firebugs makes for an enjoyable futuristic racer and between its neat soundtrack, smart presentation and great handling, has a lot going for it. However, fans will be a little disappointed by the lightweight track design and lack of focused longevity. With better structuring, its post-completion modes could have been given a far more prominent role. As it is, this stylish and personable racer is worth a look, even if its shelf life is all too fleeting.
1 The Official UK PlayStation Magazine #89. October 2002.
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VERDICT
"...fans will be a little disappointed by a lack of longevity, but a near soundtrack, stylish presentation and great handling mean Firebugs is worth a look, even if its shelf life is all too fleeting." OVERALL: 7/10 |